Articles by: Noah Strang

Seven-year-old gelding Hit The Road Jack won the Deane Lester Flemington Cup on Saturday. The Symon Wilde-trained horse was a big outsider. Jockey Michael Dee rode Hit The Road Jack after the global CrowdStrike outage prevented Blaike Mcdougall from making it to Flemington.

Top trainers and breedstock firm Lindsay Park will be looking to pick up their second consecutive win at the Deane Lester Flemington Cup (2800m). Gelding Port Guillaume is the horse they will be counting on at the $150,000 race on Saturday.

Trainers of 2023 Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) winner Romantic Warrior have announced that the thoroughbred will not attempt to defend his title this October. With one of the favourites now out, the Cox Plate betting market has changed significantly.

Brisbane-based training partnership O’Dea Hoysted Racing will be dissolved at the end of the 2023/24 racing season. Steve O’Dea, who founded the firm, is leaving the training business to focus on his breedstock business. Hoysted will take over as sole trainer.

Group 1 winner Espiona has been retired and will be sold on July 31. The daughter of Extreme Choice is expected to fetch a big price. The standalone auction will be conducted online by premier auctioneers Magic Millions.

Victoria-based trainer Darren Weir has been issued another ban from racehorse training by the VRT. The tribunal has charged him with animal cruelty, relating to the use of jiggers on three horses back in 2018.

Ascot-based Russell Stewart is confident that his horse Stylish Lord will live up to the betting odds and win the $100,000 Listed Aquanita Stakes (2000m) on Saturday at Belmont Racecourse. The gelding comes into the race as the second favourite to win.

Huge favourite Bella Nipotina ($2.00) won the $700,000 Group 1 Tattersalls Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane on Saturday. It was a solid day overall for Bella Nipotina’s stablemate Semana ($10) who finished runner-up in the race.

Peter and Paul Snowden have decided to go their separate ways. According to a statement released on Thursday, Paul is leaving the training group on July 31. Snowden Racing operations will be “business as usual” after Paul Snowden’s departure.

Veteran jockey Craig Robertson has called it quits on his horse racing career. After more than 40 years in the business, the Queensland-based jockey has announced his retirement. He had racked up almost 1500 wins in his lengthy career.