The numbers compiled across the 2025/26 season underline the breadth and consistency of Arrowfield Stud's stallion roster, with five resident sires producing results that placed them among the elite in Australia and beyond. Champion sire Snitzel once again led the charge, securing a sixth Australian 2YO Sires' Premiership and a fifth General Sires' Premiership, while fellow Arrowfield stallions The Autumn Sun and Dundeel also featured prominently in the national standings, finishing third and 13th respectively. Castelvecchio enhanced his growing reputation by claiming fourth position on the Third Season Sires' table, despite having only 105 runners, trailing only Too Darn Hot, Blue Point and Alabama Express, each represented by larger crops. The Autumn Sun also earned a place among the leading 3YO sires, achieving a top-five finish with comparatively fewer runners than his principal rivals, thanks largely to the exploits of dual Group 1 Guineas hero Autumn Boy, fellow Group winners Autumn Break and Autumn Mystery, together with multiple Group 1-placed filly After Summer. Snitzel's dominance extended beyond prizemoney-based premierships, with Breeding & Racing's domestic stakes points system also ranking him at the head of both the Australian Stallions Premiership and Australian 2YO Stallions Premiership. Arrowfield's influence was equally apparent in Racing & Sports' authoritative Australian Timeform Ratings, where seven horses by Snitzel, The Autumn Sun, Castelvecchio and Dundeel featured among the season's standout performers. Those representatives included juveniles Campione D'Italia and Fireball, classic-winning three-year-old Autumn Boy and four-year-olds Autumn Glow, Aeliana, Idle Flyer and Lady Shenandoah. Maurice also made his presence felt through Cosmic Crusader, whose Group 1 Northerly Stakes triumph in Perth earned a Racing & Sports rating of 120 before he returned to Melbourne to dominate the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes by two and a half lengths, receiving a mark of 119. Among all the achievements, Autumn Glow produced perhaps the most remarkable statistical performance. The exceptional daughter of The Autumn Sun finished the Australian season with a Timeform rating of 128, matching world champion sprinter Ka Ying Rising and joining an exclusive group headed only by Black Caviar (136), Winx (134), Makybe Diva and Sunline (both 129) in the 26-year history of Australian Timeform assessments. Her international standing was equally impressive, ending her autumn preparation as the highest-rated female on the IFHA LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings with a figure of 120, while remaining inside the top 12 of the TRC Global Rankings, surpassed among mares only by Kalpana and Diamond Necklance. Arrowfield's impact extended beyond the stallion barn through the deeds of its sale graduates, with nine graduates collecting 14 stakes victories led by Group 1 winners Baraqiel, successful in the Moir Stakes in addition to a Listed triumph, and Lazzura, whose season featured victories in the Coolmore Classic and two further Group races. Group winners Origin Of Love, Verona Rose, Autumn Break, Beadman and St Gotthard further strengthened the tally, while former Arrowfield sires continued to make their mark through Group 1 winner Giga Kick and Group winners Invincible Papa in Japan, Roselyn's Star, Scheelite and Skyhook, lifting the stud's graduate record to 22 stakes wins for the season. Another 20 Arrowfield graduates supplied 30 stakes placings, eight of them at Group 1 level, with the lightly raced After Summer and promising three-year-old Cormier among those expected to resume in elite company during the coming spring.
