Latest news with #BenLooker
Daily Telegraph
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Telegraph
Casino, Goulburn previews: Colt Prosser eyeing a feature double
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Wauchope trainer Colt Prosser has spent the best part of last week cleaning up after the devastating floods on the Mid-North Coast. Now, he will be hoping for a clean sweep of Casino's two big annual features. Wauchope is an hour's drive from Taree and while that essentially makes the two towns neighbours, Taree was more or less ground zero for the big weather event. 'It was not too bad, just a lot of flooded stables,' Prosser said. 'Safety-wise we were all good. The town coped a lot and went under and everyone was isolated. 'It was a big weekend on the tools and the wheelbarrow and shovels but we'll be okay, a lot of people did it a lot worse than us.' Prosser's Beef Week Cup participant, Cenotes, will tackle the $45,000 1400m feature first-up having last been seen on October 11 when down the order in the Port Macquarie Cup. This will be only his second 'Cup' but certainly not the last, according to Prosser. 'Cenotes is going to be in for a nice campaign,' the trainer said. 'He is going to be in all the Country Cups around the corner. 'He is first-up and he's just been ineffective at anything under a mile so if he can run good race, I'll be happy. 'I expect him just to improve with a run under his belt.' Cenotes will be ridden by Country Championship Final winning jockey Ben Looker who boasts a favourable record on the son of Rebel Dane of three wins and a second from six rides. Looker was also Prosser's choice for Bjorn Ironside who will square off with stablemate, Dis Is Heaven, in the Casino Flying over 1000m. Bjorn Ironside's current personal best was his close and closing third in this season's MNC Championship Qualifier over 1200m but his one and only 1000m test was hard to forget, even for Prosser. 'He's only had one go at 1000m and he smashed them,' the trainer said. 'This is up in grade and he hasn't had a run since he went to Brisbane but I brought him home and he's freshened-up good.' Dis is Heaven, meanwhile, will be taking a step back in class when he steps out in the Casino co-feature. That's because his last run was at the midweeks where he finished third in the 1000m Benchmark 72, $60,000 affair. 'He's going great and he doesn't mind a soft track,' said Prosser. 'I just would have liked to draw a little bit better at Casino with him but he can be a run-on horse so if they happened to be put a bit on pressure on, he can relax and finish off. 'I was really disappointed I couldn't go back to Sydney with last week when we were flooded in, I couldn't get there. 'He hasn't had too many dramas. He's nice and fit and he's going well.' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Former jockey, now Hawkesbury-based trainer Blake Ryan is hoping the well-bred two-year-old Nothing But Net can pull of a slam dunk on debut at Goulburn Nothing But Net was one of 138 foals to emerge from the first crop of ATC Sires' Produce and Champagne Stakes winner, King's Legacy. His grandam is Georgette Silk whose single win came on debut in the 2020 ATC Widden Stakes. 'He has always shown me a little bit,' Ryan said. 'He was in our Ready 2 Run draft and he breezed up the quickest of the lot but was passed in. 'He went online and when the client sold him, Matthew (Sandblom) bought him and gave him back to me to train. 'He seems to be a horse that a 1000m isn't going to be his go. He is bred to be a 1400m horse so he is going to improve.' Nothing But Net won't be alone on the trip to Goulburn. He'll be accompanied by another blue blood, namely Asuriito, who lines-up in the Pat Murphy Racing Class 2 Handicap (1000m). A son of Brazen Beau, Asuriito, went to the Sapphire Coast on May 4 armed with an impressive record of two wins and a third from five starts. And while costly in defeat for his many supporters, he left Bega with excuses. 'That track was very, very heavy and gluey,' Ryan said. 'On paper its says it was a Soft 7 but the grass was very long and it was very boggy. That, coupled with the weight, made it hard for him. 'He is an honest little campaigner. He had a tough run at Canberra before that but he keeps bouncing out of it, I'll give him that much. 'I would have liked to have a little bit better but only that dog-leg corner there at Goulburn from the 1000m, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle for him.' Granted, Ryan's immediate focus is on Goulburn but once he's done there, he will be in countdown mode to Saturday's Midway Handicap at Rosehill where he is represented by the always reliable Lady Extreme. 'I'm really happy with her. 'I think she is going as well as she has ever gone,' Ryan said. 'And a heavy track wouldn't bother me. She's a duck.'
