Latest news with #TheArcher
Sydney Morning Herald
11-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Paul wasn't ready to downsize. Until he found the perfect next move
The desire to downsize felt a long way off for Paul and Susie Burgess – until they spotted a luxury, oversized three-bedroom apartment for sale off the plan in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla. They'd intended to search for an investment property to buy, but when they saw what the apartment might look like upon completion next year, they now think it could be the perfect next move for themselves. 'We recognise, at some point, we'll need to downsize,' says Paul, 62, who, with Suzie, 57, bought the apartment for about $3.2 million in the VUE building. 'This was initially an investment, but it's become a legitimate downsizing opportunity for us. 'It looks so good. You have to go for these when they come up as there's not an awful lot of large, luxury apartments around that would be suitable, especially when you're moving out of a really lovely house. You don't want a shift to be a downgrade.' But there is a painful shortage of quality downsizer apartment stock across Australia, just as demand soars. In the country's biggest market, Sydney, 2021 census results show that less than 16 per cent of the new apartment supply had three or more bedrooms, compared to 60 per cent with two bedrooms. This contrasts sharply with houses, where those with three or more account for 90.2 per cent nationally. No wonder downsizing can feel like a downgrade. Loading According to Will Mitchell, the sales and marketing director of the Melbourne-based Pace Development Group, a primary reason for the scarcity is that it's hard to design bigger apartments with luxury finishes and still make the figures add up. 'The real challenge is that downsizers are moving into their final forever homes, and they're wanting everything – somewhere sophisticated and good quality that they can lock up and leave, with proximity to amenities and often with an outlook too,' Mitchell says. He says he's fielding strong downsizer demand for under-construction projects in Melbourne, such as The Archer in Flemington and Fabbrica in Fitzroy. 'The properties have to tick all their boxes,' he says, 'so you have to find the right sites and go through all the red tape to create something special and bespoke that they're willing to pay for. They really want to enjoy those years.'
The Age
11-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Paul wasn't ready to downsize. Until he found the perfect next move
The desire to downsize felt a long way off for Paul and Susie Burgess – until they spotted a luxury, oversized three-bedroom apartment for sale off the plan in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla. They'd intended to search for an investment property to buy, but when they saw what the apartment might look like upon completion next year, they now think it could be the perfect next move for themselves. 'We recognise, at some point, we'll need to downsize,' says Paul, 62, who, with Suzie, 57, bought the apartment for about $3.2 million in the VUE building. 'This was initially an investment, but it's become a legitimate downsizing opportunity for us. 'It looks so good. You have to go for these when they come up as there's not an awful lot of large, luxury apartments around that would be suitable, especially when you're moving out of a really lovely house. You don't want a shift to be a downgrade.' But there is a painful shortage of quality downsizer apartment stock across Australia, just as demand soars. In the country's biggest market, Sydney, 2021 census results show that less than 16 per cent of the new apartment supply had three or more bedrooms, compared to 60 per cent with two bedrooms. This contrasts sharply with houses, where those with three or more account for 90.2 per cent nationally. No wonder downsizing can feel like a downgrade. Loading According to Will Mitchell, the sales and marketing director of the Melbourne-based Pace Development Group, a primary reason for the scarcity is that it's hard to design bigger apartments with luxury finishes and still make the figures add up. 'The real challenge is that downsizers are moving into their final forever homes, and they're wanting everything – somewhere sophisticated and good quality that they can lock up and leave, with proximity to amenities and often with an outlook too,' Mitchell says. He says he's fielding strong downsizer demand for under-construction projects in Melbourne, such as The Archer in Flemington and Fabbrica in Fitzroy. 'The properties have to tick all their boxes,' he says, 'so you have to find the right sites and go through all the red tape to create something special and bespoke that they're willing to pay for. They really want to enjoy those years.'
