Latest news with #OzzieKheir
The Australian
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Pier dominates in Wayne Wilson to highlight Stradbroke Handicap missed opportunity
Exciting Kiwi galloper Pier was stranded two spots outside the Group 1 Stradbroke field, but his trainer Darryn Weatherley felt he could have given the race a mighty shake. And on the evidence of the gelding's thumping win when scoring the consolation prize of the Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm, it was hard to disagree. Had five-year-old Pier nailed a Stradbroke start, he would have carried just 51kg. Racenet iQ members get full access to our Pro Tips service, where Greg and our team of professional punters provide daily tips with fully transparent return on investment statistics. SUBSCRIBE NOW and start punting like a pro! Pier's hopes of gaining a slot in the Stradbroke always appeared forlorn, fourth emergency and still two off the field even after there were a pair of scratchings. But punters didn't miss him in the Wayne Wilson, backing him strongly from $3.10 to $2.60 and he didn't let them down as he thumped his opposition by three lengths. Pier's racing journey hasn't been straightforward, from the exhilarating moment of winning the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas in 2022, to devastating lows of many injury setbacks. Leading Australian owner Ozzie Kheir looks to have another nice horse on his hands. 'I truly believe he would have been a force to be reckoned with in the Straddie, but maybe next year,' Weatherley, who trains in partnership with his daughter Briar, said. 'I would like to spell him here for a month then have a crack at the first Group 1 in New Zealand and the hopefully to Melbourne in the spring.' Pier had warmed up for Saturday's assignment with a flashing light run in the Group 3 BRC Sprint when flashing home from last to finish third. 'Last start he ran a blinder, but he drew a lot more favourably today,' jockey Ethan Brown said. 'It is a bloody long straight but I was on a well prepared, fit horse who carried me through.' In the opening race on Stradbroke day, the Group 3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m), Michael Freedman's three-year-old filly Just Feelin' Lucky ($5) led them a merry dance. The young daughter of US champion Justify wasn't for catching and justified Freedman's decision to give her a shot at a valuable Group race. The filly cost just $80,000 as a yearling but is now worth much more than that and put two wins on the bounce after scoring a midweek race in Sydney at her previous start. 'These Justifys are free-rolling and I had a good chat to Tommy Berry before the race and the idea was to dictate the race from the front and it ended up perfect,' Freedman said. 'It is getting to the back end of the racing season, she's going to turn four pretty soon, so we thought we'd go and have a crack at some black type. 'She's quite a valuable filly now.' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Floozie lives up to Gollan's wraps Tony Gollan might be turning into Nostradamus as he had a Group 1 prophecy with exciting mare Floozie which is now another step closer to being fulfilled. Queensland's champion trainer has this winter carnival been telling anyone who will listen that Floozie is a star. After her stylish win in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1300m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday, she will now be deployed in the Group 1 Tatt's Tiara in a fortnight. Floozie, a four-year-old daughter of Zoustar, was formerly trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr in Victoria and now hasn't been beaten in four starts since arriving at Gollan's Eagle Farm stables. She won some modest Benchmark races at the start of her campaign, but wins in the Silk Stocking and now the Dane Ripper have showcased the talent that Gollan always knew she had. The Group 2 triumph was also the biggest win of young jockey Angela Jones' career and she rode the mare a treat. Gollan is now heading overseas to Royal Ascot, but will have a tantalising treat to come back to as he unleashes Floozie in the Group 1 Tatt's Tiara for fillies and mares at Eagle Farm in a fortnight. 'She is a really good mare this,' Gollan said. 'I said when she won a Benchmark 70 four starts ago that this mare would take part in the winter carnival. 'That's exactly what she is doing. 'Onwards to the Tiara in a fortnight now and I can't wait. 'This mare is going to give that race a hell of a shake and when mares are in form, they can do anything. 'She won on a heavy track on the Gold Coast the other day and it was a firm track here today so she goes good on all surfaces.' Floozie was strongly backed from $6 to $4.60 in the Dane Ripper and her backers barely raised a sweat with Jones having her perfectly positioned before she zoomed for home. 'It is just incredible for this mare to string four together at a tough time of the carnival,' Jones said. 'She is just brilliant. She is a jockey's dream. 'You can just put her where you want her.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Pier has bright future after powerful win in Wayne Wilseon at Eagle Farm
