Seven-year-old galloper having just his 15th start at Sandown on Saturday
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Talbragar isn't getting any younger but trainer Julius Sandhu suggests the best may still be yet to come with the talented galloper.
A late start to his career means despite being an eight-year-old in just a few months, Talbragar has only been to the races on 14 occasions.
• 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!
Returning last month in a hot form race at Caulfield, Talbragar will now tackle Saturday's Benchmark 84 (1000m) at Sandown Hillside where Sandhu hopes he can improve on an impressive second-up record.
'I was happy with his first-up run and thought he might have finished a bit closer with some luck,' Sandhu said.
'He got a little bit tight for room coming around the bend and there are a few other little bits and pieces that didn't quite go his way.
'He's only had a few second-up runs in his career but has won two of them so let's hope he can make it three on Saturday.'
• Comeback star can give Cummings a Golden send-off
The Cranbourne-based conditioner initially wanted to tackle last Saturday's meeting at Flemington with Talbragar but a minor issue on race morning forced him to scratch.
'He came through that run in good order and was meant to go to the races to run last Saturday at Flemington but he had a minor hiccup on race morning,' Sandhu said.
'It meant we had to scratch him but it was nothing serious but we just needed to do what we needed to do.'
Trainer Julius Sandhu will send Talbragar to Sandown Hillside on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images
Sandhu also suggested punters read little into Talbragar's one-run spring campaign when he failed to fire in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes at The Valley.
'I just thought he came into the spring a little bit ordinary and I wasn't happy with the way he pulled up,' Sandhu said.
'There was no injury or anything, I just wasn't happy completely with the way he came through the run so I just looked after him, gave him a break and brought him back.'
Sandhu is the fourth trainer for Talbragar but he knows the horse as good as anyone having trained his younger brother, Lofty Strike.
Lofty Strike nearly took Sandhu to Group 1 heights on multiple occasions and while it's very unlikely Talbragar will do that, he arguably boasts the title of best-bred gelding racing on Saturday, being by super sire Snitzel and out of 2013 Golden Slipper winner Overreach.
Originally published as Seven-year-old galloper Talbragar having just his 15th start at Sandown on Saturday
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
James Cummings accepts offer to train in Hong Kong from the 2026-27 season
James Cummings will withdraw his application for the famous Leilani Lodge stables at Royal Randwick after accepting an offer to train in Hong Kong. Cummings flew to Hong Kong on Tuesday and will later this morning front a press conference in which the Hong Kong Jockey Club will confirm the trainer will move there for the start of the 2026-27 season. It's a real coup for Hong Kong racing to secure one of Sydney's most outstanding trainers. Cummings' tenure as Godolphin's private trainer comes to an end on July 31. It is understood he may take a 'sabbatical'' from training before he moves to Hong Kong next year. It is unclear whether Cummings will continue training Godolphin's Group 1 stars Tom Kitten and Zardozi and boom rising three-year-old filly Tempted for their spring carnival campaigns later this year. Cummings has been reconsidering his future since Godolphin Australia made a bombshell announcement recently it is moving to a public training model from August 1. The trainer had lodged an application to take over the vacant Leilani Lodge stables at Royal Randwick. The Australian Turf Club board of directors are due to meet this week to discuss which trainer will be allocated the 60-boxes at Leilani Lodge where Bart Cummings trained so successfully for more than 40 years. An original Hall of Fame inductee, Bart Cummings prepared some of his greatest champions out of Leilani Lodge including Saintly, So You Think, Beau Zam, Shaftesbury Avenue, Sky Chase, Campaign King, Dane Ripper and many others. The nation's leading trainer, Ciaron Maher is clear favourite to be given the keys to the Randwick stables which have been vacant since James's father, Anthony Cummings' licence to train was revoked earlier this year. James Cummings is only 37 years of age and has already trained 52 career Group 1 winners including two with his legendary grandfather, Bart. To put this achievement into context, Bart Cummings and Tommy Smith didn't train their 50th Group 1 winner until they turned 45. Chris Waller may rewrite all the training records but he didn't get to 50 big race wins until he was 42. In fact, the only other trainer to reach 50 Group 1 wins before the age of 40 was Lee Freedman who was 38. Cummings has been Godolphin's trainer since 2017 and has been hugely successful for the global racing and breeding giant, preparing 48 Group 1 winners for the 'Blue Army' and more than $200 million prizemoney. Anamoe has been Godolphin's best horse during the Cummings era winning nine Group 1 races including the 2022 Cox Plate and earning Horse of the Year honours in 2022-23. "IT'S ANAMOE'S GEORGE RYDER!" The champion did it tough today to win his 9th Group 1! @mcacajamez @JamesCummings88 @godolphin — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 18, 2023 Cummings trained a Golden Slipper quinella in 2019 with Kiamichi and Microphone, and the winners of the Golden Eagle (Colette, 2019), Doncaster Mile (Cascadian, 2021), Epsom Handicap (Hartnell, 2018), Tancred Stakes (Avilius, 2019) and two Golden Rose s with Broadsiding (2024) and Bivouac (2019). The champion trainer also enjoyed tremendous success for Godolphin interstate preparing the winners of the All Star Mile (Tom Kitten, 2025), two Australian Cup s (Cascadian 2023, 2024), three Newmarket Handicap s (Bivouac, 2020, In Secret, 2023 and Cylinder, 2024), two VRC Oaks (Zardozi, 2024 and Willowy, 2021), two Caulfield Guineas (Anamoe, 2021 and Golden Mile, 2022) and the Stradbroke Handicap (Trekking, 2019).
