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News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
'Her best is good enough to beat anyone': Jockey Craig Newitt eyes Group 1 glory with Pride Of Jenni
Jockey Craig Newitt has personal and professional motivations to toast Group 1 success on Saturday in the Doomben Cup aboard favourite Pride Of Jenni. Personally, Newitt, one of the hardest working riders in Victoria, is hungry to build on an enviable Group 1 tally while professionally, he wants to get Pride Of Jenni back to where she belongs. Newitt crammed 33 Group 1 wins in a decade from 2006 but has gone without since he partnered boom colt-turned-stallion Extreme Choice to victory in the 2016 Moir Stakes. The 40-year-old father of five has the best chance in a long time to end the drought in Brisbane. • 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! 'This is what we do it for,' Newitt said. 'To try and find these sort of horses, she did it at her peak without me riding her but they never lose their ability, she's a little bit older now, but I still firmly believe she can (still) win Group 1 races. 'It's been nearly nine years since my last Group 1, hopefully she can deliver one on Saturday.' Pride Of Jenni is a $3.50 favourite in all-in markets to win the Doomben Cup from Antino ($4), Buckaroo ($6) and Fawkner Park ($8). Newitt has piloted Pride Of Jenni to victory in two of three starts since her comeback in March after being retired last spring following a setback. Pride Of Jenni returns with a bang at Caulfield as she goes all the way to take out the Listed Anniversary Vase 🙌 @cmaherracing @craig_newitt â€' (@Racing) May 3, 2025 • Gilbert Gardiner's horses to follow, forgive from Flemington on Saturday His big race experience and craft on leaders like Pride Of Jenni central to the new association. Jockey Declan Bates rode Pride Of Jenni exclusively since she burst onto the scene in the 2023 Melbourne Cup Carnival with successive Group 1 wins in the Empire Rose and Champions Mile. Ben Melham replaced Bates for the Champion Mile last year and pulled up the mare after she bled. Newitt had ridden Pride Of Jenni once previously when they almost pinched the 2023 Group 2 Stocks Stakes won by the fast-finishing short-priced favourite Amelia's Jewel. "Bring on the Cox Plate." Amelia's Jewel glides to the post to take out the Stocks Stakes ðŸ'Ž @Simon_Miller_ @LaneDamian â€' (@Racing) September 29, 2023 'I haven't had the big success on her yet, hopefully that's next Saturday,' Newitt said. Pride Of Jenni won the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) but found the two-week back-up into the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) beyond her. She returned after a five-week freshen to win the Listed Anniversary Vase (1600m) with 61kg. Newitt will head to Cranbourne on Monday to gallop Pride Of Jenni. 'I'll give her a final gallop Monday morning and she'll be on the plane Tuesday,' Newitt said. 'I worked her last week, she's going well, so full steam ahead. 'We know she's got the ability … it's a matter of getting her there in the right frame of mind and in A-1 condition – if that's right at the start line I'm sure she'll make it an exciting race. 'She's a champion mare in her own right, she's just got to turn up and deliver her best and her best is good enough to beat anyone.'
Daily Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
Stand-alone pioneer Hawkesbury Race Club deserves a big-money feature
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. The Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting, the pioneer of the popular and successful concept, deserves to have a big-money race. Hawkesbury celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday and boasts the strongest program of all the stand-alone meetings with three Group 3 races worth $250,000 prizemoney each and a Listed race of $200,000. But the stand-alone meetings at other venues have bigger prizemoney races including $1 million features at Newcastle (The Hunter) and Kembla Grange (The Gong), and $500,000 races at Wyong (The Lakes) and Gosford (The Coast). • 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! Perhaps the era of stakes increases is over for the immediate future but Hawkesbury is entitled to have a principal race with at least $500,000 prizemoney. While Hawkesbury Race Club chief executive James Heddo acknowledged the quality of the current race program, he said: 'I'm more than happy at the appropriate time to sit down with Racing NSW to see if there is an opportunity to add a new race to the card.'' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I felt for Shane Dye after he was lambasted on social media for daring to declare Ka Ying Rising a better sprinter than the legendary Black Caviar or former Hong Kong champion Silent Witness. Dye, a Hall of Fame jockey, is certainly entitled to his opinion and whether he is right or wrong, only time will tell. But I decided to ask Timeform guru Gary Crispe for his expert view on the comparison as he was trackside for Ka Ying Rising's win in the Chairman's Sprint Prize in Hong Kong last Sunday. • Smith's 'unbelievable' win on game-changing day for NSW racing 'Ka Ying Rising is a very good horse but my first impression was that he reminded me of Hay List,'' Crispe said. 