SIX times Group 1 winning jockey Dean Yandell would be riding in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup if all had gone to plan! Instead he has answered a call from Wyong trainer Nacim Dilmi to partner Aix En Provence in the $3m Big Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick the same day. The vastly experienced 51-year-old Victorian is returning to the scene of his maiden Group 1 triumph on favorite Yankee Rose in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) in 2016. Yendall qualified Pakenham-trained mare Basi

“HE is one of the outsiders. I have to try something different.” So said leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, explaining his decision on an important gear change on Changingoftheguard for Tuesday’s first ever $10m Melbourne Cup at Flemington. The imported stayer will race in blinkers in the 165 th running of Australia’s famous 3200m contest. Lees opted for the “shades” in the hope they will help the imported seven-year-old, who is his sole Cup representative. Changingofthegu

BOTH Memoria’s first-up statistics and record at Royal Randwick are hard to argue with. Which is why she has an excellent value chance on resumption there tomorrow in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1100m). Apprentice Ben Osmond will ride the six-year-old daughter of Caravaggio; his 2kg allowance lessening her weight to 58kg, for his master, leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees. Memoria has won four from five first-up attempts, and hasn’t been out of a place in three starts at Rand

ONE good turn deserved another! Sara Ryan could not have scripted a better result than her first winner on her home track at Wyong yesterday since branching out as a public trainer. That occurred when Oceans One ($5.50) defeated Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle’s $3.90 favorite Formal in the Provincial Benchmark 68 Handicap (1000m). Ryan was the sole provincial winner on the eight-race program, but that wasn’t the important thing. In scoring with Oceans One, she repaid the geld

JACK Pilkington wasn’t going to be caught napping! The Hawkesbury trainer had set Alabama State for the $500,000 Four Pillars Midway at Rosehill Gardens 12 months ago, and was understandably downcast when his then three-year-old was left with trying to overcome barrier 18 in a capacity 20-horse field. Alabama State had no luck and in the circumstances did a terrific job to finish fourth to Kingston Charm (beaten less than a length). “It broke his heart and a fortnight later h

RACING’S “comeback kid” Locky Scorse marked the second anniversary today of his near fatal fall at Taree in the best possible way. He rode half a dozen gallops at Broadmeadow this morning as his confidence grows about a return to riding in races. “I’m really excited about the future,” the 21-year-old, whose courage and determination knows no bounds, said this afternoon. “My confidence is back, and that’s hugely important. “I’m going out riding trackwork not worrying about any

IT’S a pretty good habit to share! Hawkesbury trainers Brad Widdup and Jason Attard are making a practice of winning races at the same home track meetings. For the third time this season they did it again today; the only difference being that Widdup prepared a double. Having defeated all comers last season to become the first local trainer to win the Hawkesbury premiership in three decades, Widdup’s victories with Blue Eyes Brigid ($2.45 favorite) and Diamond Show ($9.50) too

JAMES Ponsonby was prepared to “take a punt” when he noticed an unraced three-year-old by Cox Plate winner Ocean Park listed for sale through Inglis Digital in January last year. Named Drunken Sailor, he had fetched $220,000 when sold as a yearling in New Zealand. At Queanbeyan yesterday, Drunken Sailor clinched his fourth victory for his Hawkesbury trainer and boosted his earnings to nearly $100,000. Not bad at all when it is considered Ponsonby purchased him for only $1250.

CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD is assured of a Melbourne Cup start, and Tim Clark has been booked for the mount. Leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees confirmed Sydney jockey Clark’s engagement for the first ever $10m Cup (3200m) at Flemington next Tuesday, after arriving in Melbourne late this afternoon. This will be 26-times Group 1 winning rider Clark’s fourth Melbourne Cup. He finished ninth on Knights Order in Gold Trip’s 2022 edition. Changingoftheguard was one of 40 third acceptors

IT’S never a cinch for horses to go straight from a Maiden success to doubling up in a Class 1 next time out. But given local trainer Jason Attard’s track record this season and what his lightly-raced mare Nesrine has overcome, taking tomorrow’s Mental Health Matters Class 1 Handicap (1100m) at Hawkesbury is definitely on the cards. Attard’s four winners in the first three months have all been on home turf; the latest with Nesrine, who strolled home on resumption and at only

