A Group 1 mission is on the cards for Satono Invader if she races well at Royal Randwick on Saturday. The three-year-old filly will race in blinkers in the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m), the traditional lead-up to the $1m Australian Oaks (2400m) at the same track a week later. “Satono Invader has been entered for the Oaks, and I will definitely consider backing her up if she goes well on Saturday,” leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees said this morning. “I thought she ran

JOE Ible describes it as “pretty outrageous”, and it’s not an April Fools Day joke either! The Kembla Grange trainer is in blazing form indeed with five winners from his last six starters. And he’s looking to promising three-year-old Barrengarry to keep the run going at Royal Randwick on Saturday. The lightly-raced son of Ghaiyyath chases a hat-trick in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on the opening day of The Championships. And whilst Ible was understandably disappoi

KRISTEN Buchanan certainly has the “secret” to ageless eight-year-old Stylebender. The rising nine-year-old is indeed a credit to his Wyong trainer, and is clearly in best ever form. Stylebender’s Warwick Farm victory today was his third city success from his last four starts. Superbly ridden by Newcastle apprentice Shannen Llewellyn, who posted her second city win (both have been at Warwick Farm), Stylebender ($16) outstayed his rivals in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (2200m), d

JAMES McDonald goes back on Lord Of Biscay as the stage is set for a Provincial-Midway Championships Final rematch with Matcha Latte. Leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees confirmed McDonald’s booking after a clever Dylan Gibbons ride led to Lord Of Biscay ($4.40) securing another Final spot by taking yesterday’s Wild Card (1400m) at Newcastle from stablemate Imposant ($12) and Miss Spacegirl ($21). Gibbons already had a booking for his opening Hawkesbury Qualifier Octa De Lago

JACK Pilkington wasn’t going to miss out on having his first Group 1 runner at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Though acceptances for the $1m Sires (1400m) were not due until this morning, the Hawkesbury trainer didn’t take any chances. “I paid up for Am I Dreaming last Sunday,” Pilkington said today. Am I Dreaming made a winning debut at his home track last Thursday, beating older horses in the Provincial Maiden Handicap (1300m). The two-year-old finished strongly to defeat four

THE news of Jake Hull’s breakthrough victory with lightly-raced Diva Rouge at Armidale yesterday got even better today. The Gosford trainer welcomed his two smart sprinters Ferinzo and Valilee back to the track this morning after let-ups. Hull was understandably pleased to see Diva Rouge put her first win on the board in the Maiden Handicap (1100m) as a $2.50 favorite. Ridden by Newcastle apprentice Shannen Llewellyn, the four-year-old homebred bolted home by nearly four leng

THE Buffalo camp has called on Nash Rawiller for Saturday week’s Provincial-Midway Championships Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick. Rawiller’s manager Liam Prior this morning confirmed the booking for the talented Newcastle three-year-old in the $1m feature. “Nash has had some luck for the stable before, and is happy to be on Buffalo,” Prior said. Trainer David Atkins skilfully prepared the lightly-raced Buffalo for a first-up triumph in his home track Qualifier (1400m) on Febr

ANNA Roper will be “over the moon” if she can win the $1m Provincial-Midway Championships Final at Royal Randwick on Saturday week. The talented Wyong apprentice has been given the chance to win not only her richest race, but follow in the footsteps of yesterday’s Rosehill Gardens four-times hero Zac Lloyd, who won the Final two years ago on Territory Express whilst an apprentice. Roper’s master, trainer Damien Lane, today confirmed her booking for Oakfield Saturn in the 1400

BRAD Widdup is eyeing a home track feature with high-priced colt Tenenbaum, who impressively shed his maiden status at Wyong yesterday. A $750,000 buy at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale, the youngster was having only his second start and was the first leg of a winning double for Hawkesbury’s leading trainer, jockey Christian Reith and Mulberry Racing. Tenenbaum ($5), having only his second start, bolted away with the 2YO Maiden Plate (1200m), and three race

THE question was asked – but didn’t really need to be! Former successful jockey Sam Clenton gave a straight forward response as to what was easiest; riding or races or being a jockey’s manager. “You know the answer to that,” she said today. “The manager side of it is great when your jockeys are riding winners.” But she quickly pointed out it’s not always all beer and skittles. “When things aren’t going well, then that’s what makes the job really hard,” she said. “I don’t like

