Teddy dominates ‘full-strength' Sharks
NRL: James Tedesco has helped an under-manned Roosters side take down the Sharks during the Origin period.
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News.com.au
32 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Declan Bates chasing his next Group 1 winner in Stradbroke Handicap aboard Rise At Dawn
Irish jockey Declan Bates is used to playing musical chairs in racing, but he's confident he's on the right horse for the $3m Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday at Eagle Farm. Many pundits thought Bates had been treated harshly when he was stripped of the ride on reigning horse of the year Pride Of Jenni shortly after the frontrunning mare's flop in the Group 1 Cox Plate last September. Owner Tony Ottobre decided to instead go with Ben Melham and then Craig Newitt, despite Declan steering Pride Of Jenni to five wins and five placings from 13 races, and $9m in prizemoney, since he picked up the ride in September 2023. Bates, who has won three of his four Groups 1s on Pride of Jenni, handled the controversial decision with class, saying he felt privileged just to be riding such a talented mare in the first place. 'It wasn't as if there was a fallout or anything,' he told Racenet this week on a bitterly cold morning in Ballarat. 'I probably knew it would come to an end at some point and when it happened, I just felt I was lucky to be on board when I was. 'It provided me with some of the best days of my career. I'm happy to just keep working away and now I'm looking for the next one (Group 1 winner), that's how it works.' That Group 1 winner could easily be the Ben, JD and Will Hayes -trained Rise At Dawn, who is $9.50 in betting for the 1400m Stradbroke at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The four-year-old gelding is only one of two horses in single figures in the market, with the other being stablemate War Machine ($2.70). Bates, 36, has been on board War Machine for seven of his 12 races but Tim Clark will ride the hot Stradbroke favourite on Saturday. 'The favourite will be hard to beat and he's actually a horse I do know very well,' Bates said. 'I've ridden him a few times and won a couple of races on him in the early days. 'He's coming off two really good wins but it's probably a step up for him. He looks to be well in but he probably does need to pick up again if he's going to win. 'My fella's had a couple of runs in some really competitive races like the Doncaster Mile in Sydney (where he finished fourth) so he's sort of well seasoned and he'll be hard to beat.' Bates will fly up to Brisbane on Friday night to ready himself for his first tilt at a Group 1 in Queensland on a horse he's never ridden before. 'It looks to be a pretty wide-open race, really,' he said. 'He (Rise At Dawn) should be hard-fit now with a good run under his belt and he gets in with a light weight. 'He ticks plenty of boxes and so I'm very confident he's going to run well.' Rise At Dawn is coming off a fifth placing in the Kingsford Smith Cup last Saturday and Bates expects him to improve as he backs up just seven days later. 'He'll get in with a light weight – would you call it a drop in grade maybe – and the extra 100m should suit,' Bates said 'He'll need everything to go right on the day but if it does then he'll be thereabouts for sure.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
'I did cry on the end lap!'
Supercars: James Courtney shares an emotional post race chat after his first podium since 2023 and his team's first ever podium.
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
AFL 2025: Treatment of Adelaide Crows' Taylor Walker called out
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has called out the 'unfair' treatment of veteran forward Taylor Walker after he was caught up in unsubstantiated claims alleging St Kilda's Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera had ruled out moving to the club due to a historical racism incident. Reports early in the week suggested Wanganeen-Milera, who is off contract at the Saints and being courted by both South Australian clubs, had ruled out the Crows because of Walker's indiscretion in 2021. The former Adelaide captain was given a six-match ban and a $20,000 sanction after being overheard making a racist comment at a SANFL match. But both Wanganeen-Milera's manager and the player vehemently denied the report, with Walker also reaching out to seek clarification, which was given to him. In the wake of the fallout, Nicks said he was proud of how Walker handled the situation, his growth since the 2021 incident, and lashed the way it was played out, calling out a 'lack of accountability' in contract speculation. 'I didn't like the way it played out at all. I think it was unfair to a lot of people,' Nicks said. Taylor Walker has Matthew Nicks in his corner. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images 'But no, I didn't get any more involved than checking in with Taylor, for example, to make sure he knows I'm proud of what he's done since an unacceptable moment four years ago. 'He's done a lot of work on educating himself, probably more than anyone at the footy club. But our whole footy club has improved off the back of that (incident). 'I'd prefer not to talk further on it because it's not something I've got involved in, other than touching base with one or two people.' Nicks wouldn't be drawn on whether the club was chasing Wanganeen-Milera, who could be in line for a seven-figure payday for his new deal. 'We don't talk about players from other footy clubs,' Nicks said. 'It's something we've shown a lot of respect around over the years. It's just not a space we go into.' But Nicks conceded talk around contracts was hard to avoid and 'part of the deal' for players. Read related topics: Adelaide
