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The Australian
39 minutes ago
- The Australian
Trainer Joe Pride saddles up Gus The Great at Warwick Farm
Gus The Great is headstrong, can't be told what to do and has a touch of arrogance about him. This was how part-owner and trainer Joe Pride described the three-year-old chestnut making his debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday before refuting suggestions the racehorse was named after the well-known NRL commentator, former player and coach, Phil 'Gus' Gould. 'My pet corgi is named Gus and the first greyhound I've ever raced, Gus The Jet, who I own with (jockey) Brenton Avdulla, won the Group 1 Vic Peters Memorial the same day Estadio Mestalla won (Listed Winter Challenge, July 5),'' Pride said. 'I'm having a bit of luck with the name so I've gone with Gus The Great with this horse.'' • 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! Gus The Great, a $100,000 purchase at a New Zealand Ready To Run Sale last year, lines up in the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Maiden (1100m) at the Warwick Farm midweeks. Pride, who also has another first-starter in the race, Isle of Wight, said Gus The Great showed promise with a close second in a barrier trial earlier this month. 'I like Gus The Great, he reminds me a bit of (former Group 1-winning sprinter) Tiger Tees,'' Pride said. 'You can't tell him what to do, there is a touch of arrogance about him, and a lot of good horses have an arrogance about them. 'He's trialled really well and so has Isle Of Wight. I'm happy for them both to race on Wednesday.'' With the prospect of a very heavy track on Wednesday, Pride has opted to scratch well-bred three-year-olds Attica and Lupa Capitolina from the second race on the card, the Inglis Xtra Bonus Maiden (1300m). Godolphin's Attica is by former champion racehorse and sire Lonhro, and is the first foal out of multiple Group 2 winner Savatiano. Lupa Capitolina, by leading sire Almanzor out of the Shamardal mare Las Brisas, is a half-sister to Pride's stable star, dual Group 1 winner Ceolwulf. However, wet conditions won't deter Pride from starting Investment in the Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1600m) and The Replicant in the Hawaii Five Oh At Vinery Handicap (1400m). 'Those older horses, Investment and The Replicant, are fit and in-form, and they get through the going,'' he added. Pride is also keen for stable star Ceolwulf to resume in the Group 1 $1 million Winx Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday. 'Ceolwulf will run, as long as the races are on,'' said Pride in anticipation of a heavy track Saturday given the forecast for rain most days this week. 'I thought Ceolwulf's last trial was every bit as good as Private Eye.'' • Via Sistina faces age-old question in Winx Stakes Ceolwulf, winner of the Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes double last spring, ran second to stablemate and last start Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes winner Private Eye in a Warwick Farm barrier trial earlier this month. Also for Saturday's Randwick meeting, Pride has entered Aberlour (1600m) and Kerguelen (1200m) for benchmark 78 races, and Cosmonova for the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1100m). 'I might run Aberlour in the Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury on Thursday,'' Pride said. 'Kerguelen will go to Randwick as he's very good on heavy tracks, but I will probably save Cosmonova for another day if it's too wet.'' Pride revealed $12 million earner Private Eye returned to his Warwick Farm stables on Monday morning after a dominant first-up win at Caulfield last Saturday. • RICHARD CALLANDER: Racing's rumour mill at its best with Shenandoah shenanigans 'Private Eye is tough and he's done plenty of travelling so he handled the trip back from Melbourne really well,'' Pride said. 'But I'm going to sit back and wait to see what happens with the weather in Sydney this week before deciding what we do with him. 'There's the option of going back to Caulfield next week for the (Group 1) Memsie Stakes or we wait for the (Group 2) Tramway Stakes at Randwick (September 6).'' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Formal Display, the former Irish sprinter, could break new ground for leading syndicators Triple Crown when he makes his Australian debut in the Hawaii Five Oh At Vinery Handicap (1400m) at Warwick Farm on Wednesday. Triple Crown has raced many outstanding horses over the last two decades, most notably dual The Everest winner Redzel, and Group 1 winners like Mazu, Hot Snitzel and Peggy Jean, but they haven't really tapped into the international market – until now. 'We have only had one import before who didn't do much out here but Formal Display does look promising,'' Triple Crown's Chris Ward said. 