#Trackside Photography

Trainer Peter Snowden maintains the right decision was made to postpone the rich Magic Millions race meeting due to concerns over the Gold Coast track surface last Saturday. The Gold Coast track was downgraded to a heavy 10 after two races and a section of the track near the home turn was particularly dangerous prompting the decision to move the…

James McDonald had his careless riding ban overturned. Picture: Trackside Photography Star jockey James McDonald is free to ride Grace And Harmony in Saturday's Group 1 Queensland Oaks after successfully appealing a careless riding ban on Wednesday. And in a double victory for Sydney's leading hoop, he's been snapped up for the coveted ride on boom…

Gypsy Goddess has been a surprise packet for trainer David Vandyke. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Group 1 Queensland Oaks favourite Gypsy Goddess isn't the first horse to show trainer David Vandyke they looked slow before their first race, but she is certainly the first to go on and compete in three Group 1s in their first preparation…

Ayrton returned to the winners' list after saluting in the Gunsynd Classic. Picture: Trackside Photography It wasn't quite the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap they had dreamt of, but boom horse Ayrton is back on track after a dominant win in Saturday's Group 3 Gunsynd Classic, prompting trainer Mick Price to put the super rich Golden Eagle on the…

Top Queensland trainer Tony Gollan says he has the best Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic chance he has ever had. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography. Tony Gollan has declared x-factor filly Skirt The Law is the best chance he has ever had to score the race which has eluded him, the $2m Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Gollan has…

Classy sprinter Eleven Eleven is out to make history with a fourth win at the Magic Millions carnival on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images A rousing track gallop from Eleven Eleven has given trainer Greg Hickman a timely boost of confidence on the eve of his sprinter's historic attempt at a fourth win at the Magic Millions at the Gold Coast on…

Apache Chase had no trouble winning the Nudgee Old Boys' Cup at Eagle Farm. Picture: Trackside Photography Desleigh Forster and Jim Byrne will consider braving 14 days in hotel quarantine to take top Queensland galloper Apache Chase to the super-rich Golden Eagle in Sydney later this month after asserting himself as one of the state's best at Eagle…

Sydney's superstar jockey James McDonald has dismissed speculation he is considering riding overseas long-term as he sets his sights on one of racing's most revered records. The champion jockey is in hot demand wherever he rides and could command a prized position in the northern hemisphere with a leading stable or jurisdiction. But although…

Tambo's Mate holds off Tumbler Ridge to win the Recognition Stakes at Doomben. Picture: Trackside Photography If at first you don't succeed, try again. That was the theme for Tony Gollan's tough sprinter Tambo's Mate who rebounded to win on home Brisbane turf, seven days after a hit-and-run mission to Sydney didn't hit paydirt when he finished…

Jamie Kah stunned the Eagle Farm crowd with her winning ride aboard Vega One in the Kingsford-Smith Cup. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography Jamie Kah morphed into Wonder Woman at Eagle Farm as she courageously snatched Group 1 triumph from the jaws of defeat and knocked her mate Michelle Payne out of the record books. Kah now has six Group…

Garibaldi winning at Doomben. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography. Can Garibaldi go from a former problem child for punters to their pin-up and scoop a golden ticket into the Stradbroke Handicap? Tony Gollan says the proof will be in the pudding on Saturday as his talented sprinter steps into the big league and aims for his first stakes…

Within six months Apache Chase has morphed from the hunter to the hunted. The speed machine made his name upstaging boom horse Ayrton to book a last-minute ticket into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap during the winter carnival, now trainer Desleigh Forster has the best part of six months to plot her way to the race after securing a spot by winning…

The Harrovian. Picture - Grant Peters, Trackside Photography. The Harrovian's extraordinary racing journey from obscurity to stardom has a new chapter with the retirement of the popular Queensland galloper. The Harrovian, owned by north Queensland hotel and property high-flyer Tom Hedley, was affectionately known as "The Big H" and captivated the…

Extremist (pink and black checks) will aim to raise the bar again in The Gateway on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Rob Heathcote knew Extremist had some ability in her early days. But he never would have believed she would be stakes-placed and shooting for a spot in the rich Stradbroke Handicap, a race that the 12-time Group…

Huetor has overcome a mystery eye ailment that nearly ended his race career and will make an extraordinary, emotional comeback in the Group 2 $2m The Ingham (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday. This is a story of equine courage, the persistence of trainers Peter and Paul Snowden, the wonders of modern veterinary science, and the love and devotion…

James McDonald guides Romantic Warrior to victory in the Group 2 Jockey Club Cup at Sha Tin last month. Picture: Lo Chun Kit-Getty Images James McDonald has a lot of big races on his CV but he's determined to add the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup to that list and he won't get many better opportunities than this Sunday with rising star Romantic Warrior. The…

Trainer Cameron Richardson with Zuma California and jockey Angela Jones. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Cameron Richardson is a captain in the Australian Army but has given up full-time service to focus on his racing passion. And the Toowoomba trainer could on Saturday march away with a $3m Stradbroke Handicap golden ticket for his…

