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News.com.au
5 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Rosehill, politics, the haters and his future: Racing NSW CEO Peter V'landys reveals all
It's PVL unplugged. No topic was off limits this week when senior racing writer Ben Dorries sat down with Peter V'landys in the Racing NSW boardroom. The most powerful man in Australian sport, the CEO of Racing NSW and the chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission bared his soul and spoke out on a range of major issues. â– â– â– â– â– THE 'HATERS' Peter V'landys almost wears it as a badge of honour when detractors label him a dictator. 'I think it's a compliment, I wish I was a dictator,' V'landys says. 'The results speak for themselves, both thoroughbred racing and rugby league are in the best position they have ever been in. 'So, if I'm a dictator and I get those results and outcomes then I'm sure the participants aren't really concerned, that is the bottom line. 'The biggest thing that I often get is people saying to me 'you are not as bad as people say you are'. 'I'd say 90 per cent of the people that are haters, as you call them, have never met me. 'If they had met me and made that judgment, I would be concerned. 'But they have never met me, so they don't know what I am, they don't know my personality, they don't know any attribute of me at all.' â– â– â– â– â– PVL THE POLITICIAN? V'landys says he has been approached 'many times' to run for politics but 'that's not my forte, I will leave that to others'. However, he has opened up on his warm friendship with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. 'If you saw the real side of Anthony, you'd like him,' V'landys said. 'He is one of those guys you want to go to the pub with and have a beer with. 'Anthony is a very nice guy, he's good to deal with and he's a good person. 'I always look at people to see if they are a good person, first and foremost. 'He's got an exceptionally good personality and he's a very witty man. 'He has honoured his word in every situation I have dealt with him.' â– â– â– â– â– ROSEHILL INQUIRY HOSTILITY V'landys wore plenty of barbs during the parliamentary inquiry into the potential sale of Rosehill racecourse, which Australian Turf Club members later voted down. 'It was hostile, but I tried to stay out of it, I did not make public statements,' V'landys said. 'The future will tell you if it was a good decision or a bad decision (not to sell). 'It will tell you whether we were builders … or were we destroyers? 'I could see commercially the financial benefits to it, but the Australian Turf Club Members voted against it and history will judge whether that was a good or bad decision.' â– â– â– â– â– MARK LATHAM and GAI WATERHOUSE CRITICISM Latham went into attack dog mode against V'landys during the Rosehill inquiry, while racing's first lady Gai Waterhouse was also outspoken and critical of some of the process. Latham, who at one stage could have been Prime Minister, has encountered his own troubles in recent weeks over allegations from his former partner which Latham denies. 'I don't take much notice of all those things,' V'landys said, of Latham's recent troubles. 'I don't think personal attacks are necessary. 'I think Mark in this instance deserves due process and natural justice as to the accusations that have been made against him. 'I don't really worry too much what people say, because if you did you would be in the corner in the foetal position. 'Gai is entitled to her view and I haven't spoken to Gai about it. 'The only thing I would say is when you make an opinion, make sure you are correct in facts when you make that opinion. 'Gai had her opinion, I don't think she needed to get personal. 'If you get personal in an argument, I always think you are losing the argument. 'I never attack anyone personally, I will attack the issue.' â– â– â– â– â– The $20m slot race The Everest is V'landys' baby and he predicts the 2025 edition featuring Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising will 'break all records'. He also hinted at a major surprise to shake up the spring carnival. ' Ka Ying Rising is a personality horse with a lot of charisma and the attention we will get from Hong Kong will be exceptional,' he said. 