Latest news with #RobArchibald
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
The curious case of the Stradbroke Handicap betting market
It's a Stradbroke Handicap betting market like few have ever seen. With just over a week to go before Queensland's most prestigious race, there is only one horse in single figures in betting in the TAB fixed odds market. After his dominant win in the Group 3 BRC Sprint, War Machine was promoted to $5 Stradbroke Handicap favouritism as the famed Lindsay Park dynasty tries to win its first Stradbroke. Since then, without even racing, War Machine has been slashed even further and is now a pronounced $3 Stradbroke favourite. It's not just the fact that punters have continued to warm to War Machine, but there are other factors at play. Benedetta, a one-time Stradbroke fancy, will now not contest the race and will only run in Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup. Other potential Stradbroke contenders have either fallen by the wayside or been disappointing. Three-year-old colt Bosustow was considered a strong Stradbroke chance but then failed to flatter in Wednesday's rescheduled Fred Best Classic where he appeared to have every chance but could only finish sixth as the $2.45 favourite. Bosustow has now blown out to be a $21 Stradbroke chance but co-trainer Rob Archibald confirmed the colt would tackle the race and said last year's Stradbroke winning jockey Zac Lloyd had been booked to ride. Others, such as Rothfire, are in doubt. Giga Kick, weighted with 58.5kg in the Stradbroke, almost certainly wouldn't back up after racing in Saturday's Kingsford Smith Cup. While Private Eye will attack the Stradbroke as a $15 chance, he will avoid the Kingsford Smith. It would mean he would have to snap decades of Stradbroke tradition and land the race first-up. Could Chris Waller pull a rabbit out of a hat and race boom three-year-old Angel Capital in the Stradbroke first-up? Angel Capital sits 26th in the order of entry but with the attrition rate above him he would be close to being assured a Stradbroke berth if Waller wanted to pull the trigger. It would be almost unprecedented for a three-year-old to run first-up in a Stradbroke, the Yulong trained youngster is currently a $21 chance. There still remains a lot to play out, key decisions to be made and some things could change after some races at Eagle Farm on Saturday. But only two things seem sure in the 2025 Stradbroke and that is there will be two fairytale stories. And there is another amazing story playing out, with Toby Edmonds securing one-time $8,000 yearling filly Spicy Martini a Stradbroke start after an emotional triumph in the Fred Best Classic at Doomben on Wednesday. 'She has pulled up great,' Edmonds said on Thursday.
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘The horse meant a lot to him': Bosustow, named after late footy legend Peter Bosustow, on hunt for Group 1 glory
Shelley Bosustow was doing the ironing when she heard a loud, piercing scream. Her husband, legendary former Australian Rules footballer Peter Bosustow, was years into a devastating cancer battle so she quickly raced to his side. 'One day I was ironing and all of a sudden he was absolutely screaming,' Shelley Bosustow told Racenet. 'I thought he was having a heart attack or a stroke. 'But it turned out he was cheering the horse home, the horse named after him, and he was jumping up and down like a lunatic. 'Peter had always been a mad racing man, right from when I first met him, he used to go to the trots a lot. • 'The horse (Bosustow) meant a lot to him every time it raced, in the final stages of his life. 'He was so excited every time it raced and he was always so keen to watch it. 'He loved racing, even right to the end he got sent tips from (Australian Rules legends) Stephen Kernahan and Dougie Hawkins.' Bosustow, a three-year-old colt trained by Rob and Annabel Archibald, races in Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm where he is an $8.50 chance. After bolting to victory by six lengths in the Gold Coast Guineas last start, Bosustow is also one of the top betting picks for next month's Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, Queensland's most prestigious race. The young horse is honouring Peter 'Buzz' Bosustow, the electrifying West Australian who won two VFL premierships with the Carlton Blues in the 1980s. • 'I slept in the back of a car': How Joliestar's owner started from nothing Tragically, Peter Bosustow passed away in April after a long and gruelling cancer fight. Not long afterwards, Shelley Bosustow felt the horse with the same name had help from above when it won the Gold Coast Guineas by as far as you could kick your hat. 'When it raced the other day, it bolted away, I am sure that Peter was riding the horse home from up above,' Shelley Bosustow said. 'He would have loved that race when it won on the Gold Coast, I sat and watched it and I just burst into tears. 'Anthony Mithen and his (business) partners name horses after former Aussie Rules footballers and one of our kids told Peter that there had been a horse named after him. 'Months later, Peter reached out to Anthony Mithen and said he was thrilled to hear about it. 