NEW Snitzel is First to a Black Type Century

NEW 2025 Tassie 3YO Cohort a Formidable Bunch

Wootton Verni Wins Gr3 Coongy Cup

• Track: Caulfield
• Race: Gr3 Coongy Cup (2000m)
• Winner: Wootton Verni (Wootton Bassett-Vernie, by Kendargent)
• Placings: Casino Seventeen and Future History
• Winning Sire: Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj-Balladonia, by Primo Dominie)
• Stud Farm: Coolmore Stud
• Trainer: Chris Waller
• Jockey: Damian Lane
• Race record: 6 Wins & 2 Placings from 15 Starts
• Sales info: N/A

Torture Wins LR Magic Millions Debutant Stks

• Track: Caulfield
• Race: LR Magic Millions Debutant Stks (1000m)
• Winner: Torture (Sword of State-Ruthless Lady, by Keeper)
• Placings: Free Flying and Tornado Valley
• Winning Sire: Sword of State (Snitzel-In The Vanguard, by Encosta de Lago)
• Stud Farm: Cambridge Stud
• Trainer: Ben, Will and JD Hayes
• Jockey: Ethan Brown
• Race record: 1 Win from 1 Start
• Sales info: $250,000 yearling at the 2025 NZB NYSS

Torture Gatecrashes Fancied Debutant Rivals

Torture gave her sire the best start possible (pic: Bruno Cannatelli)

900k Gns Godolphin Buy Tops Tatts Book 2

Momentum held strong into the second session of Tattersalls October Book 2, with Islanmore Stud producing one of the sale’s headline moments when their Starspangledbanner filly fetched 900,000 guineas. Knocked down to Godolphin, she became the second highest-priced filly ever sold at this level and equalled the third highest-priced lot in the history of Book 2. Interest was fierce from the outset, with Ed Sackville finishing underbidder and spirited early bids coming via Badgers Bloodstock’s Grant Pritchard-Gordon and Amo Racing. Anthony Stroud, flanked by David Loder and Charlie Appleby, was effusive in his appraisal. “She is a standout and an exceptionally good-looking filly. We bought her full-brother Avicenna here last year, and we think very highly of him. He is a good-looking horse too, though I think she just has the edge – she has been very well prepared by the farm.” Avicenna, trained by Roger Varian, remains unbeaten from two starts, including a victory in the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes over subsequent Group 3 winner Hankelow. For Islanmore, the result marked a defining moment. Stud manager Nigel Anderton praised the long game and the people behind it. “We are over the moon, the hard work and dedication of the team at home, it is a great team and it is down to their dedication. This has been twenty years in the making, in 2005 we bought the granddam Potion as a yearling and she has bred some wonderful stock as has her daughter Love Potion.” The mare’s record was already underlined by Avicenna’s 450,000 guineas sale last year, and expectations had been set accordingly. “We never expected that, we thought if we got half of that it would have been a great day's work! I'd like to thank Mr Stroud and the Godolphin team… I always say the easy part is the preparation, the hard part is getting them sold up in the ring!” Later in the session, a Night Of Thunder colt from Genesis Green Stud brought 550,000 guineas after a duel between Kevin Ryan and fellow Yorkshire trainer Karl Burke. “I have seen him four times over the last few days,” Ryan noted. “He never put a foot wrong… even coming up here. He is just a great physical, even as a May foal.” The colt is a half-brother to smart performer Dhabab and hails from a deep black-type family that includes Vanlandingham and Boomshackerlacker. Night Of Thunder, whose Book 1 average sat behind only Frankel and Dubawi, continued to fire across Book 2 – his 13 lots averaging 260,385 guineas to date.

