Latest news with #AnnabelArchibald
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘The horse meant a lot to him': Bosustow, named after late footy legend Peter Bosustow, on hunt for Group 1 glory
Shelley Bosustow was doing the ironing when she heard a loud, piercing scream. Her husband, legendary former Australian Rules footballer Peter Bosustow, was years into a devastating cancer battle so she quickly raced to his side. 'One day I was ironing and all of a sudden he was absolutely screaming,' Shelley Bosustow told Racenet. 'I thought he was having a heart attack or a stroke. 'But it turned out he was cheering the horse home, the horse named after him, and he was jumping up and down like a lunatic. 'Peter had always been a mad racing man, right from when I first met him, he used to go to the trots a lot. • 'The horse (Bosustow) meant a lot to him every time it raced, in the final stages of his life. 'He was so excited every time it raced and he was always so keen to watch it. 'He loved racing, even right to the end he got sent tips from (Australian Rules legends) Stephen Kernahan and Dougie Hawkins.' Bosustow, a three-year-old colt trained by Rob and Annabel Archibald, races in Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm where he is an $8.50 chance. After bolting to victory by six lengths in the Gold Coast Guineas last start, Bosustow is also one of the top betting picks for next month's Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, Queensland's most prestigious race. The young horse is honouring Peter 'Buzz' Bosustow, the electrifying West Australian who won two VFL premierships with the Carlton Blues in the 1980s. • 'I slept in the back of a car': How Joliestar's owner started from nothing Tragically, Peter Bosustow passed away in April after a long and gruelling cancer fight. Not long afterwards, Shelley Bosustow felt the horse with the same name had help from above when it won the Gold Coast Guineas by as far as you could kick your hat. 'When it raced the other day, it bolted away, I am sure that Peter was riding the horse home from up above,' Shelley Bosustow said. 'He would have loved that race when it won on the Gold Coast, I sat and watched it and I just burst into tears. 'Anthony Mithen and his (business) partners name horses after former Aussie Rules footballers and one of our kids told Peter that there had been a horse named after him. 'Months later, Peter reached out to Anthony Mithen and said he was thrilled to hear about it. 'And he just kept following the horse and getting updates.' Bosustow loves racing at @GCTurfClub! He dominates the Gold Coast Guineas for @ANeashamRacing ðŸ'° — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025 * Hulbert has Melbourne Cup dream for ex-Maher import Mithen and his Rosemont Alliance stretched to $900,000 to purchase Bosustow as a yearling and the colt has already won more than $2m and established himself as one of Australia's most exciting young horses. The original plan was for him to race in Saturday's Group 3 Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm, a three-year-old race which offers the winner a golden ticket into next month's Stradbroke. But with Bosustow dominating his opposition last start – and virtually guaranteed of a Stradbroke start – connections raised their sights and will set the colt loose on Saturday's Group 1. Shelley Bosustow will be watching on TV from her home in Mandurah, WA, and remembering her late, great husband. • Callow to miss Derby after jockey altercation 'We knew the cancer was going to eventually get Pete, but it is always a shock when it happens,' she said. 'We are an extremely close family and his kids miss him terribly. 'Peter was sick for almost four years, it was rectal cancer but by the time they found it, it had spread to his liver. 'He stopped chemo last November for his own sake, because he had 61 rounds of it, seven hours at a time. 'And then he had heaps of radiation and all the other stuff you could possibly have. 'He came down with jaundice in March. 'One Sunday morning, he was yellow. 'I got him straight to hospital and they put drains and stents in his liver, but a few weeks later he passed away. 'His liver basically just gave up on him.' The racing business can be a cutthroat one, but it can also be deeply emotional and incredibly personal. If Bosustow races up to them to fight out the finish on Saturday, the best bet of the day is there will be a late, great footballer giving it an extra urge from up above.
