IT’S not often a provincial stable wins races at three consecutive metropolitan meetings. Kembla Grange premiership winning trainers Rob and Luke Price have already got two on the board, and are hoping to get the “hat-trick” at Royal Randwick on Saturday. The father and son team scored with Smashing Time at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday, and doubled up with Island Dec at Canterbury yesterday. Now they are heading back to town on Saturday with Century Song for a Benchmark 78

THE seven-year anniversary of On Her Word’s city triumph has just passed. And whilst the 10-year-old mare hasn’t won since – she has been placed on 10 occasions – her Newcastle trainer Bec Dunn hasn’t lost hope of securing a long overdue victory before she is finally “retired” from the racetrack, and goes back to the breeding barn. On Her Word is already a Mum, having produced two foals. Perhaps that long overdue victory might come tomorrow in a Midway Class 1 Handicap (1000m

IT’S been quite a weekend for Fabio Martino. The young Hawkesbury trainer ran up his local training base’s 150th season winner at Canberra last Friday, and made it 151 with another victory at Newcastle yesterday. And he showed his versatility by scoring with a lightly-raced six-year-old gelding, and a debutante. Acquaro (Pierre Boudvillain), a $4.40 chance, upset Kembla Grange hotpot Hold My Drink ($1.50 favorite) in the Maiden Handicap (1280m) at Canberra’s ACTON (synthetic)

WHEN you’re stuck naming a horse, go back to basics! That’s what Gosford trainer Greg McFarlane did with an Adelaide purchase he had made – and topped it off when the now three-year-old made a winning debut at Newcastle yesterday. McFarlane paid $50,000 to buy the daughter of Alabama Express as a yearling at the 2024 Magic Millions sale. “We put in quite a few names for the filly, but they were all knocked back,” McFarlane said today. “As I own 30 per cent, I decided to submi

PRIVATE Harry might have been retired to stud, but a Kurrinda Bloodstock syndicate is ready to have some “fun” with another lightly-raced young horse. The Nathan Doyle-trained Funshow (Jean Van Overmeire) broke through in the best style at home yesterday as a $2.15 favorite, thrashing his three rivals in the Super Maiden Plate (1300m). A three-year-old son of Cosmic Force, the gelding was having only his fifth start – and second this preparation – and romped home by nearly fi

CO-TRAINER Luke Price says the penny has finally dropped with Smashing Time. And he’s confident the talented sprinter can clinch a hat-trick when he next goes back to town. The Brave Smash four-year-old, who races in the Australian Bloodstock colours, made it two city wins on end with another polished performance at Rosehill Gardens yesterday. With talented apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald’s 3kg claim, Smashing Time ($2.25 favorite) quickly burnt through to take up the running in

KRIS Lees believes it was the correct decision to make a brave call regarding tomorrow’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Rosehill Gardens tomorrow. The leading Newcastle trainer opted for the longer 2400m Listed event for Brave Call rather than the Benchmark 78 Handicap (2000m). Brave Call had 60kg in the Benchmark 78, and has the minimum weight (53kg) in the Cup. But that wasn’t the sole reason for his decision to tackle the open company feature with the five-year-old son of Churc

WILL Stanley hasn’t forgotten the first and only time he had a stack of city rides in town. It was the last Saturday meeting of the 2024-25 season at Royal Randwick on July 26 last year – and he had eight bookings, and finished up with seven rides (Lohnro’s Queen was scratched). “It wasn’t the best day,” the Newcastle apprentice said today. “The best I could do was two placings; second on Happy Honey ($10) and third on Forecaster ($5).” Stanley’s other rides finished sixth, s

IT’S Brisbane and not Sydney for talented three-year-old I Am Carrot on Saturday. And his Wyong trainer Nacim Dilmi is changing tack with travel plans trying to have him “spot on” for the Group 3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm. “I normally send my horses to Brisbane on Wednesday nights when they are racing there on Saturdays,” Dilmi said this morning. “But I’m trying something different and not sending I Am Carrot north until tonight. “His trackwork rider Brooke is goi

RACINGNSW has undertaken a broad review of the structure and organisation of NSW provincial clubs. It is understood the review was launched after some clubs had been querying the Scheme of Distribution, which has been in place for a lengthy period and in its current form is seen as no longer fitting the purpose. The five provincial clubs are Newcastle Jockey Club, Wyong Race Club, Gosford Race Club, Hawkesbury Race Club and Illawarra Turf Club (Kembla Grange). The review is t