'He has trialled very well and might be even sharper than we anticipated.'' Formal Display won two of his seven starts in Ireland before being purchased by Triple Crown for about $200,000 at the Tattersall's October Sale in England last year. 'He's been in and out of work a couple of times with Annabel and Rob (Archibald) but he seems to have taken well to the Aussie style of training,'' Ward said. Formal Display led most of the way to win a Scone trial in mid-July then again showed plenty of speed before finishing a close third to Birdman in a strong Randwick trial on heavy ground about two weeks ago. 'He seems to be coming up well but he has a tricky gate and heavy track to contend with on Wednesday,'' Ward said. 'At this stage we are heading to Warwick Farm but we have taken the precaution of nominating him for Brisbane (Eagle Farm) on Saturday.'' Triple Crown also races promising three-year-old Without Peer, a debut winner at Rosehill late last season before his fast-finishing second to Ninja at the same track last Saturday. 'Without Peer has come through Saturday's run really well,'' Ward said. 'I know Ciaron (Maher, trainer) is very happy with the horse and we are looking at the Ming Dynasty Quality (Rosehill, September 13) next for him.''
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
OnlyFans model Shannon Rose to face Ash Heal in Sydney boxing event
She's the Only Fans model fighting the daughter of a basketball legend, and Shannon Rose is aiming for the very top of the boxing world. Based on the Gold Coast, Rose fights Ash Heal – daughter of Shane Heal – on Wednesday night's pay-per-view show headlined by Nikita Tszyu's comeback against Lulzim Ismaili at the ICC Convention Theatre in Sydney. And she says it's the first step in her path towards boxing greatness. 'I want to go all the way to the top,' Rose told Code Sports. 'I didn't have an amateur career at all, so I've only had one fight so far. 'I'm a baby in the sport, but I want to go as far as I can.' OnlyFans model Shannon Rose successfully weighed in for her bout with Ash Head. Picture: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous While she's aiming to reach the heights of women's boxing pioneers like Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, Rose knows the pay in the lower rungs of the sport isn't great. Especially in women's boxing. So, she supplements any money she makes in boxing as a creator on OnlyFans. It's something other Aussie fighters like Ebanie Bridges and Cherneka Johnson have also done. 'Even though women's boxing is on the rise and we're gaining opportunities because of how well it's going, it's not paying enough to make it a full time career unless you're right at the top,' she said. 'Having that presence online means I'm able to be a fulltime athlete and have a flexible training schedule and pay the rent. 'My payday now in boxing is nowhere near as big as other women in the sport, but I'm getting a comfortable weekly wage online. 'But everyone that knows me knows I put the work into the boxing. I have that social media presence, but I don't let it affect me.' Rose originally started boxing for fitness and quickly fell in love with the sport, but her family has a long history of fighting. 'My late grandfather was a professional boxer in Belfast in Northern Ireland named Billy Stewart,' she said. 'He was fighting back in the 1940s and '50s, and he moved to Australia after his career finished. 'I just started boxing for fitness but soon realised it was something I could do to follow in his footsteps. 'He was my best friend as a kid, so having that connection is a real motivation. He'd be ringside at every single fight if he was still here. 'He passed away when I was eight or nine, and I have photos of him fighting, so it's a real connection that we have.' Rose moved from Coffs Harbour to the Gold Coast to train at the Opetaia Boxing Gym under Tapu Opetaia – the father of cruiserweight world champion Jai. Shannon Rose is ready for her fight with Ash Heal. Picture: No Limit Boxing 'She's tough, but she likes a challenge,' Tapu told Code Sports. 'In her first fight, they punched the shit out of each other. 'It's hard to find girls for sparring, so I have to throw her in with the boys for sparring. 'I tell 'em not to hold back, and they don't. But she has a crack back as well.' It's the perfect preparation for taking on Heal, who has had eight amateur fights, and will make her professional debut on Wednesday. 'It's been challenging, but it's good,' she said. 'I'm the only female in our fight team, so I have to keep up with the boys. 'Taps doesn't let them slack off either. If they slacken off he tells them to go harder, but it's been good. 'I want to get to the very top.' Brendan Bradford Content producer Brendan Bradford is a sports writer for CODE Sports. He primarily covers combat sports, league, union, cycling and athletics. Brendan has worked in sports media for a decade, covering world title fights, World Cups, Grand Slams and Spring Tours. @1bbradfo Brendan Bradford