'And he just kept following the horse and getting updates.' Bosustow loves racing at @GCTurfClub! He dominates the Gold Coast Guineas for @ANeashamRacing ðŸ'° — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025 * Hulbert has Melbourne Cup dream for ex-Maher import Mithen and his Rosemont Alliance stretched to $900,000 to purchase Bosustow as a yearling and the colt has already won more than $2m and established himself as one of Australia's most exciting young horses. The original plan was for him to race in Saturday's Group 3 Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm, a three-year-old race which offers the winner a golden ticket into next month's Stradbroke. But with Bosustow dominating his opposition last start – and virtually guaranteed of a Stradbroke start – connections raised their sights and will set the colt loose on Saturday's Group 1. Shelley Bosustow will be watching on TV from her home in Mandurah, WA, and remembering her late, great husband. • Callow to miss Derby after jockey altercation 'We knew the cancer was going to eventually get Pete, but it is always a shock when it happens,' she said. 'We are an extremely close family and his kids miss him terribly. 'Peter was sick for almost four years, it was rectal cancer but by the time they found it, it had spread to his liver. 'He stopped chemo last November for his own sake, because he had 61 rounds of it, seven hours at a time. 'And then he had heaps of radiation and all the other stuff you could possibly have. 'He came down with jaundice in March. 'One Sunday morning, he was yellow. 'I got him straight to hospital and they put drains and stents in his liver, but a few weeks later he passed away. 'His liver basically just gave up on him.' The racing business can be a cutthroat one, but it can also be deeply emotional and incredibly personal. If Bosustow races up to them to fight out the finish on Saturday, the best bet of the day is there will be a late, great footballer giving it an extra urge from up above.
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Exciting colt Bosustow will head to next month's Stradbroke Handicap with just 51.5kg on his back
Exciting colt Bosustow will head to next month's Stradbroke Handicap with just 51.5kg on his back following the release of the weights for the $3m Group 1 at Eagle Farm. The Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald -trained three-year-old will likely line up in Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) before being aimed toward the Stradbroke (1400m) on June 14. Bosustow won the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) by a massive six lengths on a heavy track on May 10. 'He looks a real Stradbroke type, he'll definitely be competitive in the race,' Racing Queensland's chief handicapper Nathan Bourke said on Monday night. 'It was hard to get him any higher than that (51.5kg). They get a 1.5kg allowance in this race under the weight-for-age scale. 'If I gave him any more weight then he'd be up there with Group 1 winners like Port Lockroy and Golden Mile. 'The three-year-olds are always hard to line up. Angel Capital (51kg) is another three-year-old who I think will be competitive if he gets a start. ' Ameena has got some good runs in Group 1 races in South Australia so there's a fair bit of interest in the three-year-olds, especially Bosustow and Angel Capital.' Bosustow loves racing at @GCTurfClub! He dominates the Gold Coast Guineas for @ANeashamRacing ðŸ'° — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025 • The Bjorn Baker -trained Stefi Magnetica took out the Stradbroke as a three-year-old last year but she won't be back to defend her crown this time. Impending (2017) and Sincero (2011) are the only other three-year-olds to salute in the time-honoured feature in recent years. War Machine (53kg) is the $4.50 favourite in the Stradbroke with TAB, ahead of Joliestar (56kg, $6), Benedetta (53.5kg, $11) Bosustow ($11) and Kimochi (54kg, $11). • Local hero The Inflictor ($15) will carry just 51kg and the Craig Cousins -trained gelding is assured of a spot after winning the Gateway (1400m) in December last year. Cousins has already indicated that Cejay Graham will ride The Inflictor in the Straddie. Brilliant sprinter Giga Kick, the 2022 The Everest winner, is the Stradbroke topweight with 58.5kg. The Clayton Douglas -trained star sprinter carried 54.5kg in this month's Group 1 The Goodwood in Adelaide when third behind Reserve Bank and Sir Sway. @bendorries76 — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) May 26, 2025 Only two Stradbroke winners have carried more than 56kg to win in the last 40 years (Rough Habit and Campaign King). Campaign King was also the last horse to win the Doomben 10,000-Stradbroke double, in 1988, with this year's 10,000 champion Sunshine in Paris is enjoying a spell before the classy mare is set for a tilt at The Everest at Randwick in October. Queensland star Antino was given 58kg for the Straddie but the Tony Gollan -trained gelding will be spelled and set for a Cox Plate campaign following his devastating victory in the Doomben Cup (2000m) last weekend.