'I've spoken to Marc van Gestel, the chairman of stewards in Hong Kong who used to work in New South Wales, and I asked him if this horse was as good as they say. 'He said 'every bit'. Black Caviar ðŸ¤� Ka Ying Rising? David Hayes on what makes Ka Ying Rising so freakish ðŸ'‰ — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) July 18, 2025 'There will be something (a surprise in spring carnival) but we will be making that announcement in the next couple of weeks. 'It is certainly going to be a major change, but we have to go through all the processes and we have to consult our partner the Australian Turf Club.' • Jimmysstar confirmed in TAB slot for 2025 The Everest â– â– â– â– â– THE BEEFED UP $10m MELBOURNE CUP $10m Melbourne Cup: Why every runner is a winner @gilbertgardiner analyses key Victorian prizemoney changes - plus the 10 golden tickets that are now on offer for Australia's most famous race. ðŸ'‡ — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) July 9, 2025 V'landys has previously taken shots at the Melbourne Cup, although he admits it commands its place in the Australian racing landscape. But he doesn't think the recent prizemoney boost will make much difference to the race. 'The Melbourne Cup is the Melbourne Cup – you could get two donkeys in it and people would still pay attention to it,' he said. 'The Cup has got tradition over many years, I don't think it (the prizemoney uplift) will make any difference. 'It's great for Australian racing to have an aspirational race like the Melbourne Cup. 'The thing for me though is that New South Wales last year paid over $400m in returns to participants. 'The closest any other state got was $110m less than us. 'The good thing for me is that $60m of our prizemoney goes to maiden races. 'We look after the bottom end of the industry, but we also look after the top end.' â– â– â– â– â– RACING VICTORIA SKIRMISH V'landys has hardly been bosom buddies with Racing Victoria, but there appeared to be a thawing of the interstate cold war, at least initially, when Aaron Morrison took the helm at RV. This is what V'landys now has to say about his Victorian rivals in racing administration. 'We get along pretty well with Racing Victoria and I think the chairman Tim Eddy is a good guy,' V'landys said. 'He takes your point of view on, and he certainly prosecutes his case if he doesn't agree with you. 'We are not going to agree on everything. 'The one that is the sticking point at the moment is this racing pattern … but I am sure we will resolve that in the near future. 'I take my hat off to Racing Victoria for trying very hard in doing the best for their state, they have to appreciate that I have to do the best for New South Wales.' â– â– â– â– â– WILL HE WALK AWAY FROM RACING? Should Peter V’landys remain the NRL boss? These numbers say a lot.. Me and @webbywrites have a new podcast: Off The Record that gives you the best info and inside word from the world of sport. Off The Record with Buzz & Webby is out now on all podcast platforms — BUZZ ROTHFIELD (@BuzzRothfield) March 30, 2025 A podcast earlier this year got tongues wagging when The Daily Telegraph's Sports Editor at Large, Phil Rothfield, revealed V'landys was considering stepping down from one of his high-powered roles in rugby league or racing. Most expected it could be his racing role rather than league role that he could relinquish. But V'landys insists he has not yet made any decision – that will come in a roundtable conversation with his family later this year. 'What I have said in the last six years since I have been chairman of the ARL Commission and CEO of Racing New South Wales is that at the end of the year I sit down with my family and I look at how the year went, what my capacity is to continue doing both roles,' V'landys said. 'I will do the same process this year and I will determine at the end of the year if I will stay on at Racing NSW and if I stay on the League Commission. 'Whatever decisions I make, I will make at the end of the year. 'For the last six years I have done both roles, how long that will continue I will tell you at the end of the year. 'Racing in New South Wales is in the healthiest position it has ever been in. 'We pay the most to participants, people say how can you sustain the prizemoney? 