Newcastle Jockey Club Chairman and Director Brian Judd has advised the Newcastle Jockey Club (NJC) Board of his intention to retire from both roles, effective 30 June 2026. Mr Judd leaves the Club in a strong position, with a clear direction for the future and continued momentum under the leadership of the Board, CEO and executive management team. Mr Judd has served as a Director for ten years, including six years as Vice Chairman and two years as Chairman. He also served as

KRIS Lees has sent Tavi Time north as he chases a Lord Mayors Cup in two States tomorrow. The totally luckless Scone Cup runner has arrived safely at the Gold Coast, and will take his place in the Group 3 Lord Mayors Cup (1800m) at Eagle Farm, with Tommy Berry to ride. The leading Newcastle trainer has withdrawn Tavi Time from the Listed Lord Mayor’s Cup (1800m) at a rain-soaked Rosehill Gardens, and will rely on You Wahng (Jay Ford) and Zaphod (Andrew Gibbons) there. Rosehil

NACIM Dilmi’s gamble to send I Am Carrot to Queensland at least will get the promising three-year-old a start at Eagle Farm tomorrow. But he is still hoping for a couple more scratchings to give the gelding a shot at the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) against his own age. “I took a punt and sent I Am Carrot north on Wednesday evening as he was fourth emergency for the Fred Best, and sixth emergency for the Benchmark 85 Handicap (1500m),” Wyong-based Dilmi said this morning

SHOW us a Red Henno – and we’ll show you a winner! Especially if one of his stock is prepared by talented young Gosford trainer Jake Hull. Fittingly, the former jockey chalked up a half century of winners on the other side of racing’s fence when the stallion’s daughter Red Chick won at Port Macquarie yesterday. Ridden by Shannen Llewellyn, the three-year-old filly broke through in the Maiden Plate (1000m) at only her third start, and first on resumption. In doing so, she upse

HE’S just a gem! With those words Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan summed up her evergreen gelding Stylebender, who returns to racing at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Newcastle apprentice Shannen Llewellyn has the mount in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1800m); her 3kg city allowance lessening his weight to 57.5kg. Buchanan has done a superb job with Stylebender, winning eight races with him since joining her stable three years ago after the New Zealand-bred gelding had raced 28 ti

ILLAWARRA Turf Club has got on the front foot and moved Saturday’s course proper meeting to the inside Illawarra Grange track. As a result of the move, a number of distance changes have been made. Both the 1000m Benchmark 64 Handicap and 2YO Maiden Plate are now at an increased 1150m, whilst the Midway Benchmark 64 Handicap and Super Maiden Plate have been reduced marginally from 1600m to 1450m. “The course proper is very heavy, and we wanted to give trainers early notice bef

MARC Chevalier is one trainer who isn’t minding the current wet spell – provided tomorrow’s Canterbury meeting isn’t rained out! The Hawkesbury trainer says it’s the first time he has an opportunity to take two horses to a city meeting – both with live chances. Chevalier will be represented by The Iron Star in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1900m), and Xpresso in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1250m). Tyler Schiller rides The Iron Star, and Adam Hyeronimus has been booked for Xpresso

RACING historians know all about Archer travelling from Nowra to take the first ever Melbourne Cup at Flemington in 1861. But what about a NSW provincial horse travelling even further afield to try to win the Darwin Cup? It’s an ambitious plan Wyong trainer Nacim Dilmi has to snare the Northern Territory’s marquee race in August. The $200,000 Cup (2050m) on Monday, August 3 won’t be run on turf, but on Fannie Bay’s unique oil-mixed sand track. And it’s because of the surface

OH what might have been? Brad Widdup left Doomben racecourse yesterday shaking his head in disbelief! Hawkesbury’s leading trainer had won a race at Royal Randwick earlier in the day – his 53rd this season - but an ounce of luck could have seen him land a treble across two States. A pair of all-conquering Sydney trainer Chris Waller’s runners robbed him of a great day. After a resurgent Bella Khadijah ($11) had stormed home from well back in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (

THEY were at opposite ends of the purchase price as yearlings – and it’s the same with their racing careers! Irrespective, both mares were winners at their home track at Newcastle yesterday. Having only her fourth start – and first since joining Kris Lees’ team – four-year-old Oakfield Neptune (Aaron Bullock) was too good her rivals in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1250m) against her own sex as a heavily backed $1.70 favorite. Age isn’t worrying rising eight-year-old Rothrock (L

