Latest news with #Sunrays
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
2025 JJ Atkins on horizon for Sunrays as betting plunge pays off in Bill Carter Stakes at Doomben
Sunrays does not hold a Group 1 JJ Atkins nomination but connections will consider paying a late entry fee after the filly was the subject of a betting plunge to score in arrogant fashion at Doomben. Kelly Schweida 's two-year-old filly was backed from $2.45 to $1.80 in the Listed Bill Carter Stakes (1350m) and backers rarely raised a sweat as Tommy Berry smoked his pipe on the filly who blew away her rivals in the straight. It made it four wins from five starts for the filly who is owned by Queenslander Peter Moran. The filly races in the same colours as Staging, who finished second in the 1998 Doomben 10,000 won by Chief De Beers. Staging was the mother of gallopers such as Duporth, Excites and Tickets and further down the family tree Sunrays is now staking her claim as a highly promising two-year-old. Not only was it a valuable Stakes victory for Sunrays at Doomben, but it also got Schweida and Moran thinking about potentially paying a late fee to race in the JJ Atkins next month. There seems little chance Sunrays will back up in next Saturday's Group 2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes, but she would surely be a strong contender for the JJ Atkins if connections decided to go that way. SUNRAYS shines brightest in the Bill Carter Stakes, storming home to cap a training double for @schweidaracing! 🌟ðŸ�† #QLDisRacing — RaceQ (@RaceQLD) May 24, 2025 'I'll talk to the owner about whether we pay a late fee for the JJ Atkins,' Schweida said. 'She was arrogant, really, at the finish today. 'She got back a bit further than we thought she might, but she looked like she was smoking and you know that she was going to be strong late. 'Tommy Berry looked like he had them covered on the corner.' Whatever Schweida decides to do with Sunrays, Berry predicted she has a big future. 'She still had a bit of a star gaze when she got to the front so she's got more improvement to come,' Berry said. 'She is a bombproof sort of filly and she is very adaptable and put them to the sword quite quickly.' There were few excuses among the beaten brigade although Chris Waller 's filly Chatterley ran well to finish runner-up at just her second race start.
Indian Express
12-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Sanjay Tandon and Priya Tandon's short story series, which hit the 300th mark on May 10, aims to restore compassion in turbulent times
(Written by Serena Gujral) Sunrays, a series of short stories created by senior BJP leader Sanjay Tandon and wife Priya Tandon, was born of a simple idea: to inspire people to make better choices by offering gentle reflections on values like justice, fairness, and truth. What began in 2000 as daily 'good thought' emails sent by Sanjay to his friends, grew—on Priya's suggestion—into weekly inspirational Sunday stories in keeping with the tradition of reflective weekend reading. These evolved into a co-authored book titled Sunrays for Sunday, published in 2004. When the COVID-19 lockdown hit, and a wave of despair swept the city, the Tandons began sharing daily stories, and later took the project to YouTube for better accessibility. Their process is deeply collaborative—Priya writes the first draft of every story, after which Sanjay steps in to edit, sharpen the message, and ensure clarity. They go through this cycle until they've built a story bank of 70–80 pieces. Sanjay then evaluates each story, scoring them out of ten; only those rated 8 or above are selected for publication. Once finalised, Priya illustrates and lays them out, while Sanjay helps link visuals to the narratives. The moral foundation of Sunrays lies in the teachings of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. All three of their sons studied at his ashram, and his philosophy of 'practical spirituality' — where service is worship — deeply shaped both their lives. Priya, introduced to Baba's teachings at the age of eight, says they formed her worldview early on. Sanjay, on the other hand, encountered Baba's philosophy after their marriage in 1987. What began as a visit to the ashram to please Priya turned into a transformative spiritual connection. Today, both hold firm to Baba's message that 'the hands that help are holier than the ones that pray'. Over the years, reader responses have deeply touched them. In the early days, they received heartfelt letters by the dozen and stored every one in a large file. As they began publishing books, they included some of these messages in the back pages as a way of thanking their readers. Today, WhatsApp is the main channel for such responses. In a time of war, disinformation and spiritual confusion, the couple believes the one thing society must hold close is a connection to a higher power. This connection, they say, brings humility, strengthens inner values and filters out the noise of the world. 'It's time we reconnect with our 'innernet',' they say, 'and take a break from the constant flood of information on the internet.' Wisdom, they believe, is not found in quantity, but in the quality of awareness and reflection. Priya draws inspiration for her writing and art from Baba's teachings. 'These experiences settle into my subconscious and flow naturally when I write,' she says. Painting, too—her cherished childhood hobby—becomes a spiritual process that evolves as she works on canvas, often guided by flashes of inspiration. For Sanjay, who juggles responsibilities in politics, business and social service, time for Sunrays is carved out with intention. 'Only busy people have time,' he says, stressing that managing time with purpose allows more than we imagine. He believes that these stories, short and accessible, can support people in their everyday struggles and offer hope in times of darkness. Their message to young readers is simple but resonant: 'Love all, serve all.' The youth, they believe, need grounded values more than ever, and it's up to the older generation to guide them—not just through advice, but through example. 'We must pay closer attention to our children and nurture qualities like kindness, fairness and generosity—not just in words, but in how we live.'