Northern Express takes on the Pierata Plate at Doomben on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Toowoomba trainer Michael Nolan could be spoiled for choice in rich races if his underrated but high performing sprinter Northern Express tangles with the big guns with success at Doomben on Saturday. Northern Express, owned by a north…

Queensland's famous Stradbroke Handicap will be catapulted to one of the richest sprint races in the country after receiving a huge boost on the back of sweeping prizemoney reforms across the state. It can be revealed the time-honoured Group 11400m handicap will be doubled from $1.5m to $3m from next year, in what is the most significant boost in…

Prince Of Boom winning the QTIS Jewel 3YO for trainer Rob Heathcote and jockey James Orman. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Rob Heathcote says Prince Of Boom and Startantes are like apples and oranges - impossible to compare - but feels bookmakers have got it right in their assessment of his star three-year-olds in Saturday's Mick…

Juan Diva returns to Queensland where she is a stakes winner. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Stakes-winning mare Juan Diva will need to overcome a visitors draw to win Saturday's Tattersall's Classic, but trainer Will Freedman believes she is equipped with the right tools to do it. The Sydney-based mare detests anything but a bone-dry…

Alligator Blood has been banned from racing in the Victorian spring carnival. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Headline horse Alligator Blood has been sensationally banned from racing in the Victorian spring carnival. In a bombshell development, News Corp can exclusively reveal the two-time Group 1 winner has been barred by Victorian…

More than a decade ago, Kiwi trainer Roger James famously had an Aussie Group 1 win stripped in controversial circumstances but there is no taking away the 2022 Queensland Derby from him. Well-backed late ($8.50 into $6.50) despite jumping from a carpark barrier, James' progressive three-year-old stayer Pinarello was simply too good for his Derby…

The Harrovian has been strongly backed to win the Stradbroke Handicap. Picture: Trackside Photography Not even the likes of global conglomerates Godolphin have landed back-to-back Stradbroke Handicap victories but punters are backing North Queensland property tycoon Tom Hedley to achieve the feat with The Harrovian on Saturday. The horse with a…

Brodie Loy is proud of his Indigenous heritage. Picture: Ben Dorries As he prepares to ride the odds-on favourite in a race named after the nation's greatest Indigenous jockey, Brodie Loy has proudly opened up about being Indigenous himself. The 25-year-old Queensland hoop is riding rising star galloper Uncommon James in the Darby McCarthy, the…

Trainer Peter Snowden is buoyed by jockey Tommy Berry's optimism that Old Flame can overcome a horror draw in the $1m The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange on Saturday. Old Flame has retained TAB fixed odds favouritism at $6 despite being drawn to start out of barrier 15 in the feature race. "It's not pretty, I've got to say," Snowden said. "But it is…

Without Revenge will race at Kembla Grange on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography David Vandyke thinks so much of his latest European import Without Revenge, he will send him to Sydney in just his third Australian start on Saturday. The gelding has taken Queensland racing by storm in his two undefeated starts to date, but Vandyke…

High-priced filly Stroll resumes on Saturday on a path which leads towards the $2m Gold Coast Magic Millions Guineas in January. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography High-priced and high-class Queensland filly Stroll resumes on Saturday and punters have a conundrum to ponder. Stroll is a $450000 filly who returns as a three-year-old for Matt…

Gypsy Goddess has barrier 22 for Saturday's Queensland Oaks. Picture: Grant Peters - Trackside Photography Handy filly Gypsy Goddess has drawn extremely wide for her latest Group 1 mission in Saturday's Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm. A full field of 18 plus five emergencies accepted for the race on Tuesday morning. The daughter of Tarzino…

Hail Manhattan will take on the likes of Private Eye, Kukeracha and Yonkers on Saturday. Picture: Trackside Photography Trainer Will Hulbert is set to take on the big guns when he heads to Doomben on Saturday with handy galloper Hail Manhattan. The five-year-old has won seven races during his career including one at Listed level but will face the…

Veteran Queensland jockey Jim Byrne has taken to the pool in a quest to shed the extra kilos required to ride Stradbroke Handicap hopeful Apache Chase on Saturday. While many jockeys do the hard yards hiking in sweat gear or sitting in a sauna, Byrne has opted for 2.5km a day in the pool as he attempts to properly condition his body to ride at the…

Former bush jockey Josh King snares his first city win as a trainer with Enabler winning at Doomben on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography. More than a year on from enjoying the magic carpet ride with Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise, former bush jockey Josh King nailed his first city winner as a trainer. King, who grew up in…

Gypsy Goddess storms to victory in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks under jockey William Pike. Picture: Grant Peters - Trackside Photography. Better than Yankee Rose, better than Alligator Blood. And a hell of a lot better than the dark days when he was in the depths of a drug addiction spiral and sleeping in his car in Sydney. Gypsy Goddess' remarkable…