'Well, we have $375m in provisions to ensure we can sustain both the prizemoney and capital upgrades. 'We have $375m in our balance sheet to ensure the future of the New South Wales racing industry. 'I don't think there's too many racing jurisdictions who can say they have that sort of money set aside. 'There has been a decline in (wagering) turnover, but we will still probably make a $10m profit this year.' â– â– â– â– â– GROUP 1 RACES AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE V'landys concedes there 'are probably too many' Group 1 races in Australia but says 'the hardest part is telling a race club that you are going to have to go down to a Group 2 from a Group 1.' However, he is adamant the $10m Golden Eagle for four-year-old horses deserves to join The Everest in the newly-minted Group 1 club. 'There is a pyramid and the Group 1s should be the grand finals and there should be less of them,' V'landys said. 'But at the same time you can't stop innovation and the Golden Eagle deserves to be a Group 1. 'Horses have won Group 1 races all around the world after coming out of the Golden Eagle. 'If all goes to plan, it should be a Group 1 (before it is raced in the coming spring). 'Last year was exceptional and I don't think there's a race anywhere in the world that has produced as many Group 1 winners as the Golden Eagle.' â– â– â– â– â– RACING'S FUTURE V'landys feels racing in Australia is in a better position to safeguard its future than most other countries. He insists the younger audience which has been attracted to The Everest helps racing as a whole Down Under. 'I think we have done racing in Australia a big favour by promoting The Everest,' V'landys said. 'I think even the Melbourne Cup has had a resurgence from the young audience that we have been able to generate. 'We are promoting The Everest to the young person in Victoria just as much as we are promoting it to the young person in New South Wales. 'And that has become evident when you look at Victorian race meetings, they are getting a younger crowd. 'Racing has made a blunder worldwide where it hasn't looked at that next generation. 'You look at other jurisdictions around the world like America, they have been complacent, and racing is on a massive decline in America. 'Racing will be lucky to survive in the next 10 or 20 years in America. 'In Australia, racing is now appealing to a younger audience not just for The Everest, but for the whole year.' â– â– â– â– â– JOCKEY HEROES V'landys loved Racenet's exclusive story in May about how 12 of the world's best jockeys, including James McDonald, had banded together to form a Grand Prix style franchise-based global circuit which could revolutionise horse racing. He hopes it gets off the ground next year – for a very good reason. 'I think you have to look outside the square and you've got to go with innovation,' V'landys said. 'It may succeed, it may not, but I like the fact that someone is having a go. 'We need to hero the jockeys. 'I've noticed in racing that we don't have the heroes, in rugby league all the players are heroes. James McDonald reacts to our exclusive story of world's best jockeys competing in new global franchise league: "This will be the ultimate challenge for jockeys, I can't wait to get started." Reaction from JMac + other big name jockeys involved - — Ben Dorries (@bendorries76) May 5, 2025 'The league players walk down the street and everyone wants a selfie with them. 'In racing you don't have that same effect, unless you are really in the racing industry you don't know our major players and our jockeys. 'If you have something that promotes that and makes them a personality or a household name you grab it, it's a good thing. 'I saw a lot of criticism of the (jockey) concept, but those same critics think that just because you've got a racecourse people are going to turn up. 'They live in yesterday's land, they don't live in the future.' â– â– â– â– â– THE GIL FACTOR Former AFL supremo Gillon McLachlan took over as Tabcorp chief executive last year and has embarked on a quest for a leaner but far more competitive business. 'I think he's a brilliant operator,' V'landys said. 'The thing I like the most about him is that he's out of the AFL because he was certainly a formidable opponent. 'I think he's going to be a major asset to TAB.'