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Exciting colt Bosustow likely to contest Saturday's Kingsford Smith Cup before a tilt at the Stradbroke
Connections of dual Guineas hero Bosustow will part with the $25,500 late entry fee for Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup before deciding which race the boom colt contests at Eagle Farm this Saturday as his all important Stradbroke lead up. A brilliant last start winner of the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas, putting his rivals to the sword by an ever-extending six lengths, trainers Annabel and Rob Archibald had initially eyed the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) with Bosustow this Saturday where the winner earns direct entry into the $3 million Stradbroke Handicap. But with his recent ratings surge all but assuring him an outright Stradbroke berth at Eagle Farm on June 14, Bosustow's managing owner Anthony Mithen said a tilt at Group 1 glory in the Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) is now looming large as the more likely target. 'The plan is to pay up for the Kingsford Smith (Cup) and then assess from there what race best sets him up for the Stradbroke,' Mithen said. 'His Gold Coast Guineas win showed he was right on track for the Stradbroke, it's just a matter of working out what race this Saturday is right for him. 'His trip to New Zealand in February for the Group 1 Sprint at weight-for-age really turned a boy into a man, it's been the making of him for sure.' Bosustow is currently $15 for the Kingsford Smith Cup where favouritism is with glamour mare Joliestar at $3.50. Adding further appeal to an assault on Saturday's Kingsford Smith Cup is the fact it carries no weight penalty ahead of a Stradbroke bid. Bosustow, an emphatic winner of the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas at the Gold Coast in January, is currently $11 in betting for the Stradbroke. The last three-year-old colt to win the Stradbroke was Impending in 2017. Co-trainer Rob Archibald said top Sydney jockey Josh Parr will ride Bosustow again on Saturday.
News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Fawkner Park is the forgotten horse in the chase for the 2025 Doomben Cup
With all the attention focused on what's expected to be an epic battle between Queensland hero Antino and majestic mare Pride Of Jenni in this week's Doomben Cup, Rob Archibald says his stable is happy to 'sneak in behind them' with two top chances. Brisbane Racing Club has promised to shout the bar if either Antino or Pride of Jenni wins Saturday's Group 1 race at Doomben. But Archibald and co-trainer and wife Annabel – who won the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 on Saturday with gun mare Sunshine In Paris – are confident they will again be the ones popping the champagne corks. Heading betting for the $1 million Doomben Cup (2000m) is reigning horse of the year Pride Of Jenni ($3.50) ahead of the Tony Gollan -trained local Antino ($4), with Chris Waller 's Group 1 winner Buckaroo at $6. • 'Antino's shown that he's right up there with the best horses going around and Pride Of Jenni needs no introduction,' said Archibald, whose Doomben Cup charge will be spearheaded by Fawkner Park ($8) and defending champion Bois D'argent ($15). 'We're quite happy being the slight underdogs. 'I know what our horse (Fawkner Park) is capable of if he gets the right set-up and I know he can mix it with those two if we get the right conditions and he's there in his best order. 'I like the focus being on those two and hopefully we can just sneak in behind them.' Fawkner Park wins the Q22 in style! @BrisRacingClub @G1TySchil @ANeashamRacing — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 15, 2024 Jockey Ethan Brown will stick with six-year-old gelding Fawkner Park, who is coming off a gritty runner-up finish behind Antino in this month's Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) on a bottomless track at the Gold Coast. 'I thought he was excellent considering he doesn't love that ground,' Archibald said. 'He seemed to cope with it OK and I thought he was tough late. 'It's good to see him produce that kind of performance leading up to what's likely to be two tougher assignments (the Doomben Cup and as defending champion in the $1.2m Group 2 Q22 over 2200m at Eagle Farm on June 14). 'He'll appreciate 2000m and then he'll appreciate 2200m after that leading into the Q22. 'He's in good order and once he gets back on a good surface we'll see more of his turn of foot.' Antino wins the TAB Hollindale Stakes in dominant fashion! ðŸ'Š @tonygollan — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025 My Oberon, Firm Agreement, Naval College and Port Lockroy. But only the first three are set to run in the race, with Firm Agreement bound for the Queensland Derby on May 31, Port Lockroy 'unlikely' and Naval College heading for a spell. Although Fawkner Park is clearly the stable's best hope of Doomben Cup glory, Archibald believed Bois D'argent was capable of jagging back-to-back crowns. The eight-year-old gelding won the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) at Rosehill just four weeks ago before finishing sixth in the Hollindale Stakes on May 10. 'I thought he was excellent in the Hollindale considering he doesn't like it heavy,' Archibald said. 'He was a good winner two starts ago and he won the race last year. He's capable of winning it again.'