Snitzel was utterly dominant last season (pic: Arrowfield Stud)
Widden Success Spans Track and Sale Ring
Thursday, 6th August 2026
Few thoroughbred enterprises could match the breadth of achievement assembled by Widden Stud during 2025/26, with elite racetrack performers, rising young stallions, exceptional graduate results and sustained commercial strength combining to produce another distinguished season for one of Australia's most historic nurseries. Zoustar remained the roster's standard-bearer, finishing as Australia's leading active sire by Stakes winners with 12 and progeny earnings of $21.8 million, while 44 Stakes performers carried his influence around the world from August 1. His yearlings were equally prized, with 57 selling at an average of $544,000 and his 36th individual million-dollar youngster passing through the ring, but Jolestar provided the most commanding advertisement by extending her record to five Gr1 victories and $9.23 million in earnings. Trapeze Artist continued his progress among Australia's emerging stallions, leading the fourth-crop sires by both winners, with 92, and Stakes winners, with eight, while only Snitzel supplied more juvenile Stakes winners during the season. Zousain also reached an important stage in his development, becoming the leading active third-season sire by winners across Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong with more than 100, accompanied by earnings exceeding $5.6 million. At the other end of the commercial cycle, Jacquinot generated the second-highest yearling aggregate among all first-season sires and had 25 Golden Slipper nominations placed with many of the nation's leading trainers, while first foals by dual Gr1 winner Southport Tycoon are due this month following strong breeder support and excellent fertility. Widden's younger stallion division also began establishing genuine depth, with Anders and Dirty Work each producing five Stakes horses, Doubtland four and Russian Camelot two, their combined records already encompassing 125 individual winners. Yet perhaps the season's most personal success came through Supido's son Unit Five, who captured the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic after being bred by Widden employees and named for the late stud manager David Merrick, whose radio call sign supplied the colt's identity. The victory strengthened Widden's standing as Australia's leading producer of Magic Millions juvenile winners and gave emotional substance to statistics accumulated across the year. Graduates of the farm registered more than 50 Stakes performances, headed by established triple Gr1 winner Zougotcha and elite winners Climbing Star, Griff and Schwarz, while Unit Five was joined among the season's principal performers by Hong Kong Derby winner Invincible Ibis, Magic Millions and Listed Dalrello Stakes winner The Next Episode, Gr2 Sweet Embrace Stakes heroine Spicy Miss, Gr3 Red Anchor Stakes winner Napoleonic and Gr3 winners Pinito and Plaintiff. Commercially, Widden sold 24 Inglis Easter yearlings for $17.59 million at an average of $732,917, including seven million-dollar lots, five by Zoustar, while its Magic Millions draft grossed $11.34 million and its Melbourne Premier and Sydney Classic consignments achieved a combined 98 per cent clearance rate. Million-dollar broodmare transactions involving Benedetta at $1.9 million and Philia and Startantes at $1.4 million each provided a fitting conclusion to a campaign in which Widden's influence stretched from conception and development through to the auction ring and racing's most coveted prizes.
Triple Group 1-winning sprinter Zougotcha (pic: Steve Hart)
It's Where They Finish That Really Matters
Thursday, 6th August 2026
Few maiden victories could carry greater personal significance for Chris Munce than the Sunshine Coast success of Mynemesis, a filly whose determined arrival on the racecourse followed an extraordinary battle merely to survive her earliest months. The three-year-old, owned by Munce's wife Cathy and prepared by Chris in partnership with son Corey, was sent out at $19 in Sunday's $30,000 Maiden Plate but swept past her rivals after accelerating sharply near the 200m to make a winning debut under Tahlia Fenlon. Mynemesis had been orphaned as a foal and was then rejected by the nanny mare entrusted with raising her, leaving her dependent upon hand-feeding, countless buckets of milk and sustained attention from those around her. "She was an orphan, she didn't have her mother, and the nanny mare didn't want anything to do with her," Munce said. "The filly had to overcome all that and then we had to get her going as a racehorse." Her progress was further interrupted only months before her debut when kickback struck her during a Gold Coast trial and almost cost the filly an eye. Munce described the injury as savage, requiring round-the-clock supervision, and credited the stable's Gold Coast staff with nursing her through another precarious period. That difficult history made her first raceday performance especially rewarding, particularly after betting suggested several rivals possessed stronger credentials. Mynemesis instead displayed a decisive change of pace, quickly settling the outcome once Fenlon asked her to improve. "The way she quickened at the 200m mark was great and she put paid to them pretty quickly," Munce said, adding that the still-immature filly should continue progressing with racing and physical development. The result held another poignant family connection through Mynemesis' late dam Winning Fashions, who raced for Cathy Munce before enjoying a second career as an off-the-track show horse and competing at Brisbane's Ekka. While the stable celebrated the unlikely heroine's breakthrough, plans were also taking shape for one of its established spring prospects. Brave Monarch, a commanding winner of the Listed Daybreak Lover and Gr2 Queensland Guineas during the winter carnival, is likely to resume in next month's Weetwood Handicap at Toowoomba. Munce wants to give the talented galloper one Queensland appearance before travelling south, with the Silver Eagle intended as his Sydney lead-up to the $10 million Golden Eagle. Those ambitions may ultimately deliver victories of far greater monetary value, but Mynemesis' refusal to be beaten by circumstance ensured her modest maiden success occupied a place of rare emotional importance for the Munce family and the stable staff who helped carry her from a fragile orphan to a race winner.