Tony Gollan is undecided about a Golden Slipper start for Capital Tower should he win on Saturday. Picture: Trackside Photography Tony Gollan will test Capital Tower's Golden Slipper credentials against his red-hot stablemate at Toowoomba on Saturday as he ponders launching a mission to the top juvenile race in Sydney from Brisbane. The premier…

Trainer Chris Anderson thought he had never brought a better longshot to the races than Rubiquitous in Saturday's Listed Mick Dittman Plate at Doomben, and he was proved right, but he had to survive a protest first. Early markets had the three-year-old rated a 50-1 chance, while punters flocked to the likes of Prince Of Boom, Startantes, Alpine…

On-pacer runners making their own luck is the catalyst to a successful punting day at Ipswich on Wednesday. Jim Orman is striking at better than 23 per cent this year and Ipswich is one of his favourite tracks. Between Orman, Ben Thompson and 2kg-claiming apprentice Angela Jones - I have much of the meeting covered. BEST BET NOBLE BEAUTY (Race 8…

Tony Gollan's sprinter Zoustyle is one of the favourites for a stakes race on Oaks day at Flemington on Thursday. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Tony Gollan feels the prospect of an improving Flemington track as well as being drawn wide to advantage has sharp sprinter Zoustyle primed to strike in a stakes race on VRC Oaks day. Zoustyle…

Alligator Blood (green) is one of the favourites for the Stradbroke Handicap. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Racing writers Ben Dorries and Trenton Akers are still kicking after a massive Queensland winter carnival and are planning to peak on Stradbroke Day. With a huge local contingent in the mix, our experts will be cheering on the…

Desleigh Forster landed her first Group 1 with Apache Chase on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography. After a month of relentless rain, Group 1 racing finally returned to Queensland on Saturday, as the winter carnival rolls on towards the Stradbroke Handicap. YAYS 1 - Nash Rawiller The star hoop had every right to be more concerned…

Brilliant filly Coolangatta can collect one of the biggest paydays in Australian racing history by completing the "Slipper Slam" culminating with the $5 million Longines Golden Slipper next autumn. Coolangatta confirmed favouritism for the Magic Millions Classic and Golden Slipper with a comfortable comeback win in Sunday's BJ McLachlan Stakes at…

With the new racing season underway we've put it to our stable of experts to lay their reputations on the line and hand out some predictions for the next 12 months, including their early selections for The Everest and Melbourne Cup plus what's the next'big thing' we've got to look forward to. THE NEXT BIG THING RAY THOMAS - Dylan Gibbons: The son…

Numerian and Tommy Berry didn't look back to claim The Q22 at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography If you had been told Annabel Neasham would win both the Hollindale Stakes and rich Q22 at the start of the winter carnival, just about anyone would have assumed freak horse Zaaki had stayed on for an extended Sunshine…

Swiss Exile winning at Eagle Farm. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Zaaki was set to be Annabel Neasham's star attraction at Eagle Farm on Saturday despite not even racing, but Swiss Exile stole the show, breaking his maiden in impressive fashion in the Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic. The colt was a beaten odds-on favourite in a midweek…

The Chris Waller numbers continue to astound as the master trainer fell just short of $50m in prizemoney with 352 winners while the Wizard of the West headed east to put his wares on show landing 189 winners to be the most prolific jockey in the land. James McDonald kisses the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Quinn Rooney-Getty Images THE NATIONAL HONOUR…

Champion Brisbane apprentice Kyle Wilson-Taylor will ride in Sydney for the first time, in the $2m Sydney Stakes on Saturday. Picture: Kevin Farmer Kyle Wilson-Taylor went to the Queensland Racing Awards to be officially crowned champion Brisbane apprentice but was stunned when he came away with another huge prize - a ride in a $2m Sydney…

Startantes is a $9 chance in the Silver Eagle on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography. It was a horror watch for Startantes punters and Rob Heathcote last start, but the Eagle Farm trainer is looking for silver linings as his Group 1 winner heads to the $1m Silver Eagle on Saturday at Randwick. His pint-sized mare never got a crack…

Trainer Robert Heathcote has some big spring armoury. Picture: Getty Images. Despite intense interest from a slot-holder in The Everest in recent times, Rob Heathcote has kept his eye on the prize of the Group 1 Manikato Stakes with comeback star Rothfire. But in the meantime, Heathcote is hoping he can get a change of luck with smart sprinter…

Queensland trainer Tony Gollan has his eyes on the weather in Sydney and Melbourne this weekend. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography Tony Gollan has confirmed Nettuno will take his place even if the Randwick track is a swamp on Saturday, but that won't be the case for Zoustyle if the rain tumbles down in Melbourne. Nettuno, previously…

James will be attempting to deliver Icebath into the Group 1 winner's enclosure for the first time in Saturday's Epsom Handicap. Photo: Mark Evans/Getty Images. Australia's best jockey James McDonald will be writing exclusively for News Corp for the rest of the spring carnival and we'll be getting inside his head to find out what he thinks of each…

The New Corp Racing and Sports Wagering team have 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…