News.com.au
07-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Trainer Stephen Jones has 3-½ year ban restarted after visit to the Magic Millions Sales
The three-and-a-half-year ban being served by prominent country trainer Stephen Jones has been restarted after the Scone-based conditioner was found guilty of breaching the conditions of his disqualification. In February this year, the NSW Racing Appeal Tribunal upheld the three-and-a-half-year disqualification Jones was handed by Racing NSW stewards for a string of charges relating to the race-day treatment of horses. Jones, who has prepared more than 550 winners during his training career, was sidelined until October, 2027 as a result of the unsuccessful appeal bid, in which he pleaded not guilty to all but four of the 18 charges laid against him. But in March, while under disqualifaction, Jones made an application to Racing NSW seeking approval to attend the Magic Millions Yearling Sales on the Gold Coast in June. Following 'careful consideration' of the approach, Racing NSW ultimately refused the application. • Country trainer slapped with hefty treatment ban In the aftermath of the Magic Millions Sales, Racing NSW received information which led to the commencement of an investigation as to whether Jones did in fact attend the sales grounds. The evidence tendered alleged Jones 'entered the sales at 9.03am on June 2, 2025 before exiting a few hours later at 11.11am'. Stewards invited Jones to make submissions with respect to the allegations before consideration of all the available evidence and submissions led to Stewards being satisfied that Jones had in fact breached Australian Rule of Racing AR263(1)(m). The rule states that the disqualification period imposed on a person will automatically restart if the person breaches the rules. As a result, Jones' three-and-a-half-year ban will now expire in December, 2028.
Mercury
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Mercury
Mudgee preview, tips: David Smith banks on Lockdown Gamble's class in Cup
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. It will be the rain and not a crushing weight that denies local idol Lockdown Gamble a win in the much anticipated XXXX Cup (1400m). The David Smith-trained gelding boasts an exemplary record at the Mudgee 1400m and towers over his rivals in the Benchmark ratings department. Add in a four kilo claim and Lockdown Gamble seems to have all bases covered, but for one, the weather. 'I am not sure he will get out of third or fourth gear here with the wet conditions but if the track improves, he will be terribly hard to beat,' Smith said. 'He needed the run (last start at Canterbury). He was about five or six weeks between runs and he just got away from us fitness-wise. 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! 'It was just a sit and sprint over the last 600m and I am quite pleased with how he has come through the run.' Given all of Lockdown Gamble's past heroics, it was only fair to the others that he was afforded 64kg in the XXXX Cup. Not that Smith saw it as an impossible task but has managed to cut the impost down to a manageable 60kg thanks to the whopping claim of young apprentice jockey, Nicholas Hyde. 'I saw an article on him on the Racing NSW (website). I watched him on Cumboogle there at Narromine and I thought he was quite strong for a four kilo kid being able to ride one out,' Smith said. 'That's pretty much what we're after. Once we dropped a few points after that Canterbury run, we thought if we could find a half decent kid who is going to be able handle him, we can pick up another Cups race out here with him.' Smith, meanwhile, is suitably bullish about the prospects of the supremely well-bred mare Champers Girl when steps out in the Oriental Hotel Benchmark 66 Handicap (1200m). Smith's mare was nothing short of the eye-catcher in the race when she finished second to one of Dubbo's most in-form horses - Midnight Dream - at her most recent outing. 'I'm extremely happy with her too,' the trainer declared. 