News.com.au
04-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Trainer Matt Dunn was surprised when Lubrication upset the big guns to win the $1m The Archer slot race in Rockhampton
Trainer Matt Dunn admitted even he was surprised when his 'Class 3' gelding Lubrication upset the big guns to land the $565,000 winner's cheque with a convincing victory in the $1 million The Archer slot race in Rockhampton on Sunday. With jockey Jake Bayliss on board, Lubrication ($18) came from a fair way back to beat a batch of classy southern raiders, including Bjorn Baker's star pair Sandpaper and Iowna Merc, to finish ahead of the Tony Gollan-trained Comrade Rosa ($11) and Transatlantic ($5) in the 1300m race. 'He's racing better now than he ever has in his life,' Murwillumbah trainer Dunn said after the upset victory for slot holder Max Whitby, the ex-Sydney racing identity who now lives on the Gold Coast. 'It was a proper win. To be honest I'm a little bit surprised, in a happy way. 'It was very exciting, unexpected and one of those thrills that come up every now and then.' The bookmakers clearly didn't rate five-year-old Lubrication, which was paying up to $40 early last week, following his last-start third in a Class 3 1400m race at Eagle Farm on April 19. 'Even when he got beat the other day (at Eagle Farm), Max was at the races and he said 'I want him for my slot' and I said 'sweet, no worries',' Dunn said. 'He's a Class 3 horse but I'm happy to go to a set weights plus penalties race, and take them on for that sort of money.' Lubrication wins the Archer at double figure odds for @mattydunnracing with @jakebayliss94 in the saddle! ðŸ'� Whitby Bloodstock nails it with their slot runner! ðŸ'° — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 4, 2025 Dunn was too busy preparing his horses for the Queensland Winter Carnival to be in Rockhampton but he joked his stable representative Wayne Wheatley would do the hard celebrating for him. 'I would've loved to have gone but I've just got too much on here. Not too many celebrations but I'm sure my man up there (Wheatley) will be celebrating hard,' Dunn said. 'The horse is coming home at 6.30am and he's on an 8am flight so I hope they both make it.' Three-time Group 1 winner Bayliss was held up at various stages throughout the race but when a split opened up, Lubrication surged to the line and never looked like losing it from there. Both Dunn and Whitby are the major owners of Lubrication, who was bought for $400,000 at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Dunn had every intention of spelling Lubrication but he might be having second thoughts given the gelding is in 'career-best form'. 'He's got a few miles under his belt,' Dunn said. 'The idea was to give him a break but he's racing so well and he looks so good. 'He beat some decent horses there and beat them fair and square. 'Who knows where he ends up? Maybe races like the Glasshouse Handicap (over 1400m on the Sunshine Coast on July 5). 'It depends what they do with him regarding his rating. It's always difficult to stick horses in the paddock when they're racing in career-best form.' Meanwhile, Rob Heathcote has confirmed that 25-time Group 1 winning rider Tim Clark will partner Rothfire in the $1.5 million Doomben 10,000 (1200m) major on May 17. The 2020 JJ Atkins winner Rothfire will push on to the Doomben 10,000 after an impressive fourth in Saturday's Group 2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm in his first race since late December when he finished fourth in The Buffering, won by Transatlantic.
News.com.au
03-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Rockhampton trainer Nick Walsh hellbent on winning The Archer trophy for the locals
Rockhampton trainer Nick Walsh is hellbent on keeping The Archer trophy in Australia's beef capital as he prepares his gun sprinter Hell for his 'grand final' on Sunday. Walsh believes there are four genuine chances in the $1m slot race over 1300m in TAB's equal favourites Transatlantic and Iowna Merc (both $4), Sandpaper ($4.80) and his four-year-old gelding Hell ($7.50). And in a massive boost for Walsh's hopes, he has secured the services of Rockhampton product and Brisbane's leading jockey in the metro premiership race, Emily Lang, to ride Hell from barrier nine in the hunt for the $565,000 winner's cheque. 'She's ridden this track since she was pretty young so she definitely knows it well,' Walsh said. 'She knows the horse better than anyone too so I'm really happy about her being on. 'We could've drawn a bit softer but the barrier wasn't a major concern with the way his racing pattern is.' Brisbane's premier trainer Tony Gollan has been vocal about his Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap hopes for Transatlantic but for Walsh, this is Hell's grand final. 'I think he's a great chance, I really do,' said Walsh, who turns 27 later this month. 'I think he's a genuine top-four chance and there are probably four chances in the race. 'Out of those four chances there are a couple of question marks. 'Transatlantic is first-up at 1300m and getting set for the Stradbroke so this isn't his grand-final day, although he'll be wound up enough. 'Then you've got the likes of (Bjorn Baker's southern raiders) Iowna Merc and Sandpaper that haven't been set for the race at all. 'The slot-owners have rung up a couple of weeks ago so it's like 'we'll throw them on the truck and bring them up' (to Rockhampton). 'Tony (Gollan) talks about the Stradbroke for Transatlantic, well this is the grand final for my horse. We're hitting it third-up and he peaks at his third-up run.' Hell is just too good for them at Doomben - and that's his 4th win in a row! @BrisRacingClub — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 9, 2024 The Ricky Vale-trained Rockhampton gelding Namazu won The Archer last year at juicy odds of $16 and Walsh is desperate to keep the trophy in the city in his first attempt at the rich slot race. 'It was won by a local horse last year whose form probably wasn't good enough to win the race,' Walsh said. 'To be able to be done a second time would prove a bit of a point that maybe horses don't travel so well from Sydney or aren't 100 per cent set for the race. 'It'd be a great achievement to win because it's the greatest race we have in Rocky now. It's probably bigger than the (Rockhampton) Newmarket and the cup.' Walsh sees Transatlantic and Sandpaper as the biggest threats to his Archer dream becoming reality. 'They're both drawn soft (barriers two and three) and should get a lovely run,' he said. 'If Sandpaper can travel up well from Sydney then he's definitely one of the main dangers.' Lang rode Hell to third place in the sprinter's last start, a 1200m open handicap at Eagle Farm in early April, with the winner Compelling Truth franking the form with victory in Thursday's $200,000 Wagga Town Plate (1200m).