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Exciting colt Bosustow likely to contest Saturday's Kingsford Smith Cup before a tilt at the Stradbroke
Connections of dual Guineas hero Bosustow will part with the $25,500 late entry fee for Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup before deciding which race the boom colt contests at Eagle Farm this Saturday as his all important Stradbroke lead up. A brilliant last start winner of the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas, putting his rivals to the sword by an ever-extending six lengths, trainers Annabel and Rob Archibald had initially eyed the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) with Bosustow this Saturday where the winner earns direct entry into the $3 million Stradbroke Handicap. But with his recent ratings surge all but assuring him an outright Stradbroke berth at Eagle Farm on June 14, Bosustow's managing owner Anthony Mithen said a tilt at Group 1 glory in the Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) is now looming large as the more likely target. 'The plan is to pay up for the Kingsford Smith (Cup) and then assess from there what race best sets him up for the Stradbroke,' Mithen said. 'His Gold Coast Guineas win showed he was right on track for the Stradbroke, it's just a matter of working out what race this Saturday is right for him. 'His trip to New Zealand in February for the Group 1 Sprint at weight-for-age really turned a boy into a man, it's been the making of him for sure.' Bosustow is currently $15 for the Kingsford Smith Cup where favouritism is with glamour mare Joliestar at $3.50. Adding further appeal to an assault on Saturday's Kingsford Smith Cup is the fact it carries no weight penalty ahead of a Stradbroke bid. Bosustow, an emphatic winner of the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas at the Gold Coast in January, is currently $11 in betting for the Stradbroke. The last three-year-old colt to win the Stradbroke was Impending in 2017. Co-trainer Rob Archibald said top Sydney jockey Josh Parr will ride Bosustow again on Saturday.
The Australian
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Dylan Gibbons gem lands top prize with Hollywood Hero at Randwick
Dylan Gibbons, riding with renewed confidence, produced a masterful rails-hugging ride on Hollywood Hero at Royal Randwick on Saturday. For a few strides around the turn, Gibbons looked to get out wider but decided to abruptly switch back to the inside and that proved decisive as Hollywood Hero railed through to win the Charity Challenge Handicap (1600m). Gibbons is two months into his comeback from injury after he spent five months convalescing from a shoulder injury. • 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! 'I came back at a tricky time during the (autumn) carnival but everything happens for a reason,' Gibbons said. 'This is the best I have ever felt on a horse, physically and emotionally, and I'm really enjoying my riding. 'I had a long apprenticeship but I've come out as a senior now and I'm in a very good head space. 'Physically, I've never been better and I feel very confident with my riding.' Gibbons demonstrated that confidence when he drove Hollywood Hero ($5.50) through along the inside to run down Cool Jakey ($3.40 favourite) and win by one-and-a-quarter lengths. Nellie Laylax ($21), the Irish import, was excellent at his Australian debut for Annabel and Rob Archibald to finish a length away third just in front of Green Fly. 'I was wanting speed but not quite that much speed, they went hard up front,' Gibbons said. 'I was worried he might find it tough to pick his feet up in the heavy going but he was always travelling really well. We got the run through and he was too good. 'He has loads of ability but I don't think we have seen the best of him yet.' Hollywood Hero is trained by Bjorn Baker who continued his breakout season preparing his 78th city winner for the season to be second in the Sydney premiership behind Chris Waller on 122 wins. • Pride sprinter makes most of gilt-edged opportunity Baker revealed he give Gibbons a very simple set of riding instructions pre-race. 'Hollywood Hero is a strange horse as he just has to be completely switched off early in his races,' Baker said, 'I emphasised that to Dylan and he was on the same page. It was a great ride.' Hollywood Hero scored the fifth win of his 29-start career, taking his career earnings to more than $450,000 prizemoney, going a long way to recouping the $600,000 part-owner owner Ozzie Kheir and the other syndicate members spent purchasing the gelding as a yearling. Baker is always promoting his business and wasn't about to let an opportunity pass. 'Hollywood Hero was an expensive buy for Ozzie and the team, the horse is paying his way and I'm grateful to train for them,' Baker said. 'But I'm hopeful to get more of their horses – Ozzie have you had a look at my (training) statistics!' Baker admitted he was unsure of immediate plans for Hollywood Hero but long-term he has the Little Dance in mind at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day. 'We have got something to look forward to with the Little Dance in spring,' Baker said. 'It's a big race in its own right.' Hollywood Hero gave Gibbons only his 10th winner of his injury-ravaged season – a far cry from the century of winners he rode in 2021-22 and again in 2022-23 – but it was a milestone 400th career winner for the talented young jockey. • Punters in a 'Daze' as import causes a boilover Baker and Gibbons then combined for a brace of winners in the closer with Miss Kim Kar in the Wilson Asset Management Handicap (1400m). But Gibbons' ride on Miss Kim Kar was a polar opposite of his winning effort on Hollywood Hero as this time he brought the three-year-old filly down the extreme outside in the straight. Gibbons has had more success with the Baker stable than any other trainer but Kris Lees and the trainer took particular satisfaction watching the young jockey guide Hollywood Hero and Miss Kim Kar home. 'Dylan's a great person and I've had a lot of luck with him,' Baker said. 'He rode my top sprinter Ozzmosis to his second win on this track. 'He's coming back off that shoulder injury but his career is starting to get some momentum going again.' Gibbons, who has ridden two Group 1 winners on Explosive Jack in the 2023 Sydney Cup and Kalapour in the 2024 Tancred Stakes, revealed he rides trackwork regularly for Baker at Warwick Farm. 'I think it is Mr Baker's favourite day of the week because he smashes me every Wednesday morning,' Gibbons said. 'But if you go and do the hard work, he rewards you accordingly. He's great to ride for.'
