A sharp Caulfield gallop has Matt Laurie brimming with confidence ahead of Saturday's Futurity Stakes (1400m), with Treasurethe Moment completing her final serious hit-out under Damian Lane. The Group 1 trainer believes the mare is primed to strike first-up again, carrying the same spark that fuelled her explosive return last spring. Tuesday's work was designed as the finishing touch rather than a searching test, yet the response pleased the stable. "She worked over 1000m and quickened up 400m but you could see she was very much on the ball and wanting to get on with the job," Laurie said. "She's in a good headspace and now, (post final workout) she's ready to go on the weekend." The Futurity shapes as another elite-level assignment at 1400m, the same trip over which she dismantled a high-class field in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes last campaign, putting daylight on Mr Brightside and Buckaroo. Laurie feels she has returned a little more seasoned. "She's had a very similar preparation to her previous ones, I think she's a bit older, a bit stronger, she's very much aware of what goes on every time we put her on the truck these days," he said. "This capped her off nicely and I can't wait to kick her off and then see where the preparation leader. Her spring was not without turbulence, a bout of colic interrupting what began in spectacular fashion, yet she still found her way to the Cox Plate and finished a brave third. "She kicked off with a bang (last spring), we had our little issue (colic) and then, I mean, running third in the Cox Plate is pretty incredible," Laurie said. "I couldn't be more proud of the horse. The last three preparations she's been able to tick off some Group 1s, hopefully she can do it again in her fourth." The market has installed her a $1.90 all-in favourite, ahead of Pericles ($5) and Evaporate ($6), with Tom Kitten ($8) considered an unlikely runner due to plans to hold him back for the All Star Mile. Cox Plate runner-up Buckaroo sits at $18 and also worked at Caulfield on Tuesday morning. "Based on that work today and her trials, I'm really happy with her and got a similar feeling to coming into the Memsie," Laurie said. Tactics may be the only lingering query, with limited obvious speed in the field and Treasurethe Moment having led up a recent trial before powering away. "I'm just hoping, not sure where the speed is going to be in this particular race," Laurie said. "Damian will ride our horse how he finds it on the day and I wouldn't change anything leading into it."
Treasurethe Moment could run her opposition ragged (pic: Mark Gatt)
It's a Big Yes for Attard Ahead of Thursday
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
A shot at the $1m Provincial-Midway Championships Final is the immediate lure, but bigger ambitions are already being mapped if a Hawkesbury qualifier goes to plan for Oui Oui Oui on Thursday. The early-season momentum of the four-year-old has put her in the spotlight, and trainer Jason Attard believes booking a Finals berth now could open a window to chase black type either side of the April 11 decider. Attard's view is that qualifying early buys flexibility. If Oui Oui Oui can secure a top-two finish at Hawkesbury, it not only locks her into the Final, it also gives the stable time to consider a higher-grade target in the interim. "The biggest goal for her and for Kate (Nivison), the owner, will be to try and get black type for the horse,'' he said. "The Championships is a nice notch to have on her belt but black type will be the bigger goal. It's whether or not we try to do that in between now and the Final or if we save it for afterwards." The idea of stepping up after qualifying is not without precedent, with Bandi's Boy winning a Group 3 after earning a spot in the 2024 Country Championships. That example has helped shape Attard's thinking as he weighs what a Hawkesbury win might enable. For now, though, the focus is simply to tick the box and keep options alive for a mare who burst onto the scene early in summer with a hat-trick and quickly became a $6 favourite for the Provincial-Midway Final with TAB. A key appeal of running on Thursday is the safety net it provides. Sitting on five wins, Oui Oui Oui has already done enough to suggest she belongs in the series, but Attard did not want to be cornered late in the qualifying window. "It's a back-up to run now because if she doesn't qualify then there's plenty of room to go again in another qualifying race,'' he said. "I didn't want to leave it too wide between runs and we're at the home track which helps. It's encouraging that she's favourite but there's still pressure because everything still has to go right and go her way." Preparation has been deliberate rather than flashy, with one trial at Warwick Farm two weeks ago and steady work since. Attard said the mare has pleased him at every step. "Her trial was exceptional, there's been no knocks to her whatsoever,'' he said. Tactics will likely depend on tempo, but he is hoping the race is run to suit her pattern. "I'd like there to be a little bit of speed so she can sit in behind them like she does." Conditions also appear favourable. "The track should be where she likes it, it felt great when I galloped her on the course proper on Saturday."