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
Casino, Goulburn previews: Trainer Colt Prosser overcomes Mid-North Coast floods and sets his sights on prestigious double
Wauchope trainer Colt Prosser has spent the best part of last week cleaning up after the devastating floods on the Mid-North Coast. Now, he will be hoping for a clean sweep of Casino's two big annual features. Wauchope is an hour's drive from Taree and while that essentially makes the two towns neighbours, Taree was more or less ground zero for the big weather event. 'It was not too bad, just a lot of flooded stables,' Prosser said. 'Safety-wise we were all good. The town coped a lot and went under and everyone was isolated. 'It was a big weekend on the tools and the wheelbarrow and shovels but we'll be okay, a lot of people did it a lot worse than us.' Cenotes makes it three wins in a row 3ï¸�⃣ He wins easily at Kempsey and gives Ben Looker a double! @ColtProsser â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 19, 2024 Prosser's Beef Week Cup participant, Cenotes, will tackle the $45,000 1400m feature first-up having last been seen on October 11 when down the order in the Port Macquarie Cup. This will be only his second 'Cup' but certainly not the last, according to Prosser. 'Cenotes is going to be in for a nice campaign,' the trainer said. 'He is going to be in all the Country Cups around the corner. 'He is first-up and he's just been ineffective at anything under a mile so if he can run good race, I'll be happy. 'I expect him just to improve with a run under his belt.' Cenotes will be ridden by Country Championship Final winning jockey Ben Looker who boasts a favourable record on the son of Rebel Dane of three wins and a second from six rides. Looker was also Prosser's choice for Bjorn Ironside who will square off with stablemate, Dis Is Heaven, in the Casino Flying over 1000m. Bjorn Ironside's current personal best was his close and closing third in this season's MNC Championship Qualifier over 1200m but his one and only 1000m test was hard to forget, even for Prosser. Bjorn Ironside and @ashmorgan6 sail down the centre of the course to take out Race 7 at @_TJC â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 21, 2024 'He's only had one go at 1000m and he smashed them,' the trainer said. 'This is up in grade and he hasn't had a run since he went to Brisbane but I brought him home and he's freshened-up good.' Dis is Heaven, meanwhile, will be taking a step back in class when he steps out in the Casino co-feature. That's because his last run was at the midweeks where he finished third in the 1000m Benchmark 72, $60,000 affair. 'He's going great and he doesn't mind a soft track,' said Prosser. 'I just would have liked to draw a little bit better at Casino with him but he can be a run-on horse so if they happened to be put a bit on pressure on, he can relax and finish off. 'I was really disappointed I couldn't go back to Sydney with last week when we were flooded in, I couldn't get there. 'He hasn't had too many dramas. He's nice and fit and he's going well.' â– â– â– â– â– Former jockey, now Hawkesbury-based trainer Blake Ryan is hoping the well-bred two-year-old Nothing But Net can pull of a slam dunk on debut at Goulburn Nothing But Net was one of 138 foals to emerge from the first crop of ATC Sires' Produce and Champagne Stakes winner, King's Legacy. His grandam is Georgette Silk whose single win came on debut in the 2020 ATC Widden Stakes. 'He has always shown me a little bit,' Ryan said. 'He was in our Ready 2 Run draft and he breezed up the quickest of the lot but was passed in. 'He went online and when the client sold him, Matthew (Sandblom) bought him and gave him back to me to train. 'He seems to be a horse that a 1000m isn't going to be his go. He is bred to be a 1400m horse so he is going to improve.' Asuriito was always in control under James Innes Jnr and he brings up his second win in as many starts for the @blakeryan86 stable ðŸ'� @moruyaraces â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 17, 2024 Nothing But Net won't be alone on the trip to Goulburn. He'll be accompanied by another blue blood, namely Asuriito, who lines-up in the Pat Murphy Racing Class 2 Handicap (1000m). A son of Brazen Beau, Asuriito, went to the Sapphire Coast on May 4 armed with an impressive record of two wins and a third from five starts. And while costly in defeat for his many supporters, he left Bega with excuses. 'That track was very, very heavy and gluey,' Ryan said. 'On paper its says it was a Soft 7 but the grass was very long and it was very boggy. That, coupled with the weight, made it hard for him. 'He is an honest little campaigner. He had a tough run at Canberra before that but he keeps bouncing out of it, I'll give him that much. 'I would have liked to have a little bit better but only that dog-leg corner there at Goulburn from the 1000m, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle for him.' Granted, Ryan's immediate focus is on Goulburn but once he's done there, he will be in countdown mode to Saturday's Midway Handicap at Rosehill where he is represented by the always reliable Lady Extreme. 'I'm really happy with her. 'I think she is going as well as she has ever gone,' Ryan said. 'And a heavy track wouldn't bother me. She's a duck.'