Exciting Kiwi galloper Pier was stranded two spots outside the Group 1 Stradbroke field, but his trainer Darryn Weatherley felt he could have given the race a mighty shake. And on the evidence of the gelding's thumping win when scoring the consolation prize of the Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm, it was hard to disagree. Had five-year-old Pier nailed a Stradbroke start, he would have carried just 51kg. Pier's hopes of gaining a slot in the Stradbroke always appeared forlorn, fourth emergency and still two off the field even after there were a pair of scratchings. But punters didn't miss him in the Wayne Wilson, backing him strongly from $3.10 to $2.60 and he didn't let them down as he thumped his opposition by three lengths. Pier's racing journey hasn't been straightforward, from the exhilarating moment of winning the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas in 2022, to devastating lows of many injury setbacks. Leading Australian owner Ozzie Kheir looks to have another nice horse on his hands. Pier with a dominant win in the Listed Wayne Wilson at Eagle Farm! 🚀 @Brown_ethan8 â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 'I truly believe he would have been a force to be reckoned with in the Straddie, but maybe next year,' Weatherley, who trains in partnership with his daughter Briar, said. 'I would like to spell him here for a month then have a crack at the first Group 1 in New Zealand and the hopefully to Melbourne in the spring.' Pier had warmed up for Saturday's assignment with a flashing light run in the Group 3 BRC Sprint when flashing home from last to finish third. 'Last start he ran a blinder, but he drew a lot more favourably today,' jockey Ethan Brown said. 'It is a bloody long straight but I was on a well prepared, fit horse who carried me through.' In the opening race on Stradbroke day, the Group 3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m), Michael Freedman 's three-year-old filly Just Feelin' Lucky ($5) led them a merry dance. ðŸ�€ Just Feelin' Lucky leads all the way to win the opener at Eagle Farm! @MFreedmanRacing | @TommyBerry21 â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 The young daughter of US champion Justify wasn't for catching and justified Freedman's decision to give her a shot at a valuable Group race. The filly cost just $80,000 as a yearling but is now worth much more than that and put two wins on the bounce after scoring a midweek race in Sydney at her previous start. 'These Justifys are free-rolling and I had a good chat to Tommy Berry before the race and the idea was to dictate the race from the front and it ended up perfect,' Freedman said. 'It is getting to the back end of the racing season, she's going to turn four pretty soon, so we thought we'd go and have a crack at some black type. 'She's quite a valuable filly now.'
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘It's someone else's turn': Ozzie Kheir out to deny Annabel Neasham fifth straight Hollindale Stakes success with Buckaroo
Buckaroo's part-owner Ozzie Kheir is confident that Annabel Archibald 's remarkable winning streak in the Hollindale Stakes will be halted on Saturday as he joked that the $500,000 Group 2 race should be named after the high-profile Sydney trainer. The newly married Archibald has won the past four editions of the 1800m race and will be vying for a fifth on the Gold Coast this week in partnership with her co-trainer and husband Rob. The Chris Waller -trained gelding Buckaroo is the clear favourite for the Hollindale Stakes at $3.80 with bookmakers, ahead of stablemate Lindermann ($5). The Archibald-trained Fawkner Park, Queensland star Antino and Eliyass, from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, are next on the line at $7.50. 'I think it's someone else's turn to win the Hollindale, for sure,' Kheir said about ending Archibald's reign. 'We've got to stop that or else they'll call it the Archibald Cup soon. If you win it four times in a row, surely there has to be a discussion to name the race after you.' Last year's Melbourne Cup favourite, six-year-old Buckaroo had a highly successful spring campaign when he won the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield, the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick and finished runner-up in majors the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington and the Caulfield Cup (2400m). Buckaroo is coming off a light autumn campaign that included a ninth place in the $1m George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill in March and then he finished seventh out of 13 runners in the $5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on April 12. 'I thought his runs in both races were creditable, even though the form doesn't look good on paper. He sort of blew out a little bit in the Queen Elizabeth,' Kheir said. 'He loomed up very well and probably punctured the last 200m.' Kheir said Buckaroo would be 'cherry-ripe' for the Hollindale Stakes, where he will jump from barrier 12, and then go into the Group 1 $1m Doomben Cup (2000m) on May 24. 'All the reports are that he's going well at home and I think he'll run a good race (on Saturday),' he said. 'Although he's won on good ground, tracks with a bit of give are ideal for him. If we can get a Soft 5 or 6, that'll be to his liking.' Meanwhile, Kheir said Melbourne Cup runner-up Soulcombe was only a '40 per cent chance' of returning to the racetrack and wouldn't be back until next autumn at the earliest. The six-year-old gelding hasn't competed since finishing second to Without A Fight in the race that stops a nation in 2023 due to a series of setbacks, the latest being a tendon injury. Asked whether the star stayer would be retired, Kheir said: 'No, not yet. We haven't decided. 'We're going to put him through a rehab program over the next eight weeks and then assess how he recovers from that. 'It's definitely not great. I couldn't see him racing before the next autumn at the earliest. 'I would say he's a 40 per cent chance of being able to return to racing. 'He's probably one of the most talented horses we've owned. He's up there with one of our favourites. 'He's one horse that deserved to be a Group 1 winner and got awfully close but he was unlucky on the day.'
