Treasurethe Moment targets Spring glory in Caulfield Cup campaign
Treasurethe Moment, set to jumpout at Mornington on Wednesday, 'achieved everything we set her for' last season, with three Group 1 wins including Oaks in Melbourne and Sydney.
'Hopefully she can continue on and we'll be able to nail a Group 1 against the older bracket,' Laurie said.
• 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!
'She's got such a great win record, it's going to be very interesting to see how she handles herself against this next lot of opposition.'
Treasurethe Moment will audition for the Caulfield Cup or Cox Plate with Group 1 performances in the Memsie Stakes, Makybe Diva Stakes and Turnbull Stakes.
'She's a star and I'm looking forward to the next preparation,' Laurie said.
'We placed her to win (three-year-old fillies Group 1 targets) and she delivered and we're obviously here to carry on winning but we have to be a bit realistic about it.
Treasurethe Moment winning the Australian Oaks. Picture: Getty Images
'We're going to be coming up against some wonderful horses, so we'll see where we stand.
'She's going to have to take some big steps but she looks like the horse that might be capable of doing it.'
Treasurethe Moment cut a striking figure on Tuesday at Laurie's picturesque Carringbush Park in Moorooduc.
'She certainly couldn't look any better at this stage of her preparation,' Laurie beamed.
'Most of the horses are still sporting a pretty wintry looking coat, she basically looks as though she's well into the spring already.'
• Japan stint has jet-setting Dee primed to sprinkle some spring 'magic'
Treasurethe Moment is equal $11 all-in favourite for the Caulfield Cup and $8 third elect in Cox Plate markets.
Laurie deferred the ultimate Caulfield Cup-Cox Plate decision to Yulong billionaire owner-breeder Yuesheng Zhang but said the former could be the 'better target' based on track suitability and opposition strength.
'I think whichever way we went she'd be suitable, in anything we targeted,' Laurie said.
'She's an ultimate talent. We'll make our decision as we get further into the prep.'
The Caulfield Cup has attracted 146 nominations, while the Cox Plate received 108 entries.
Gilbert Gardiner
Sports reporter
Gilbert Gardiner is a sports reporter for the Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun.
@gilbertgardiner
Gilbert Gardiner
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
26 minutes ago
- ABC News
Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy to attend Melbourne Storm NRL match despite ongoing issues with board
Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin has said she will attend Thursday night's Melbourne Storm home game despite ongoing concerns with the club's board. The Storm announced this week that an Acknowledgement of Country would be held prior to their match with the Brisbane Broncos, marking the NRL's Indigenous Round. The club also apologised to Aunty Joy for the cancellation of a Welcome to Country before to the Storm's Anzac Day match, where the Wurundjeri elder had been at the stadium to perform. Ahead of Thursday's match, Aunty Joy said she would attend in support of players, staff and community, despite a resolution not being reached with the club's board after Anzac Day. "This is about the board, not the game. This is about setting a standard not just for Melbourne Storm but across all sporting codes," Aunty Joy said. "I will always stand strong beside community and as a leader take responsibility to care for those who hurt badly." Melbourne said at the time that the club's "board had not approved for it to be held on Anzac Day". The cancellation came hours after Bunurong and Gunditjmara man Uncle Mark Brown was booed and heckled by members of the crowd at the dawn service at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance. The Storm said its decision was not related to the booing earlier in the day, but Aunty Joy said she was told it was. Aunty Joy said Wurundjeri people wanted to continue their association with the Melbourne Storm, but highlighted they "cannot safely undertake formal ceremonies" due to one board member's reported links with lobby group Advance Australia. "I carry a deep responsibility to community and will not compromise my integrity as a proud Aboriginal woman and community elder," she said. "We cannot support an organisation that has associations with any group that incites racial vilification and division. "We are willing to continue to work with Melbourne Storm to address the deep community concerns but cannot endorse any official functions or cultural work until measures are put in place to ensure cultural respect and safety for all." Wurundjeri woman and Djirri Djirri dancer Ky-Ya Nicholson was due to perform at the Anzac Day game before the Welcome to Country was cancelled. In a statement, she said Djirri Djirri would not associate with the club "until there is meaningful change at board level". "Our decision to end our long-standing relationship with Melbourne Storm comes as a result of the disrespect shown towards Aunty Joy on Anzac Day, which was a lost opportunity to honour her veteran father and First Peoples servicemen and women who fought alongside Australian soldiers," Nicholson said. "We as a community feel very disrespected by the actions of Melbourne Storm's board, as a Welcome to Country ceremony is a tradition of unity and goodwill. Which has been completely disregarded, this shows their tokenistic approach and lack of understanding to this symbol of unity."