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
A fit a confident Dylan Gibbons produced a rail-hugging ride to salute on Hollywood Hero at Randwick
Dylan Gibbons, riding with renewed confidence, produced a masterful rails-hugging ride on Hollywood Hero at Royal Randwick on Saturday. For a few strides around the turn, Gibbons looked to get out wider but decided to abruptly switch back to the inside and that proved decisive as Hollywood Hero railed through to win the Charity Challenge Handicap (1600m). Gibbons is two months into his comeback from injury after he spent five months convalescing from a shoulder injury. 'I came back at a tricky time during the (autumn) carnival but everything happens for a reason,' Gibbons said. 'This is the best I have ever felt on a horse, physically and emotionally, and I'm really enjoying my riding. 'I had a long apprenticeship but I've come out as a senior now and I'm in a very good head space. 'Physically, I've never been better and I feel very confident with my riding.' Gibbons demonstrated that confidence when he drove Hollywood Hero ($5.50) through along the inside to run down Cool Jakey ($3.40 favourite) and win by one-and-a-quarter lengths. Nellie Laylax ($21), the Irish import, was excellent at his Australian debut for Annabel and Rob Archibald to finish a length away third just in front of Green Fly. 'I was wanting speed but not quite that much speed, they went hard up front,' Gibbons said. 'I was worried he might find it tough to pick his feet up in the heavy going but he was always travelling really well. We got the run through and he was too good. 'He has loads of ability but I don't think we have seen the best of him yet.' Hollywood Hero is trained by Bjorn Baker who continued his breakout season preparing his 78th city winner for the season to be second in the Sydney premiership behind Chris Waller on 122 wins. Hollywood Hero takes the inside alley and wins well at Randwick! ðŸ'� @BBakerRacing | @djgibbons22 â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 24, 2025 • Baker revealed he give Gibbons a very simple set of riding instructions pre-race. 'Hollywood Hero is a strange horse as he just has to be completely switched off early in his races,' Baker said, 'I emphasised that to Dylan and he was on the same page. It was a great ride.' Hollywood Hero scored the fifth win of his 29-start career, taking his career earnings to more than $450,000 prizemoney, going a long way to recouping the $600,000 part-owner owner Ozzie Kheir and the other syndicate members spent purchasing the gelding as a yearling. Baker is always promoting his business and wasn't about to let an opportunity pass. 'Hollywood Hero was an expensive buy for Ozzie and the team, the horse is paying his way and I'm grateful to train for them,' Baker said. 'But I'm hopeful to get more of their horses – Ozzie have you had a look at my (training) statistics!' Baker admitted he was unsure of immediate plans for Hollywood Hero but long-term he has the Little Dance in mind at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day. 'We have got something to look forward to with the Little Dance in spring,' Baker said. 'It's a big race in its own right.' Hollywood Hero gave Gibbons only his 10th winner of his injury-ravaged season – a far cry from the century of winners he rode in 2021-22 and again in 2022-23 – but it was a milestone 400th career winner for the talented young jockey. Miss Kim Kar storms home on the outside and wins the last at Randwick! ðŸ'¥ @djgibbons22 & @BBakerRacing get their double to close out the day! ✌ï¸� â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 24, 2025 • Baker and Gibbons then combined for a brace of winners in the closer with Miss Kim Kar in the Wilson Asset Management Handicap (1400m). But Gibbons' ride on Miss Kim Kar was a polar opposite of his winning effort on Hollywood Hero as this time he brought the three-year-old filly down the extreme outside in the straight. Gibbons has had more success with the Baker stable than any other trainer but Kris Lees and the trainer took particular satisfaction watching the young jockey guide Hollywood Hero and Miss Kim Kar home. 