Mid-season draftees react to making their dreams come true
It's the moment footy players dream of, and the recent crop of mid-season draftees got to experience it with family, friends and teammates.
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News.com.au
23 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Champion mare Winx to visit Darley sire Too Darn Hot in spring breeding season
Mighty mare Winx will visit Darley's champion sire Too Darn Hot in the coming spring breeding season. Winx 's ownership group of Peter Tighe, Debbie Kepitis and Elizabeth Treweeke made the much-anticipated announcement on Monday night, ending weeks of speculation about their legendary mare's next mating. 'We are thrilled to announce Too Darn Hot as the stallion of choice for Winx this season,'' said Peter Tighe on behalf of Winx's owners. 'His pedigree, performance and the early success of his progeny align with our long-term vision for Winx's breeding legacy. 'We believe this pairing has the potential to produce something very special.'' • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Hall of Fame champion Winx, winner of 37 of her 43 starts including her final 33 races in succession highlighted by a world record 25 Group 1 winners, has produced two foals to date – a filly by Pierro that is now a two-year-old named Quinceanera and a colt by Snitzel that will be a yearling next season. Too Darn Hot, a dual hemisphere shuttle stallion, is already the sire of four-time Group 1 winner Broadsiding and multiple stakes winners in his first two Australian crops to race. Winx's ownership group also noted in their press release that Too Darn Hot, a multiple Group 1-winning son of the great Dubawi, has 'quickly established himself as one of Europe's most exciting young stallions.'' 'His progeny has demonstrated early precocity, exceptional athleticism and outstanding temperament – qualities that strongly complement Winx's remarkable racing attributes and pedigree,'' the owners wrote. 🇦🇰 He rewrote the record books. Now he’s back to do it again. #TooDarnHot returns to Kelvinside, NSW in 2025. Read more: — Darley in Australia (@DarleyAus) April 8, 2025 Too Darn Hot's service fee of $275,000 this spring breeding season reflects the demand for the stallion who stands at Darley Kelvinside in the Hunter Valley. Quinceanera, the first foal out of all-time great Winx, created headlines around the racing world when Debbie Kepitis, a part-owner of Winx, went to $10 million – a world record for a yearling filly – to buy back the filly at the Inglis Easter Sale last year. Trainer Chris Waller has Quinceanera in light work at his Rosehill stables but the trainer said the two-year-old would not be rushed to the races over the winter months. 'She's progressing well but she won't be racing as a two-year-old,'' Waller said last week. 'It's unlikely she will even get to a barrier trial this season. Maybe by early August she could get to a trial.'' Tighe said no decision has been made whether Winx's colt by Snitzel will be sold as a yearling next season.
News.com.au
27 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Demons forward learns fate over ‘worst incident seen on a football field'
Melbourne's Aidan Johnson has been hit with a two-match suspension by the AFL's Match Review Officer. The Dees forward landed himself in hot water on Sunday afternoon when he elected to bump St Kilda's Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. In the second quarter, the first-year Demon collected Wanganeen-Milera in a collision that left the Saints rebounder in need of medical attention. Despite the high hit, the Saints star returned to finish out the contest but it mattered little to the MRO. The hit was graded as careless conduct, high impact and high contact, resulting in the two-game suspension. Channel 7's Kate McCarthy hit out at Johnson, who is now facing his second suspension of the season. 'Having a look at it here, this is the exact act that needs to be stamped out of the game,' McCarthy said. 'We've seen a lot of contentious 50/50s when a player has been concussed, Paul Curtis is the one that comes to mind that gets three weeks for an act. 'That for me is one of the worst incidents on a football field this year. Yes Wanganeen-Milera hasn't been concussed, but he's elected to leave the ground to bump a player that is in a very vulnerable position. 'I think they need to stamp that out from the game and come down hard.' St Kilda coach Ross Lyon however felt different when speaking after the contest, saying he had concerns for the path in which the game is heading down. 'I like the physicality in the game,' Lyon said. 'I'm concerned where the game is heading. I understand the head is sacrosanct and all that, but there was one where Hunter Clark went down to the ball and won it. 'I'm glad Alex Pearce got off. I'll leave it to (the MRO). You just hope every team gets a fair shake. Like, when you need to be fair, hopefully it's fair. 'I've got no comment. I think the game is good order. Sometimes incidents happen. Enough controversy finds me, right?' Johnson could now miss games against Collingwood in Round 13 and Port Adelaide in Round 15 if he's unable to have the suspension overturned at the AFL Tribunal.
ABC News
32 minutes ago
- ABC News
Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines considering second surgery to address heart irregularity
Port Adelaide's Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines is considering more heart surgery at the end of the AFL season. Wines suffers from a heart irregularity which sometimes causes palpitations, leading him to be substituted out of three games in the past four seasons. The 30-year-old admits frustration at the condition arising most recently — and forcing his substitution — from Port's away win against Sydney on April 20. That episode followed heart surgery last December in a bid to correct the issue. "I had a procedure back in December and there was 1 per cent likeliness that it wouldn't work," Wines told reporters on Monday. "And unfortunately, I'm in the 1 per cent that it hasn't worked. "So we've gone back to a bit of an intervention plan that we had the previous two years to manage it up to that operation and that is working well so far. "We will reassess at the end of the season to see if we do it again and try a surgical operation." But Wines remained pragmatic about his heart issue. "It was frustrating (to be subbed out against Sydney)," he said. "But, look, at the end of the day, luckily for me it's not life threatening. "And it's something that cost me a game of footy, enough to get subbed out of a game of footy. "So I'm in a really fortunate position. I've got the best cardiologists and doctors around me at the footy club and they've talked me through everything. "So at the moment, it's just this plan that has previously worked. "I've never had an episode when we're using this intervention and once the season ends, we'll assess if I need a procedure again." Wines and his teammates have returned to training after a mid-season bye which came with the Power languishing in 15th spot with four wins and seven losses ahead of meeting GWS in Canberra on Saturday night. Some pundits have blamed Port's fall on the coaching succession plan — head coach Ken Hinkley will step down at season's end and be replaced by long-time assistant Josh Carr. But Wines said from the February announcement of the handover "nothing has changed". "Ken's our coach, he will be for the rest of the year," he said. "And I know he's got a lot of energy and enthusiasm for the job and we'll be there for him.. "Despite not winning a premiership, I think we've always been up there and we've played a lot of finals. "Ken's done a lot for me personally as a footballer and off the field so I'm always going to play for him." AAP
