Latest news with #SouthAustralianDerby
Courier-Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
SA trainer Michael Hickmott says winning Group 1 Queensland Derby will be ‘pinnacle of my career'
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. And the planets are aligning for the gelding to notch his fourth victory in just his sixth race this weekend, with champion jockey Craig Williams riding from barrier one. Party Crasher is an $8 chance with bookmakers in the 2400m feature, behind South Australian Derby runner-up Statuario ($6) and the John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained King Of Thunder ($7). • 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! 'It was fantastic to get Craig booked on the horse. He'd done a fair bit of research and seemed pretty keen to ride the horse,' said Hickmott, the younger brother of two-time Melbourne Cup-winning training Robert. 'I'm very happy with how the horse is. The biggest step is how he travels. 'He's in good order and he's very fit. It looks like he'll run 2400m and if it's a wet track that's no disadvantage either.' Party Crasher travelled from Adelaide to Melbourne by truck and then flew to Brisbane on Tuesday. Asked what it would mean to collect the $600,000 winner's cheque in his first crack at a Group 1, Hickmott was unequivocal in his response. South Australian stayer Party Crasher is among the leading chances in the Group 1 Queensland Derby on Saturday. Picture: Makoto Kaneko • Queensland Derby tips, runner-by-runner form analysis 'It would certainly be the pinnacle of my career. I've won a South Australian metropolitan premiership (2020-21) but I haven't even had a runner in a Group 1,' he said. 'My business model had always revolved around selling horses to Asia if they've kind of identified anywhere near that grade. 'It was fantastic for the ownership group to elect to run Party Crasher on and not look at offers coming in for the horse. 'They're really excited about this weekend. We've got mums and dads, corporate businessmen in Melbourne to lawyers in Sydney to an accountant in Alice Springs. 'There's a broad group of owners from all around the country.' Hickmott's nephew Josh, with the help of former presenter Jayne Ivil and her partner Brad Taylor, identified Party Crasher as a potential recruit from New Zealand. • Femminile chasing Derby double in new colours His uncle was suitably impressed when the horse won an 800m trial on a heavy track at Rotorua last September and once he had negotiated a deal, it didn't take long for the three-year-old to be syndicated. 'He went out to a good group of our current clients and he was syndicated very quickly,' Hickmott said about the son of Ocean Park. 'We've got a good record purchasing horses from New Zealand.' Hickmott said he knew he had a Group 1 contender on his hands when Party Crasher won a Benchmark 66 (2009m) by 1½ lengths on SA Derby Day early this month. 'It's an extremely strong race,' he said about the Queensland Derby, won last year by Warmonger. 'It'd be a big thrill for the ownership group – win, lose or draw – but I suspect if the horse travels well then he will perform really well.' Originally published as South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott says winning Group 1 Queensland Derby with Party Crasher will be career high
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Femminile chasing South Australian and Queensland Derby double at Eagle Farm Saturday
A day's detour is unlikely to hinder Pakenham trainer Phillip Stokes 's bid for a second Queensland Derby triumph at Saturday's Eagle Farm meeting. The Stokes-trained Femminile will run in new colours in the Queensland Derby after Yulong Investments paid $1.5m for the South Australian Derby winner at a Gold Coast auction on Tuesday. Thankfully for Stokes, Femminile's preparation was not disrupted by days spent parading at the Magic Millions sales complex. I was very happy when they (Yulong) rang me straight after the sale to tell me we'd better get her back into her box,' Stokes said. 'She only had to spend one day at the sales, she didn't have to be there any longer.' The Queensland Derby wasn't on Stokes's mind when Femminile returned to work for her autumn campaign. The Group 1 Australasian Oaks was Femminile's initial target but Stokes decided to give the Dundeel filly a crack at the boys in the South Australian Derby. • 'She got beaten in the Oaks but I actually thought the fillies were better than the colts,' Stokes said. 'We were going to run her in the other 2500m feature (the Group 3 SA Fillies' Classic) the week after so thank God my racing manager pushed the button and nominated her for the Derby. 'She got a peach of a ride and got the job done. 'It wasn't the initial plan to go to the Queensland Derby but when she won the South Australian Derby, I thought, 'let's try and do this again'.' Stokes said recent history was on Femminile's side in the Queensland Derby. He noted several Queensland Derby winners, including his own galloper Mr Quickie, were beaten in the South Australian Derby before heading north. 'History tells you the South Australian Derby has been a good pointer for the Queensland Derby,' Stokes said. 'Last year, Warmonger was beaten in the SA Derby and won the Queensland Derby. 'Mr Quickie got beaten in the South Australian Derby and won the Queensland Derby and there's been a few others as well.' Magicool and Ruthven reinforce Stokes's point. Both horses were beaten in the South Australian Derby before claiming the Queensland Derby in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Femminile is a $8 chance to become the first filly to win the Queensland Derby since the Bart Cummings-trained Dariana prevailed in 2010. 'She's very clean-winded and Ethan Brown galloped her on Tuesday at the Gold Coast and he was really taken by her,' Stokes said. 'If we get any rain, which I think is forecast, she'll love it.'