Snitzel 4YO Strengthens Newnham Classic Arsenal
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
A reshuffle in the Four-Year-Old Classic Series narrative has given Mark Newnham renewed cause for optimism, with Infinite Resolve emerging as a serious player after his runner-up finish in the Hong Kong Classic Mile, reports racingnews.hkjc.com. With the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) on March 1 fast approaching and the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on March 22 in sight, the Snitzel gelding has put himself squarely in the frame. Sent out at 19/1 in his first Hong Kong attempt at 1600m, Infinite Resolve settled midfield in a strongly run contest before carving through the field in the straight to finish second to the powerful Little Paradise. The effort answered a lingering distance query. “He’s a good-class horse. There was always a doubt about him at 1600m but what he did have going for him going into it was a positive run at his start before where he relaxed really well and hit the line,” Newnham said. Acquired by the Absolute Return Syndicate after racing at Group 2 level in Australia, the gelding had shaped as a horse still learning his craft. Newnham admitted he harboured reservations beforehand. “I still had some doubts whether he would [run a mile], but horses who relax well and conserve energy, you can generally stretch them out in distance, especially against their own age group. Once he drew a good barrier and was able to switch off, he was always going to have a good turn of foot.” The upcoming rise to 1800m presents another test, yet the trainer is encouraged by how the horse finished off. “I was pleased that he ran out the mile strongly. Obviously the 1800m is another step up but his manner is going to take him a long way,” he said. While Infinite Resolve was the stable’s standout in the Mile, Newnham still considers Invincible Ibis his leading Classic hope despite finishing sixth from barrier 11. The run, in his view, told the story. “The run he had didn’t help him. Certainly no jockey error, he was just back and wide and trying to make a long run. The winner was coiled up like a spring and had to sprint 200m, whereas I had to make a 700m run,” he said. He believes the 1800m will suit if the gelding can secure a more economical trip. Crimson Flash (11th) is likely to drop back to sprinting, while Winfield (13th) remains under consideration for the Classic Cup after a recent dirt run. Aerodynamics, rated 74, also sits on the Derby radar following an interrupted passage last start. “Aerodynamics was very unlucky the other day, he should have been in the finish but just got chopped out,” Newnham said, outlining plans to test him at 2000m on Classic Cup day in a bid to secure a Derby berth.
Infinite Resolve finished 2nd in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (pic: hkjc.com)
Anderson Pivots to His Real Estate Dream
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
A shift in focus is underway at Eagle Farm, where Chris Anderson is trimming his stable to boutique proportions while stepping into a parallel career in real estate. The 51-year-old is adamant the move is not a farewell to racing, but rather a recalibration that allows him to pursue another long-held ambition without abandoning the craft he has built over the past 15 years. Before saddling runners in Brisbane, Anderson cut his teeth in sales as a national beer brand manager, experience he believes will serve him well in property. He began training with a single leased horse and gradually constructed a competitive operation from the ground up. Among his highlights was Ballistic Boy, winner of the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate in 2020, a horse who placed the stable on the national radar. Now, however, the stable numbers are coming back. "There's one thing I've never been afraid to do and that's follow my passions in life," Anderson said. He regards the timing as right, citing both maturity and opportunity. "I think it's the right time to do it, life experience goes a long way in real estate, and we have the Olympics coming up in Brisbane in a few years." The adjustment, he insists, is measured rather than drastic. "I've downsized my stable and I'm becoming a boutique stable but I'm not transitioning out of racing." Property has long held his interest. "I've always had a really big interest in property, I was actually looking at doing this 15 years ago. But I had always had a burning desire to train horses." That desire saw him prepare runners for the late Dato Tan Chin Nam's Think Big Stud, whose yellow, black and white silks were carried by champions such as Melbourne Cup winners Saintly and Viewed. Anderson has already commenced work with Ray White Clayfield and sees the dual roles as complementary rather than conflicting. "Having less horses will allow me more time with the horses I have, to really work with every horse on an individualised basis," he said. The structure of a trainer's day also offers flexibility. "And a benefit with training horses is early starts, so that means I can then go to the office to do the real estate side of things." Community ties forged through racing are another asset. "I've trained horses in the local community for 15 years so hopefully there's people there who know me, understand me, trust me and will give me an opportunity in real estate. This has been in the pipeline for the last six to 12 months."