'My opinion is Black Caviar would be too good for Ka Ying Rising, just as she was always too good for Hay List.'' The Timeform ratings supported Crispe's assessment with Black Caviar earning a lofty 136 figure while Kay Ying Rising is on 132, the same peak rating returned by both Hay List and Silent Witness. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Newgate Farm's super sire Extreme Choice is standing at an equal Australian record fee of $330,000 in the spring breeding season. Extreme Choice, only the second stallion to sire the winners of the Golden Slipper (Stay Inside, 2021) and Melbourne Cup (Knight's Choice, 2024), has the same fee Redoute's Choice commanded in 2007 and 2008. Extreme Choice will stand for an equal Australian record fee of $330,000 at Newgate Farm. Picture: Supplied This means Extreme Choice has the highest fee of any stallion in the southern hemisphere with Widden Stud's Zoustar and Darley's Too Darn Hot next on $275,000, then Arrowfield's Snitzel at $247,500 and Yarraman Park Stud's I Am Invincible at $220,000. The only other stallion to sire the winners of the Golden Slipper and Melbourne Cup was Sir Tristram. The legendary New Zealand-based Sir Tristram sired three Melbourne Cup winners with Gurner's Lane (1982), Empire Rose (1988) and Brew (2000), plus a Golden Slipper with Marauding (1987). ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Racing Australia this week announced the increase of the mandatory minimum ban for any person found guilty of using an electronic device more commonly referred to as a 'jigger' on a racehorse. From Thursday, May 1, the amended rule means the minimum penalty period for jigger use is five years (up from two years). In other major rule changes, stewards Australia-wide have been given additional and wider powers on the frequency a horse is allowed to race. Under the new rule, a horse will not be allowed to race on consecutive days without approval from a Principal Racing Authority or its panel of stewards. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Trainer Ian Wilkes is attempting to become the first Australian to win the famous Kentucky Derby with Burnham Square at Churchill Downs on Sunday. Burnham Square was an impressive last start winner of the Blue Grass Stakes and is among the early favourites at $9.50 behind Journalism at $3.50 for the 'Run for the Roses'. Wilkes, whose brother Wayne is a leading NSW country trainer based at Taree, said Burnham Square has done well this week in the build-up to the three-year-old classic. • Shayne O'Cass's race-by-race tips, analysis for Hawkesbury on Saturday 'Everything is good, he is keeping a lid on it which is good,'' Wilkes told American reporters. 'He has to handle everything, the crowd, the long post parade. The mile and a quarter (a2000m) is no issue, it is just whether he is fast enough.'' Wilkes, 59, began his professional career working at Lindsay Park under legendary Hall of Fame trainer Colin Hayes before moving to America in the late 1980s. He teamed up with trainer Carl Nafzger and was associated with two Kentucky Derby winners, Unbridled (1990) as trackwork rider and then Street Sense (2007) as assistant trainer. Wilkes then started training in his own right with his biggest win in the 2012 Breeders Cup Classic with Fort Larned. He's also had Derby runners before but Burnham Square is clearly his best chance yet to win America's biggest race. 'I'm happy with the horse and I couldn't ask for a better draw (nine),'' Wilkes said. 'I'm seeing a horse that is thriving, he's moving forward and improving every time.'' Burnham Square will be ridden by Brian Hernandez who won last year's Kentucky Derby on Mystic Dan and the Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna. Originally published as Hawkesbury's strongest stand-alone program deserves to have a big-money race
News.com.au
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Hawkesbury's strongest stand-alone program deserves to have a big-money race
The Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting, the pioneer of the popular and successful concept, deserves to have a big-money race. Hawkesbury celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday and boasts the strongest program of all the stand-alone meetings with three Group 3 races worth $250,000 prizemoney each and a Listed race of $200,000. But the stand-alone meetings at other venues have bigger prizemoney races including $1 million features at Newcastle (The Hunter) and Kembla Grange (The Gong), and $500,000 races at Wyong (The Lakes) and Gosford (The Coast). Perhaps the era of stakes increases is over for the immediate future but Hawkesbury is entitled to have a principal race with at least $500,000 prizemoney. While Hawkesbury Race Club chief executive James Heddo acknowledged the quality of the current race program, he said: 'I'm more than happy at the appropriate time to sit down with Racing NSW to see if there is an opportunity to add a new race to the card.'' â– â– â– â– â– I felt for Shane Dye after he was lambasted on social media for daring to declare Ka Ying Rising a better sprinter than the legendary Black Caviar or former Hong Kong champion Silent Witness. Dye, a Hall of Fame jockey, is certainly entitled to his opinion and whether he is right or wrong, only time will tell. But I decided to ask Timeform guru Gary Crispe for his expert view on the comparison as he was trackside for Ka Ying Rising's win in the Chairman's Sprint Prize in Hong Kong last Sunday. Ka Ying Rising takes the Chairman's Sprint Prize (G1)! â€' IFHA's Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (@worldsbesthorse) April 27, 2025 • Smith's 'unbelievable' win on game-changing day for NSW racing 'Ka Ying Rising is a very good horse but my first impression was that he reminded me of Hay List,'' Crispe said. 