Friday, 29th May 2026
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Global Breeding, Racing and Sales News

  • Kingford Smith a Head Scratcher for Punters

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    A proper Group 1 puzzle has gathered at Eagle Farm, where Saturday's Kingsford Smith Cup brings together last-start Doomben 10,000 heat, proven interstate class and a few runners looking for the 1300m to change the shape of their carnival. Jimmysstar is the market horse and the right horse to put on top, even if barrier 15 makes him no moral. The published prices have him around the head of betting, with Fangirl, King Of Roseau, Napoleonic and Private Eye among the next tier, while one betting preview identified Jimmysstar as the best bet because he looks a better sprinter once he gets beyond 1200m and was strong late in the Doomben 10,000. Eagle Farm's longer straight should help Ethan Brown build into the race rather than having to explode around a bend, and the Soft 5 surface looks fair enough for genuine closers to get their chance. Private Eye maps far more kindly from gate two for Nash Rawiller and looks the safest horse to run top four. He is older now, but he has the right tactical profile for a high-pressure weight-for-age sprint and expert commentary has him as a strong trifecta chance from the draw. Fangirl is the class mare, drawn wide in 16, but James McDonald gives Chris Waller a world-class rider and a great judge of pace who invariably makes the right decisions. She may need luck, yet her best is good enough to win and her 57kg under weight-for-age keeps her right in the race. Rothfire deserves respect after his shock Doomben 10,000 win, and Rob Heathcote has him thriving, but the extra 100m is the obvious query and several previews are wary of whether he can reproduce that peak. Splash Back appeals as the blowout. GoBet marked her the best roughie at $14 and included her in both trifecta and first-four plays, which is enough to keep her ahead of several better-known rivals, particularly if the race gets messy. King Of Roseau has market respect, but barrier 21 is a savage starting point, while Napoleonic has talent but still has to absorb a sharp rise in pressure against seasoned sprinters. Sepals and Transatlantic are not hopeless first-four inclusions, especially for exotics, but both need the race to fall their way. The shape says Jimmysstar can round them up late, with Private Eye getting the softer run, Fangirl closing hard, and Splash Back the value horse to grab fourth.

    Jimmysstar

    Jimmysstar ticks a lot of boxes (pic: Bradley Photographers)

  • Queensland Derby Could Fall to Kiwi Filly

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    These days, the girls are not scared of the boys when it comes to Derbies. A deep, awkward Queensland Derby has the look of a race that will punish anything forced to work too early, and that makes the 2400m at Eagle Farm as much about settling and stamina as raw talent. Monopolistic heads the market around $4.80, but barrier 17 is enough to make him a risk at the price, even though Chris Waller and Ben Melham combine with a gelding coming off a strong last-start win. Providence, another Waller runner, looks the better profile horse from the stable at around $5. He has drawn eight, James McDonald rides, and his recent figures suggest he is ready for the trip after placings that read like proper Derby grounding rather than flattering form. Solid Gold is the most interesting danger. The Savabeel filly has drawn wide in 18, but she drops to 55kg, has Tommy Berry aboard and brings the right closing style for Eagle Farm if the tempo is genuine. Several pundits have highlighted her Rough Habit run, where she produced the strongest late sectionals on Australian debut after winning at Group 3 level in New Zealand. That makes her more than a sentimental filly chance; she looks a genuine stayer. Accidental Bid has also been kept safe around $7.50 and draws well in six for John Allen, but his sixth in the Rough Habit means he must improve rather than simply hold form. Kilman won that traditional lead-up from the front and draws ideally in three, yet this is a different pressure test, and he may not get the same control. Buthelezi is the one not to leave out of exotics. He is $15, fitter third-up, and Peter Moody has a proven Derby record, but barrier 13 leaves Luke Nolen with a bit of work to do. Different Gravy has Mark Zahra back on from gate five and appeals as the value runner if he settles better than he did last time, while Southern Prince and Chillies are drawn to get economical runs and can sneak into wider multiples. The map says there is enough pressure from Kilman, Southern Prince and possibly Accidental Bid to bring the closers into it, and that tilts the outcome towards horses most likely to stay strongly rather than merely survive. Providence gets the nod from Solid Gold, with Monopolistic's class keeping him in the finish despite the gate, and Buthelezi charging late for fourth.

