Latest news with #WaggaCup
The Age
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Hyeronimus happy to stay in Sydney as more winners beckon at Randwick
'It probably just creates more of a volume of rides, more so than going to the races for two or three, which always helps,' he said of the winter carnival. 'Barring a few rides here or there, the rides I'm getting, I'd get anyway, so I think just picking up those extra ones helps trying to get runs on the board. 'I think I've been riding great for the last 12 months or so, so very happy. 'Obviously, James [McDonald] is the premier jockey and probably deserves a lot of the rides that he gets, but after that, it is a level playing field and I think it's good. 'It's competitive, and it would be a different story if there were four James McDonalds – that would be pretty difficult. So I think it does create a lot of opportunities for everyone else.' Hyeronimus has several good chances to continue his streak on a wet Randwick track on Saturday with Agarwood ($2.60, race one), Sisu Spirit ($4.60, four), Sun God ($6.50, five), Storm The Ramparts ($7.50, six), Bear On The Loose ($9, seven) and Cool Jakey ($2.70, eight). 'I've got some good rides,' he said. 'I think there's four or five of them that will handle it wet, and it just makes things a hell of a lot easier in testing conditions.' Co-trainers Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse provided Hyeronimus' stakes double last Saturday at Scone with The Instructor and Stardom, and they have him aboard Agarwood, Sisu Spirit and Bear On The Loose at Randwick. Bott expected three-year-old Sisu Spirit to challenge after winning on heavy going last start at Wyong. 'It looks a nice race for him,' Bott said. 'He should relish getting out in trip. He's been good and versatile in the conditions and is proven on a heavy track before.' Agarwood was an impressive winner on debut last start on a soft Warwick Farm track. 'She was excellent the way she won,' Bott said. 'She handled the conditions on that day, so I'd like to think she's capable of handling the conditions there on Saturday, and she's open to nice improvement off that. She's definitely a smart filly.' The stable has Bear On The Loose and last-start winner Collect Your Cash ($8) in the seventh. 'Bear On The Loose probably just went out a bit strong in that Wagga Cup last start [when sixth], but I thought he stuck on very well, being just second up, and I think he's a horse who should relish the conditions,' he said. 'Collect Your Cash is a funny horse; he's hard to get a real line on at home. He doesn't show you a lot. He's just a real tradesman, which is how he's run and won his races, but he handles the conditions, he should appreciate the trip and is in good form.' Loading Eliyass leads the stable's charge in Queensland and is a $9.50 chance from gate 13 in the $1 million Doomben Cup. He finished well back in the Hollindale Stakes last start on a heavy Gold Coast track. 'It's probably a little bit of a sticky draw for him, but probably in a race where you expect them to be strung out, given some of the opposition there, so that might give him a chance to be prominent and find a spot you want to with him,' Bott said. 'But it was obviously a bit of a forgive run there last start. You would like to be going in with a bit more confidence off a run, but it was just a difficult race to be competitive in under those conditions for him.'
Sydney Morning Herald
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hyeronimus happy to stay in Sydney as more winners beckon at Randwick
'It probably just creates more of a volume of rides, more so than going to the races for two or three, which always helps,' he said of the winter carnival. 'Barring a few rides here or there, the rides I'm getting, I'd get anyway, so I think just picking up those extra ones helps trying to get runs on the board. 'I think I've been riding great for the last 12 months or so, so very happy. 'Obviously, James [McDonald] is the premier jockey and probably deserves a lot of the rides that he gets, but after that, it is a level playing field and I think it's good. 'It's competitive, and it would be a different story if there were four James McDonalds – that would be pretty difficult. So I think it does create a lot of opportunities for everyone else.' Hyeronimus has several good chances to continue his streak on a wet Randwick track on Saturday with Agarwood ($2.60, race one), Sisu Spirit ($4.60, four), Sun God ($6.50, five), Storm The Ramparts ($7.50, six), Bear On The Loose ($9, seven) and Cool Jakey ($2.70, eight). 'I've got some good rides,' he said. 'I think there's four or five of them that will handle it wet, and it just makes things a hell of a lot easier in testing conditions.' Co-trainers Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse provided Hyeronimus' stakes double last Saturday at Scone with The Instructor and Stardom, and they have him aboard Agarwood, Sisu Spirit and Bear On The Loose at Randwick. Bott expected three-year-old Sisu Spirit to challenge after winning on heavy going last start at Wyong. 'It looks a nice race for him,' Bott said. 'He should relish getting out in trip. He's been good and versatile in the conditions and is proven on a heavy track before.' Agarwood was an impressive winner on debut last start on a soft Warwick Farm track. 'She was excellent the way she won,' Bott said. 'She handled the conditions on that day, so I'd like to think she's capable of handling the conditions there on Saturday, and she's open to nice improvement off that. She's definitely a smart filly.' The stable has Bear On The Loose and last-start winner Collect Your Cash ($8) in the seventh. 'Bear On The Loose probably just went out a bit strong in that Wagga Cup last start [when sixth], but I thought he stuck on very well, being just second up, and I think he's a horse who should relish the conditions,' he said. 'Collect Your Cash is a funny horse; he's hard to get a real line on at home. He doesn't show you a lot. He's just a real tradesman, which is how he's run and won his races, but he handles the conditions, he should appreciate the trip and is in good form.' Loading Eliyass leads the stable's charge in Queensland and is a $9.50 chance from gate 13 in the $1 million Doomben Cup. He finished well back in the Hollindale Stakes last start on a heavy Gold Coast track. 'It's probably a little bit of a sticky draw for him, but probably in a race where you expect them to be strung out, given some of the opposition there, so that might give him a chance to be prominent and find a spot you want to with him,' Bott said. 'But it was obviously a bit of a forgive run there last start. You would like to be going in with a bit more confidence off a run, but it was just a difficult race to be competitive in under those conditions for him.'