Livamol Road Less Travelled for Quintessa

Quintessa can nab a third Group 1 (pic: Mark Gatt)

Goulburn-Trained Five in Rarefied Air

It’s not often that a downhill run defines a mountaineering strategy, but that’s precisely the approach five Goulburn-trained runners will take for their shot at Saturday’s $2 million Kosciuszko, reveals racingnsw.com.au. Having prepared at altitude some 702 metres above sea level, the quintet will descend 626 metres to Randwick in search of summit success. Between them, Front Page, Boston Rocks, So You Pence, Bandi’s Boy and Highway Strip form over a third of the Kosciuszko field – a remarkable strike rate for the Southern Tablelands outpost. Their inclusion stems from long-range planning by Matt Dale and Danny Williams, with Goulburn-trained horses emerging as the most sought-after strategy by slot holders for 2025. Dale’s trio take varied paths in. Front Page, runner-up in 2024 and the $3.50 favourite on TAB, has been kept fresh, his only serious hit-out since the Stradbroke a recent Goulburn trial. “He’s come through that trial very well and will have his final hit out on the Goulburn course proper on Tuesday morning. His attitude is good and I’m very happy with how he’ll present first-up on Saturday with Tim Clark to ride.” Boston Rocks arrives fourth-up, having worked through the gears en route to a placing in Benchmark 94 company. “He takes a bit to get fit so he’s deeper into his preparation. I thought he was really good running third... Tommy Berry rides, he’ll present really well and is in good order.” Meanwhile, So You Pence—a lightly raced mare tackling the feature at just her eighth start—continues to progress, stepping in with a month between runs after a Moruya tick-over trial. “She trialled well… comes into the race second-up with Ash Morgan to ride at 53 kilos.” Danny Williams returns with two contenders. Bandi’s Boy, a return qualifier, has been sharpened with blinkers on since trialling strongly. “We are very pleased with both horses here at Goulburn. Bandi’s Boy had a recent barrier trial… he went very well. We decided to leave the blinkers on to make him a little bit sharper.” Highway Strip has had his own prep fine-tuned, including a trial with raceday rider Chad Schofield on board. “His blood tests suggest he doesn’t need too much hard work… just a little bit tomorrow to keep him at this level in order to cruise into Saturday with two happy horses.” Regardless of result, Goulburn Race Club will be roaring. “It’s a tremendous result just getting five horses into the final field,” said CEO Robyn Fife. “Everyone here wishes the best to all involved.”

Evergreen galloper Front Page (pic: Steve Hart)

Precision Strike Puts O'Brien on Record Pace

The Names Bond, Charlie Bond

Few owners have made their presence felt quite as swiftly as Bond Thoroughbred, whose bold decision to supplement Marvelman for Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot underlines their growing ambition. According to sportinglife.com, the colt, a three-year-old son of Invincible Spirit, earned the right to tackle elite milers after running away with last month’s Betfred Park Stakes at Doncaster. Representing the ownership group, Charlie Bond said the call to press on to Group 1 company was made within days of that commanding victory. “I was at Doncaster that day and saw him win, and was very impressed. We checked out the timings afterwards and got in touch with Andrew and did it (the deal) within a couple of days. So it’s good, I’m looking forward to the race on Saturday at Ascot.” Marvelman will again be partnered by Oisin Murphy, who has no concerns about the step up to a mile. “Andrew had said that his work six weeks prior to Doncaster had really, really improved and it was him who wanted to supplement and go for the Group 1. He’s really improved and Oisin said that he’ll get the mile easily.” The colt will join stablemate Never So Brave in Andrew Balding’s two-pronged attack on the race, the trainer confident both are thriving at home. For Bond Thoroughbred, the decision also reflects the momentum building behind their broader bloodstock venture. Only days earlier, their colours were carried to victory by Maranoa Charlie in the Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp – a success Bond described as transformative. “It was a great celebration. It takes a lot of pressure off. Obviously, we’ve done a lot of purchasing over the last year and we’ve got to a stage where we’ve come forward very quickly and winning the Group 1 was really important for the breeding going forward, especially him being by Wootton Bassett and having the pedigree that he does down the Tiggy Wiggy line, a Galileo mare. It’s just incredible for us.” Bond credits much of their progress to business discipline and data-driven planning. “My CFO sat me down and said you’re treating this as a hobby but realistically you need to do what you do in business and said let’s get a full plan together. So we have a board meeting every two weeks on the horses now, we plan about the trainers and the statistics. We use a lot of AI now, a lot of AI has gone into looking at the stats on Marvelman and Maranoa Charlie, so from that point of view we are ahead. But we have put a lot of investment in and we need to keep going.” Bond Thoroughbred’s collective strike-rate this season sits around 28 percent—a figure that explains why few are dismissing Marvelman’s 16/1 quote for the QEII as optimistic.