Daily Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Grafton preview: Looker keen to add to impressive tally
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Country Championship Final winning jockey Ben Looker aims to add the $500,000 The Coast to his resume but not before boosting his extraordinary Grafton tally. The one-time apprentice to local legend and Kosciuszko winning trainer John Shelton, Looker brought up his 1,300th winner when Point Out won at Quirindi 11 days ago. Not surprisingly, Grafton is Looker's most successful track with a current total of 259 wins. The most recent of those came on April 13 when Looker steered the lightly-raced and promising Olivershare to his first win at career start number two. 'He's still learning what it is all about but he was really good to win a Maiden from an awkward gate without a lot of luck in the middle stages,' Looker said. 'When he got to the second horse, he got passed it, then just floated a little bit. The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'Going from a Maiden to a 58 is pretty hard to do nowadays with the Benchmark system. 'He's racing horses that have won more than one or two races but he has got a lot of upside and from the one alley he is going to be able to put himself there and he'll look the winner at some stage. 'He's a nice enough horse that I've got a lot of time for.' Looker is naturally eager to reacquaint himself with the well-bred Veandechance in the Brett Bellamy Congratulations On 1000 Benchmark 82 Handicap (1435m). The last time he rode the Colt Prosser-trained relative of Melbourne Cup winner Jezabeel was at her most recent start, winning a slogging mile affair at Taree on March 25. 'She hasn't raced for a bit over six weeks just with all the wet weather there really hasn't been any races for her,' Looker explained. 'Whatever she does over the 1400m, I feel that she is going to improve getting back up to a mile and 2000m down the track. 'But Grafton is rain-affected at the moment and she is very dynamic on a wet track.' Looker's first chance to win on the day comes in Edwards Irrigation Consulting Maiden (1030m) where he pilots the Showtime two-year-old Ol' Mate Coop. 'He went around a while ago at Coffs Harbour,' Looker said. 'Obviously Shaggy won the race and won quite well but the second horse has come out and won a race since and my horse ran third. 'Tony Newing's horses race well at their home track. 'He's a nice horse with a lot of upside.' While Looker's immediate focus centres on Grafton, all roads lead to Gosford on Saturday where the trusty hoop will hop aboard the Dynamic Syndications mare Rapt in a shared quest for the $500,000 The Coast. 'I was meant to ride Overriding in (The Coast) last year but unfortunately Nathan (Doyle) had to scratch,' Looker said. 'Rapt is not a short-price fancy but you can't really fault her form. 'She has raced well at Gosford in the past, she's three from three at the distance, and I thought her run was pretty good in the Provincial Championship Final. 'In a race where not a lot made ground from back in the field, I thought she did a good job to make up the ground she did. 'If she gets the luck, I think she'll beat more home than beat her home.' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Donna Grisedale has provided an update on her husband/jockey Jon, weeks after a dangerous incident at a set of post-race barrier trials at Grafton. Grisedale, who has ridden close to 1,350 winners, was dislodged from his mount after it reared and fell on top of him while parading behind the barriers prior to the first of two Heats at Grafton on April 13. 'Jon's good,' Donna Grisedale said. 'It's probably halfway through with his broken leg but he is mending well and now it is a just a matter of time, hopefully another three weeks.' Jon Grisedale will be watching on from home as his wife saddles-up two of the string at Grafton, namely the stable recruit Ostracised together with the speedy Super One son, Super Jaie. Ostracised was bought, and sold, for a fourth time in his career, when knocked down for $10,000 at the Inglis February Online Sale in 2024. The one-time Team Hawkes resident has been a model of consistency since his change of address, posting four thirds in his nine starts for Grisedale. 'We haven't had a jumpout or a trial so he is literally going straight into it pretty much raw but he still should run well, he loves the wet,' the trainer said. 'He's a good money-spinner. His first-up run is usually his worst and after that, he is very consistent. 'We've been trying to find a wet track but they just seem to be getting too wet and washed so hopefully Friday is his day.' Super Jaie, meanwhile, seems blessed with a favourable alley (two) in the last of the ten races on the marathon card. 'Ideally a Good 4 would be what he is looking for opposed to a Heavy track but we are going four and five weeks between runs with every horse so I am just losing fitness tremendously with too many of them,' said Grisedale. Grisedale's gelding's three wins career have come at distance ranging from 1106m to 1250m. Super Jaie's broodmare sires read like a who's who of Australia's most recognisable stallions including Snitzel, Century, Vain, Todman and Heroic. On top of all that, Super Jaie's ninth dam is the 1945 Melbourne Cup winner, Rainbird.