Sydney Morning Herald
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Warpainted set to get back to winning ways after stable switch
The strength of the three-year-old ranks at the recent Wagga Cup carnival goes on the line at Monday's Corowa meeting. Progressive Albury three-year-old Warpainted is very well-placed to get back to winning ways fourth-up in a Benchmark 58 Hcp over the mile. It will only be the gelding's second run for leading border trainer Donna Scott after a rapid-fire stable switch from Gary Colvin at Wagga in between the Guineas Prelude and the Listed Final just 17 days ago. Warpainted, a dominant Class 1 winner back on Australia Day, was at big odds when having just his sixth start, finishing only three lengths from smart Guineas Prelude winner Dupli Kate. That was in the Colvin yard before he was abruptly transferred to the Scott camp at Albury, and only a couple of weeks later again produced a brave effort in the Wagga Guineas showdown, finishing just over two lengths from Dupli Kate again. Given the obvious depth of that race run at BM 74 level, Warpainted's immediate big drop in grade here makes him hard to beat on a track that should remain firm having sidestepped all the rain that is hammering the NSW East Coast. A tough on-speed son of 2018 Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) winner D'argento, Warpainted has drawn ideally to roll forward, with Blaike McDougall taking over in the saddle. It would certainly snap a recent frustrating run for the Scott stable which hasn't tasted success in nearly five weeks, although a double at Albury on April 17 had capped eight individual winners from her last 22 starts through the first half of autumn. The race, though, is the last and clearly strongest of three consecutive BM 58 battles to close the Corowa meeting.
The Age
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Warpainted set to get back to winning ways after stable switch
The strength of the three-year-old ranks at the recent Wagga Cup carnival goes on the line at Monday's Corowa meeting. Progressive Albury three-year-old Warpainted is very well-placed to get back to winning ways fourth-up in a Benchmark 58 Hcp over the mile. It will only be the gelding's second run for leading border trainer Donna Scott after a rapid-fire stable switch from Gary Colvin at Wagga in between the Guineas Prelude and the Listed Final just 17 days ago. Warpainted, a dominant Class 1 winner back on Australia Day, was at big odds when having just his sixth start, finishing only three lengths from smart Guineas Prelude winner Dupli Kate. That was in the Colvin yard before he was abruptly transferred to the Scott camp at Albury, and only a couple of weeks later again produced a brave effort in the Wagga Guineas showdown, finishing just over two lengths from Dupli Kate again. Given the obvious depth of that race run at BM 74 level, Warpainted's immediate big drop in grade here makes him hard to beat on a track that should remain firm having sidestepped all the rain that is hammering the NSW East Coast. A tough on-speed son of 2018 Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) winner D'argento, Warpainted has drawn ideally to roll forward, with Blaike McDougall taking over in the saddle. It would certainly snap a recent frustrating run for the Scott stable which hasn't tasted success in nearly five weeks, although a double at Albury on April 17 had capped eight individual winners from her last 22 starts through the first half of autumn. The race, though, is the last and clearly strongest of three consecutive BM 58 battles to close the Corowa meeting.
