Latest news with #RamornieHandicap
Herald Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Herald Sun
Trainer Ethan Ensby saddles up Maximum Vortex at Casino
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Casino trainer Ethan Ensby has declared electric sprinter Maximum Vortex is ready and able if called upon by slot-holders for a Kosciuszko mission in the mid-October $2 million showdown. A fourth generation direct descendant of former Woodlands Stud owned crack filly-cum-foundation mare Shaybisc, Maximum Vortex has won seven races on both sides of the Tweed River, most of them by big margins in slick time. Ensby's gelding went within inches of winning the John Carlton at the Grafton carnival just 10-days prior to his uncommonly poor run in the time-honoured Ramornie Handicap. • 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! 'The Ramornie was just an absolute trainwreck,'' Ensby said. 'The trainer needs his head read for starting him from that bad gate (14 of 15). 'He pulled up fine but we tipped him out for three weeks, he is back and he looks enormous. 'He'll start a bit of pacework (this week) and the idea is he will trial, I think it is the day before tickets are drawn for the Kosciuszko. 'The stable has put together a bit of a syndicate to buy some tickets, we have got a fair bit of coin in the bank to go and buy some, so (the Kosciuszko) is the plan.' • Everest possibility for Waller's new leading Lady Ensby will be represented by four of Maximum Vortex's stablemates – Vendemmia, So Sain, Intelligencer and the Tasmanian-born blueblood, In The Blink – at his hometown meeting at Casino on Monday. Vendemmia finished out of a place at his first run for Ensby (and jockey Ben Looker) at Kempsey last month but it comes as no surprise he is the punter's favourite to make amends on Monday. 'Benny jumped off and said he just made a mess of that,'' Ensby explained. 'He said he lobbed in what he thought was going to be a perfect position and then he said he had all these horses around him that weren't carting him anywhere. 'He got caught behind a wall of them and darted back to the inside and the inside probably ended up being the worse place to be all day, it was like quicksand.' Vendemmia will have company, and competition, in her assignment from her new stablemate So Sain who makes her Northern Rivers debut on Monday having originally been stationed at Kembla with Robert and Luke Price. 'She's a nice little horse,'' Ensby said. 'I probably should have had her in the 1000m (race), the 1200m might just be a furlong too far. Look for her second-up but that's not saying that she can't run a race.' Ensby warned punters not to unduly punish his Written Tycoon filly Intelligencer ($51) for her almost 20-lengths last at Grafton four weeks ago. 'Once again the trainer needs his head read for starting from an outside gate,'' Ensby said. 'Benny (Looker) came back and said he was never going to get in any closer than six-wide and then another horse in the race just carted him clean off the track. 'Be looking for big improvement on Monday. 'She is a very, very nice horse.' Intelligencer boasts a rare 3x4 double cross of Kenmare whose numerous Australian-born stakes-winners include fast and furious types like Keltrice, Kenvain and Kenfair, milers Brave Prince and Baryshnikov, AJC Oaks winner Kenbelle and the Melbourne Cup placegetter, Lahar. Ensby's final runner on Monday is another stable debutant, this one being the seven-year-old mare, In The Blink. 'She has been a work in progress,'' Ensby said. 'I tell you what, if looks could win races, she'd win by 10 lengths. She looks absolutely outstanding and her work has been exceptional.' Originally published as Casino Monday preview: Trainer Ethan Ensby takes it to the Max
Sydney Morning Herald
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ryan eyes more Rosehill success with ‘sensational' Lady Extreme
Hawkesbury trainer Blake Ryan hopes to chase black type again with Lady Extreme, but there's no hurry. Ryan will happily take a third Saturday city win at Rosehill instead with the six-year-old mare, which has already earned almost 10 times her price and been 'sensational' for his stable. Lady Extreme was sixth last start in the listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton on July 16, which came after back-to-back wins at Rosehill, the first in Midway company then another in benchmark 78 grade. Those came after four consecutive seconds at Saturday and midweek city level in her previous campaign. With Alysha Collett aboard again, Lady Extreme returns to Rosehill on Saturday for the fourth race, a 1400m benchmark 78 for fillies and mares, after Ryan considered the open benchmark 78. Ryan hopes a likely heavy track will favour the $8 Sportsbet hope, and also scare off odds-on favourite Tuileries. 'She's won on heavy tracks and won on good tracks; she's pretty bulletproof in a lot of ways,' Ryan said. 'If there's speed in the race, she can come from back in the field. If they don't go quick, she was up running fourth, second up the other day. 'Wet tracks, dry tracks, she makes my job pretty easy by being versatile and honest.' The daughter of Extreme Choice, Lady Extreme has won $270,000 since coming to Ryan as an unraced $27,500 online buy for FED Bloodstock's Luke Wilkinson. She originally went for $250,000 as a Magic Millions yearling. Ryan had a first crack at black type racing with Lady Extreme in the Ramornie and was pleased with the effort.