  • Additional 200m a Query for Promising Vantorix

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    A genuinely open juvenile contest awaits in the Gr2 Sires Produce Stakes, with Eagle Farm's 1400m and a Soft 5 likely to separate the sharper 1200m types from those already looking for the JJ Atkins. Blind Raise is the market elect, around $3.90-$4, and his unbeaten record commands respect, but this is much deeper than what he has handled so far and barrier 10 means Nash Rawiller may have to make a proper decision rather than simply let the colt roll. Vantorix is more seasoned and arrives unbeaten in three starts, having won the Spirit Of Boom Classic, but even positive previews flag 1400m as the obvious question, despite Jason Collett drawing well in seven. That brings the conversation to Martist. Tony Gollan's colt maps beautifully from gate four, gets big race rider Mark Zahra, and his return when second to Vantorix in the Spirit Of Boom had the look of a horse crying out for this extra distance. One specialist preview made him the each-way play, and that is exactly how the race reads: not the flashiest profile, but the one with the right map, rider and improvement pattern. I Am Dirty has been heavily respected at about $6 after her dominant Bill Carter Stakes win, but gate 16 makes this much tougher, especially with the field more seasoned and the pressure greater. Autumn Charm is the fresh-blood runner to consider. She was strong winning at Flemington, draws three for Ben Melham, and should get the economical run that is often priceless in these busy 2YO races. Stormy Marco has the ubiquitous Waller-McDonald factor and clear upside from gate eight, but he must prove the Hawkesbury Clarendon form can stand up under Group 2 heat. Silken Salute appeals as a rough place hope because he should enjoy 1400m, although barrier 14 makes his task awkward. Cormier would be a genuine threat if he sneaks in as first emergency after a sharp Scone debut win, but the field position keeps him conditional. Dream Roca has the right draw in two and comes here at a price that says she is not dismissed, though she may be just below the main boys. The scratched Tron Bolt removes one serious Waller seed and slightly changes the complexion in a race where Vantorix and Blind Raise have the records, but Martist has the set-up. Zahra can park close enough, avoid the wide-run chaos, and be strongest late. A potential top four could be Martist, Vantorix, Autumn Charm and Blind Raise, with I Am Dirty next if Rachel King can slot in.

  • O'Brien Straddles the English Channel

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    A Ballydoyle split between Chantilly and Epsom has sharpened the shape of the European Classic week, with Aidan O'Brien confirming that Constitution River will head to Sunday's Qatar Prix du Jockey Club while Benvenuto Cellini remains the leading Coolmore hope for the Betfred Derby six days later. The decision followed a weekend flutter in the ante-post markets, when Constitution River briefly threatened his stablemate for Epsom favouritism, but the Dee Stakes winner will instead join Hawk Mountain and Montreal in France. O'Brien said Chester had been used to test whether the colt could see out a mile and a quarter, and the answer was encouraging. "We've decided that Constitution River will go to France," he told the Racing Post. "We went to Chester with him looking to find out if he stayed a mile and a quarter and he saw it out very well there." The trainer said the step into Classic company was significant, but the build-up had gone smoothly and the colt had always appealed as a horse with enough pace for a mile and the potential to stretch to the Jockey Club trip. Coral responded by trimming Constitution River to 6-4 for Chantilly, while Benvenuto Cellini hardened to the same quote for Epsom, where Pierre Bonnard, Action and Christmas Day are also set to give O'Brien depth. France will not be a one-colt raid either, with Hawk Mountain returning to Chantilly after overcoming greenness in the Gr3 Prix de Guiche and Montreal back at the course after finishing narrowly behind Dolmalan in the Listed Prix de Suresnes. "Hawk Mountain has course experience, which could be crucial," O'Brien said, while describing Montreal as still immature but improving with racing. Waiting for them is a strong home challenge led in intrigue by Daryzan, a Zarak half-brother to Daryz who has been thrown into the Classic by Francis Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs team after only one start. Graffard, already with four Gr1 wins this season, called Constitution River "the one to beat", but he has taken confidence from Daryzan's five-length Saint-Cloud debut and the way the colt has developed since. "The way he came out of his race and how his behaviour changed in the mornings, he really grew up in a single bound," Graffard said. The wider O'Brien-Graffard thread also looks likely to run through the coming weeks, with Calandagan, Rayif and Daryz all involved in clashes against major Ballydoyle names. For Sunday, however, the focus is narrower: Constitution River brings proven trial substance and a powerful stable team, while Daryzan brings pedigree, raw ability and risk. With as many as 19 still in contention before final declarations, Graffard said luck in running may matter as much as reputation, especially around Chantilly's bends, where position and composure can decide a Classic as surely as form, price or pre-race confidence.