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Eagle Farm trainer Kelly Schweida has exciting trio at Gold Coast but wary of interstate rivals
Kelly Schweida will deploy a trio of talented horses in different age brackets in Group races on Hollindale Stakes day but concedes he is worried about the interstate invasion. The Group 1-winning horseman has unbeaten two-year-old filly Sunrays (Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic), exciting three-year-old Hella Fast (Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas) and in-form four-year-old Miss Joelene (Group 2 Hollindale Stakes) on the Gold Coast on Saturday. • 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. All have drawn double-digit barriers but that may not necessarily be a disadvantage if the Gold Coast track chops up, with rain potentially on the way Friday and Saturday. Wily Eagle Farm trainer Schweida knows what it takes to fire on home soil when the big boys come to Queensland, having scored hometown Group 1s with Miss Cover Girl and Nova Star. But even though he is sure his trio of Group horses are a talented bunch, he admits he is worried about the interstate force. 'These are some good horses of mine, but how good are they when the (southern) opposition arrives on Saturday?' Schweida said. 'These horses from interstate, they just seem to be jumping out of the woodwork. 'These horses of mine all look good when they are racing at their local level in Queensland. 'But all of a sudden you look at some of the nominations for winter carnival features and you think some of these horses are bloody strong, they are jumping out of trees. 'There seems to be a carnival on every 10 minutes. 'As for the barriers for my horses on Saturday, I really don't like bad barriers. 'Sometimes, people say it is good to be out there if the track plays a certain way. 'But all the other horses who draw inside, they want to get out there too so that pushes you even wider. 'Those trainers and jockeys have the same theory to get off the fence.' Betting markets have two-year-old Sunrays the best of Schweida's three Group contenders, with the winner of three from three a well-backed $4.40 chance behind $1.85 Peter Snowden-trained favourite Beadman in the Ken Russell Memorial. Schweida is wary his filly did a lot in her first campaign and has not nominated her for the Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) on Stradbroke Handicap day. However Schweida is confident she can make her presence felt on Saturday and also potentially in the Group 2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes later this month. Hella Fast, a young gelding with untapped ability, is a $23 chance in the Guineas where southern invaders dominate the market. Miss Joelene appears a chance of conjuring a knockout blow in the Hollindale where she is $34 in betting. The four-year-old mare is improving all the time and covered more ground than the early settlers when finishing runner-up over 1600m last start in the Listed Brisbane Mile. She handles all racing surfaces and was impressive when scoring the $500,000 The Wave over 1800m on the Sunshine Coast in January. 'She has probably earned her spot in this race,' Schweida said. 'She handles the Gold Coast track, she can run the trip and she can go well on wet or dry tracks. 'She has got a lot of ticks, it is just if she has the class to contend in a race like this.' Meanwhile, Schweida isn't losing sleep over the performance of potential Stradbroke Handicap contender El Morzillo who resumed last Saturday and was beaten more than six lengths in the Victory Stakes. 'She was a little bit disappointing, but we had to go back from bad gate and they ripped home pretty quickly,' Schweida said of El Morzillo, who won a $1m restricted sprint at Flemington in March.