ALL’S well that ends well! It wasn’t a matter of Kristen Buchanan deciding which race to run Annie’s Rose in; more a matter of whether she could get her to the track at all. The Wyong trainer had accepted with the mare for both yesterday’s Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1300m) at Rosehill Gardens and Tuesday’s Provincial-Midway Championships Wild Card (1400m) at Newcastle. But she revealed today that as late as Friday evening she wasn’t sure she could even get Annie’s Rose to

MARK Minervini is caught between a rock and a hard place! The Newcastle trainer dearly would like to attempt to qualify Rubi’s Serve for the $1m Provincial-Midway Championships Final, but at the same time doesn’t want to risk ruining her newest campaign on a wet track in tomorrow’s sixth Qualifier (1350m) at Wyong. “I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t,” Minervini said this morning. “Rubi’s Serve is going well and has a good fresh record (a win and two placings from thre

HAWKESBURY trainers Blake Ryan and Jack Pilkington had different reasons to be pleased with victories at their home meeting yesterday. Ryan took the Independent Liquor Group Raceday Class 1/Maiden Plate (1600m) with a horse he originally trained before an unsuccessful Hong Kong stint, whilst Pilkington described his debutante as a “proper horse” who may give him his maiden Group 1 starter in the $1m Sires (1400m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday week. Ryan’s Midori Giant (pictur

KRIS Lees has sorted out his representatives in the last two Qualifiers as he seeks to bolster his Provincial-Midway Championships Final hand. The most successful with five Final victories since the annual series was inaugurated in 2015, the leading Newcastle trainer to date has only one qualifier (Miss Busslinger) to contest the $1m Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 11. But he is making a late bid to strengthen his 2026 representation by starting Tasoraay in tomorrow’

FROM a slow one to a quick one! Hawkesbury trainer Steve O’Halloran is looking forward to Jason Collett getting aboard Mal Coupe for another Group 3 assignment at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. And to further help matters, the talented young sprinter has drawn barrier one in the Star Kingdom Stakes (1200m). “Jason has had only one ride before for me, and that was on a ‘slow one’ (Irradiance who ran 12 th of 13 in a Midway 4YO & Up Maiden Plate, 1350m at the Wyong Cup meeting

ONE three-year-old filly is on trial for the Group 1 Australian Oaks, whilst the other provincial filly lines up for her “grand final” at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Both Hawkesbury’s Stand My Ground and Kembla Grange’s Aisle Two will contest the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) against their own age and sex. It will not be an easy task for either under the set weights conditions against some well performed “girls”, with Stand My Ground rated a $151 bolter, and Aisle Two

NACIM Dilmi is hoping to build on stable star Matcha Latte’s recent Hawkesbury triumph with further success there tomorrow. In his maiden training season, Hawkesbury (five wins) is currently far the most successful track of his 21 winners to date. Whilst he is looking forward to hopefully clinching his biggest win with favorite Matcha Latte in the $1m Provincial-Midway Championships Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 11, the Wyong trainer’s  immediate focus is adding to

NEWCASTLE’S Armidale Cup winner Uzziah is guaranteed a start in Friday’s Big Dance Eligibility Muswellbrook Gold Cup. But trainer Scott Aspery has held fire on making a firm decision as to whether his gelding chases back to back country cups in the 1500m feature. Thirty-one horses were entered for the $150,000 Muswellbrook Cup, and Aspery was unsure whether his six-year-old would escape the ballot axe. However, the RacingNSW handicapping panel today gave Uzziah 54kg, and he i

UNLUCKY weekend Group 1 runner-up Jedibeel is headed for a $5m mission in Western Australia. Leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup today revealed that the gelding’s connections have secured a slot in WA’s richest race, The Quokka, at Perth’s Ascot racecourse on April 18. The 1200m Quokka is run at weight-for-age along similar lines to Sydney’s The Everest. Jedibeel is raced by Mike Gregg, his grandson Lachie Sheridan and Gregg’s Mulberry Racing. The six-year-old gelding came

HAWKESBURY Race Club chief executive James Heddo was in the winning list at Orange yesterday with a filly he part-owns. The Biv, carrying the familiar colours (green and white diagonal stripes) of Gosford’s Cusick family, broke through for leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup in the Maiden Plate (1000m) at only her third start – and first since October. Ridden by Chad Lever, The Biv ($3.40) wasn’t the quickest away but quickly burnt through to share the lead on the inside w