'Dylan's a great person and I've had a lot of luck with him,' Baker said. 'He rode my top sprinter Ozzmosis to his second win on this track. 'He's coming back off that shoulder injury but his career is starting to get some momentum going again.' Gibbons, who has ridden two Group 1 winners on Explosive Jack in the 2023 Sydney Cup and Kalapour in the 2024 Tancred Stakes, revealed he rides trackwork regularly for Baker at Warwick Farm. 'I think it is Mr Baker's favourite day of the week because he smashes me every Wednesday morning,' Gibbons said. 'But if you go and do the hard work, he rewards you accordingly. He's great to ride for.'
News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Fawkner Park is the forgotten horse in the chase for the 2025 Doomben Cup
With all the attention focused on what's expected to be an epic battle between Queensland hero Antino and majestic mare Pride Of Jenni in this week's Doomben Cup, Rob Archibald says his stable is happy to 'sneak in behind them' with two top chances. Brisbane Racing Club has promised to shout the bar if either Antino or Pride of Jenni wins Saturday's Group 1 race at Doomben. But Archibald and co-trainer and wife Annabel – who won the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 on Saturday with gun mare Sunshine In Paris – are confident they will again be the ones popping the champagne corks. Heading betting for the $1 million Doomben Cup (2000m) is reigning horse of the year Pride Of Jenni ($3.50) ahead of the Tony Gollan -trained local Antino ($4), with Chris Waller 's Group 1 winner Buckaroo at $6. • 'Antino's shown that he's right up there with the best horses going around and Pride Of Jenni needs no introduction,' said Archibald, whose Doomben Cup charge will be spearheaded by Fawkner Park ($8) and defending champion Bois D'argent ($15). 'We're quite happy being the slight underdogs. 'I know what our horse (Fawkner Park) is capable of if he gets the right set-up and I know he can mix it with those two if we get the right conditions and he's there in his best order. 'I like the focus being on those two and hopefully we can just sneak in behind them.' Fawkner Park wins the Q22 in style! @BrisRacingClub @G1TySchil @ANeashamRacing — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 15, 2024 Jockey Ethan Brown will stick with six-year-old gelding Fawkner Park, who is coming off a gritty runner-up finish behind Antino in this month's Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) on a bottomless track at the Gold Coast. 'I thought he was excellent considering he doesn't love that ground,' Archibald said. 'He seemed to cope with it OK and I thought he was tough late. 'It's good to see him produce that kind of performance leading up to what's likely to be two tougher assignments (the Doomben Cup and as defending champion in the $1.2m Group 2 Q22 over 2200m at Eagle Farm on June 14). 'He'll appreciate 2000m and then he'll appreciate 2200m after that leading into the Q22. 'He's in good order and once he gets back on a good surface we'll see more of his turn of foot.' Antino wins the TAB Hollindale Stakes in dominant fashion! ðŸ'Š @tonygollan — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025 My Oberon, Firm Agreement, Naval College and Port Lockroy. But only the first three are set to run in the race, with Firm Agreement bound for the Queensland Derby on May 31, Port Lockroy 'unlikely' and Naval College heading for a spell. Although Fawkner Park is clearly the stable's best hope of Doomben Cup glory, Archibald believed Bois D'argent was capable of jagging back-to-back crowns. The eight-year-old gelding won the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) at Rosehill just four weeks ago before finishing sixth in the Hollindale Stakes on May 10. 'I thought he was excellent in the Hollindale considering he doesn't like it heavy,' Archibald said. 'He was a good winner two starts ago and he won the race last year. He's capable of winning it again.'