News.com.au
01-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Premier trainer Tony Gollan is eyeing a Stradbroke berth with Archer hopeful Transatlantic
Brisbane's top trainer Tony Gollan is feeling a strong sense of deja vu with his Stradbroke Handicap hope Transatlantic, but this time he hopes it turns out for the best. Over the past two years, Gollan's stable stars Antino and Freedom Rally have fallen agonisingly short of securing spots in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm. Last year, Freedom Rally won the Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) as a consolation prize while Antino won the same race in 2023 after also dipping out on a Stradbroke berth. But Gollan is praying it will be third-time lucky with Transatlantic, which kicks off his 2025 campaign in the $1m The Archer slot race (1300m) at Rockhampton on Sunday. Jennifer Acton, the slot holder for Transatlantic and widow of Queensland cattle baron Alan, drew barrier two at a Rockhampton property on Wednesday night when participants were asked to pick one of 12 dogs to reveal their gate number. 'To me it feels a little bit like deja vu with those horses (Antino and Freedom Rally),' Gollan said. 'They did really good jobs in their summer preparations and they ticked boxes that they could make Stradbroke horses at that time of their lives. 'Unfortunately we were so close but so far with both of them without getting into the race. 'Both ran in the Wayne Wilson the same day (as the Stradbroke) and were dominant winners. 'Hopefully we're not doing the same thing with this horse (Transatlantic). But he gives me the right feel this horse, similar to those other two horses at the same stage.' Transatlantic won his last start, the $300,000 The Buffering (1400m) at Eagle Farm on December 28, but Gollan had hatched his Stradbroke plan for the son of Snitzel well before that race. 'I really liked the horse going into the Queensland Guineas last year but unfortunately we didn't get to see him as good as what he is because he pulled up with a virus a few days later when he went to the paddock,' Gollan said. • 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! 'He ran second in the Listed Daybreak Lover (in April last year) and he was still an immature horse back then. 'In the Guineas he started second or third favourite but I got a feeling of how good he is. 'The summer was all about getting him ready for hopefully this winter. 'I've felt if he can keep on developing like I hope he can, he can become a really good horse.' Gollan said Transatlantic would likely run in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben on May 24 and possibly the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 31, giving him a two-week lead-in to the Stradbroke Handicap on June 14, if he makes the field. 'We have to be realistic. The winter carnival is a massive step up from the summer and there are no easy races, they're all strong, so he needs to go to another level,' Gollan said. 'It feels to me in his work that he really has and I'm hopeful that we'll see that when he gets to the 1300m, 1400m in this preparation. 'If I can get him to the Stradbroke, he's the sort of horse who can be very competitive with a light weight.' Gollan is hunting his first Group 1 on home turf since Jamie Melham rode Vega One to victory in the 2021 Kingsford Smith Cup. In the two-year-old ranks, he rates Hi Barbie as a potential winter carnival star and gelding Boomtown Boss, which will contest this Saturday's Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) at Eagle Farm, as a serious contender among his three-year-olds. 'Boomtown Boss can't do much more than what he's been doing,' he said. 'He's won his first two races back (this campaign) and he's probably as good a chance as I've had going into a Queensland Guineas since I've been training. 'Of the older sprinters, you've got Hidden Wealth, I think he's gone to a new level, Zarastro is another really nice horse and then there's Transatlantic. 'I think we've got a lot of good horses for a lot of races but I just think this carnival, like I've seen the past two years, it's very hard to win races. 'You need everything to go your way on the day and hopefully that happens to a few of our horses in the carnival. 'It's going to be a strong six or seven weeks but we relish the challenge.' The Stradbroke Handicap is ratings-based so Transatlantic will need a ratings boost to get into the field or win a race that carries ballot exemption.
