Latest news with #BrisbaneWinterCarnival
New Paper
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Queensland well worth the Veight
BRISBANE Tony McEvoy admits the decision to geld Group 1 winner Veight was a tough one, but hopes it will be vindicated ahead of a trio of Queensland feature races during the Brisbane Winter Carnival. The 2024 George Ryder Stakes (1,500m) winner is set to resume in the A$1.5 million (S$1.15 million) Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1,200m) on May 17, and McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his son Calvin, says the Grunt four-year-old seems more relaxed as a gelding. "It wasn't an ideal decision to have to make, but we thought it was in the best interest of the horse," said McEvoy from Brisbane. "He seems very good, and he's acting right, which is great." A three-run Spring campaign struggled to get off the ground for Veight - pronounced as "vee-eight", named after the V8 engine - who finished 19th of 20 in the A$10 million Golden Eagle (1,500m) before a spell, with McEvoy admitting nothing went to plan. "It was a combination of things, really. He was obviously getting a little bit fussy in his thinking, and he drew some bad barriers," said the multiple Group 1 winning-trainer. "There were a few different factors, but we thought he'd be a better racehorse as a gelding." McEvoy has a traditional Brisbane campaign mapped out for Veight who has been in Brisbane for 12 days, with the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1,300m) on May 31 and Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1,400m) on June 14, both run at Eagle Farm, his likely progression. The Ballarat-based trainer is hesitant about the gelding's chances of chalking up a sixth victory on Saturday, especially if the ground is wet, but was pleased with the horse drawing barrier No. 9 in the field of 16, giving first-time partner Andrew Mallyon options. "Middle of the pack, that should allow Andrew to ride him where he's comfortable," said McEvoy. "He's not as forward as I would hope, but the run will improve him. "He's a very good horse, so he'll match it with them, provided he gets conditions to suit, but if the ground's wet, he'll struggle." Veight is a 25-1 chance in the market headed by 11-4 favourite Overpass, who finished second in the 2023 Doomben 10,000. The Bjorn Baker-trained sprinter, who recently failed to land a third consecutive The Quokka in Perth, has drawn barrier No. 10. Champion hoop James McDonald has been booked for 4-1 second-elect, the Annabel & Rob Archibald-trained Sunshine In Paris, who has once again drawn wide in barrier No. 14. Another top jockey, Craig Williams, who has won the past two Doomben 10,000's aboard Bella Nipotina and Giga Kick, has been booked to replace the suspended Blake Shinn aboard 9-2 chance Schwarz for trainers John O'Shea and Tom Charlton. McEvoy has yet to add his name to the winning roster of the 92-year-old feature, which includes notable graduates such as globetrotter Takeover Target (winner of the King's Stand at Ascot in 2006 and KrisFlyer Sprint at Kranji in 2008), two-time winner Apache Cat (2008 and 2009) and 2022 The Everest winner Giga Kick (2023), among others. Bella Nipotina also did the Doomben 10,000-The Everest double, but in the reverse order. Last year, Ciaron Maher's just-retired mighty mare beat I Wish I Win in a dramatic showdown, propelling her onto the world stage before she went on to take the world's richest turf race at A$20 million, five months later. The Doomben 10,000 is part of the rich Brisbane Winter Carnival or the Queensland Racing Carnival, which kicked off on May 3 with the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1,600m) won by Depth Of Character for the Archibalds and ridden by an old Kranji acquaintance, the rejuvenated Noel Callow. Beyond the Doomben 10,000, the day also boasts the A$250,000 Group 3 Rough Habit Plate (2,000m), a lead-up race to the A$1 million Group 1 Queensland Derby (2,400m) on May 31. The juveniles will also get to fight it out in the A$300,000 Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic (1,200m), aiming to make their mark ahead of the highly anticipated A$1 million Group 1 JJ Atkins (1,600m) on June 14. SKY RACING WORLD
News.com.au
10-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
The Group 1 J.J Atkins beckons for Chris Waller's promising colts Hidden Achievement and Sarapo after Gosford quinella
Hidden Achievement thrust his name into the conversation for higher honours in the Brisbane winter carnival when the smart colt led home a stable quinella for Chris Waller at Gosford on Saturday. The exciting son of I Am Invincible was strong through the line to hold out impressive stablemate Sarapo in the Ortus Financial 2YO Handicap (1200m). The two-year-old event had been turned on its head just over an hour before the race when hot favourite Sequista had to be scratched after sustaining multiple lacerations in the float en route to the track. Waller's duo took full advantage with jockey Adam Hyeronimus producing an assertive steer on Hidden Achievemen t ($5). Hidden Achievement makes it look effortless at Gosford! Adam Hyeronimus gets an early race-to-race double! ✌ï¸� @cwallerracing â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025 Hyeronimus barged his way off the fence to get Hidden Achievement in the clear at the top of the straight and was strong late, winning by three quarters of a length from Sarapo while the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott -trained Chicama ($3.70) was back in third. 'I probably could have rode the fence and got out and he would still have been too good but I just wanted to get to the outside of that horse,' Hyeronimus said. 'He is a very nice horse. Six furlong probably isn't his distance but he was just too good for them and is only on the way up.' Hidden Achievement had put the writing on the wall on debut after getting out late at Canterbury and surging home for second. The stable hold the lightly-raced talent in high regard. 'Hidden Achievement is a lovely colt,' Waller 's stable representative Zane Jones said. 'He has improved out of sight from his trials to his debut performance. 'That race at Canterbury, just good horses, only they can do that and make up that much ground at Canterbury and he was rapid through the line. 'He has taken good improvement and out of that and he was aided by a good ride today and was too strong.' Sarapo, a son of English champion Frankel, was the only first starter in the two-year-old field and produced an ominous performance for the future in defeat. The promising youngster settled near the back of the small field and was forced to loop around the field before hitting the line strongly. 'It's never easy at Gosford particularly but you had to like the way he found the line,' Jones said. 'He still presents as a green horse and will improve a hell of a lot. ðŸ'� @mcacajamez begins the day at Warwick Farm on a winning note with the fav Regulated Affair! @cwallerracing | @aus_turf_club â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 7, 2025 'He was the only horse that hadn't so he has got a nice future and he will get a lot further in time as well.' The quinella came just a few days after fellow Waller-trained colt Regulated Affair scored an emphatic victory at Warwick Farm. All three colts have nominations for the Group 2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes and Group 1 J.J Atkins Stakes in Queensland and both races are an option for Hidden Achievement and Sarapo. 'We have just given them time to develop and sometimes that's the cheapest thing you can do and the best thing for them,' Jones said. 'They will only improve, there is still a lot of water to go under the bridge but we are very pleased with the army we could have up there this way.' Hidden Achievement saw his price slashed from $26 into $11 for the Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes while Sarapo was $51 into $15. Hidden Achievement has covered plenty of territory in his short time since foaled at Yarraman Park the day after Gold Trip's win in the 2022 Melbourne Cup. The son of three-time Champion Australian Sire I Am Invincible was recorded as Passed In for $350,000 at the 2024 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. He resurfaced later that year at Karaka when offered at NZB's annual Ready To Run Sale where he was knocked down for $675,000 making him the third highest priced two-year-old across all lots. Hidden Achievement is a member of the most celebrated family in both the Australian and New Zealand Studbooks given he traces in a direct line to the epic broodmare, Eight Carat. His dam, La Luna Rossa, was ranked one of the top fillies of her era after winning the Group 1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) for legendary trainer, Murray Baker.