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Grafton previews: Leading jockey Ben Looker has a strong hand to add to his home track record
Country Championship Final winning jockey Ben Looker aims to add the $500,000 The Coast to his resume but not before boosting his extraordinary Grafton tally. The one-time apprentice to local legend and Kosciuszko winning trainer John Shelton, Looker brought up his 1,300th winner when Point Out won at Quirindi 11 days ago. Not surprisingly, Grafton is Looker's most successful track with a current total of 259 wins. The most recent of those came on April 13 when Looker steered the lightly-raced and promising Olivershare to his first win at career start number two. 'He's still learning what it is all about but he was really good to win a Maiden from an awkward gate without a lot of luck in the middle stages,' Looker said. 'When he got to the second horse, he got passed it, then just floated a little bit. Olivershare wins the battle at Grafton to take Race 2! ðŸ'° @DavidMccolm2 â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 13, 2025 The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'Going from a Maiden to a 58 is pretty hard to do nowadays with the Benchmark system. 'He's racing horses that have won more than one or two races but he has got a lot of upside and from the one alley he is going to be able to put himself there and he'll look the winner at some stage. 'He's a nice enough horse that I've got a lot of time for.' Looker is naturally eager to reacquaint himself with the well-bred Veandechance in the Brett Bellamy Congratulations On 1000 Benchmark 82 Handicap (1435m). The last time he rode the Colt Prosser -trained relative of Melbourne Cup winner Jezabeel was at her most recent start, winning a slogging mile affair at Taree on March 25. 'She hasn't raced for a bit over six weeks just with all the wet weather there really hasn't been any races for her,' Looker explained. 'Whatever she does over the 1400m, I feel that she is going to improve getting back up to a mile and 2000m down the track. 'But Grafton is rain-affected at the moment and she is very dynamic on a wet track.' Looker's first chance to win on the day comes in Edwards Irrigation Consulting Maiden (1030m) where he pilots the Showtime two-year-old Ol' Mate Coop. 'He went around a while ago at Coffs Harbour,' Looker said. Veandechance takes out the fifth at Taree for the @ColtProsser stable! ðŸ'� â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 25, 2025 'Obviously Shaggy won the race and won quite well but the second horse has come out and won a race since and my horse ran third. 'Tony Newing's horses race well at their home track. 'He's a nice horse with a lot of upside.' While Looker's immediate focus centres on Grafton, all roads lead to Gosford on Saturday where the trusty hoop will hop aboard the Dynamic Syndications mare Rapt in a shared quest for the $500,000 The Coast. 'I was meant to ride Overriding in (The Coast) last year but unfortunately Nathan (Doyle) had to scratch,' Looker said. 'Rapt is not a short-price fancy but you can't really fault her form. 'She has raced well at Gosford in the past, she's three from three at the distance, and I thought her run was pretty good in the Provincial Championship Final. 'In a race where not a lot made ground from back in the field, I thought she did a good job to make up the ground she did. 'If she gets the luck, I think she'll beat more home than beat her home.' â– â– â– â– â– Donna Grisedale has provided an update on her husband/jockey Jon, weeks after a dangerous incident at a set of post-race barrier trials at Grafton. Grisedale, who has ridden close to 1,350 winners, was dislodged from his mount after it reared and fell on top of him while parading behind the barriers prior to the first of two Heats at Grafton on April 13. 'Jon's good,' Donna Grisedale said. 'It's probably halfway through with his broken leg but he is mending well and now it is a just a matter of time, hopefully another three weeks.' Jon Grisedale will be watching on from home as his wife saddles-up two of the string at Grafton, namely the stable recruit Ostracised together with the speedy Super One son, Super Jaie. Ostracised was bought, and sold, for a fourth time in his career, when knocked down for $10,000 at the Inglis February Online Sale in 2024. West Germany ($26) was second-up off a two-year break and led throughout in Race 2 at Grafton for trainer Lisa Sheppard. â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 29, 2024 The one-time Team Hawkes resident has been a model of consistency since his change of address, posting four thirds in his nine starts for Grisedale. 'We haven't had a jumpout or a trial so he is literally going straight into it pretty much raw but he still should run well, he loves the wet,' the trainer said. 'He's a good money-spinner. His first-up run is usually his worst and after that, he is very consistent. 'We've been trying to find a wet track but they just seem to be getting too wet and washed so hopefully Friday is his day.' Super Jaie, meanwhile, seems blessed with a favourable alley (two) in the last of the ten races on the marathon card. 'Ideally a Good 4 would be what he is looking for opposed to a Heavy track but we are going four and five weeks between runs with every horse so I am just losing fitness tremendously with too many of them,' said Grisedale. Grisedale's gelding's three wins career have come at distance ranging from 1106m to 1250m. Super Jaie's broodmare sires read like a who's who of Australia's most recognisable stallions including Snitzel, Century, Vain, Todman and Heroic.