Lindsay Park Per Incanto Duo Under the Radar
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
With the autumn weight-for-age narrative reshaping in the absence of Mr Brightside, a fresh Lindsay Park angle could emerge quickly if Evaporate is ready to announce himself at Caulfield on Saturday, suggests racing.com. Trainer Ben Hayes believes the Per Incanto 4YO has tightened the key screws since spring, and says recent work has finally started to address the habit that has blunted him on race day. “I haven’t spoken about him much, but he’s trailled up excellent and will be hopefully announcing himself this autumn,” Hayes said. “What has let him down is his racing manners. He’s always been a headstrong horse and doing things wrong but still ran well.” A jumpout win at Werribee on February 6, with Jamie Melham aboard, is the reference point. “When Jamie (Melham) rode him in his last jumpout (win at Werribee on February 6) he actually relaxed and he finished off and we have been really working on it in his trackwork,” Hayes said. “Jamie was really happy with him, and I think she’s keen to ride him (in the Futurity).” The upside was obvious last year when Evaporate ran third in the 2024 Gr1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m). Two weeks later he was pitched into the Gr1 Cox Plate (2040m) and failed to adapt, not beating a runner home, before a brief autumn campaign that included second in The Kiwi (1500m) in New Zealand. Back in Australia last spring, he stacked up well at the elite level, finishing second in the Gr1 Toorak Handicap (1600m), third in the Golden Eagle (1500m) and third in the Gr1 Orr Stakes (1400m). With Tom Kitten unlikely to run, Hayes expects Evaporate to be a key danger to early Futurity Stakes (Gr.1, 1400m) favourite Treasurethe Moment. Lindsay Park will also chase a Group 1 result in the Oakleigh Plate (Gr1, 1100m) through Oak Hill, another Per Incanto who has been learning on the job. “He’s going really well,” Hayes said. “Again, he’s a horse that was doing a lot wrong. He was an aggressive horse, and we saw last start he relaxed and he ran well so if he does that in an Oakleigh Plate, he’ll run very well.”
Evaporate has come on strongly (pic: Mark Gatt)
WA Training Duo Free to Return to Training
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
Shockwaves rippled through Australian racing last month when Western Australia’s leading stable was suspended after one of its runners returned a positive test to Ritalin, a tightly controlled medication more commonly associated with the treatment of ADHD. The development cast uncertainty over the powerful Grant and Alana Williams operation, but that uncertainty has now been eased — at least temporarily, reports punters.com.au.. Racing Western Australia confirmed on Tuesday that the 12-time Group 1-winning trainers have been granted a stay of their suspension pending the outcome of an appeal. The decision allows the pair to resume training while the matter proceeds through formal channels. On Monday, the Williams team appeared in Perth represented by Victorian lawyer Damian Sheales, challenging the stewards’ ruling that had barred them from racing and trialling horses. The appeal itself is scheduled to be determined on March 10, but in the interim the Racing Penalties Appeal Tribunal has intervened. In an official statement, the tribunal outlined its position: “The Racing Penalties Appeal Tribunal (RPAT) today determined the stay application by thoroughbred trainers Grant and Alana Williams against RWWA Stewards' order to suspend their training licenses pursuant to Local Rule 22 of the Rules of Thoroughbred Racing.” The statement confirmed that a Notice of Appeal dated February 5, 2026 had been lodged, seeking to overturn the suspension order imposed under Local Rule 22 pending the determination of a charge under Rule 240 (2). The tribunal further ruled: “Pursuant to s. 17(7) of the Act, the Tribunal directs that the RWWA Stewards' order under Local Rule 22 suspending the Appellants' training licenses be stayed until 4.00pm on 10 March 2026.” It concluded plainly: “Accordingly, Mr and Mrs Williams can resume training racehorses.” The timing is significant. The Williams stable currently sits second in the Western Australian Metro Trainer Premiership with 27 wins, just two behind Michael Grantham on 29. With the stay in place, the stable can continue its pursuit of metropolitan honours while awaiting the tribunal’s final determination next month.
