Articles by: Noah Strang

Irish standout sprinter Crystal Black has shot up the Melbourne Cup betting odds list. The six-year-old has won his last five races. He is now on his way to Australia to contend for the cup at Flemington this November.

The 2024 Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup are just a couple of months away. The latest batch of nominees for two of spring’s biggest races have now been announced. Both races currently have over 100 potential runners.

Williamsburg’s owners are already reaping the rewards from their decision to geld thoroughbred this year. The five-year-old finished first in Saturday’s NSW Jockeys Association Reunion Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill Racecourse. The race was Williamsburg’s first win since October 2022.

One of Chris Waller’s former star runners, Espiona, was sold at an online auction on Wednesday. The six-year-old mare fetched a near record-breaking fee.

Trainer Clayton Douglas announced this week that Giga Kick is ready to return to racing. The Group 1 winning gelding had missed nearly one-year with injury. Giga Kick is set to race in Sydney trial races all next month.

Tancred Stakes winner Kalapour is a doubt for hte upcoming Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington Racecourse this November. Trainer Kris Lees says he is unsure where his gelding stands. They will assess things over the next few races.

The Ed Cummings-trained mare, Arts, is set to make her return to horse racing this Saturday. The rising five-year-old will run in the ATC Thank You Stable Staff Handicap (1300m) at Randwick. It will be Arts’ first race since last October.

Chris Waller has revealed that three-year-old filly Joliestar is a candidate to run in this year’s Everest. Running The Thousand Guineas winner would be a bold choice for Waller. A similar bold decision to run push Zougotcha last year failed.

Eight percent of star Australian racehorse Mr Brightside has been put up for sale this week. The stake of six-year-old gelding is listed in the Inglis Digital online auction ending this Wednesday. The latest bid for Mr Brightside is $100,000.

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.