HARRY be good! Leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees is stepping lightly-raced three-year-old Harrybegood up to Listed grade in the Tapp-Craig (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens tomorrow. “It’s a bit of a throw at the stumps taking on a set weights race against his own age having only recently won his maiden,” Lees said this morning. “But he is a nice horse on the way up, and deserves a crack. “It’s the right time to try it.” Jason Collett rides the son of Harry Angel, who has raced o

IT wasn’t a tough call to make. When Oakfield Jupiter drew poorly in the Group 3 The Nivison (1200m) against her own sex at Rosehill Gardens today, Wyong trainer Damien Lane quickly pencilled in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1100m) instead. “Had she drawn a good barrier in The Nivison, then we would have had a crack there to try to get some black type,” Lane said this morning. “But the Benchmark 78 was the right way to go when she came up with an inside draw, and the field is dr

JASON Attard has won his home track’s Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup. As satisfying as it was to score with Sons Of John in 2015, it’s a safe bet a victory with Oui Oui Oui at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday will be even more special for the Hawkesbury trainer. Attard has purposely set the talented five-year-old mare for a first-up tilt at The Nivison (1100m; a Group 3 feature for fillies and mares. And the reason why he would dearly love to win the race? Oui Oui Oui was bred and i

HE’S Got Grunt’s home track triumph today has convinced Hawkesbury trainer Marc Chevalier to head to town with him. Ridden by Tyler Schiller, He’s Got Grunt ($7.50) ran up to his name by wearing down Ouragan ($4.80) to take the Book Your Christmas Raceday Now Midway Class 1 Handicap (1600m). “Tyler got off him and said he is a potential stayer, so there is a suitable race at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup and Big Dance day (November 3),” Chevalier said this evening. “It’s

HE’S up in distance and up in grade – but Joe Ible says Barrengarry is ready. The Kembla Grange trainer’s stable star chases a hat-trick in the Benchmark 88 Handicap (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, and Zac Lloyd continues his successful association with the lightly-raced four-year-old. The young gun has partnered the gelding in five of his seven starts, and has been aboard in all four wins. Ible is keen to test Barrengarry in open company in the $750,000 Rosehill Gol

LIKE mother, like daughter! Lightly-raced Perini Miss’ breakthrough victory at Newcastle yesterday was at the same venue, though not at the same track, as her dam, the High Chaparral mare Santorini Miss. The latter, trained at Wyong by Kristen Buchanan, scored over 1300m on the Beaumont track on Boxing Day 2016; the sole success of her 10-start career before being retired to stud. Concidentally, both mother and daughter were having their fourth starts when each broke through.

LUKE Pepper has had minimal runners at Hawkesbury, but hopes to be a headline grabber there tomorrow. The Canberra trainer takes two horses to the provincial meeting, and is relying on jockey partners Brodie Loy and apprentice Claire Ramsbotham to provide him with a double in the last two races to edge him closer to a career 400 winners. “I wasn’t aware until someone pointed out yesterday that I have trained 395 winners,” Pepper said this morning. “I’m more focused on getting

JAKE Hull ‘s longshot winner at Goulburn yesterday didn’t really break new ground. Whilst lightly-raced Ronardo was the complete rank outsider at $81 ($101 was bet) when he took the Maiden Handicap (1600m), the Wyong trainer is no stranger to preparing longshot winners at cricket score odds. “In the early part of my training career, I also won a Maiden (1200m) at Newcastle in July 2023 with Plussey at 100-1,” Hull said on his way home. “Jenny Duggan rode her, and she was havi

THEY’RE both lightly-raced but were of contrasting ages and prices! It mattered not as Wyong trainer Nacim Dilmi reeled in the last two races for Domeland at Newcastle today. Four-year-old River Jordan ($16) was having only his fourth start when he took the Provincial Maiden Plate (1300m), and seven-year-old Great Idea ($2.60 favorite), in spite of his advancing years, faced the starter for only the 10th time when he won the 5YO & Up Benchmark 64 Handicap (1500m). River Jorda

VERSATILITY is the ability to adapt easily to different functions, tasks or situations. Blake Ryan fits the bill perfectly. The experienced Hawkesbury horseman’s skills are such that he has been busy preparing 18 early two-year-olds for the Inglis Ready2Race sale on Thursday week at the Riverside complex in Sydney. It’s as many “babies” as he has educated for the annual sale, but it hasn’t stopped his focus either on preparing his own racehorses. The proof was in the pudding

THE good news came in a double dose for Brad Widdup today. Not only did Hawkesbury’s leading trainer confirm Sydney’s young gun Zac Lloyd as Savvy Hallie’s rider in Saturday week’s $20m The Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick, but his first Everest representative Jedibeel is definitely on the comeback trail. Having his first trial since undergoing throat surgery in May, Jedibeel (Tommy Berry) delighted his trainer when runner-up in a 740m barrier trial at Randwick this morning.