'I think she is probably my best chance on the card.' Champers Girl, as her name may suggest, is a great granddaughter of Champagne who won the 1998 Mackinnon Stakes, four days prior to her close second to Jezabeel in the Melbourne Cup. Smith's stable of blue bloods doesn't end there. His Mudgee digs are home to Instead who was once part of Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin racing string. A daughter of Lonhro, Instead is a very close genetic relative of the Hong Kong champion Vengeance Of Rain, AJC Oaks winner Dizelle and her VRC Oaks winning daughter, Pinot. Instead has been holding her form admirably, evidenced by her determined fourth in a deep 2200m Benchmark 58 at Dubbo last weekend. 'I have no hesitation in her backing up and the reason for it is she just likes the wet track,' Smith said. 'The only time I have done it, she was coming off a Coonabarabran win when she stepped up to the mile for the first time at Dubbo and she was only just nabbed on the line there.' Fans of Johnny Cash will be drawn to Smith's participant in the final race, the Wild Oats Country Boosted Class 2 Handicap (1400m), namely A Boy Named Soo. The son of the now Indonesia-based stallion Sooboog has been somewhat hot and cold over his career but is warming up to another win says Smith. 'He is going much better than his record suggests this time in,' Smith offered. SHAYNE O'CASS' TOP SELECTIONS BEST BET Race 4 No. 1: LAST LALIQUE Half-sister and stablemate of Dollar Magic. Might just be better than these. NEXT BEST Race 6 No. 6: RED SPECTOR Left a lasting impression when he won at Coffs Harbour back in December. VALUE BET Race 7 No. 2: THE IMPECKABLE Third-up; good draw, good jockey, good prospects. QUADDIE Race 4: 1 Race 5: 1, 4, 8, 10 Race 6: 2, 6 Race 7: 2, 3, 6, 9 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW AARON BULLOCK has a 20.7 per cent winning strike-rate at Mudgee. Aaron Bullock can add to his impressive record at Mudgee. Picture: Getty Images INSIDE MAIL - MUDGEE RACE 1: Mudgee Florist (Bm66) 2000m DE LOUVIERE (3) is a Matthew Smith trained son of the German Derby winner Sea The Moon who was scheduled to race at Beaumont on Tuesday, only the meeting was washed out. Smith's Irish-bred import blotted an otherwise exemplary copybook with that fading seventh of eight at Wyong last start but he did plenty of overtime up there in a no holds barred 2000m. AVION FURY (1) boasts a plethora of provincial form. Failed last start too but this looks a lovely race for him to bounce back. Maybe BUSH TELEGRAPH (2) wants 2000m now. Bet: De Louviere to win, exacta 3 to beat 1 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 2: McGrath Country Boosted Mdn Plate 1200m GREAT IDEA (2) is a rising six-year-old with just one start on his resume this far; that was on March 9 this year when an eye-catching fourth at Tamworth in a 1200m race at $61. Resurfaced at Scone on June 25 winning a 1000m trial. Good draw, Grant Buckley rides, nice race for him. ANOTHER PEACH (9) has been blessed with what might be a 'winning draw'. She should do no work and thus have no excuses if she can't run up to her best from box three. Mack Griffith's local SILENT ACE (6) is a massive watch. Bet: Great Idea each-way ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 3: XXXX Cup (Bm82) 1400m LOCKDOWN GAMBLE (1) has won seven times with six placings in his 31 starts. He is of course trained here at Mudgee where his record at this track and trip is rather impressive; five runs, one win and two thirds. The win was in an 82 and the thirds were in the Mudgee Cup and the CDRA Championships Qualifier. ZULFIQAR (2) was scratched from the Midway at Rosehill to run here. Hasn't been far away his last two. MEDINAH (7) is a Mack Griffith-trained local whose own record at the Mudgee 1400m is almost faultless being three starts for two wins. FLORINO (3) should be very prominent in the run from that alley. Bet: Lockdown Gamble to win ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 4: Goree Super Mdn Hcp 1400m LAST LALIQUE (1) is a half-sister to stablemate Dollar Magic. This three-year-old daughter of Star Witness has raced three times so far for a fifth, a fourth and lastly a third, that one at Scone when closing off willingly. That was 1300m, this is 1400m. How perfect could it be. GHAZNAVI (5) remains winless after 16 starts but he has placed five times; two of them have been since he joined the Cameron Crockett. He does look to be getting close but we've said that before. BONNIE AND BRUCE (2) can figure. Bet: Last Lalique to win ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 5: Oriental