  • Western Empire Worth Backing at Odds On

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    At Belmont, where the Hyperion Stakes over a mile is the day's feature, it is very hard to get away from Western Empire, even at a short quote. The Just Horse Racing market preview has him at $1.90 and makes him the clear best bet after what it called an "arrogant" Belmont Sprint win, where he resumed by giving his rivals a start and still beating them with authority. The step from 1400m to 1600m only looks more suitable, William Pike stays with him, and although barrier 13 is no gift, he has enough class and tactical versatility to overcome it. Belmont is listed as a Good 4 with the rail out six metres, which should make position matter, but a smallish 13-horse weight-for-age field gives Pike time to find a rhythm rather than panic early. Magnificent Andy is the obvious value runner. He has drawn six, gets Brad Parnham, and was listed as the best roughie at $14 after hitting the line without threatening in the Belmont Sprint. At weight-for-age, he probably needs Western Empire to underperform, but he is the right type to run into the first four if the favourite drags the field into a staying test. Fluro Neuro is the danger with upside. He is $23 in the same specialist preview, but the assessment was that he should appreciate the mile after resuming over 1300m in the Northam Stakes and chasing with purpose. The gate is awkward, yet the Grant and Alana Williams camp has two strong hands, and Chloe Azzopardi may be able to let him balance before closing late. Rope Them In, Sentimental Hero and West Star all have claims for the wider exotics, with Sentimental Hero especially helped by gate five, while Ginger Baker and Our Paladin Al map to save ground from inside draws. River Rubicon and Diamond Scene look capable of improving into the placings if the race becomes tactical, but both need the favourite to be softened up before the corner. The race shape should be honest enough, but not chaotic, and that favours the class horse more than the swoopers. Western Empire can sit within striking range, absorb the pressure and quicken again at the top of the straight. At the odds, Magnificent Andy is the quinella horse, with Fluro Neuro the knockout for trifectas and first-fours. My top four: Western Empire, Magnificent Andy, Fluro Neuro, Sentimental Hero, in that exact order for me today, quite clearly.

  • Evergreen SA Galloper Wins Again

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    One of racing’s most durable campaigners added another improbable chapter at Gawler on Wednesday, with France’s Boy defying age, mileage and a testing surface to land his 22nd career win, reports punters.com.au. The 12YO has now started 172 times, yet the appetite for competition remains unmistakable, and he again proved too tough over 1516m when making the running and refusing to be run down on a Heavy 10. His nearest rival in age was the 8YO I’m Kenny, a comparison that only emphasised the scale of his longevity. Trained by John Hickmott and Carrina Riggs, France’s Boy has now earned about $850,000, a remarkable return for a gelding whose race career began with a modest maiden win at Morphettville in January 2017. That day he finished ninth, beaten 21 lengths, with Jason Holder aboard, and few could have imagined he would still be adding victories more than nine years later. This time the ride went to apprentice Brooke King, who became the 13th jockey to win on him, while Sairyn Fawke remains his most successful partner with six victories. In all, 50 jockeys have ridden the son of Equiano across a career that has stretched from ordinary country assignments to a level of endurance rarely seen in modern racing. King was full of admiration after guiding him home, saying the old gelding and his connections were made of the right stuff. “He’s an old marvel, he and Johnny are both marvels and Carrina loves him to bits,” King said on Racing.com. The ground looked brutal, but it only seemed to bring out the veteran’s will to keep finding. “God he’s tough, coming here today. After walking the track (Heavy 10), I thought ‘I’m gonna need a warhorse for these trenches’,” she said. “That was him, no matter what, he was always going to get through the ground, he’s done it, he’s proven and he was just too tough today.” The win was not about glamour or future targets so much as sheer resistance, the sort of performance that turns an old handicapper into something far more memorable than his rating. There was a simplicity to it as well: jump, roll, handle the ground and dare anything younger to get past. On a surface that can expose hesitation, France’s Boy had the advantage of knowing exactly who he is. For Hickmott and Riggs, who have kept him sound, willing and competitive across so many seasons, it was another reward for patience and daily care. For punters and racegoers, it was a reminder that racing’s great stories are not always found in Group 1 races or million-dollar yearlings. Sometimes they arrive at Gawler on a winter afternoon, in heavy ground, with a 12YO who has seen almost everything and still wants to lead, fight and win.

