TALENTED Newcastle apprentice Shannen Llewellyn is set to join the Sydney stable of champion trainer and Melbourne Cup winner Ciaron Maher. This season’s Newcastle Jockey Club Rising Star award winner is currently indentured to Nathan Doyle, who also has won the Max Lees Medal for the trainer with the best strike rate at Broadmeadow’s course proper (11 wins from 47 starters). It’s been a breakout season for the 25-year-old jockey, who has ridden 61 winners, including seven in

THE mare Michael Vella says has helped “keep him going” provided him with his first city winner in more than a decade at the Kensington track yesterday. Given a superb ride from an inside draw by Rachel King, Cosmeena ($21) defeated two other $21 chances Little Beginnings and Anthracite in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1300m) at her first appearance since early May. Hawkesbury owner-trainer Vella and his wife Barbara Anne run a duck farm at Londonderry, but he hasn’t been in the

For many Novocastrians, Newcastle Racecourse is known for thrilling finishes, memorable race days and top-tier events. What many don’t realise is that behind many race meetings lies another success story, one measured not in winning margins, but in lives changed. Over the past financial year, Newcastle Racecourse has quietly become one of the Hunter’s largest fundraising platforms, helping generate an extraordinary $790,618 for local charities and community organisations thro

A new track will usher in new premiership winners at Illawarra Turf Club’s season closer tomorrow. Ahead of the third meeting to be held on the Illawarra Grange circuit inside the course proper (the first two were on May 5 and 30), ITC racing manager Zane Campbell says Mitch Beer and George Carpenter are in the box seat to win both the Local and All Trainers’ premierships in their first season as a duo. “Mitch and George have an unbeatable lead in the All Trainers’ premiershi

WYONG Race Club is launching an affordable new way to experience racehorse ownership. The Wyong Horse Bundle, powered by MyRacehorse, will be officially unveiled at the club’s opening meeting of the 2026-27 racing season on Sunday. A one-off early bird price of $137 presents an opportunity to obtain a micro share in three young horses (so far unraced) to be trained locally by Kim Waugh, Sara Ryan and Kristen Buchanan. “This is the only cost you will bear for each share to cov

SHAUN Harvey says a lightly-raced mare he bought online for $600 a few months ago had “stayer written all over her in her pedigree”. That Wyong trainer’s acquisition of four-year-old Gemtiki in May has since returned $25,700 in prizemoney in four starts, culminating with a breakthrough victory at Muswellbrookyesterday in a 1750m Maiden Plate. The first of jockey Aaron Bullock’s three winners, Gemtiki($2.10 favorite) scored easily from fellow Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan’s H

HAWKESBURY’S premier trainer Brad Widdup has added a new string to his bow. Widdup clinched a two-track double yesterday with Satono Jasmine at Royal Randwick and Somerford at Kembla Grange to boost his season’s number of winners to 67, and overall tally to 485. Not long after winning his second local premiership in succession against all comers, it was Satono Jasmine’s victory which provided another highlight to his training career. This was the first time he has won four ra

KURRINDA Bloodstock boss Sean Driver says he is surprised So You Pence is not outright favorite for the $2m The Kosciuszko (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 17. The rising seven-year-old mare made a stunning return at that track yesterday, trouncing her rivals in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1300m) after having not started since winning the $250,000 Barn Dance (1300m) there last November. TAB.com.au shortened So You Pence from $15 to $8 – and she is one of six horses sharing

THERESA Bateup is considering a quick back-up for yesterday’s home track winner Sablonneusebefore he heads off for a well-earned break. The Kembla Grange trainer will decide in the morning whether to accept with the tough three-year-old in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (2400m) at the Kensington track on Wednesday. Bateup deserves great credit for the job she has done with the gelding, who was having his 10th start this preparation when he outstayed his rivals in the Benchmark 64

SEAN Driver couldn’t have summed it up better. “This is a great story about never giving up on a horse,” were the Kurrinda Bloodstock principal’s words today. The Hunter-based syndicator was referring to the rising seven-year-old mare So You Pence, who will line up for only her 10th career start at Royal Randwick tomorrow for trainer Matt Dale in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1300m) for four-year-olds and upwards. It’s her first since winning over 1100m at the same track on Big