A Quartet of Training Feats Laid Bare
Thursday, 6th August 2026
Four campaigns spanning international sprinting glory, a historic Cups double and two remarkable transformations have been shortlisted for the 2025/26 Most Outstanding Training Performance award, which will be decided at Saturday night's Victorian Racing Awards. According to racing.com, Racing Victoria named Cindy Alderson, Henry Dwyer, Tony and Calvin McEvoy, and Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman as the finalists, with the accolade recognising excellence by Victorian-licensed trainers both at home and abroad. A panel comprising racing officials, journalists and broadcasters will select the winner from a group whose achievements underline the range of skills required to produce elite performers. Alderson's nomination follows her masterful handling of Jigsaw, the durable seven-year-old who was defeated only once in eight appearances during an extraordinary season. Bred by Alderson's mother Lynne, the sprinter opened his campaign with three successive Victorian victories, completing that sequence in the $1 million The Meteorite at Cranbourne. A venture across the Tasman then delivered a career-defining result when Jigsaw won the Gr1 Railway Stakes at Ellerslie, providing both horse and trainer with their first elite-level success. He returned to Australia to capture the Gr1 William Reid Stakes at Caulfield before travelling west and concluding his season with victory in Perth's $5 million The Quokka. Dwyer was recognised for an ambitious European campaign that established Asfoora as the continent's champion sprinter at the 2025 Cartier Racing Awards. Having broken through at Royal Ascot in 2024, the Ballarat trainer committed the mare entirely to Europe the following year, a decision rewarded by dominant Gr1 victories in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York and Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. Her French triumph was especially significant, making Asfoora the first Australian-trained horse to win in that country. The McEvoys earned their place through Half Yours, whose ascent from benchmark company to Cups immortality unfolded within six months. After securing his Caulfield Cup position with an emphatic Naturalism Stakes victory and finishing fourth in the Turnbull Stakes, the gelding was guided through the field by Jamie Melham to give Tony McEvoy his first Caulfield Cup. Half Yours subsequently overcame a two-kilogram penalty to win the Melbourne Cup, becoming only the 13th horse to complete the celebrated double. Moody and Coleman's nomination centres on $10,000 purchase Sheza Alibi, who accumulated five Stakes wins during a spectacular campaign. The Saxon Warrior filly collected the Vanity Stakes, Sandown Guineas and Angus Armanasco Stakes before rising to another level in Sydney, defeating the males in the Gr1 Randwick Guineas and then overwhelming older opposition by more than four lengths in the Gr1 Doncaster Mile. The award will be presented alongside the Scobie Breasley Medal and Victorian Racehorse of the Year honours during a ceremony hosted by Jason Richardson and broadcast through racing.com's digital platforms.