Herald Sun
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
South Australian Derby winner Femminile to have new owners for Queensland Derby
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's not often that a Group 1-winning filly is sold just four days before a shot at back-to-back majors but that's exactly the scenario with Queensland Derby contender Femminile. The three-year-old filly is expected to have new owners when she lines up in the $1m feature at Eagle Farm next Saturday in a field that her trainer Phillip Stokes believes is the strongest in many years. • 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! 'That's quite unique, although they do it quite a bit overseas,' Stokes said of the impending sale. 'So basically someone will have the chance to buy the horse that's going to run in a Derby four days later. It's quite a good carrot, I suppose.' Femminile held off the challenge of South Australian Derby (2500m) favourite Statuario to win this month's Group 1 at Morphettville by three-quarters of a length at odds of $19. The three-year-old filly is an $11 chance to salute in the Queensland Derby (2400m) behind favourite King Of Thunder ($6), Belle Detelle ($8) and Statuario ($8). • Heathcote poised to spring upset with luckless $2.3m earner The John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding King Of Thunder finished third in the Rough Habit Plate (2000m) at Doomben last weekend, the traditional lead-up race to the Queensland Derby, while Chris Waller's filly Belle Detelle was sixth on a heavy track. 'I think it's not a bad Derby this year,' said Stokes, who won the 2019 Queensland Derby with Mr Quickie. 'I just think it looks stronger than previous years from what I've seen. 'We bring winning form, we don't mind wet tracks and we've got (jockey) Blake Shinn, they're our positives.' • Shinn in emotional history-making Doomben Cup mission Stokes said he was encouraged by last year's formlines when the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained gelding Warmonger finished runner-up in the SA Derby and then emphatically won the Queensland Derby four weeks later. 'The formula seems OK,' he said. Shinn rode Warmonger last year and he will be back to defend his crown on Femminile, the daughter of Dundeel. Stokes said Ethan Brown would ride his other two runners on Derby Day – last-start Group 3 Cummings Stakes winner Regal Azmon and Stay Focused, which triumphed in the Listed Nitschke Stakes (1400m) in Adelaide on April 5. Stokes was hoping for a heavy track for the Queensland Derby given that Femminile 'sprouted wings' on a bog surface at Morphettville in her maiden win in June last year but he is unlikely to get his wish because the sun is finally shining in Brisbane this week. Originally published as South Australian Derby winner Femminile to have new owners for Queensland Derby
New Paper
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Femminile to be ridden by Shinn
BRISBANE Trainer Phillip Stokes is doing everything in his power to ensure Group 1 winner Femminile gets the best chances in the A$1 million (S$832,000) Group 1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm on May 31. The Pakenham trainer has engaged one of Australia's top hoops to take the reins on Femminile and he has received a commitment from Blake Shinn to ride the three-year-old daughter of Dundeel. The 2,400-metre event will be run four days after the recent winner of the Group 1 South Australian Derby (2,500m) is offered for the sale at the Magic Millions National Broodmare sale on May 27. Stokes said the bay filly, who will trial at Pakenham on May 20, presents a great opportunity for prospective buyers. "She's going through the sale a few days before, so the new buyers can have a runner in the Derby," said Stokes. "She'll have a reverse trial on Tuesday and then go up at the end of the week. She seems well." Femminile became the second filly in a row to upstage the boys in the South Australian Derby on May 3, after Coco Sun won the Adelaide classic in 2024. Femminile was then ridden by Lachlan Neindorf, who carried the OTI Racing colours to victory at Morphettville. 2008 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Shinn, who also bagged eight winners over two stints in Singapore in 2015 and 2022, will be chasing back-to-back Queensland Derbys in the same colours. in 2024, he partnered the OTI Racing Stable-owned Warmonger to a brilliant 10½ length-win. Femminile will be one of three Stokes-trained runners Shinn rides on May 31. He is also booked on Regal Azmon and Stay Focused. Stokes is keen to test the seven-year-old Regal Azmon beyond 1,600m after his barnstorming win in the Group 3 Cummings Stakes at Morphettville on May 10, with the Group 2 Lord Mayor's Cup (1,800m) on May 31 identified as a good option. "I thought he's in his career-best form, so we might as well have a crack at that," he said. "He's an older horse, but he's going as good as ever." The Queensland Derby is one of two Group 1 races to be run at the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival at Eagle Farm on May 31. The other highlight is the A$1 million Kingsford Smith Cup (1,300m). On May 24, the Group 1 spotlight will be shining on Doomben instead, with the clash of 2024 Australian Horse of the Year Pride Of Jenni and Queensland star Antino in the A$1 million Doomben Cup (2,000m) set to turn heads. After finishing