HAWKER Hall’s resumption coincides with jockey James McDonald’s return at Royal Randwick tomorrow – and he’s got the right draw to continue his excellent fresh record. The talented four-year-old lines up in the Benchmark 88 Handicap (1100m), and has barrier four in a capacity field, with the rail out 11m from the 1000m to winning post, and 8m the remainder of the track. Roselyn’s Star’s brilliant return at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday has highlighted Hawker Hall’s prospects

FABIO Martino hopes to star at Royal Randwick on Saturday and “come of age” with his 21st career winner. The young Hawkesbury trainer has never had a winner at headquarters, and feels million dollar plus yearling All Star is definitely his best chance to date. With Pierre Boudvillain holidaying back home in France, Martino has called up Tyler Schiller to ride the three-year-old in the Stand With Jai Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m). Whilst All Star steps up to Saturday cl

PAUL Murray was speaking tongue-in-cheek! “My wife pinched her off me,” was his comment this morning in relation to smart youngster Where’s The Circus’ return at Royal Randwick on Saturday – with a “new” trainer. In reality, the Kembla Grange trainer’s partner Michelle Ritchie is back as the trainer of the lightly-raced filly, who resumes in the 2YO Handicap (1100m) at a track she knows well. Murray trained the daughter of Trapeze Artist when she made a brilliant debut at Ran

DYLAN Gibbons says it’s “cool” to win Newcastle’s Bill Wade Medal for the first time. And it will be even cooler if he can also clinch a unique double by winning his first Newcastle Gold Cup at September’s spring carnival, when the various awards for the 2025-26 racing season will be presented. Gibbons, 24, is looking forward to continuing a successful association with his recent Caloundra Cup winner Thebudgiesmugla in the $300,000 Group 3 Gold Cup (2300m) on September 18 en

IT may have been a provincial Maiden, but there was something truly special about Share The Joy’s breakthrough victory at Hawkesbury yesterday. The rising seven-year-old mare was having her 34th start in the Country Music Raceday 5 September Provincial Maiden Handicap (1300m), and understandably gave her 93-year-old owner Tom Smith a huge thrill. Ridden by Jeff Penza, Share The Joy ($19) gamely defeated Gosford trainer Jake Hull’s debutante Sono Immortale ($5.50) and Hawkesbu

BRAD Widdup didn’t mess about clinching back to back trainers’ premierships at home today. Hawkesbury’s leading trainer began the final meeting of the season tied with Chris Waller on 14 wins, and sealed the result when he won the opener on the seven-race program. And for good measure he added another three races later to boost his local number of winners for the 2025-26 racing year to 16. In the process the home track double lifted Widdup’s overall number of winners for the

WILL Stanley will forever remember Romeo’s Choice, and Jason Deamer picked the right race for Dollars. The Newcastle apprentice clinched his first metropolitan Saturday double at Rosehill Gardens yesterday, and one of his winners Romeo’s Choice also was part of his maiden city double. Fellow Novocastrian Deamer scored a hollow victory with $14 chance Dollars, a horse he trains for a Dynamic Syndications group, at Gosford yesterday after also having him in three other races du

KYLIE Gavenlock could not have wished for a better “pick me up” than a home track double yesterday. The long-standing Gosford trainer scored with Zenmode ($5.50) and Frida Kay (pictured $31) only days after Audette, the good mare she prepared and won seven races with, died before having the chance to begin a breeding career. “Audette was to go to stud in the Hunter Valley, but became very ill and had to be put down last week,” Gavenlock said today. “Such a terrible shame as

TWELVE months ago Nacim Dilmi was called up to take over as Domeland’s head trainer on the Central Coast. Fast forward a year and the expatriate Frenchman is finishing his maiden season with a bang. A Gosford double yesterday boosted his number of winners to 36; 35 in New South Wales and another in Queensland. “It’s crazy that in two weeks I will be entering my second season as a trainer,” Wyong-based Dilmi said today. “The year has gone so quickly, but I’m really pleased wit

KERRY Parker is ready to chase an overdue city breakthrough with a “confident” Let’s Go Again. The multiple Group 1 winning Kembla Grange trainer says the mare’s successful resumption at home yesterday was an important start to her campaign in search of finally making her mark in town. Ridden by apprentice Olivia Chambers, Let’s Go Again ($3.40 favorite) led her rivals a merry dance in the Provincial Benchmark 68 Handicap (1200m) to post the fourth win of her 22nd start caree