Shirreffs is Gone but He’ll Never be Forgotten
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
One good horse can sustain a lifetime in racing. For John Shirreffs, who died last week at 80, that simple truth defined a career built not on volume but on conviction. Though he trained a Kentucky Derby winner and a string of elite performers after taking up the profession in earnest during middle age, it was a towering mare who came to define his name. According to TDN, Zenyatta became the emblem of his patient craft. Unbeaten in her first 19 starts, conqueror of males in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic and crowned 2010 US Horse of the Year, she captured the public imagination in a way few modern champions have managed. Her final defeat, by a head, only deepened the affection. Shirreffs, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam before shaping the California racing landscape with quiet authority, guided her ascent with instinctive restraint. “Zenyatta was the ultimate racing machine,” he said. “She evolved into something great. Even walking to the paddock with Zenyatta was such a special experience, the crowd yelling ‘Zenyatta, Zenyatta, Zenyatta’. She meant so much. She was a miracle.” The miracle required time. She did not race at two and debuted just shy of her fourth birthday. As a younger horse she could test riders and bristle at the starting gate, yet Shirreffs resisted haste. “I think kindness is the big key to horses,” he explained. “I think it’s good to talk to them… Horses are always trying to learn from their environment.” That same philosophy shaped the preparation of Giacomo, the Moss-owned colt who stunned the 2005 Kentucky Derby at 50-1. Arriving at Churchill Downs off three defeats, he was handled with care once Shirreffs sensed anxiety creeping in. “After about his third race, he started to fret a little on the racetrack,” he said. “So we had to be careful that we didn’t push him hard.” He eased the work, waiting for the horse to come to himself. After each loss, Mike Smith remembered hearing the same reassurance: “I can feel it, I know it’s there. I just want to get it better and better.” Public acclaim never altered his bearing. Success was met with courtesy and a willingness to share his horses, Zenyatta foremost among them, with fans who felt personal ownership of her story. Jerry Moss once observed, “He sees things in horses that people maybe don’t see from time to time, but he can look at a horse for hours.” The record lists 596 winners, including Life Is Sweet, Tiago, Gormley, Express Train and others. Yet numbers were incidental. What endures is the image of a softly spoken horseman in a blue cap, attentive to the animal before the accolades. In Zenyatta he found greatness; in Shirreffs she found understanding.
2026 Royal Juveniles Come into Focus
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
Change arrived swiftly at the Royal Studs following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, prompting a trimming of numbers within a breeding operation that had grown expansive in its later years. The reset may yet prove beneficial, reports sportinglife.com. While many long-established royal families have delivered at the highest level, a certain unpredictability has also threaded through the bloodlines. From 2010 onwards, annual gifts of homebred yearlings from Sheikh Mohammed and His Highness the Aga Khan – often around six each year – bolstered the late Queen’s ranks. Those reinforcements yielded major prizes, including Gold Cup heroine Estimate, Hardwicke Stakes and Yorkshire Cup winner Dartmouth, and Dante Stakes scorer and Derby third Carlton House. Patience has typically been required with the royal stock, so it is little surprise that several of the current juveniles are only just filtering through to trainers. On paper, however, the class of 2026 appears among the stronger recent crops set to carry the purple and scarlet for HM The King & HM The Queen. Two youngsters – the Blue Point colt out of Kinematic and the Camelot filly from Desert Breeze – have been lost, while a Cracksman/Make Fast filly and an Australia/Approximate colt realised 42,000gns apiece at auction. Sixteen 2YOs remain in contention. Broodmares Estimate and Golden Stream anchor much of the intrigue. The former, less convincing in her second career to date, has been paired again with Siyouni; their earlier mating produced the useful 10f 3YO Market Value, and the resulting colt is named Rough Guess. Golden Stream continues to upgrade her page, having already supplied black-type performers including Solario Stakes winner Reach For The Moon. Her current 2YO is Golden Reflection, a Sea The Moon colt closely related to Reach For The Moon and the Group 3/Listed-placed Chalk Stream. Elsewhere, Too Darn Hot filly King’s Prize, trained by Ralph Beckett, represents the deep-rooted Amicable family that entered royal ownership in 1961. Laurel Crown, a Dubawi colt out of Daphne, and Kingman trio Lancaster Tower, Amber Spyglass and Lord In Waiting add further depth, while Light Music’s line contributes Romantic Melody and Persian Touch. Frankel is represented by Top Scholar and another colt from Sweet Idea’s branch, and Night of Thunder has Glimpseoflightning, sent to Clarehaven. Additional interest centres on La Torre, a Lope de Vega filly from Magnetic Charm’s family, a Dubawi filly out of Desert Flyer, and a Land Force filly from Star Value. Not all may ultimately race in royal silks, yet the blueprint for a revitalised era is clearly being assembled.