LOOKING for well researched provincial racing tips – and they’re FREE? Then The Provincial Punter is your best bet. It would be hard to come across a more devoted provincial racing fanatic than DAN MEDZ, who is currently supplying his selections for every provincial race meeting in New South Wales free of charge. “I have always wanted to have a full-time involvement with the racing industry,” Medz told ProvincialRacingNSW. “That’s been a long-time goal, and I’m doing two jobs

KRIS Lees has decided to pit his Queensland Oaks candidates Crathie Kirk and Erin Jo against each other at Doomben tomorrow. The three-year-old fillies will line up in the Group 2 The Roses (2000m); the traditional lead-up to the $700,000 Group 1 Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm in a fortnight. Tim Clark rides Crathie Kirk, and Tom Sherry is booked for Erin Jo. Lees also accepted with Crathie Kirk and Erin Jo at the Gold Coast tonight in a 3&4YO Benchmark 68 Handicap (1800m), but h

JASON Attard scored with a famous set of colours, Ed O’Rourke was back in the winning list, and Brad Widdup is giving his home track premiership defence the best shot. The trio’s winners at home at Hawkesbury today boosted the number prepared so far this season by the local training base to 141. Attard made it 14 wins for the season when lightly-raced Fitzclarence (pictured $9) broke through in the Turfmate International 3YO Maiden Handicap (1300m), O’Rourke clinched his thir

MULTIPLE premiership winning Kembla Grange trainers Rob and Luke Price are having one last throw at the stumps with Our Gold Hope at Doomben on Saturday. And the father and son tea, is hoping a return north will help click the mare back into winning form in the Group 3 Magic Millions Fillies and Mares Plate (1600m), with Tom Sherry aboard. Our Gold Hope, narrowly beaten in the 2024 Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm, is listed to be sold at the Magic Millions Natio

NACIM Dilmi says it was quite a difficult decision settling on the Group 2 The Roses for his promising filly Probability Theory at Doomben on Saturday. Probability Theory (Rachel King), a daughter of Microphone, puts her Queensland Oaks aspirations on the line, stepping up from her latest 1300m Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap victory at the Kensington track to 2000m. Wyong-based Dilmi, with 31 winners already in his first season as Domeland’s head trainer, also accepted with the

KRIS Lees has a decision to make whether to split his Queensland Oaks candidates Crathie Kirk and Erin Jo (pictured) at the weekend - or keep them together. Both fillies have been entered for a 3 & 4YO Benchmark 68 Handicap (1800m) at Friday night’s National 2YO Classic meeting at the Gold Coast, and the traditional Oaks lead-up, the Group 2 The Roses (2000m) at Doomben on Saturday. “At this stage I will accept in both races with the pair and then look at fields, barrier draw

KRISTEN Buchanan was happy to be proven wrong at Port Macquarie yesterday. The Wyong trainer chalked up career win number 338 when Thunder Lights (pictured above at Randwick) broke through impressively at his eighth start. Given a flawless ride by Newcastle apprentice Shannen Llewellyn, Thunder Lights ($2.45 favorite) revelled in the wet ground to trounce his rivals in the Maiden Plate (1509m), scoring by a widening four and a half lengths. Buchanan purchased the All Too Hard

THE words of Newgate Farm managing director Henry Field were ringing in his ears! It turned out prophetic advice when Hawkesbury trainer Blake Ryan achieved a career milestone at Scone’s metropolitan meeting yesterday, clinching a breakthrough stakes triumph – and with a $151 bolter to boot. Ryan’s Queen Regent, ridden by his close friend Jay Ford, powered past her rivals in the Listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m) for two-year-old fillies at only her second start. Ryan revealed F

KOIOS’ overdue breakthrough at Kembla Grange yesterday had a special touch to it. Notwithstanding the fact that there had been a gap of 15 months between the five-year-old gelding’s first and second wins, his trainer Nacim Dilmi had an interesting tale to relate. Koios, a son of 2017 Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap winner Impending, fetched $200,000 when secured by Domeland as a 2022 Inglis Premier yearling in Melbourne. His dam is the Shamardal mare Shamalia – and that’s where t

DAMIEN Lane’s training skills were there for all to see at Scone’s metropolitan stand-alone meeting yesterday. The Wyong-based horseman had targeted the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1700m) with Oakfield Saturn on the back of a five weeks’ break - and, assisted by a superb Aaron Bullock ride, burnt her rivals with a dominant display. Lane posted career winner number 334 with the four-year-old daughter of American Pharoah, who had not raced since finishing unplaced in the $1m