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
2025 Winx Stakes: Can Via Sistina score Randwick repeat?
Champion Via Sistina is attempting to become the oldest mare to win a Group 1 race in 80 years at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Via Sistina, the Horse of the Year-elect, makes her eight-year-old season debut in the $1 million Winx Stakes (1400m). If the Chris Waller-trained Via Sistina can go back-to-back in the Winx Stakes, she will become the first eight-year-old mare since Tranquil Star in 1945 to win at Group 1 level. Tranquil Star won the Mackinnon (now Champions) Stakes at Flemington that year, the ninth win of her remarkable career in races recognised today as having Group 1 status. She also won two Cox Plates (1942, 1944) and a Caulfield Cup (1942) and was eventually retired having had 111 starts for 23 wins and 32 placings. • 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! It is unusual for top class mares to race on as long as Tranquil Star as most are retired to stud although that trend has changed a little with the inflated prizemoney of the modern era. Winx, also trained by Waller, was retired after her seven-year-old season on the back of a 33-race winning streak including her world record 25th at Group 1 level in her farewell race, the 2019 Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Makybe Diva retired in a blaze of glory as a seven-year-old mare after she won her third successive Melbourne Cup in 2005. But Via Sistina is in rarefied air if she can win at Group 1 level as an eight-year-old mare. She is the early TAB Fixed Odds favourite at $2.80 for Saturday's big race. Horse of the year elect Via Sistina is chasing more history this campaign. • RICHARD CALLANDER: Racing's rumour mill at its best with Shenandoah shenanigans Waller believes age hasn't yet caught up with the Irish-bred Via Sistina: 'Probably the opposite,'' the Hall of Fame trainer said when the question was put to him. 'She has taken time to acclimatise. She is well-rounded without being too heavy. She is as bright as anything, exactly where you need her to be.'' Waller, who is chasing a ninth win in the Winx Stakes, said there had been 'no need to change anything' with Via Sistina's preparation going into the new season. 'She knows the drill,'' he said. 'We just don't complicate it.'' • Private Harry, Briasa step up Everest preparations with scintillating trial wins Via Sistina is relatively sparingly raced for an eight-year-old, having had 24 starts for 13 career wins. She is aiming to become only the seventh mare to win at least 10 Group 1 races on Saturday. Since the Group and Listed race classification system was officially introduced in 1979, the only mares to achieve this feat are Winx (25 Group 1 wins), Black Caviar (15), Melody Belle (14), Sunline (13), Verry Elleegant (11) and Imperatriz (10). But Via Sistina won't lack for opposition on Saturday with the Winx Stakes having 18 elite entries. • Mitch Cohen's Blackbook: Five to follow from Rosebud day at Rosehill Gardens There are no fewer than 13 individual Group 1 winners including Via Sistina nominated for the Randwick sprint. The others are Aeliana, Another Wil, Arapaho, Ceowulf, Fangirl, Full Count Felicia, Gringotts, Lady Shenandoah, Light Infantry Man, Lindermann, Mr Brightside and Zardozi. Waller, who has nominated seven horses for the Winx Stakes, has indicated Lady Shenandoah might be reserved for a sprint campaign while $17 million earner Mr Brightside is expected to be kept for the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield next week.