  • Purton Posied for Legend Status at Sha Tin

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    A gripping Happy Valley treble has put Joao Moreira back in front in Hong Kong’s trainers’ championship duel, while Zac Purton was left one win short of his 2,000th Hong Kong success on a night that briefly looked set up for his milestone. The Brazilian rider returned to the city as Caspar Fownes’ stable-retained jockey in April and has wasted no time making an impact, with Wednesday’s three-timer helping Fownes reclaim the lead over Danny Shum, 56 wins to 55, after the pair had arrived at the meeting deadlocked. Mark Newnham remains in third on 53, ahead of Francis Lui on 50 and David Hayes on 46, but the immediate focus was on Fownes and Shum as the title contest tightened again. Moreira struck aboard Audacious Pursuit in the Class 4 Rhine Handicap over 1650m, Elegant Life in the second section of the Class 4 Cornflower Handicap over 1200m, and Cody Mo’s Lucky McQueen in the first section of the Class 4 Ciron Handicap, also over 1200m. “It’s a good feeling. I got on some nice horses today. I believed it was meant to be, so I’m happy to be getting opportunities and to be getting them up,” Moreira said. Fownes was particularly pleased with the Audacious Pursuit ride, saying Moreira found the right position from a wide draw and then, when asked for an effort, produced exactly what was required. “It’s why I said Hong Kong racing is so exciting. We’re trying our best, that’s for sure,” Fownes said. Purton did not leave empty-handed, guiding Newnham’s Armor Golden Eagle to victory in the Class 3 Sauternes’s Cup over 1650m for his 121st win of the season, while also posting two seconds, a third and a fourth from eight rides. Newnham said the gelding had found the right race at the right time, with the draw and race shape allowing him to build into it, and his success continued the trainer’s outstanding season. “The last two meetings, we’ve had a frustrating run of placings. The horses are racing very well. Tonight, we started with two thirds and a second, and now a winner, so horses are racing well. They’ll get their chance when they draw well and things go right in the run,” Newnham said. The result also ensured the Purton landmark would wait at least a few more days, adding another layer of interest to a season already rich in personal and stable storylines. Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday, with the Gr3 Lion Rock Trophy and Gr3 Sha Tin Vase giving the championship contenders another chance to press their claims.

    Zac Purton

    Superstar hoop Zac Purton just one win away from 2,000 HKC wins (pic: supplied)

  • Bookies Shout the Punters at Rosehill

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    A free-gate Saturday at Rosehill will carry a strong sense of tradition as the Australian Turf Club and NSW Bookmakers Cooperative host the eighth annual Bookmakers Recognition Day. The program is headed by the $200,000 Listed Lord Mayors Cup, which has drawn a capacity field of 18 plus three emergencies, but the broader occasion is about acknowledging the men and women who have helped shape the racecourse experience. Four bookmaking figures will be honoured on the day, including the late Sandro D’amore and Peter Taylor, along with current bookmakers Greg Millett and Denham Carter, with one of the opening four races named for each of them. ATC head of racing and wagering Nevesh Ramdhani and NSW Bookmakers Cooperative chairman David Dwyer both paid tribute to the role bookmakers continue to play, particularly as on-course betting faces pressure from corporate and digital alternatives. Dwyer said the ATC’s continued support of long-serving NSW bookmakers recognised people who had been part of racing’s fabric for more than 150 years. He said D’amore’s recent passing had been deeply felt by the racing and bookmaking community, describing him as a good bookmaker who consistently offered punters value. “The racing and bookmaking community is still in mourning following the death of Sydney bookie Sandro D’amore, who regularly offered top value to the punters and always gave them a good bet,” Dwyer said. The recognition extends beyond nostalgia. On-course bookmakers remain part of the theatre of a raceday, providing a visible betting ring, sharper competition and the old ritual of punters weighing prices before collecting winnings in cash when they get it right. “On-course bookmakers continue to offer better value to punters on track and betting to bigger minimum bets than off-track bookmakers,” Dwyer said. “The punters on course still love to have a bet on their pick and collect that cash in hand when their selection wins.” The day also reflects the importance of keeping racing’s human stories attached to its commercial machinery. Betting turnover, prize-money and field sizes matter, but so do the characters who have stood in the ring, taken risk, built relationships and helped give racecourses their sound and colour. With general admission free, Rosehill has a chance to draw more people to the course, frame the Lord Mayors Cup within a broader community celebration and acknowledge bookmakers past and present before another winter feature is decided on the track.