Connections Opt to Retire Caulfield Cup Hero
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
A successful international chapter has come to a close, with Caulfield Cup hero Duke De Sessa retired after a leg setback curtailed plans for another autumn campaign. According to racenet.com.au, the Irish-bred stayer will now leave the racetrack behind and return to his homeland, ending a career that yielded almost $4.4 million in prizemoney and a place in recent Australian racing folklore. His defining moment arrived in the 2024 Caulfield Cup (2400m), where he controlled the race from the front and held off the late surges of Buckaroo and Land Legend in a performance of authority and grit. That triumph formed part of a remarkable afternoon for trainer Ciaron Maher, who had captured The Everest with Bella Nipotina little more than an hour earlier. For jockey Harry Coffey, celebrating his 29th birthday, the Cup success delivered an emotional high that resonated well beyond the mounting yard. The decision to retire was confirmed by Maher’s assistant Johann Gerard-Dubord after the seven-year-old failed to come through a recent trial as hoped. “He’s retired, he’ll go back to Ireland where he started his career,” Gerard-Dubord said. “He doesn’t owe anything to anyone so we just want to make sure he’s got a happy life now. He deserves to be looked after.” The Lope De Vega gelding had trialled under Chad Schofield at Randwick on January 27 but did not pull up sound, prompting the stable to draw a line through further ambitions. With his rating elevated following the Caulfield Cup, the most logical target remaining had been the weight-for-age Gr1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill. That option is now redundant, and any return next season would have required the veteran to stretch his durability even further. “When they get to that age, you know they won’t last forever so you get prepared,” Gerard-Dubord said, acknowledging the inevitability that accompanies seasoned campaigners. Bred by Newtown Anner Stud in Ireland, Duke De Sessa arrived in Australia in early 2023 carrying a strong European pedigree but mixed form. Gelded ahead of the 2023 spring, he blossomed into a genuine elite stayer, later finishing runner-up to Dubai Honour in the Tancred Stakes. A minor leg issue prevented a 2025 Caulfield Cup defence, and that same fragility has now signalled the end. He departs as a memorable import whose Cup victory stands as a lasting highlight.
Magnolia Sky Continues to Raise Tassie Eyebrows
Wednesday, 18th February 2026
A determined finish at Hobart on Sunday carried a progressive 3YO filly to a third straight victory, as Magnolia Sky confirmed her rise through the grades with another tough display. In a competitive Class 2 (1200m), she had to dig deep to justify favouritism but did so with authority. Trained by John Blacker, the $3.10 elect was positioned outside longshot leader Angel Sphere by apprentice Catherine Van Munster, who ensured a steady rhythm before asking for a decisive effort in the straight. Challengers Material Madam and Antheia loomed late, yet Magnolia Sky refused to yield, clinging on to score in a performance that spoke as much of resolve as raw ability. Purchased for only $16,000 at the 2024 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale, the daughter of now deceased Widden Stud stallion Magnus has already returned more than $93,000 from just four starts, a tidy result for connections and further evidence of astute placement. Blacker has long held her in high regard. “She’s always shown a lot of promise from day one,” he said, indicating that a short freshen-up now beckons. “We’ll tip her out now and give her a few weeks off and see what happens as a later three-year-old.” The success capped a productive afternoon for the stable. Araya Sunshine delivered a race-to-race double for Blacker when surging past heavily backed Flying Billie to claim a BM68 (1430m), adding further polish to the trainer’s day. For Van Munster, the meeting carried added significance. The apprentice notched the first riding double of her career on the eight-race program, having earlier partnered Outbush to victory in the opener. It marked her first visit to the winner’s stall since 23 November and comes as she prepares to conclude her apprenticeship in April. “You won’t find a harder worker than Catherine. I’m glad the horse won for her. She rides him in work,” said Outbush’s trainer John Lutrell after that maiden breakthrough. Meanwhile, Sarah Cotton prepared a training double with Tribal Council and Carnotaurus, while Bulent Muhcu celebrated a riding brace aboard Miss Keeds and Coal River. The meeting was not without incident, however, as premiership leader Erica Byrne Burke was stood down after sustaining a back injury in the barriers, though she walked back unaided and is hopeful of riding later in the week.