Sydney Trials a Veritable Lens into Spring Class
Thursday, 6th August 2026
A crowded morning of high-class trial action at Warwick Farm offered an early glimpse of several major spring contenders, although middle-distance star Aeliana was withdrawn after taking skin from the back of a leg behind the barriers. Golden Slipper winner Guest House was among the headline acts and produced an encouraging first public appearance of the preparation, finishing a restrained fourth in his 900m open heat under Zac Lloyd. The trial went to Ciaron Maher's Tornado Valley, who held off the fast-finishing Everest-bound Jimmysstar, while Attica shaped promisingly in third and Guest House remained within a length of the winner without being extended. Following Coolmore's majority purchase of the Home Affairs colt after his Slipper triumph, Guest House is being prepared for the $1 million Golden Rose over 1400m at Rosehill on September 26, with a possible Everest campaign still under consideration. Ben Elam, who oversees the Sydney operation for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr, said the performance delivered precisely what the stable wanted from his first trial back. "He's gone terrific," Elam said. "Being his first trial he wasn't out to do too much and I liked that when he saw Jimmysstar to his outside he clicked up and dug in and kept working through his gears." A quiet early tempo developed into a sharp sprint home, and Lloyd reported that the colt had handled the exercise comfortably and recovered well. Guest House will have another trial on the Randwick course proper before resuming in the San Domenico Stakes on August 29, followed by the Run To The Rose and Golden Rose. Elam said taking him away from Rosehill for both trials was designed to keep the colt mentally engaged before his first three races of the campaign on his home track. Guest House presently heads Golden Rose markets at $4.50, ahead of Chris Waller's emerging St Gotthard at $6, although Elam acknowledged that the true measure of his development would come under race-day pressure. Earlier, Maher's seasoned campaigner Gringotts signalled his readiness for another major spring assignment by cruising to a three-length victory in a 1000m heat. The seven-year-old travelled with the enthusiasm of a much younger horse and comfortably accounted for Waller's Gr1 performers Beiwacht and Campione D'Italia, strengthening the possibility that he could pursue a third Big Dance success. Maher also supplied the winner of the second Group trial over 900m through Warnie, but the most striking performance came from last year's Everest runner-up Tempted, who travelled effortlessly behind Marhoona and Knobelas without being placed under pressure. Knobelas, another member of the Price and Kent Jr team, also pleased Elam with the manner in which he returned, adding further depth to a morning rich in emerging and established spring talent.
Tattersalls Releases Elite Yearling Catalogue
Thursday, 6th August 2026
An exceptional collection of pedigrees will come under scrutiny at Newmarket from October 6 to 8 after Tattersalls released the catalogue for Book 1 of its 2026 October Yearling Sale, with 469 lots assembled for Europe’s premier yearling auction. Every offering will be eligible for the £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus, an incentive that has already distributed £10,645,000 across 451 individual winners, while the catalogue itself brings together representatives of 19 of Europe’s top 20 sires. Wootton Bassett supplies the largest draft with 35 yearlings, followed by Sea The Stars with 31, Lope De Vega with 29, Night Of Thunder with 27, Blue Point with 24, No Nay Never with 23 and Frankel with 21. Kingman, Mehmas and Too Darn Hot each have 17 catalogued, while Havana Grey and New Bay are represented by 16 apiece. The depth extends far beyond sire power, with own or half-siblings to 44 Classic or Gr1 winners and 219 Group or Listed performers. Frankel’s contingent includes a full brother to Fillies’ Mile winner Ylang Ylang, an own sister to Prix Saint-Alary heroine Jannah Rose, a half-sister to July Cup winner Mill Stream, a half-sister to Criterium International winner Johannes Vermeer and a full brother to Belmont Oaks winner McKulick. His first foals from elite mares include colts out of dual Gr1 winner Caravel, German Oaks winner Muskoka and Gr1 runner-up Get Ahead, together with a filly from four-time Gr1 winner Alcohol Free. Dubawi has five select yearlings entered, among them the first foal from Prix Vermeille winner Sweet Lady, a colt out of Oaks heroine Anapurna and a half-brother to French 1000 Guineas winner Mangoustine. Blue Point’s draft features half-sisters to Charyn and Estrange, half-brothers to Battaash and Minzaal, and colts from Gr1-winning mares Skitter Scatter and Veracious. Current elite performers are also strongly represented through their siblings, led by a Wootton Bassett half-brother to Derby winner Christmas Day and a half-sister to Irish 1000 Guineas winner Precise. Gold Cup winner Scandinavia has a Siyouni half-sister, Blue Bolt a Baaeed half-brother, Venetian Sun a Cotai Glory half-sister and Mission Central a Kingman half-brother, while Romantic Warrior’s Havana Grey half-sister is certain to command international attention. Further highlights include half-brothers to Prix du Jockey Club winners Camille Pissarro and Look De Vega, by Justify and Starspangledbanner respectively, a New Bay half-brother to Maranoa Charlie and a Havana Grey half-brother to Anmaat. North American buyers will also encounter familiar families through yearlings related to Anisette, Program Trading, Aunt Pearl, Kensington Lane and El Cordobes, alongside progeny from Gr1 E.P. Taylor Stakes winners Curvy and Mutamakina, reinforcing Book 1’s global reach and extraordinary concentration of proven bloodlines.