The Age
31-07-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Ryan eyes more Rosehill success with ‘sensational' Lady Extreme
Hawkesbury trainer Blake Ryan hopes to chase black type again with Lady Extreme, but there's no hurry. Ryan will happily take a third Saturday city win at Rosehill instead with the six-year-old mare, which has already earned almost 10 times her price and been 'sensational' for his stable. Lady Extreme was sixth last start in the listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton on July 16, which came after back-to-back wins at Rosehill, the first in Midway company then another in benchmark 78 grade. Those came after four consecutive seconds at Saturday and midweek city level in her previous campaign. With Alysha Collett aboard again, Lady Extreme returns to Rosehill on Saturday for the fourth race, a 1400m benchmark 78 for fillies and mares, after Ryan considered the open benchmark 78. Ryan hopes a likely heavy track will favour the $8 Sportsbet hope, and also scare off odds-on favourite Tuileries. 'She's won on heavy tracks and won on good tracks; she's pretty bulletproof in a lot of ways,' Ryan said. 'If there's speed in the race, she can come from back in the field. If they don't go quick, she was up running fourth, second up the other day. 'Wet tracks, dry tracks, she makes my job pretty easy by being versatile and honest.' The daughter of Extreme Choice, Lady Extreme has won $270,000 since coming to Ryan as an unraced $27,500 online buy for FED Bloodstock's Luke Wilkinson. She originally went for $250,000 as a Magic Millions yearling. Ryan had a first crack at black type racing with Lady Extreme in the Ramornie and was pleased with the effort.
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Sha Of Gomer wins Ramornie Handicap to create Australian racing history for husband and wife Jeff Dunn and Rikki Jamieson
The husband-and-wife team of Jeff Dunn and Rikki Jamieson created Australian racing history on Wednesday when they combined with Sha Of Gomer to win the $200,000 Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton. Never before in Australian racing has a husband and wife trained and ridden the same horse to win a stakes race in Australia. Dunn, a former stunt performer on horseback, celebrated the biggest win of his short career when Jamison produced Sha Of Gomer in the straight and the horse surged clear under the urgings of his wife. Sha Of Gomer ($10) defeated Compelling Truth ($4 fav) by 1¼ lengths with a half-length back to Barber ($6) in third. 'It's absolutely huge,' Dunn said. 'What a thrill to win such a special race. 'I'm overwhelmed with the support that we've had with this horse. To win this race is really special for us. 'This would have been great for me but it will never be surpassed in my career. 'I can't believe it's happened and it's really special to share it with Rikki. 'As long as she remembers who's boss, we're all good.' Sha Of Gomer powers away and wins the Ramornie! ðŸ�† Rikki Jamieson and Jeff Dunn combine for a dominant win! ðŸ'� — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 16, 2025 Sha Of Gomer was formerly trained by Australia's premier trainer Chris Waller and found his way into Dunn's Beaudesert stable in April. The gelding went close three runs back when narrowly beaten in the Eye Liner at Ipswich but Wednesday's win provided Dunn with Jamieson with what the jockey described as 'the highlight' of her career. 'Doing it with Jeff is such a thrill,' Jamieson said. 'He's just beginning his career and needs a few more decent horses so to get a result like this is a big thing. 'He trains so well, we work really well as a team, we have great staff at the moment, everything's working really well.'
News.com.au
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Bred by a billionaire, bought by a battler: The Jackal's remarkable Ramornie legacy
There have been some great horses win the time-honoured Ramornie Handicap; Razor Sharp, Mistress Anne, Cangronde and the greatest of them all, Takeover Target. But why is it that so many people's favourite Ramornie winner – The Jackal – is the same? He's one of four horses to have won the race twice but only the ardent racing scholars could name the other three. Everyone loves The Jackal, the horse bred by a billionaire but bought by a battler. 'He was a life-changer,'' the horse's trainer Paul St Vincent told Racenet 17 years on from The Jackal's second Ramornie win. 'I bought him at the Magic Millions Sale in June (2004) so he was a fairly late yearling by then, nearly turning two. 'Gerry (Harvey) bred (him). I paid twenty grand for him.' Not big money for Harvey but hardly an insignificant sum for any country trainer to spend on an unraced horse at the time. 'That's a fair few years ago and we weren't racing for anywhere near the prizemoney we're racing for now,'' St Vincent says. 'That's why he had to move about a bit and travel, Brisbane, Sydney whatever to chase the rich races.' • Ramornie mission is Boom or bust Time for Heathcote galloper Given St Vincent was stationed at Tamworth, The Jackal wasn't that much further from Eagle Farm or Doomben as he was from Randwick or Rosehill. In fact, 27 of The Jackal's 74 starts were at Eagle Farm. 'He was in some pretty big races,'' St Vincent said. 'The thing about him was that he didn't like it if the track was soft. 'He was fairly sound. Towards the end, he had a few little niggles and has his issues that we had to manage continuously 'It wasn't 100 per cent with nothing ever not going wrong, there was always something happening here and there but that's training racehorses. 'I was lucky because we owned him, we could call the shots and if I didn't like the way he was, if I thought he's got something not right, I didn't go. I could pull him out and I didn't have an owner that I had to explain to.' • For the record. The Jackal won 15 times including the WJ Healy Stakes, Star Kingdom Stakes, Prime Minister's Cup and Falvelon Stakes. But it was his two Ramornie's in 2007 and 2008 that elevated him to cult status. 'That's what country racing can do to horses,'' the man they call The Saint says.' 'When they're owned by country people and trained by country people and come out and beat whatever's the best on offer, they seem to get plenty of coverage from it.' So with another Ramornie nigh upon us, plenty of racing fans of a certain age with tell those younger of a horse named The Jackal. For those of us who admired the son of Bite The Bullet from afar, we think of him every Ramornie day every year. But for The Saint, it's more often than that. • Mitch Cohen's Blackbook: Five to follow from Randwick on Saturday 'I think about him every day cause I've gotta feed him,'' St Vincent said. 'He's still alive, you know. He's at my place at Tamworth. We've got a place out of town and he lives out there. 'He gets looked after pretty well. 'He's rising 23, it's not what you class as old, old, old but it's pretty good I can tell you.' A $20,000 purchase who would go on to win a million bucks and win not just the lifelong devotion of one man but the admiration of so many more. The Jackal, like the Ramornie itself, was always destined to become 'time-honoured'.