SAVVY Hallie will be Hawkesbury’s leading trainer Brad Widdup’s second The Everest runner. The classy four-year-old mare, a thrice Group 2 winner and Group 1 runner-up, will attempt to become only the second of her sex to win Saturday week’s $20m 1200m feature. Bella Nipotina (Craig Williams) was seven years of age when she won in 2024. Following Jedibeel, who ran 11th to Ka Ying Rising last year, Savvy Hallie also will run in Mulberry Racing’s slot in the world’s richest rac

STEVE O’Halloran had to make the right choice! The Hawkesbury trainer nominated his stable star Mal Coupe for no less than four races – including one in Melbourne - over the public holiday weekend. Finally he settled on staying home to run at Warwick Farm tomorrow. Tyler Schiller will continue his association with the five-year-old gelding in the Monday feature, the Benchmark 100 Handicap (1000m). O’Halloran entered Mal Coupe, the winner of six of his 17 starts, for both the

AS far as winning races is concerned, Brisbane has become like a “second home” to Jason Deamer. The Newcastle trainer added another Queensland “scalp” to his tally when Spaceballs scored easily at Eagle Farm yesterday. Ridden by Brisbane’s leading jockey Ben Thompson, Spaceballs ($5) took full advantage of clear running near the inside in the straight to take One Metropolitan Win Handicap (1400m). The Dynamic Thoroughbreds syndicate mare burst clear over the closing stages to

NEWCASTLE trainer Nathan Doyle’s home track double yesterday was a case of “the old and the new”. Doyle called on his current apprentice Liberty Smyth and former apprentice Shannen Llewellyn (who is on loan to Ciaron Maher at Warwick Farm) to continue his early season momentum, having now trained 14 winners since August 1. Smyth won the Midway Benchmark 64 Handicap (900m) on Emalyn ($3.10), and Llewellyn the Conditional Benchmark 68 Handicap (1300m) on stablemate Caltsar ($26

IT’S a date Shaun Harvey won’t miss. First acceptances for the world’s richest two-year-old race – the $5m Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens in March – are due on Tuesday, and the Wyong trainer can’t wait to pay the $605 fee for his filly I’m Admired. Especially after the youngster gave Harvey and her owners a huge thrill in finishing a cracking second in yesterday’s Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) against her own sex at Royal Randwick. The $151 rank outsider,

BRAD Widdup has declared Savvy Hallie is back on track and ready for a “premiere” performance at Royal Randwick tomorrow. Hawkesbury’s leading trainer has dismissed any concerns that the mare’s setback in winning the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens three weeks ago won’t have her in top shape for the $1m Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) at weight-for-age. Savvy Hallie’s regular rider Nash Rawiller continues a successful association with her. The classy Hellbe

KRIS Lees’ Melbourne plans with Provincial-Midway Championships Final winner Lord Of Biscay are up in the air. The leading Newcastle trainer sent the gelding south only to be greeted by heavy rain in the lead-up to tomorrow’s Listed Paris Lane Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. Already the track is a ‘Heavy 9’ and unlikely to improve with more rain expected. “The meeting is apparently in some doubt and may even be postponed,” Lees said this morning. “Lord Of Biscay doesn’t like he

SHE cost only $600 online earlier this year and has already earned just over $50,000. Little wonder Wyong trainer Shaun Harvey reckons Gemtiki deserves her chance to earn bigger riches in town – either at Royal Randwick’s Group 1 Epsom Handicap fixture on Saturday, or Monday’s Warwick Farm public holiday meeting. Reece Jones will ride the five-year-old mare if she tackles the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1800m) at Randwick, whilst Jean Van Overmeire has the mount if she wait

ALEX Lemarie laughs when he says he has more horses at his spelling farm than in his stable. But the Hawkesbury trainer, who has only three horses in work, is understandably excited to have his first Group 1 runner at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Lemarie will be represented by $6000 yearling buy ParisestMagic (Paris Is Magic) in the $750,000 Flight Stakes (1600m) for three-year-old fillies, and Rachel King rides. The daughter of Redoute’s Choice stallion Prague is the $151 out