Wootton Bassett has the largest representation (pic: Coolmore Stud)
Strongly Anticipated First Crop Yearlings
Thursday, 6th August 2026
Fresh stallion bloodlines and a rare European offering by Japan’s outstanding Equinox will add another layer of international interest to Book 1 of the 2026 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. First-season yearling sires are strongly represented throughout the catalogue, with 2000 Guineas and Dewhurst Stakes winner Chaldean (see below) supplying the largest draft of 13. Ace Impact, Dragon Symbol, El Caballo, Erevann, Good Guess, Little Big Bear, Lusail, Modern Games, Native Trail, Paddington, Shaquille, Triple Time and Vadeni also have members of their first crops entered, giving buyers an early opportunity to assess the commercial appeal of a broad group of high-class racehorses beginning their stud careers. Particular attention is certain to surround a daughter of six-time Gr1 winner and Japanese Horse of the Year Equinox, who is the only member of the champion’s eagerly awaited first crop scheduled to be offered at public auction in Europe. Among the consignors, last year’s leading vendor Newsells Park Stud again holds a prominent hand with 27 yearlings, narrowly ahead of Baroda Stud’s draft of 26. Baroda’s consignment includes six yearlings out of Gr1-winning mares, while The Castlebridge Consignment will present 25 lots. Tattersalls managing director Matthew Prior described publication of the Book 1 catalogue as a significant stage in the international bloodstock year and said the latest edition combined exceptional quality with considerable depth. He pointed to the performances of recent graduates as the clearest measure of the sale’s influence, with Derby and Classic winner Christmas Day joined among the 2026 elite-level scorers by Estrange, Maltese Cross, Mission Central, Portfolio Duration and Venetian Sun. Four of those Classic and Gr1 winners have siblings catalogued this year, while the selection of well-related fillies is expected to appeal strongly to major owners, breeders and stud farms seeking future broodmare prospects. Prior also highlighted the exclusive £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus, which is available only to yearlings offered through the sale. During its first 11 years, the scheme has distributed £10,645,000 to 451 winners and now encompasses more than 500 qualifying races across Britain and Ireland, with no annual restriction on the number of horses capable of earning a payment. “Whether buyers are searching for future Classic or Group 1 winners, stallion prospects, future broodmares or the next Book 1 Bonus winner, this year’s Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale offers an extraordinary range of opportunities,” Prior said. Online catalogues are already available, with printed editions due to be distributed by Tattersalls and its representatives from Wednesday, August 19, ahead of the sale at Park Paddocks in October.