One Door Closes, Another Opens for Kelsos

Legarto winning the Gr1 Australian Guineas  (pic: Mark Gatt)

Caulfield Track Manager's Balancing Act

Forecast volatility has created a tightrope balancing act for Caulfield’s track management team ahead of Saturday’s Cup, with Thursday shaping as the most delicate part of the week’s preparations, reports racenet.com.au. While scattered showers are predicted early, a sudden rise in temperature to 31 degrees combined with gusty winds on Thursday could throw off calculations around irrigation. For Sam Bennetts, in his second year managing the surface, deciding when and how much water to apply will require precision timing. A midweek fixture adds another layer of complexity. With the Coongy Cup scheduled for Wednesday, Bennetts had little choice but to shift the rail out 12 metres, allowing the ground inside to remain fresh for Cup Day, when the rail returns to its traditional three-metre placement. “It’s the standard position we’ve been in for the last three years,” he noted, explaining that the profile of the Wednesday meeting now allows for more flexibility in preserving quality ground. The forecast for a hot and windy Thursday means options are limited. “Thursday, a top of 30 with a windy morning, obviously we’ll have to get the water into it. Having the race day on Wednesday, it makes it a little bit more difficult.” The risk, of course, is that track conditions could dry out faster than expected between meetings. A soft six surface greeted Cup runners last year after rain-affected lead-up meetings. This time, the team is monitoring closely and will act if needed. “If the track dries out during the course of Wednesday, we can put a little bit of water on Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The more moisture we can get into it the better.” Improved seasonal conditions have at least given the turf a stronger starting point. After a sodden winter last year left little room for recovery between racedays, the lead-in to this spring has been far more forgiving. “We just needed a bit of warmth, which we got early,” Bennetts said. “Last winter was pretty harsh on us. This year, it’s been a little bit drier so we’ve just had to keep the moisture up to it.” The turf’s current health, he says, is cause for confidence. Half Yours (see below) is a short-priced favourite to win the Caulfield Cup.

53 Lexus Melbourne Cup Second Declarations

Anticipation for the 165th running of the Lexus Melbourne Cup is gathering pace following confirmation of the second declarations for Australia’s most famous race, with 53 contenders still in the mix for the $10 million two-mile feature. According to the VRC, the figure is marginally down on last year’s 55, but the depth of quality remains formidable, with a powerful blend of homegrown and international hopes taking shape ahead of the first Tuesday in November. Chris Waller’s stable again looks a major force, the Hall of Famer holding nine nominations led by last-start Bart Cummings winner Valiant King, who secured his golden ticket into the Cup with a commanding victory at Flemington. Among the more intriguing runners is Gilded Water, who remains on course for His Majesty King Charles III and Ciaron Maher. Maher has mapped out a run in the Geelong Cup as the next stop for the progressive stayer as he builds toward Melbourne. The Waterhouse-Bott team has already flexed its muscle this spring, with Sir Delius delivering a statement performance in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes. Stablemate Vauban is also being prepared for a third crack at the great race, adding another layer of intrigue to a campaign that blends experience with momentum. From abroad, America will be represented for the first time by Parchment Party, trained by Bill Mott, who earned his trip to Australia by claiming the Belmont Gold Cup and in doing so the third Lexus Melbourne Cup Golden Ticket. In total, 11 internationally trained horses remain among the declarations, ensuring a truly global contest. This weekend’s Caulfield Cup is set to offer a crucial form guide, with 23 of its 29 entries also still engaged for the Melbourne Cup. Half Yours, for the father-and-son partnership of Tony and Calvin McEvoy, will bid to confirm his credentials as the leading local hope. Among the other key names appearing across both Cups are Deakin, Revelare and Valiant King, each already guaranteed a start through their Golden Ticket victories, while Ireland’s Absurde continues his alternative pathway toward Flemington, using the Caulfield feature as a springboard. History shows how difficult the famed double can be. Without A Fight became the most recent to claim both Cups in 2023, repeating a feat last achieved by Ethereal in 2001, and before that by legends such as Might And Power, Doriemus and Let’s Elope. Four more Golden Ticket races – the Caulfield Cup, Geelong Cup, Moonee Valley Gold Cup and Cox Plate – will decide the final entrants for what promises to be another unforgettable chapter in Cup folklore.

Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight (pic: Mark Gatt)

Man Crush Can Go One Better in Crawford