Courier-Mail
10 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
2025 Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw boosts Ben Hayes' confidence with favourite
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Co-trainer Ben Hayes declared Lindsay Park had its 'best hand' to secure a first Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) following the barrier draw on Tuesday night. Hayes was delighted when the stable's pair War Machine and Rise At Dawn drew barriers 13 and three. • 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! War Machine has a stranglehold on Stradbroke favouritism at $2.70 with TAB fixed odds, while stablemate Rise At Dawn is the only other runner in single figures at $9. 'It is a race that has eluded us,' Hayes said. 'We had our (brother Ben, Will and JD) first runner last year and he (Here To Shock) unfortunately didn't go as well as we had hoped. 'But I think this year we've got the best hand we've ever had, and hopefully with a couple of nice draws there, we should get every chance.' • 'Pressure is your friend': Cejay's tip to conjure Stradbroke fairytale Hayes' nerves finally settled when War Machine's name was finally drawn with only four numbers left - 1, 2, 13 and 15. 'I don't actually mind barrier 13, it gives Tim Clark more options,' he said. 'There will be a lot of horses crossing from out wide so he should be able to get into that three-wide line and get a nice run in transit.' Hayes said Rise At Dawn was 'definitely a danger' to the favourite. 'He gets a big drop in weight and he was bouncing this morning,' he said. 'We are confident he can run really well and barrier three gives him an opportunity to have a great run.' Several local contenders drew inside gates with three-year-old filly Spicy Martini drawing four, The Inflictor six, Payline seven and Yellow Brick eight. Trainer Craig Cousins, who only has three horses in work, said his fairytale horse The Inflictor is a big chance from his barrier. 'I've taken the week off driving trucks and I'm delighted he has drawn barrier six,' Cousins said. 'It is surreal I have a horse in the Stradbroke. I have turned 60 and it's been the greatest year of my life. 'If we win, I will be bawling my eyes out. Win, lose or draw on the weekend I am the happiest man in the world. From that barrier, we are a big chance.' • Lloyd's dad to be trackside shot at Stradbroke history Toby Edmonds, trying to win his second Stradbroke, said barrier four could be tricky for Spicy Martini. 'Look, it's good, but it could be detrimental too. There's a lot of speed out wide and we are a three-year-old filly towards the inside,' he said. NSW trainer Matt Dale was lamenting barrier 20 for Front Page after connections paid a $90,000 late entry. 'It's not ideal, you come here thinking we are a chance but now we will have to dissect the field and the speed and go back in history and all those kind of things,' Dale said. Rothfire, who still face more vets' scrutiny through the week, drew barrier 17, Private Eye received barrier 10 in his bid to win the Stradbroke first-up, while third favourite Golden Mile will jump from barrier two. GROUP 1 STRADBROKE HANDICAP (1400m) $3m | Saturday, June 14, 2025 Horse | Barrier | Trainer | Jockey | Weight 1. PRIVATE EYE | 10 | Joe Pride | Nash Rawiller | 57kg 2. ROTHFIRE | 17 | Robert Heathcote | James McDonald | 55.5kg 3. DESERT LIGHTNING | 1 | Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman | Tommy Berry | 54.5kg 4. KIMOCHI | 14 | Gary Portelli | Craig Williams | 54kg 5. YELLOW BRICK | 8 | Tony & Maddysen Sears | Andrew Mallyon | 53.5kg 6. GOLDEN MILE | 2 | James Cummings | Jason Collett | 53.5kg 7. WAR MACHINE | 13 | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Tim Clark | 53kg 8. PAYLINE | 7 | Chris & Corey Munce | Kyle Wilson-Taylor | 53kg 9. PUNCH LANE | 21 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Rachel King | 53kg 10. FRONT PAGE | 20 | Matthew Dale | Damien Thornton | 52.5kg 11. ROBUSTO | 19 | Bjorn Baker | Kerrin McEvoy | 52.5kg 12. FAR TOO EASY | 9 | David McColm | Regan Bayliss | 52.5kg 13. RISE AT DAWN | 3 | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Declan Bates | 52.5kg 