Latest news with #SpiritOfBoomClassic
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Chris Munce colt Cool Archie continues surge through the grades with victory in Spirit Of Boom Classic at Doomben
Chris Munce won a Cox Plate for big-time owner Max Whitby and their decades-long friendship hit another high note when exciting young colt Cool Archie scored the Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic at Doomben. Legendary former jockey Munce rode Savabeel to glory in the 2004 Cox Plate for Whitby and the two have been tight ever since. When Munce retired from riding and turned to training in Queensland a decade ago, Whitby was one of the first owners who supported him. The former Sydney-based owner, now living on the Gold Coast, was trackside at Doomben to watch former Irish jockey Martin Harley conjure a wonderful ride to score on Cool Archie. Harley was first out of the gates on Cool Archie but let others go and was in a stalking position, surging to the lead near the post and holding off the challenge from runner-up Gallo Nero. The narrow victory made it three wins on the bounce and continued Cool Archie's surge towards elite races like the BRC Sires' Produce Stakes and the Group 1 JJ Atkins. After Saturday's 1200m win, Cool Archie firmed from $26 to $11 in Sires' Produce betting and $26 to $15 in the JJ Atkins market. Birthday boy Munce, who trains with son Corey, was thrilled he had captured Saturday's race for Whitby. Another winner for @munceracing, with Cool Archie getting the nose down in the Spirit Of Boom Classic! â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 17, 2025 'Max has been a great supporter, as a jockey I won a Cox Plate and a Caulfield Guineas for him and we even won a Darwin Cup,' Munce said. 'I've had a lot of luck with Max over the years. 'Even when I first started training he sent me up a horse called First Crush, and a few other horses, to kick me off. 'And he took shares in other horses, it's great to be able to reward him with a winner like this today. 'It's on to the Sires' next and then the JJ Atkins. 'I'll have to have a chat with Martin (Harley) to see if we take the blinkers off. 'He's a really nice colt, you wouldn't think he's a colt because he's so laid-back and casual. 'He's got a heart as big as he is, which is all you can ask for.' Whitby is known for his love of a bet and relished the win of Cool Archie, who firmed from $10 into $8. 'I think we might have a proper colt on our hands,' Whitby declared. Harley knew Cool Archie had match fitness on his side, but insisted it was a 'pretty special' win. 'He's a horse we hold in high regard, he travelled smoothly today and luckily I couldn't get there too soon because there were horses in front of me,' Harley said. 'He wanted to go through the gap and showed a great will to win.' Third-placed Grafterburners lost no admirers after covering more ground than the early explorers. â– â– â– â– â– Schweida eyes bigger riches for El Morzillo Aided by a clever ride by Jason Collett, Queensland filly El Morzillo laid down a potential Group 1 winter carnival marker when she was ridden outside of her comfort zone to score at Doomben. El Morzillo surged past the $1m prizemoney mark when she was much closer than most expected in the run, with Collett sitting pretty just behind the leaders in the QTIS 3YO Plate (1350m). On a heavy Doomben track, El Morzillo may have had no hope had she been ridden to her normal pattern of dropping well back in the field and swooping home. Trainer Kelly Schweida would love to get the three-year-old grey filly into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handica p or Group 1 Tatt's Tiara. El Morzillo had a rating of 92 before Saturday's Doomben win and even with the looming ratings boost she would almost certainly need to score the Group 3 Fred Best Classic to surge into the Stradbroke field. A brilliant Jason Collett ride sees El Morzillo come out on top in Race 3 at Doomben. @schweidaracing â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 17, 2025 The winner of the Fred Best, at Eagle Farm on May 31, earns a golden ticket into the Stradbroke, Regardless of the future, Saturday's win was pleasing for Schweida as he has high winter carnival hopes for the filly who won a $1m restricted sprint at Flemington in March. She was slightly disappointing when she resumed in the Group 2 Victory Stakes, but probably had no hope to score that race considering she was last in the run and they zipped home. The Doomben win on Saturday added to El Morzillo's impressive resume. 'Plan A was not to be too far back on the heavy track today,' Schweida said. 'She was tough, as her normal pattern is to get back and find the line. 'I'd love to get her into a Stradbroke, if we could, or a Tatt's Tiara would be a nice race for her if she is good enough.' El Morzillo was sent out a $4.80 chance and got home over $81 roughie Ruins Of Rome and $9 prospect Cosmo Centaurus. The Godolphin favourite, Pisces, was unplaced under James McDonald after being slow away and then trying to make ground along the inside.