News.com.au
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Wagga, Muswellbrook previews: Luke Pepper is hoping for a Helluva Gold Cup Soiree with his in-form mare
Luke Pepper aims to take centre stage at Wagga after having played a cameo role in one of the greatest races ever run in the Riverina. This year's carnival marks the 21st anniversary of the then unknown Queanbeyan gelding Takeover Target's extraordinary win in the Class 1 on Wagga Town Plate Day with Jay Ford aboard. 'I still remember the day pretty clearly to tell you the truth,' Pepper said. 'Jay rang me and said 'I am riding the best horse I have ever ridden in my life' and I said what is it and he said 'oh, this horse that's in the Class 1. 'And I had a look and I said to Jay; 'it's drawn 16, it's no hope from there, it's won a Maiden at Queanbeyan. Helluva Soiree books her Wagga Cup ticket with a win in the Murrumbidgee Cup today! ðŸ�† @mtcwagga â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 13, 2025 The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'And he said, I'm telling you, it goes good. 'It led for fun and broke the course record so he wasn't far wrong, Jay.' Pepper may have started out as a doubting Thomas when it came to Takeover Target but would go on to become one of his closest disciples, travelling the world as the Moruya-bred gelding's trackwork rider. Pepper's 2025 Wagga carnival ambitions are well beyond a Class 1 as the Canberra-based trainer has his sights set on the feature Gold Cup which comes with the added reward of Big Dance Eligibility. Pepper's Cup contender is the Yarraman Park Stud bred mare Helluva Soiree who has managed to win four or her last five starts, punctuated by an unlucky fourth in the Canberra Cup Preview. 'Obviously we know it is an absolute quantum leap from what she's been racing in but she's a mare in form, she loves the track and Claire's (Ramsbotham) got a very good understanding of her, they're a good combination,' Pepper said. 'She's got a good gate so she should be in the right spot. She'll have every chance. 'I'm just excited to have a runner in the race but funnier things have happened with these mares when they're in good form. ðŸ'¥ New winner for sire Winning Rupert ðŸ'¥ 4yo gelding Cyclone Rupert (ex Wild Grace) was victorious in today’s Maiden Plate 1000m at Tamworth for the Cody Morgan stable. @Darby_Racing â€' Grandview Stud (@GrandviewStud) August 25, 2023 'She doesn't know what she is racing. I can't fault her, she can't be in any better order leading into the run.' Pepper, meanwhile, has a strong hand to play on the race prior to the Cup with stable pair Keikoku and Cyclone Rupert flying the flag. Barnstormer Keikoku has won four races in 30 starts. The son of five-time Group 1 winner Dream Ahead's only two runs at the Wagga 1200m were a win and last start fourth in the Town Plate Prelude. 'The wide barrier is not too much of an issue for him,' Pepper said. 'We'll ride him and let him have the last crack at them. 'He won at the track and his last run there was huge the other day. 'He's honest and never lets us down. He can't be going any better than what he is.' Cyclone Rupert, meanwhile, left a favourable impression at his first run for Pepper when come from well back to finish fourth in the Cup Day Sprint at Orange on April 11. 'We were absolutely rapt with his first-up run,' Pepper said. 'Stepping to the 1200m second-up reads really good for him.' â– â– â– â– â– Trainer Brett Cavanough has done his bit to ensure another 'feature win' is added to a family that has been churning them out for close to half a century when Zumbo tackles the Miss Finland Handicap. Zumbo is raced by Cavanough 's wife, Lauren, on a lease arrangement with Segenhoe Stud. Zumbo, a daughter of the Widden-bred Zoustar, can trace her own lineage back to Molokai who was a highly influential foundation mare across Segenhoe's owners past and present. 'There's a bit of history there,' the Kosciuszko winning trainer Cavanough said. Zumbo took no time to get off the mark, winning a Grafton Maiden on debut in the last days of January before the break. 'She was pretty sharp in a jumpout the other morning,' Cavanough said. 'She is a big gangly thing, obviously she is furnishing, but she's an improver, she's well-bred and she's got the form on the board. Zumbo wins for the @cavanoughracing stable with Ben Looker on board! â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 27, 2025 'Everything lines up to run well. 'Did I expect to hit a Heavy 10 first-up? No I didn't. Is she ready to run? Yes she is, she's had plenty of work so she'll be going to the races.' Zumbo's dam, Panna Cotta, was a city winner and stakes placegetter in just four career starts. One of them was her third in the Scone Jockey Club's Listed Woodlands Stakes, run at Rosehill that year. And while Cavanough has the 2025 carnival in his backyard as an option for Zumbo, there are other times and places that would suit her equally well. 'I'd take a deep breath and let her recover from a run on a Heavy track and try and find a good track, give her gallop, and aim somewhere without running into the big boys,' he said. As well-bred as Zumbo is, Cavanough's got one better in the opener, namely Naftali. The son of Deep Field is the fifth foal of Gracie's Lass who is best known as the dam of Blue Diamond winner Artorius. Naftali has been a costly conveyance for punters, beaten three times when an odds-on favourite. 'He should have won a Maiden by now but he's had genuine excuses,' Cavanough said. 'I'd never bag him.