'My opinion is Black Caviar would be too good for Ka Ying Rising, just as she was always too good for Hay List.'' The Timeform ratings supported Crispe's assessment with Black Caviar earning a lofty 136 figure while Kay Ying Rising is on 132, the same peak rating returned by both Hay List and Silent Witness. â– â– â– â– â– Newgate Farm's super sire Extreme Choice is standing at an equal Australian record fee of $330,000 in the spring breeding season. Extreme Choice, only the second stallion to sire the winners of the Golden Slipper (Stay Inside, 2021) and Melbourne Cup (Knight's Choice, 2024), has the same fee Redoute's Choice commanded in 2007 and 2008. This means Extreme Choice has the highest fee of any stallion in the southern hemisphere with Widden Stud's Zoustar and Darley's Too Darn Hot next on $275,000, then Arrowfield's Snitzel at $247,500 and Yarraman Park Stud's I Am Invincible at $220,000. The only other stallion to sire the winners of the Golden Slipper and Melbourne Cup was Sir Tristram. The legendary New Zealand-based Sir Tristram sired three Melbourne Cup winners with Gurner's Lane (1982), Empire Rose (1988) and Brew (2000), plus a Golden Slipper with Marauding (1987). â– â– â– â– â– Racing Australia this week announced the increase of the mandatory minimum ban for any person found guilty of using an electronic device more commonly referred to as a 'jigger' on a racehorse. From Thursday, May 1, the amended rule means the minimum penalty period for jigger use is five years (up from two years). In other major rule changes, stewards Australia-wide have been given additional and wider powers on the frequency a horse is allowed to race. Under the new rule, a horse will not be allowed to race on consecutive days without approval from a Principal Racing Authority or its panel of stewards. â– â– â– â– â– Trainer Ian Wilkes is attempting to become the first Australian to win the famous Kentucky Derby with Burnham Square at Churchill Downs on Sunday. Burnham Square was an impressive last start winner of the Blue Grass Stakes and is among the early favourites at $9.50 behind Journalism at $3.50 for the 'Run for the Roses'. Wilkes, whose brother Wayne is a leading NSW country trainer based at Taree, said Burnham Square has done well this week in the build-up to the three-year-old classic. Burnham Square just solidified his spot in the @KentuckyDerby starting gate with a win in the Blue Grass (G1) @keeneland! 🌹 Trainer: @IanWilkesRacing Jockey: @b_hernandezjr 🎥 TwinSpires Replay â€' TwinSpires Racing ðŸ�‡ (@TwinSpires) April 8, 2025 • Shayne O'Cass's race-by-race tips, analysis for Hawkesbury on Saturday 'Everything is good, he is keeping a lid on it which is good,'' Wilkes told American reporters. 'He has to handle everything, the crowd, the long post parade. The mile and a quarter (a2000m) is no issue, it is just whether he is fast enough.'' Wilkes, 59, began his professional career working at Lindsay Park under legendary Hall of Fame trainer Colin Hayes before moving to America in the late 1980s. He teamed up with trainer Carl Nafzger and was associated with two Kentucky Derby winners, Unbridled (1990) as trackwork rider and then Street Sense (2007) as assistant trainer. Wilkes then started training in his own right with his biggest win in the 2012 Breeders Cup Classic with Fort Larned. He's also had Derby runners before but Burnham Square is clearly his best chance yet to win America's biggest race. 'I'm happy with the horse and I couldn't ask for a better draw (nine),'' Wilkes said. 'I'm seeing a horse that is thriving, he's moving forward and improving every time.'' Burnham Square will be ridden by Brian Hernandez who won last year's Kentucky Derby on Mystic Dan and the Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna.
News.com.au
30-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Boomer Bloodstock purchases share in super stallion Zoustar for $1.1m
The coveted share in star stallion Zoustar has sold on Inglis Digital for $1.1m on Wednesday in a sale that values Widden Stud's headliner at a eye-watering $66m. Boomer Bloodstock, for an unnamed client, forked out the seven-figure sum for the 1/60th share offered by Qatar Bloodstock following days of bidding for the Group 1 winner sprinter turned super sire. • 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! Bidding for the rare share was already at $820,000 on the final day of the online sale with 20 bids made for a slice of the stallion. Qatar Bloodstock sold a similar 1/60th share last year for $1.3m to Bangaloe Stud. Zoustar stands for one of the highest fees of any stallion in Australia at $275,000 this season alongside Godolphin's Too Darn Hot while Newgate's Extreme Choice ($330,000) is the benchmark. Zoustar is expected to cover around 150 mares during the 2025 breeding season with Boomer Bloodstock's share ensuring they will get a portion of the income. A sire of 65 stakes winners, Zoustar has produced Group 1 winners Zougotcha Joliestar, Climbing Star and Schwarz in recent times.