Hotel (Bm66) 1200m CHICO CASINO (8) is a handy horse. The Dean Mirfin-trained four-year-old was an easy winner on debut at home. His record as it stands is 15 starts for two wins and nine seconds, four of them are seconds. We should also point out that he ran in the 2025 CDRA Qualifier and wasn't awful either. Drawn wide but has Aaron Bullock to assist. Stablemate DE FORERUNNER (1) has raced at Mudgee twice for a win and a third. He is the top-rater in the race which has to count for something and the trial was a beauty. GRINS (4), CHAMPERS GIRL (10) and VOIGNER (3) are in medal contention. Bet: Chico Casino to win, Daily Double 1st Leg 8, 2nd Leg 2 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 6: Bisec Hcp (C1) 1200m RED SPECTOR (6) is one of the handful of progeny of Red Henno to have raced so far and all of them can gallop. None better, or faster, than this Jake Hull-trained three-year-old who was just so impressive when he won that 1205m maiden at Coffs Harbour on December 30. Brilliant again in his June 16 trial. PRESSNELL (2), the horse named in honour of the great man himself (Max) has his first run at Mudgee after some tidy efforts away from home. Has plenty of wins in him. WILD SENSATION (5) has drawn well and is in good shape off a recent second at Nowra. Bet: Red Spector to win, exacta 6 to beat 2, quinella 2, 6 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RACE 7: Wild Oats Country Boosted Hcp (C2) 1400m THE IMPECKABLE (2) sent out signs that a win was imminent when he came from well back at the 400m to finish third in a 1400m Benchmark 58 at Tamworth on June 16. That was second-up so it stands to logic that he should be at his peak now for this very suitable race. Gets Chad Lever, good draw and 1400m. PODCAST (3) wasn't too bad in his first Highway attempt at Rosehill on June 14. This is easier of course but made slightly harder than it could have been given a very wide draw, Still, he gets back anyway and has Aaron Bullock to help out. Bet: The Impeckable to win, quinella 2, 3
News.com.au
05-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Mudgee preview: Trainer David Smith optimistic despite rain threatening Lockdown Gamble's Cup campaign
It will be the rain and not a crushing weight that denies local idol Lockdown Gamble a win in the much anticipated XXXX Cup (1400m). The David Smith -trained gelding boasts an exemplary record at the Mudgee 1400m and towers over his rivals in the Benchmark ratings department. Add in a four kilo claim and Lockdown Gamble seems to have all bases covered, but for one, the weather. 'I am not sure he will get out of third or fourth gear here with the wet conditions but if the track improves, he will be terribly hard to beat,' Smith said. 'He needed the run (last start at Canterbury). He was about five or six weeks between runs and he just got away from us fitness-wise. LOCKDOWN GAMBLE wins the Wellington Cup! Consolation from the Country Championships for @DJSRacing6 as Lockdown Gamble survives a protest from Danish Prince to win the @WellingtonRaces Cup and earn Big Dance ðŸ'ƒ eligibility. Sizzle Minizzle ran a close third. @tabcomau â€' Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) April 14, 2024 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! 'It was just a sit and sprint over the last 600m and I am quite pleased with how he has come through the run.' Given all of Lockdown Gamble's past heroics, it was only fair to the others that he was afforded 64kg in the XXXX Cup. Not that Smith saw it as an impossible task but has managed to cut the impost down to a manageable 60kg thanks to the whopping claim of young apprentice jockey, Nicholas Hyde. 'I saw an article on him on the Racing NSW (website). I watched him on Cumboogle there at Narromine and I thought he was quite strong for a four kilo kid being able to ride one out,' Smith said. 'That's pretty much what we're after. Once we dropped a few points after that Canterbury run, we thought if we could find a half decent kid who is going to be able handle him, we can pick up another Cups race out here with him.' Smith, meanwhile, is suitably bullish about the prospects of the supremely well-bred mare Champers Girl when steps out in the Oriental Hotel Benchmark 66 Handicap (1200m). Smith's mare was nothing short of the eye-catcher in the race when she finished second to one of Dubbo's most in-form horses - Midnight Dream - at her most recent outing. 