TERRY Croft received a pleasant surprise when he took a phone call from Peter Wynne after this year’s Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale. Former Richmond publican Wynne had already purchased a Zoustar filly from Positive Problems for $270,000 for the Hawkesbury trainer, and rang to say he was sending another filly to him. He had purchased an Ole Kirk youngster for $280,000 after she had initially been passed in. That filly races as Thrill Hunter and hoisted the long-servi

ASH Morgan has given Hidden Motive’s connections a glowing endorsement of the colt leading up to his Melbourne debut at Flemington on Saturday. Morgan will partner the talented Newcastle three-year-old in the $2m Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds on the opening day of the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival. Last start Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes winner Hidden Motive has settled in well since arriving in Melbourne earlier in the week, and got valuable experience of

DAMIEN Lane’s confidence for an overdue return to the city winning list was sapped a little when Oakfield Jupiter drew off the track for her first Sydney appearance at Royal Randwick yesterday. But he need not have been concerned at all. Skilfully handled by Jason Collett, the promising four-year-old mare made a brilliant resumption at her first attempt at 1200m, and took her record to three wins from four starts with an impressive performance in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handi

KRIS Lees has adopted Craig Williams’ advice to put blinkers back on Rivellino for his spring carnival swansong at Royal Randwick tomorrow. Nash Rawiller returns as the three-year-old’s rider in the $1m Group 2 Callander-Presnell (1600m) after Williams partnered the colt when eighth to Autumn Boy in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas over the same distance on October 11. “I took blinkers off Rivellino for the Guineas, and he jumped well,” Lees said this morning. “However, Craig sa

HE’S confident he will do very well! Hawkesbury’s leading trainer Brad Widdup hasn’t hesitated to put Young Mister Grace’s unbeaten record on the line by testing his promising three-year-old in Listed company for his city debut at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Dylan Gibbons, who has ridden the Anders colt in both his victories at Hawkesbury on September 25 (1000m Super Maiden Plate) and October 9 (1100m CG&E Benchmark 64 Handicap), partners him again in the Brian Crowley Stakes

A new date will launch Gosford’s return to racing in a fortnight. The Entertainment Grounds will stage a meeting for the first time in more than two months on Thursday, November 6 – which coincides with Oaks day at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival – after Hawkesbury relinquished its traditional date to move its Ladies’ Day fixture to the Saturday (November 8). Gosford last raced on Friday, August 29 (the club’s only meeting so far this season) after which extensiv

FROM Bedgerabong picnics to the bright lights of Melbourne! It’s been some ride for William Stanley, who has been given the opportunity to win with his first mounts in the Victorian capital at Friday night’s opening meeting of the Cox Plate carnival at The Valley. The former country apprentice, now indentured to leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, continues a successful association with his boss’ gelding Power Of The Brave in the 55 Second Challenge Series 1 Final (955m). Wh

ONLY wet weather will prevent Changingoftheguard from taking on “royalty” in tomorrow’s Geelong Cup. Leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees has booked Melbourne jockey Ethan Brown for the import in the $500,000 Group 3 Cup (2400m), where the winner automatically gains a “free ticket” into the first ever $10m Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 4. Seven of the 10 acceptors at Geelong – where Changingoftheguard takes on King Charles IIII representative Gilded Water – r

MITCH KEARNEY WITH SHEEZA DIVA HAWKESBURY co-trainers Mitch and Desiree Kearney are daring to dream! Come Saturday at Royal Randwick, the husband and wife team will have their first runner in a Group 1 race when Sheeza Diva lines up in the $2m Spring Champion Stakes (2000m). Rachel King rode the three-year-old filly when an excellent fourth at $91 to Shangri La Boy in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill Gardens on October 11 and sticks with her, hoping to win the

WINNING country Cups is becoming familiar with Wyong’s newest trainer Nacim Dilmi. Though only a little shy of three months into his role as Domeland’s head trainer, he has already won two – and with a better slice of luck it would read three. Dilmi landed the Bathurst Cup (1800m) on September 14 with Aix En Provence, and added the Cessnock Cup (1850m), now run at Newcastle, to his trophy cabinet yesterday. Ridden by provincial racing’s leading jockey Keagan Latham, Oceanfron