News.com.au
16-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Schweida struggling to line up the form in Group 2 Spirit of Boom Classic at Doomben
Brisbane trainer Kelly Schweida is an astute reader of form but even he's battling to read the tea leaves for the Group 2 Spirit of Boom Classic at Doomben on Saturday. Schweida has $9.50 chance Grafterburners in the $300,000 race for two-year-olds over 1200m, with the Team Hawkes-trained Gallo Nero the $4.40 favourite. With the mixture of southern raiders and locals in the 17-horse field, combined with the flighty nature of juveniles, it could be anyone's guess who comes out on top in the Spirit of Boom Classic. Grafterburners has won two of his five races, including an impressive last-start victory two months ago in the $500,000 QTIS Jewel 2YO (1200m) on the Gold Coast. Before that he placed fourth in the $2m Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Randwick behind Rivellino and Within the Law, which went on to finish runner-up to Nepotism in last month's Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at the same track. 'It's all different form when you go through there,' Schweida said. 'Magic Millions form is different to that, there's Kindergarten (Stakes) form. 'It's all very hard to line up. It's nearly impossible when I do the form and I do a lot of form.' With regular rider Cejay Graham suspended, Schweida has turned to Sydney jockey Jason Collett to steer Grafterburners on Saturday. 'He's got a bit of an awkward gate (11) and who knows what the track is going to be like,' Schweida said of his star colt,' Schweida said. 'I'll be shocked if the track's not a Heavy 9. It's a Soft 7 now (Friday morning) and the forecast is for more rain. 'Some of those two-year-old horses have jumped out of the woodwork. 'It's a pretty handy field. The favourite (Gallo Nero) ran third in the Magic Millions (2YO Classic), you've got Chris Waller's horses (United States and Kilman). It's a pretty hot race.' Grafterburners is nominated for the $1m Group 2 Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) on May 31 and the Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) on June 14, two of the richest juvenile races in Australia, at Eagle Farm. 'It's trial and error. You'd think he can get to 1400m and a mile but you don't really know until you get there,' Schweida said. The trainer continues to be astounded by the strength of this year's Queensland winter carnival, pointing to his talented mare Miss Joelene being $4.40 in the Listed Brisbane Handicap (1600m) late last month before her odds skyrocketed for the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) on the Gold Coast. 'Miss Joelene was in a Listed race the other day and she was the $4.40 second favourite,' he said. 'Two weeks later she's $34 in the Hollindale (where she finished fourth on a heavy track). 'You think you've got some pretty good horses until the opposition comes.'
Daily Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
2025 Spirit Of Boom Classic: Torque To Be Sure win would be emotional for Ian Corazzol
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Grief-stricken owner Ian Corazzol will on Saturday return to the racetrack for the first time since his beloved wife Sherryl lost her lengthy battle against pancreatic cancer. Corazzol will be at Doomben to watch two-year-old Torque To Be Sure contest the $300,000 Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic (1200m). The musical equipment distributor wants to honour the memory of his childhood sweetheart, who died aged 74 last Thursday. • 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! 'When Sherryl passed away it was quite a surprise really because she seemed to be travelling all right but came up with a little problem at the time,' Corazzol said. 'We had been married for 54 years and we'd been together since we were 17 – it's a long time in the scheme of things. I already miss her terribly. 'In the end she couldn't go to the races. She dropped more than a third of her body weight due to the illness and she really couldn't get around to many places.' Torque To Be Sure is an early $9.50 chance in the Spirit of Boom Classic behind favourite Beskar ($5), Gallo Nero ($5.50) and Navy Pilot ($7). If the talented colt can break his maiden status, there will be emotional scenes for both Corazzol, his co-owners and Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn. • Wet the key to Wealth in Group 1 Doomben 10,000 'It would've meant a lot to Sherryl but it'll mean an awful lot to me as well,' Corazzol said. 'We were in it with a few people from the stable and we're all looking forward to the race. 'He's had three runs for three seconds but he's starting to get out to his right distance.' Corazzol couldn't bear to drive down the Gold Coast highway last Saturday to watch his gelding Boom Torque run around in the Listed ATC Trophy (1200m) on a Heavy 8 track, with champion jockey Blake Shinn riding, just 48 hours after Sherryl had passed away. But he doesn't want to miss the races at Doomben on Saturday, knowing that his soulmate will be there in spirit. 