News.com.au
26 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Jye Gray offered monster deal to join rebel R360 league in fresh blow to Rabbitohs
Rabbitohs fullback Jye Gray has reportedly been offered $900,000 to join rebel rugby union competition R360 despite having played just 28 NRL games. The 21-year-old has emerged as R360's latest high profile target, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Gray is contracted with Souths until the end of 2026 but the Rabbitohs are now in a battle to retain the diminutive fullback after the bumper offer from the rebel rugby union competition. Other NRL players targeted by R360 include Ryan Papenhuyzen, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Zac Lomax and Herbie Farnworth. Gray could be a genuine chance to join R360 in 2027 given he has played rugby union before during his high school years at The Southport School on the Gold Coast. Gray, who was named NRL Rookie of the Year in 2024, has scored 11 tries in 28 games for Souths. Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett previously told Code Sports R360 is a Super League level threat that could seriously damage the NRL. R360 has reportedly acquired the necessary funding from Saudi Arabia, the UK and United States to kick-off in 2026 with aims to be profitable by 2027. 'It's a huge threat, absolutely,' Bennett said. 'The NRL is the toughest competition in the world with the best athletes. 'We are absolutely under threat. We cannot ignore it. 'I don't know how we combat it but I will say this - the game needs to come together sooner rather than later in terms of the CEOs and the game itself. 'Let's talk about what the hell is going on out there. 'Have the conversation we need to have with each other and discuss how do we stop it, what do we do? 'They will be looking at the star players like (Nathan) Cleary, Latrell (Mitchell) or Reece Walsh, they are the ones that the fans pay their money to watch. 'If we lost just 10 or 12 players like them, it will leave a massive hole in our competition. 'Look at the golf. Who would have thought LIV would be a threat but it is. The amount of money they have paid, we will never be able to match them if they (R360) are serious about the amount of money they have to spend. 'Where does this end for the NRL? 'The game has to address this and come up with a plan. 'We'd be foolish to suck our thumbs and hope to God it goes away.' Broncos great Corey Parker wrote for SEN this week: 'I'm at a point now if the R360 is taking off - and it's my belief it's going to - we have got our heads in the sand and we're not doing enough. 'The issue Wayne flagged is the player managers. So in the R360 if someone gets signed for a million dollars the R360 pays the manager 10 per cent on top. In the NRL, if a manager is on 6 per cent, the player pays that manager.' Bennett fights to avoid career low in Bunnies nightmare Gray's departure would be another blow to the Rabbitohs, who will be desperate to beat the Titans on Sunday as Wayne Bennett aims to avoid his first ever wooden spoon. This week Bennett and the Rabbitohs gave English playmaker Lewis Dodd permission to explore his options elsewhere in the NRL or overseas, less than a year after he was recruited to play halfback. Dodd has played just six NRL games in 2025, and just 68 minutes in the No. 7 jersey, despite signing a $2 million, three-year deal and a huge injury crisis at the club. On Tuesday Bennett dropped the 23-year-old to NSW Cup, instead opting for 21-year-old Ashton Ward and Jamie Humphreys in the halves. NRL 360 host Braith Anasta gave a frank assessment of the Rabbitohs' decision to sign Dodd, who won a Super League title and a World Club Challenge title with St Helens. 'It's one of the great recruitment blunders in NRL history,' Anasta said on Wednesday night. 'I just can't get my head around how (CEO) Blake Solly, (football manager) Mark Ellison are the ones flying to England to sign a premier half for your club without the permission of a coach. 'Everything I have heard out of the Super League, from coaches, players over there and even recruitment back here, is that there's four or five better candidates that could be better in our game over here, in the NRL,' Anasta said. 'I think there's just some accountability that needs to be taken there.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Joaquin Niemann wants to join Rory McIlroy at Australian Open in December
LIV star and 2023 Australian Open champ Joaquin Niemann has declared his intent to join Rory McIlroy and play at Royal Melbourne in December. Chilean gun Niemann has won a staggering five times from LIV's 11 events in 2025 and could seal the season-long individual title in Chicago this week. His winning run would arguably have him in the world's top 10 if LIV players were given world ranking points. Amid a renewed request from LIV officials to get points, Niemann said he hoped those in charge of the world rankings, including former Masters champion Trevor Immelman, would do the 'right thing'. He said he tried not to think about where he would sit in the world pecking order and what it could mean for majors qualification, given there were no rankings points on offer just yet. 'It's not something that I think about to tell myself in the mirror, Joaco, you are No.5 …- no, I don't do that,' he said. 'That's not my job. I feel like I'm just here to do my best and try to make as many birdies as possible and to make the crowd enjoy us playing golf around the world. 'I feel like the ranking system is not up to me, it's up to them. I'm expecting that they're going to do the right thing for golf.' Niemann has played in the past two Australian Opens, winning in 2023, using the event, as well as the Australian PGA, to get crucial ranking points. His recent Open and PGA experiences, as well as playing in the LIV event in Adelaide, have made Australia a favourite destination and he's keen to join McIlroy, who will be the headline act when the Open returns to Royal Melbourne. 'We'll see what's going to happen with everything else, but I would love to go back to Australia,' he said. '(Royal Melbourne) is one of my favourite golf courses that I've played. Also, I think Australian golf has probably the best courses in the world, and I feel like more than just the tournament, it's just I really enjoy going there and playing golf in Australia in front of those people. It's a lot of fun.' Australian Open officials hope both the lure of ranking points, and spots in the 2026 British Open for a top three-finish in the event, as well as the Australian PGA, lure a raft of other stars to join McIlroy, Adam Scott, Cam Smith and now likely Niemann in the field.