PROMISING young Newcastle sprinter Lightning Glory is shooting for his fourth win on end when he returns to the city at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. The lightly-raced four-year-old will be part of trainer Nathan Doyle’s strong three-pronged attack on the CG&E Benchmark 78 Handicap (1300m). “Along with Lightning Glory, Nathan also intends running Midnight Opal and Silvanito in the race,” the trainer’s racing manager David Dyson said today. “Our apprentice Shannen Llewellyn ha

MARK Minervini wound back the clock many decades when he scored with a promising filly at Newcastle yesterday. The Newcastle-based trainer, a South Australian expat, made it two wins in a row with lightly-raced filly Hidden Star, who took the Class 1 Handicap (1200m). Minervini Racing races the Star Turn filly on lease with South Australia’s Crawford family. “They were my first clients when I started training,” Minervini recalled today. “Paul Crawford rang me after Hidden Sta

JASON Deamer is the “go to man” when Dynamic Syndications chooses to transfer a horse from a city stable. And the Newcastle trainer has never let them down. Deamer continued the tradition of turning Dynamic horses who might not be regarded as being up to city standard into winners when successful with Piccaderro ($8.50) at his home track yesterday. Provincial king Keagan Latham clinched a treble when Piccaderro defeated Hawkesbury’s Unreal Ecpectation ($3.90 favorite) and Wyo

IT’S not often a horse gets gelded the day after winning a race! Usually that happens after a lacklustre performance. However, Wyong trainer Nacim Dilmi’s decision for Is It Spectacular (above) to undergo the unkindest cut of all paid dividends when the Dundeel three-year-old struck winning form again in town at Royal Randwick yesterday. Given a great ride by Kerrin McEvoy, Is It Spectacular ($5.50) clinched his second city success and made it three wins from 10 starts, in th

IT was a career path BRIAN JUDD was destined to take! And love was the facilitator. Judd’s engagement to his future wife Julie at the time resulted in him forming a close attachment to the racing industry – courtesy of her late father Tom O’Neill. “Julie’s family lived across the road from Broadmeadow racecourse, and Tom was a bookmaker there,” Judd explained. “He suggested one day that I should come to the races and help him out. “That’s how it all started.” It has been some

KRIS Lees has already won three Queensland Oaks, and has a $126 bolter in his bid to clinch a fourth Group 1 fillies’ triumph at Eagle Farm tomorrow. And whilst market assessors are saying she has the job ahead, the leading Newcastle trainer’s stable considers their roughie is not without some chance of causing a major upset in the classic. A son of dual Group 1 winner Ole Kirk (2020 Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas), Crathie Kirk (Michael Rodd), a $180,000 yearling purchase

MITCH and Desiree Kearney weren’t at their home track today – but the emotion flowed all the way from Brisbane to Hawkesbury. The husband and wife trainers arrived in Brisbane this morning after an overnight float trip from Hawkesbury with their Queensland Oaks hopeful Sheeza Diva, and watched on their phones as $31 chance Lady Shenanigans won his 10thrace. Purchased online for only $1750 as an unraced three-year-old in April 2021 (he had fetched $300,000 as a yearling), the

PAUL Murray is a regular visitor to Grafton’s famous July carnival – and will be making the trip again next month. This time around the Kembla Grange trainer is eyeing a feature victory with his recent Wagga Town Plate winner Harry’s Bar. But first things first. Harry’s Bar will have her first start at Royal Randwick on Saturday since brilliantly taking the 1200m feature sprint on April 30. The mare’s Wagga jockey Jean Van Overmeire again will be in the saddle for the Listed

HAWKESBURY trainers Mitch and Desiree Kearney will miss their home track meeting tomorrow – and with good reason! Husband and wife are on the road to Brisbane tonight, taking their three-year-old filly Sheeza Diva north for a crack at Saturday’s $700,000 Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm. Sheeza Diva might be one of the fillies’ classic roughies at $101 with TAB.com.au, but that doesn’t worry their trainers – nor another road trip. “She is a very well travelled gi

BRAD Widdup will take a trio of lightly-raced horses to his home track meeting tomorrow – and has named Mind Ya Bizz as the pick. Hawkesbury’s leading trainer last season became the first local in many decades to beat all comers in the premiership, and isn’t giving up his title easily. Widdup’s victory with Whoa Nellie at the previous Hawkesbury meeting on May 21 was his 11th at home this season to edge him one ahead of Chris Waller. He runs Mind Ya Bizz ($3.30 favorite with