Australian racing

Racing Victoria (RV) announced that the core safety standards for horses competing in the Spring Racing Carnival will remain in place in 2023 with a focus on further enhancing administrative processes for their connections. Introduced in 2021, the world leading safety standards are part of Victorian racing's effort to minimise the risk of injuries, particularly among international horses travelling to compete in Victoria and for all horses contesting the Melbourne Cup. The safety standards are reviewed regularly and in determining this year's veterinary protocols, RV conducted a review of their...

Two of Ireland's leading jockeys--Ben Coen and Mike Sheehy--will be plying their trade in New South Wales, Australia for the next few months. Coen, who is the number one jockey for conditioner Johnny Murtagh, and last year won the G1 Irish St Leger aboard Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}), will spend his time in Sydney with the Chris Waller stable. "This opportunity gives me the chance to experience another style of racing," he said. "I've never ridden trackwork with times as well, so that's an experience and something you can obviously...

James Harron is one of the most respected operators of his craft internationally. Based in Australia, the native of Northern Ireland credits Gai Waterhouse, agent George Smith and Winx (Aus)'s breeder John Camilleri of Fairway Thoroughbreds as being some of the key influences in his career.    Foxwedge (Aus) is the horse who got the ball rolling for Harron Down Under. He sourced the high-class sprinter-turned-stallion as a yearling and, from there, refined the art of making stallions on a commercial level through colt partnerships.    It's a little under...

Jack Harlow, one of the most popular up-and-coming rappers in America, was in the spotlight at Churchill Downs when the 24-year-old delivered the 'Riders Up' call for this year's Kentucky Derby. The Louisville native made his visit to the races an all-day event by filming a music video for his new song entitled 'Churchill Downs.' Named a top new artist at last year's Billboard Music Awards, Harlow's popularity has skyrocketed this year after the release of his album Come Home The Kids Miss You, which includes his No. 1 hit...

Racing NSW announced that courtesy of an increase in sponsorship, the prizemoney for the Golden Eagle will be increased to A$10 million from A$8 million. Contested at Rosehill Gardens, the 1500-meter race is scheduled for Oct. 29. Unique to the contest, 10% of the prizemoney-equaling A$1-million--will be donated to charity. The owners of each horse in the race will nominate a charity to receive 10% of their horse's prizemoney. The increase comes on the heels of a rise to minimum prizemoney levels across all sectors of NSW Thoroughbred racing. The...

Legendary Australian trainer Gai Waterhouse recently spent five days touring Kentucky's horse country. Upon returning to her headquarters at Tulloch Lodge in Sydney this week, the Hall of Fame trainer of 149 Group 1 wins, including a record seven G1 Golden Slippers, is looking forward to taking her findings and putting them to use at her own exceedingly-successful stable. "You know the old expression--you can't see the forest for the trees if you're there all day," Waterhouse explained. "You have to go away to freshen up. I felt like I...

Edited Press Release Australia hosts 72 races worth AU$1 million or more and prizemoney across the board has also surged by 82% in the past decade. These statistics and more are included in the latest Aushorse Investors' Guide, which was released Thursday. Another key statistic out of the guide is that the average prizemoney per race in Australia during the last racing season was over AU$46,000, compared to AU$29,000 in America and Europe, and AU$20,000 in the UK. "Whichever way you look at it, investing in a racehorse in Australia...

Three years ago, Darley's Sales Manager Darren Fox boarded a plane for Australia to see if  Astern (Aus), their highly-rated son of Medaglia d'Oro, could be a good fit for the American roster. "Upon making the trip to Australia to make sure he would work physically, it took all of about three seconds of looking at Astern to say, 'Yes, this horse will work in America,'" Fox recalled. "He has a lot of attributes that we look for and he was, in any jurisdiction, a high-level, high-performing racehorse. So it...

G3 Chester Vase S. winner and G1SP Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) has been purchased by trainer Ciaron Maher and owner Ozzie Kheir and will race Down Under, Racing.com reported on Tuesday. The 4-year-old, who was fifth in the G1 Epsom Derby and fourth in the G1 St Leger at three, will enter quarantine in September and is a potential G1 Cox Plate starter. Resuming in March, the former Coolmore partners' runner was second in the Listed Devoy S. at Naas, second again in the Listed Wolferton S. at Royal...

Greg Fox, a Kentucky-based veterinarian who was also a MGSW Thoroughbred trainer for a stint in the mid-2000s, can trace his fascination with the science behind fitness to his days as a kid growing up near Boston, when he first figured out he was not genetically or physically destined to become the great basketball player he envisioned he would be. Pro basketball's loss just might end up being horse racing's gain, because for the past three decades Fox has committed himself to a better understanding of the Thoroughbred athlete through...

It's a move that has already worked well for Johnny Allen, and swapping Ireland for Australia also seems to be paying off for Robbie Dolan. Champion apprentice last year in Sydney, Dolan is attached to the rising stable of successful jockey-turned-trainer Mark Newnham, who has boxes at both Randwick and Warwick Farm. The pair combined last Saturday to win the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint with Splintex (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) to give Dolan the biggest win of his career to date during the second weekend of The Championships. "That was my...

Hollie Doyle is keeping herself in the groove to make sure she is ready for the resumption of racing--whenever that might be. Doyle, 23, is riding out every day and will be primed for a return to action once the go ahead is received on the track. "There's not a lot we can do really--we've got to keep the horses going," said the record-breaking jockey. "I'm just riding out every day and getting my exercise--at least we're all in the same position. I rode out for Archie Watson [on Monday]....