Icebath provides Global inspiration

Mazu, the only horse already locked for a start in the $15 million The Everest later this year, is clashing with most of his potential rivals at Royal Randwick on Saturday. The Group 1 $3 million Furphy TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) has been called the "Autumn Everest" such is the quality of the field. There are eight individual Group 1 winners among the…

A couple of years ago, Racing NSW handicappers dropped the rating of Icebath after she ran fourth in the Emancipation Stakes, which put her out of the field and Surround Stakes winner Forbidden Love in at her expense. Icebath ended up getting a start because of a scratching and ran second to Cascadian. There was also the controversy with the Golden…

A small but select field has been assembled for the Rosehill Guineas (2000m) this Saturday where Pericles is favourite in what could be a fat day for James Cummings and James McDonald. Down below is a speed map, runner preview and $100 betting strategy for the 2023 Rosehill Guineas. Elliptical should lob into a beaut spot from gate one and be…

Trainer Brad Widdup is hoping his luck can turn with first starter Jedibeel at Hawkesbury on Tuesday. Jedibeel, a well-bred three-year-old colt by champion sire Savabeel, has impressed at the barrier trials and is $3.90 favourite in early TAB Fixed Odds betting to make a winning debut in the Richmond Club Provincial Maiden (1100m). Widdup is due…

Platinum Jubilee pulled off an incredible last-to-first run to win the Gimcrack Stakes, but trainer Adrian Bott is expecting her to stay on pace in a red-hot Magic Millions 2YO Classic field. The two-start filly will go into the $2 million feature over 1200m with a $6 winning chance across betting sites, a dollar behind favourite Empire Of Japan…

Promising type Piraeus can put himself on a path to a three-year-old stakes tilt when he hunts a hat-trick of wins in Wednesday's Huckel Excavations Benchmark 64 Handicap (1350m) at Wyong. Trainers Richard and Will Freedman have their son of Merchant Navy racing in top form and will raise the bar again in the gelding's fourth career start. Piraeus…

Global Ausbred can bounce back from his luckless run last start when he tackles the Listed January Cup at Rosehill on Saturday. Picture: Grant Guy Trainer Brad Widdup remains confident Global Ausbred is not out of place at stakes level and is giving the gelding another chance to prove himself in the Listed $160000 January Cup (2000m) at Rosehill…

Jason Collett is the only senior jockey currently in the Sydney top 10 rankings this season riding at the Group 3 $200,00 Summer Cup meeting at Royal Randwick on Boxing Day. Therefore, it is not surprising the talented Collett has a full book of eight rides including Diamil in the feature race. Sydney's reigning premier jockey James McDonald, Tim…

Ausbred Flirt will carry the same silks worn to success at Randwick last week by her stablemate Global Ausbred (pictured). Picture: Steve Hart Exciting prospect Ausbred Flirt takes another step up the ladder on Saturday when she tackles metropolitan grade at Randwick. The Brad Widdup-trained four-year-old mare has been a star on the provincial…

Brilliant mare I Am Me has burst onto the radar of The Everest slot-holders after blitzing her rivals at Royal Randwick last Saturday. I Am Me scored her third win in as many starts this preparation - and improved her overall race record to six wins from 11 starts - when she blazed home in 1m 7.77s for the 1200m course. There was a strong tailwind…

The reason why Brad Widdup is currently Hawkesbury's leading trainer is simple - he knows exactly how to keep his horses happy. And this even includes the at-times moody and quirky Icebath. It was Widdup who did not hesitate in backing up the six-year-old mare from a disappointing ninth in The Invitation to run in the Empire Rose Stakes a week…

Hall of Fame jockey Hugh Bowman can leave for his three-month riding stint in Hong Kong with winning momentum from The Hunter meeting at Newcastle on Saturday. Bowman has eight rides including the Kris Lees-trained Gem Song in the $1 million The Hunter (1300m). Lees has trained three successive second placings in The Hunter with Wandabaa (2021),…

Trainer Brad Widdup has Fire Lane in the Max Lees Classic at Newcastle on Saturday. Picture: Mark Evans-Getty Images As his maiden Group 1 winner Icebath enjoys some well-earned time in the paddock, trainer Brad Widdup is weighing up kicking off his latest big-money raid with Magic Millions eligible Fire Lane this Saturday. Widdup has the unraced…

Kerrin McEvoy is looking to become the second jockey this century to ride the Epsom-Metropolitan double when he partners Hinged and Durston. Picture: Getty Images Champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy can claim the rare and coveted Epsom-Metropolitan Group 1 double with favoured duo Hinged and Durston at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Hinged heads TAB fixed…

Group 1 weapons Fangirl and Hinged will headline a three-pronged Chris Waller assault on Saturday's Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick, which has attracted a small field of just 12 runners. Hinged opened as a $4.50 equal favourite with TAB alongside Icebath with Fangirl on the second line of betting at $6. Hinged has drawn barrier nine for the…

High quality mare Icebath heads the Ladbrokes.com.au all in market for the feature race at Randwick on Saturday, the Epsom Handicap (1600m). The Brad Widdup trained mare is bursting to win a Group l and was runner up at that level two weeks ago when second to Anamoe in the George Main, which is seemingly the A1 form for this, and with J Mac booked,…

The News Corp racing and sports wagering team has put together an expert panel to give you, the audience the early inside running on feature races in Melbourne and Sydney this spring. The panel of five will be offering their early thoughts on all of the Group 1 races and other feature contests during the spring, through until the end of the…

One thing Brad Widdup has learned from the wonderful career of Group 1 winner Icebath is that sometimes in racing, you need to roll the dice. Icebath was coming off a benchmark 78 win when nosed out by Colette in the 2020 Golden Eagle and started at double-figure odds when pipped by Cascadian in the following year's Doncaster Mile. In that vein,…

A resounding last-start win has put Athabascan on a Melbourne Cup path with trainer John O'Shea seeing no reason why the French import can't go on with the job. The five-year-old has been in Australia for less than a year and after a seasoning campaign in the autumn, which included a Canberra Cup placing behind subsequent Group 1 winner Arapaho,…

The $10 million Golden Eagle headlines another huge Sydney Spring Carnival program at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Dollar Magic has improved with each starts back from a spell and is ready to win on Golden Eagle Day. The Shamus Award mare filled the minors in a Class 3 at Tamworth in her first run back in September, and she has since finished…