'I'm extremely happy with her too,' the trainer declared. 'I think she is probably my best chance on the card.' Borrowed Luck cruises to victory at HUGE odds at Tamworth! ðŸ'° â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 9, 2025 Champers Girl, as her name may suggest, is a great granddaughter of Champagne who won the 1998 Mackinnon Stakes, four days prior to her close second to Jezabeel in the Melbourne Cup. Smith's stable of blue bloods doesn't end there. His Mudgee digs are home to Instead who was once part of Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin racing string. A daughter of Lonhro, Instead is a very close genetic relative of the Hong Kong champion Vengeance Of Rain, AJC Oaks winner Dizelle and her VRC Oaks winning daughter, Pinot. Instead has been holding her form admirably, evidenced by her determined fourth in a deep 2200m Benchmark 58 at Dubbo last weekend. 'I have no hesitation in her backing up and the reason for it is she just likes the wet track,' Smith said. 'The only time I have done it, she was coming off a Coonabarabran win when she stepped up to the mile for the first time at Dubbo and she was only just nabbed on the line there.' Fans of Johnny Cash will be drawn to Smith's participant in the final race, the Wild Oats Country Boosted Class 2 Handicap (1400m), namely A Boy Named Soo. The son of the now Indonesia-based stallion Sooboog has been somewhat hot and cold over his career but is warming up to another win says Smith. 'He is going much better than his record suggests this time in,' Smith offered. SHAYNE O'CASS' TOP SELECTIONS BEST BET Race 4 No. 1: LAST LALIQUE Half-sister and stablemate of Dollar Magic. Might just be better than these. NEXT BEST Race 6 No. 6: RED SPECTOR Left a lasting impression when he won at Coffs Harbour back in December. VALUE BET Race 7 No. 2: THE IMPECKABLE Third-up; good draw, good jockey, good prospects. QUADDIE Race 4: 1 Race 5: 1, 4, 8, 10 Race 6: 2, 6 Race 7: 2, 3, 6, 9 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW AARON BULLOCK has a 20.7 per cent winning strike-rate at Mudgee. INSIDE MAIL - MUDGEE DE LOUVIERE (3) is a Matthew Smith trained son of the German Derby winner Sea The Moon who was scheduled to race at Beaumont on Tuesday, only the meeting was washed out. Smith's Irish-bred import blotted an otherwise exemplary copybook with that fading seventh of eight at Wyong last start but he did plenty of overtime up there in a no holds barred 2000m. AVION FURY (1) boasts a plethora of provincial form. Failed last start too but this looks a lovely race for him to bounce back. Maybe BUSH TELEGRAPH (2) wants 2000m now. Bet: De Louviere to win, exacta 3 to beat 1 â– â– â– â– â– RACE 2: McGrath Country Boosted Mdn Plate 1200m GREAT IDEA (2) is a rising six-year-old with just one start on his resume this far; that was on March 9 this year when an eye-catching fourth at Tamworth in a 1200m race at $61. Resurfaced at Scone on June 25 winning a 1000m trial. Good draw, Grant Buckley rides, nice race for him. ANOTHER PEACH (9) has been blessed with what might be a 'winning draw'. She should do no work and thus have no excuses if she can't run up to her best from box three. Mack Griffith's local SILENT ACE (6) is a massive watch. Bet: Great Idea each-way â– â– â– â– â– RACE 3: XXXX Cup (Bm82) 1400m LOCKDOWN GAMBLE (1) has won seven times with six placings in his 31 starts. He is of course trained here at Mudgee where his record at this track and trip is rather impressive; five runs, one win and two thirds. The win was in an 82 and the thirds were in the Mudgee Cup and the CDRA Championships Qualifier. ZULFIQAR (2) was scratched from the Midway at Rosehill to run here. Hasn't been far away his last two. MEDINAH (7) is a Mack Griffith-trained local whose own record at the Mudgee 1400m is almost faultless being three starts for two wins. FLORINO (3) should be very prominent in the run from that alley. Bet: Lockdown Gamble to win â– â– â– â– â– RACE 4: Goree Super Mdn Hcp 1400m LAST LALIQUE (1) is a half-sister to stablemate Dollar Magic. This three-year-old daughter of Star Witness has raced three times so far for a fifth, a fourth and lastly a third, that one at Scone when closing off willingly. That was 