Gerard Exuding Confidence for 2026-27
Thursday, 6th August 2026
An encouraging return from two of Pam Gerard’s leading gallopers gave the Matamata trainer plenty to contemplate after Tuesday’s Te Rapa trials, where last season’s Gr1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas quinella pair Affirmative Action and Romanoff both made pleasing first public appearances of their spring preparations, reports loveracing.co.nz. Affirmative Action travelled strongly before comfortably winning his 1100m heat, while Romanoff settled well back and finished with purpose to claim second behind Dusty Road over the same distance. Their performances came nine months after Romanoff defeated his stablemate in the Riccarton classic, and Gerard is hopeful both can again prove competitive at the highest level during the months ahead. Affirmative Action is being prepared towards next month’s Gr1 Proisir Plate over 1400m at Ellerslie, although his place in the field will depend upon nominations and whether his rating is sufficient. Gerard said the gelding had returned from a valuable break as a physically stronger and more mature horse after his demanding three-year-old campaign began to take its toll late in the season. “He has come back bigger and more bullish, and mentally a little bit stronger,” she said. “I thought it was a nice trial from him today, he did it very easily. He is heading in the right direction.” The stable also has a less demanding alternative available should connections decide he would benefit from rebuilding his confidence, particularly after trialling on heavy ground, but several major races remain under consideration. Romanoff will follow a different route, with Gerard preferring to save him for the final two legs of the Spring Triple Crown at Hastings, the Gr1 Howden Insurance Mile and Gr1 Livamol Classic over 2040m. His strong late work at Te Rapa reinforced the view that additional distance will suit, and a 1400m lead-up is planned before the Hastings mile. “He was out the back and running home, and I thought he did that well,” Gerard said. “I feel he is probably looking for a little more distance, he gave me the impression today that the further he goes the better he will get.” Papparazzi supplied another highlight for the stable by sweeping from last to win his 1100m heat, encouraging hopes that the four-year-old son of Savabeel can convert the ability he displayed at home last season into race-day performance. Gerard said immaturity and a lack of physical development had hindered him previously, but a productive spell appears to have made a significant difference. He is expected to resume over 1400m within the next two or three weeks, subject to suitable weather. Three-year-old filly Niccita also impressed when third in her first 900m trial, showing professionalism and a sharp turn of foot over the final 50m. Gerard, who has won the past two New Zealand 2000 Guineas with Savaglee and Romanoff, may yet have another contender in Samurai Sword, a promising but still mentally developing gelding whose ability and suitability for the Riccarton mile have earned him a place among the stable’s emerging spring prospects.
Global Giants Have Cox Plate Under Target
Thursday, 6th August 2026
A powerful international contingent is poised to shape the 2026 Cox Plate after 15 overseas-trained horses featured among 103 nominations for the $6 million weight-for-age showpiece. This year’s edition will be staged at Flemington while Moonee Valley undergoes redevelopment, adding another layer of intrigue to a race already carrying strong representation from Ireland, Britain, France and Japan. Previous Cox Plate-winning trainers Aidan O’Brien and Yoshito Yahagi are again involved, while Francis-Henri Graffard has lodged his first entry through Map Of Stars, the Royal Ascot Wolferton Stakes winner who shapes as one of the more compelling European prospects. Although French star Calandagan was absent from the nominations, James McDonald believes Map Of Stars possesses the profile required to make a serious impact over 2000m. “This time last year he ran in the Prince of Wales’s they just thought that much of him, so he’s a very good horse and he showed he’s in good form coming from pretty much last at Royal Ascot to round them up,” McDonald said. “Ten furlongs is his hitting zone and he’ll handle all ground… he has enough pace to be a nice Cox Plate horse if connections decide to bring him.” The international entries also include Gr1 performers Gstaad, Almaqam, Hawk Mountain and Hotazhell, while Japan is represented by Cosmo Kuranda and Shin Emperor. Irish master Dermot Weld, whose first Cox Plate runner Make No Mistake competed 27 years ago, has nominated the progressive Purview. Domestic depth remains considerable, with 38 individual Australian Gr1 winners among the entries and current favourite Sir Delius heading the local challenge. Victory for the imported galloper would deliver Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott their first Cox Plate and add another landmark success to their partnership. Chris Waller has nominated 27 horses as he pursues a seventh win in the race, which would draw him level with legendary trainer TJ Smith. McDonald is chasing history of his own, having won the past four editions aboard Anamoe in 2022, Romantic Warrior in 2023 and Via Sistina in both 2024 and 2025. Another victory would extend an unprecedented run to five consecutive Cox Plates. Boom mare Sheza Alibi also appears among the nominations, although she is presently expected to contest the $10 million Golden Eagle over 1500m in Sydney one week earlier. With an expanded overseas presence, a deep pool of established Australian stars and several major records within reach, the Flemington edition is already developing into one of the most internationally significant Cox Plates of the modern era. First acceptances will be taken at noon on Tuesday, September 8.
Via Sistina (centre) has won the past two Cox Plates (pic: Mark Gatt)