last in the Group 1 Champions Mile (1,600m) at Flemington on Nov 9, 2024, Pride Of Jenni bled and was initally retired by her owners, but the Ciaron Maher-trained mare surprised many by coming out of retirement in early 2025. The seven-year-old daughter of Pride Of Dubai has since won twice from three starts, including the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1,800m) on March 15 and her last start in the Listed Anniversary Vase (1,600m) on May 3. Both races were run at Caulfield. Craig Newitt, who was her winning partner in the two races, will take the reins on Pride Of Jenni. Recent Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1,800m) winner Antino will be ridden by Shinn again. Then, given an astute ride by Shinn, the Tony Gollan-trained six-year-old dashed clear to win by 3½ lengths at Gold Coast on May 10. The Brisbane Racing Club will "shout the bar", or give a free round of beers to racegoers should favourite Pride Of Jenni or Antino wins the Doomben Cup. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's homegrown talent Matthew Poon has also earned a ride in the Doomben Cup on Klondike for trainers John O'Shea and Tom Charlton. The Galileo five-year-old last won the Group 3 Prix De Reux (2,500m) at Deauville in France last August, when under the care of William Haggas. "I was really surprised. I was very happy to get the opportunity because it is one of my career goals to ride in a Group 1 overseas, so I'm really keen on this opportunity and I really appreciate it," Poon told the Hong Kong Jockey Club. "I think this will be a really good experience to get rides, especially in a Group 1, in a different country." The 2015/16 South Australian champion apprentice's biggest career win was on Straight Arron in the Group 2 Chairman's Trophy (1,600m) at Sha Tin on March 30. SKY RACING WORLD
New Paper
03-05-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
All stoked up with Femminile
Femminile became the second filly in a row to claim the South Australian Derby at Morphettville (2,500m) on May 3. Last year, it was second favourite Coco Sun who delivered the A$1 million (S$836,000) Group 1 event for trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy's and jockey Jamie Melham's (then Kah) first success in the Adelaide classic. Similarly, Femminile allowed both trainer Philip Stokes and jockey Lachlan Neindorf to enter their home Derby honour roll for the first time, except that the Dundeel three-year-old was a lot less fancied at $103 on the Singapore tote. But from the halfway mark, she was travelling a lot more like a $10 favourite as she crept up along the rails for LachlanNeindorf, taking all the shortcuts home. She did not go around any runners as she went for broke upon straightening, collaring race-leader Goldrush Guru (Jason Holder) from underneath him before setting sail for home. Femminile may have hit the front too soon, but even if the last 300m of the home straight must have felt endless to connections, she kept hitting the line strongly. Favourite Statuario (John Allen) rushed home late but had to settle for second place 3/4-length away with second favourite Lavalier completing the trifecta another 1 3/4 lengths away, failing to give Melham back-to-back Derby wins. On the other hand, OTI Racing has gone one better after Warmonger could come only within 1½ lengths of Coco Sun last year. "We're just so proud. This horse has been prepped up an absolute treat," said Stokes' assistant-trainer son Tommy. "Full credit to the team at Pakenham and Morphettville. It's a big operation, the team, mum and dad put in a lot of work. "She's just been prepped up a tee. The back-up really suited, stepping up in trip. We were doing a bit of a rain dance before today but she didn't need it. "Lachie gave her an absolute peach. It was quite an effortless watch in the end. "It's another Group 1 winner for OTI. Can't wait to celebrate, it's a shame dad's (at Caulfield) not here, but I'm sure he's super proud. "So rapt for Lachie. He does a fair bit of work on this filly, but that was his first race ride on her." Neindorf, 22, was at his second Group 1 win after breaking his duck at the elite level with another Stokes ward, Climbing Star in the Robert Sangster Stakes (1,200m) a year ago on April 27, 2024. While Neindorf could not control the waterworks at that milestone, he was a lot more composed this time, but just as overjoyed. "It's funny. About a month after (the Robert Sangster), I went to Flemington, rode one for Phil and the team," said Neindorf. "Think it was Pat Carey next to Phil, he said 'gee, you must've taught that boy everything', Phil said 'I didn't teach him how to bloody cry'. "So, from that day on, you know what, I'm not crying again. No more tears." The 10-out-of-10 handling from barrier No. 2 itself was the epitome of coolness. "I just said to the boys pre-race, let's just lob out and keep her happy. I think these distance races, you see a lot of these top-class jockeys, they just worry about the race from the 1,200m onwards," he said. "Before that, it's just about getting the horse to relax and get the rhythm in. It was a bit messy, a few horses got pulling, but she just copped it all. "I was on the back of John Allen and trusted he would take me around and (I was) ready to go. "He popped off the fence and I lost his back. I thought, let's make it up as we go, the seas just parted." manyan@