1300m, this is 1400m. How perfect could it be. GHAZNAVI (5) remains winless after 16 starts but he has placed five times; two of them have been since he joined the Cameron Crockett. He does look to be getting close but we've said that before. BONNIE AND BRUCE (2) can figure. Bet: Last Lalique to win â– â– â– â– â– RACE 5: Oriental Hotel (Bm66) 1200m CHICO CASINO (8) is a handy horse. The Dean Mirfin-trained four-year-old was an easy winner on debut at home. His record as it stands is 15 starts for two wins and nine seconds, four of them are seconds. We should also point out that he ran in the 2025 CDRA Qualifier and wasn't awful either. Drawn wide but has Aaron Bullock to assist. Stablemate DE FORERUNNER (1) has raced at Mudgee twice for a win and a third. He is the top-rater in the race which has to count for something and the trial was a beauty. GRINS (4), CHAMPERS GIRL (10) and VOIGNER (3) are in medal contention. Bet: Chico Casino to win, Daily Double 1st Leg 8, 2nd Leg 2 â– â– â– â– â– RACE 6: Bisec Hcp (C1) 1200m RED SPECTOR (6) is one of the handful of progeny of Red Henno to have raced so far and all of them can gallop. None better, or faster, than this Jake Hull-trained three-year-old who was just so impressive when he won that 1205m maiden at Coffs Harbour on December 30. Brilliant again in his June 16 trial. PRESSNELL (2), the horse named in honour of the great man himself (Max) has his first run at Mudgee after some tidy efforts away from home. Has plenty of wins in him. WILD SENSATION (5) has drawn well and is in good shape off a recent second at Nowra. â– â– â– â– â– THE IMPECKABLE (2) sent out signs that a win was imminent when he came from well back at the 400m to finish third in a 1400m Benchmark 58 at Tamworth on June 16. That was second-up so it stands to logic that he should be at his peak now for this very suitable race. Gets Chad Lever, good draw and 1400m. PODCAST (3) wasn't too bad in his first Highway attempt at Rosehill on June 14. This is easier of course but made slightly harder than it could have been given a very wide draw, Still, he gets back anyway and has Aaron Bullock to help out.
The Age
08-06-2025
- The Age
‘Headbutts', threats, ‘insulting language' in an industry under pressure
Tempers were running high at the Richmond greyhound track. A trainer and his partner were unhappy with a racing steward's direction, and they made their displeasure known in what was described by a witness as 'terribly insulting language'. 'Fat f---ing c---,' the woman said to the steward, numerous times, before telling him she'd kill him, she'd bash him and that she'd have his job over an instruction affecting the couple's dogs, including one named Tombstone Boy. She then attacked the steward physically, trying to 'headbutt him first', a witness said, before 'throwing punches at him', and leaving him with marks to his head and neck. Another night, another fight – this time at the Newcastle track, where two trainers faced off. One, with a dog in his hand, shouldered the other in the chest, and was repelled with a forceful push that sent him rolling down the hill. He gave the dog's lead to his stepson. 'Hold this lead,' he told the lad, 'while I f--- this c--- up.' They traded punches, then one of the men 'legs it', according to an interview with the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission, yelling 'you've done your licence now'. The cases were among a dossier of files on physical and sexual assault and harassment within the NSW greyhound racing industry tabled in parliament this month, prompting a call for a probe into human-to-human behaviour within an industry that's most often under scrutiny for its treatment of animals. The cases also prompted questions about why industry participants were still not required to update their police check when they renewed their registration. Loading The government is already holding an inquiry into the greyhound racing industry after an explosive letter to Racing NSW from its former chief veterinarian, revealed by this masthead last year, alleged the treatment of dogs was barbaric and the industry was unsustainable. The Drake inquiry is due to report by the end of July. The dossier about assault and harassment, particularly of officials in the industry, contained cases investigated between 2019 and this year.