14. THE INSTRUCTOR | 12 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Jett Stanley | 52kg 15. BOSUSTOW | 11 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | Zac Lloyd | 51.5kg 16. THE INFLICTOR | 6 | Craig Cousins | Cejay Graham | 51kg 17. FIRESTORM | 16 | Chris Waller | Not Notified | 51kg 18. SPICY MARTINI | 4 | Toby Edmonds & Stephen McLean | Not Notified | 46.9kg Emergencies 19e. COLEMAN | 23 | Chris Waller | Not Notified | 50kg 20e. TRANSATLANTIC | 22 | Tony Gollan | Not Notified | 51kg 21e. WATERFORD | 18 | Chris Waller | Not Notified | 51kg 22e. PIER | 15 | Darryn & Briar Weatherley | Mark Du Plessis | 51kg 23e. WARNIE | 5 | Ciaron Maher | Not Notified | 51kg Originally published as 2025 Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw boosts Ben Hayes' confidence with War Machine and Rise At Dawn
Courier-Mail
10 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
2025 Stradbroke Handicap: Cejay Graham to ride The Inflictor
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Pressure is your friend. Young jockey Cejay Graham has those words ringing in her ears as she prepares for the 'pinch myself moment' of riding in her first Stradbroke Handicap. The words were delivered by Graham's mentor, trainer Kelly Schweida, after the young jockey came from Port Macquarie on the New South Wales mid-coast to be Schweida's apprentice in the big smoke in Brisbane a couple of years ago. And never have they been more fitting as Graham, 26, prepares to ride Queensland fairytale horse The Inflictor in Saturday's $3m Stradbroke at Eagle Farm. • 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! 'The best bit of advice Kelly has given me was that pressure is your friend,' Graham said. 'You've got to absorb the pressure and embrace it. 'That's one thing he said to me that really stuck, because coming from a few knock-backs early in my riding career I wasn't initially too confident with some things and he just said 'don't let the pressure get to you'. 'If you don't have pressure, you probably aren't going really good, are you? 'So when you put it like that, you want the pressure, don't you? 'It is a pretty cool saying that is stuck in my head.' The Inflictor winning The Gateway at Eagle Farm to collect a golden ticket into the Stradbroke Handicap. Picture: Trackside Photography • J-Mac confirmed for Rothfire's incredible Stradbroke bid Graham might hail from New South Wales, but she now considers herself as Queensland as the Great Barrier Reef. And that's just as well because a lot of Queensland will be supporting her – and the remarkable story of The Inflictor and his 60-year-old truck driving hobby trainer Craig Cousins – in the Stradbroke. • Pride taking on Stradbroke history with Private Eye The Inflictor is the home-bred hero who qualified for the Stradbroke by winning the ballot exempt race of The Gateway at Eagle Farm last December. Graham rode the four-year-old gelding to win that day and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. She is pinching herself that she has a chance to ride him to glory in the Stradbroke, in a race which will be her fourth career Group 1 ride. • Stradbroke Handicap field: Gollan's gun only second emergency 'Craig was pretty adamant he wanted to stick with me straight after The Gateway, so it's great that he has done that and its fantastic to be given the opportunity,' Graham said. 'It's real pinch myself kind of stuff. 'I think there will be a lot of Queenslanders cheering for us on the day. 'I've done a lot of work with him behind the scenes, I definitely know the horse inside and out. 'He is tough when he leads, but he doesn't have to lead. 'I think he's got a great chance. • Comeback star can give Cummings a Golden send-off in Stradbroke 'And I've really got to thank Kelly (Schweida) for his support as I wouldn't have got the gig riding up in Brisbane without him. 'And if it wasn't for his continued support coming out of my apprenticeship, I might have struggled a bit. 'He has backed me 100 per cent and I owe him everything.' Originally published as 'Pressure is your friend': Jockey Cejay Graham's tip to conjure 2025 Stradbroke Handicap fairytale with The Inflictor