'I didn't go down to the Gold Coast last weekend when I had Boom Torque and he ran fourth – he doesn't like a wet track at all – but I will go to this one,' he said. 'Hopefully this horse Torque To Be Sure will get himself together, stretch it out and win it.' • Doomben 10,000 tips, runner-by-runner form analysis Corazzol said Sherryl owned shares in 'two or three horses' and loved going to the racetrack to watch them right up until the final eight months of her life, when the insidious cancer took a hold. Sherryl's favourite horse was the Stuart Kendrick-trained colt Luva Flutta, which finished second-last in this year's Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast – but that result hardly mattered. Just seeing her horse qualify for a $3m race in January was enough to give Sherryl a massive boost in her tenacious fight against cancer. • Doomben 10,000 day fields full of quality 'It didn't do any good there but it was great to have a runner in the big race,' Corazzol said about Luva Flutta, who won back-to-back races on the Sunshine Coast last spring before scoring a dream ticket to the Magic Millions Classic. 'We were down in Sydney and she watched it run when it won its last start and as they crossed the line she punched the air and said 'you little beauty, good on ya'.' Originally published as Owner Ian Corazzol vows to be at Doomben this Saturday as Torque To Be Sure contests 2025 Spirit Of Boom Classic in honour of his late wife Sherryl
News.com.au
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Owner Ian Corazzol vows to be at Doomben this Saturday as Torque To Be Sure contests 2025 Spirit Of Boom Classic in honour of his late wife Sherryl
Grief-stricken owner Ian Corazzol will on Saturday return to the racetrack for the first time since his beloved wife Sherryl lost her lengthy battle against pancreatic cancer. Corazzol will be at Doomben to watch two-year-old Torque To Be Sure contest the $300,000 Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic (1200m). The musical equipment distributor wants to honour the memory of his childhood sweetheart, who died aged 74 last Thursday. 'When Sherryl passed away it was quite a surprise really because she seemed to be travelling all right but came up with a little problem at the time,' Corazzol said. 'We had been married for 54 years and we'd been together since we were 17 – it's a long time in the scheme of things. I already miss her terribly. 'In the end she couldn't go to the races. She dropped more than a third of her body weight due to the illness and she really couldn't get around to many places.' Torque To Be Sure is an early $9.50 chance in the Spirit of Boom Classic behind favourite Beskar ($5), Gallo Nero ($5.50) and Navy Pilot ($7). If the talented colt can break his maiden status, there will be emotional scenes for both Corazzol, his co-owners and Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn. A double for @emilyyplang at @GCTurfClub, leading Race 4 from start to finish! @tonygollan — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025 • Wet the key to Wealth in Group 1 Doomben 10,000 'It would've meant a lot to Sherryl but it'll mean an awful lot to me as well,' Corazzol said. 'We were in it with a few people from the stable and we're all looking forward to the race. 'He's had three runs for three seconds but he's starting to get out to his right distance.' Corazzol couldn't bear to drive down the Gold Coast highway last Saturday to watch his gelding Boom Torque run around in the Listed ATC Trophy (1200m) on a Heavy 8 track, with champion jockey Blake Shinn riding, just 48 hours after Sherryl had passed away. But he doesn't want to miss the races at Doomben on Saturday, knowing that his soulmate will be there in spirit. 'I didn't go down to the Gold Coast last weekend when I had Boom Torque and he ran fourth – he doesn't like a wet track at all – but I will go to this one,' he said. 'Hopefully this horse Torque To Be Sure will get himself together, stretch it out and win it.' Racing experience comes to the fore as Luv A Flutta shows plenty of fight to win the opener on Mooloolaba Cup Day at the @SCTurfClub ðŸ'° The Coast's premiership-winning combination @JimmyOrman and @KendrickRacing1 are on the board. — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 16, 2024 Corazzol said Sherryl owned shares in 'two or three horses' and loved going to the racetrack to watch them right up until the final eight months of her life, when the insidious cancer took a hold. Sherryl's favourite horse was the Stuart Kendrick -trained colt Luva Flutta, which finished second-last in this year's Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast – but that result hardly mattered. Just seeing her horse qualify for a $3m race in January was enough to give Sherryl a massive boost in her tenacious fight against cancer. 'It didn't do any good there but it was great to have a runner in the big race,' Corazzol said about Luva Flutta, who won back-to-back races on the Sunshine Coast last spring before scoring a dream ticket to the Magic Millions Classic. 'We were down in Sydney and she watched it run when it won its last start and as they crossed the line she punched the air and said 'you little beauty, good on ya'.'