  • Bellatrix Star Returns After 564 Days Away

    Friday, 29th May 2026
    A measured return rather than an instant statement is the aim for Bellatrix Star at Caulfield on Saturday, with the talented Te Akau mare set to resume in the Listed Bel Esprit Stakes after another interruption to a career that has already demanded patience. According to racenet.com.au, the daughter of Star Witness looked a serious sprinting prospect in the spring of 2024, winning at Group 3 and Group 2 level before finishing second to Switzerland in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington, but she has raced only once in the 564 days since her last appearance in the Group 1 Champions' Sprint later that year. That sole run came at Caulfield last November, when the Mark Walker-trained mare finished one placing off the winner in a Listed race, but an unwelcome operation soon sent her back to the recovery paddocks. Te Akau Racing’s Melbourne representative Ben Gleeson said the stable had taken its time, giving Bellatrix Star a full autumn in work, two trials and a jumpout before asking her to race again. “She’s had fetlock surgery and that kept her out for a long time,” Gleeson said. “Her trials have been good and we’re happy with her but she’s had a long time off. We’re going in very level-headed about her chances.” That caution is understandable for a rising 5YO who has shown high-class ability but has not been able to build rhythm through racing. Her peak spring form would make her one of the most interesting runners in Saturday’s 1100m feature, yet Gleeson said the first target is simply to see her perform with enough purpose to suggest the engine is still there. A top-four finish would be considered a strong result, particularly given how much time she has spent away from competition and how little recent race pressure she has absorbed. “She needs to show us that she could do something,” he said. “She arguably needs to run top four, drawing a line on when she resumed in her first preparation in Australia.” That earlier return also came from surgery, and Gleeson noted she did not immediately explode back to her best then, which has encouraged the stable to keep expectations realistic this time. The approach is deliberately conservative, not because the stable doubts her talent, but because soundness and confidence have to come before any ambitious targets. For connections, the Bel Esprit Stakes is less a grand final than a fitness and confidence check for a mare whose talent has never been the concern. If Bellatrix Star can travel comfortably, find the line and come through the race sound, the day will have done its job. The stable knows what she once promised; Saturday is about learning how much of that sharpness remains after another long spell and whether there is enough there to rebuild a campaign around her.

Amarina Farm
Arrowfield Stud
Bell River Thoroughbreds
Berkeley Park Stud
Bhima Thoroughbreds
Blue Gum Farm
Bombora Downs
Clear Mountain Fairview
Coolmore Stud
Cressfield
Evergreen Stud
Kingstar Farm
Lime Country Thoroughbreds
Mill Park Stud
Murrulla Stud
Newhaven Park
Segenhoe Stud
Silverdale Farm
Sledmere Stud
Torryburn Stud
Tyreel Stud
Vinery Stud
Widden Stud
Willow Park Stud
Yarraman Park Stud

2025 BTR Stud Stallions

BTP STUD STALLIONS

Sire
A Lot Established
Acrobat Established
Al Maher Established
Alabama Express Established
All American Established
All Too Hard Established
Alpine Eagle Established
Alpine Edge 3rd Season
Anamoe 1st crop 2YOs
Anders Established
Artie Schiller Established
Awesome Rock Established
Barbados Established
Barbaric Established
Best Of Bordeaux Established
Better Than Ready Established
Bivouac Established
Brave Smash Established
Brazen Beau Established
Bruckner 1st crop 2YOs
Bull Point Established
Bullbars Established
Cape Of Good Hope 1st crop 2YOs
Capitalist Established
Captivant Established
Castelvecchio Established
City Of Troy Established
Cliff's Edge Established
Cool Aza Beel Established
D'argento Established
Danerich Established
Dash For Cash Established
De Gaulle Established
Delaware Established
Denman Established
Dirty Work Established
Dissident Established
Don Corleone 3rd Season
Doubtland Established
Dubious Established
Dundeel Established
Ellsberg 1st crop 2YOs
Encryption Established
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Exosphere Established
Extreme Choice Established
Farnan Established
Flying Artie Established
Foxwedge Established
Frankel My Dear Established
Gingerbread Man Established
Gold Standard Established
Graff Established
Grunt Established
Hallowed Crown Established
Harry Angel Established
Hawaii Five Oh 3rd Season
Headwater Established
Hellbent Established
Hitotsu 1st crop 2YOs
Home Affairs Established
I Am Immortal Established
I Am Invincible Established
Ilovethiscity Established
Invader Established
Jacquinot 1st crop 2YOs
Ka Ying Master 1st crop 2YOs
Kermadec Established
King Colorado 3rd Season
King's Legacy Established
Lead Artist 1st Season
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Love Conquers All Established
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My Admiration Established
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Officiating 3rd Season
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Written By Established
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Zoustar Established