Latest news with #Wangaratta
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Grinzinger Moon makes city debut to continue winning streak that began in Towong maiden
A winning streak that started at Towong in March will go on the line at Caulfield on Saturday. Wangaratta trainer Ben Brisbourne will test Grinzinger Moon in the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap (1200m) after four straight wins either side of the Murray River. Grinzinger Moon went fairly in two unplaced runs in the spring but Brisbourne said a natural change of tactics in two February jumpouts was the catalyst for the three-year-old's winning run. 'I always trained her as a horse that would get over 14(00m) or a mile and I spent six months teaching her to relax behind horses and pick them up as my horses race,' Brisbourne said. 'She had a couple of starts last prep that were pass marks so I put her away and brought her back in. 'In her first jumpout, she jumped so well from the barriers and put herself in a forward position. 'Normally, when mine do that, they would be half weak in the finish but she found two more gears and looked really impressive. 'We thought, 'well, she obviously wanted to do it that way' so we trained her that way.' Wins at Benalla and Yarra Valley preceded a minor setback when the filly developed a foot abscess, which required a short break. The daughter of Puissance De Lune returned with a strong win at Albury on May 16. Brisbourne noted all of Grinzinger Moon's wins were against older horses. 'I think her times have matched up wherever she's gone and (owner) John Wheeler has just let me take her through the grades to teach her to be a winner,' Brisbourne said. 'She's stepped up every time. 'Though she's a three-year-old filly, she's gone up against the older horses. 'This will be the first time she will be in a handicap against her own age group. 'She's got a good running style for that track and I'm pretty happy with how the race has come up.' Grinzinger Moon is a $13 chance in early betting on the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap.
ABC News
09-05-2025
- ABC News
Five people arrested in Victoria over alleged drug and gun trafficking syndicate links
Police say they have disrupted an alleged criminal network in north-east Victoria following arrests in Cobram and Wangaratta. The investigation into the alleged syndicate began in 2023 and has so far resulted in 298 charges and numerous drugs and weapon seizures. On Wednesday five people were arrested and four firearms were seized, according to police. "This marks one of the most substantial blows on alleged drug and firearms traffickers in our region in recent years," Detective Inspector Anthony Town said. A 32-year-old Wangaratta man was charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of MDMA and possessing a traffickable quantity of firearms. A 36-year-old man, also from Wangaratta, was also charged with the same crimes and remanded to a later date. "We've significantly disrupted an alleged criminal network operating right in our own backyard," Inspector Town said. "Organised crime groups trafficking drugs and firearms have no place in our community. Since the investigation commenced police say they have seized more than 5,000 MDMA tablets, cocaine, cannabis and other drugs including fentanyl, steroids and viagra. Officers say they have also confiscated more than one kilogram of methylamphetamine, 18 guns, a large amount of ammunition and 20 allegedly stolen vehicles. "This outcome sends a clear message — we will continue to go after those who think they can profit from harm and we won't stop until every link in the chain is broken," Inspector Town said.
News.com.au
22-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Trainers have faith filly All Kinds Of Folk could have what it takes to win Group 1 Australasian Oaks
A spark provided in a Group 2 race in the spring has developed into a serious chance at a Group 1 win for a Wangaratta filly in Saturday's Australasian Oaks in Adelaide. Trainers John and Chris Ledger threw All Kinds Of Folk into top company at only her third start when testing the three-year-old on the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes at Flemington last October. Too Darn Discreet won the race from Delichy Boulevard but All Kinds Of Folk belied her massive starting price when running hard into fourth despite being beaten in a Ballarat maiden at her previous outing. 'I think she had the fastest last 200m of that day at Flemington and was really hitting the line,' Chris Ledger said. 'That gave us plenty of confidence to keep pushing through. 'Pretty much from her first jumpout, she's shown us that she had something there and she has just kept improving her whole life.' Many observers would have ignored the run but the Ledgers kept All Kinds Of Folk progressing to the VRC Oaks to give her a grounding for what they believed would be a richer autumn preparation. Too Darn Discreet in the pouring rain gets it done in the TAB Edward Manifold Stakes. Well done Matt Hill on calling that one â˜' ðŸ'½ @7HorseRacing — Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) October 5, 2024 'We went into the Oaks knowing that she could run well but probably couldn't beat Treasurethe Moment,' Ledger said. 'We thought she would improve during her spell and come back and we think she has done that.' The duo refused the temptation to make a crucial gear change on the daughter of D'Argento until she had further matured ahead of her autumn campaign. All Kinds Of Folk wore blinkers for her first-up fourth at Sandown in February before breaking her maiden in emphatic style at Benalla second-up. 'Sometimes you just question yourself but we've just believed in her and every time we've asked her to do something, she's just stepped up,' Ledger said. 'This time in, winning by 12 lengths at Benalla was just in a maiden but you don't see that every day. '(Jockey) Blaike (McDougall) kept her going to the line at Benalla because we wanted her to have a good workout as we had planned to target Adelaide if she won there.' All Kinds Of Folk showed she would be competitive in the Australasian Oaks when running on well to finish a narrow second to Cinch in the Group 3 Auraria Stakes (1800m). Cinch finds the front early & clings on to take out the G3 Auraria Stakes for her third win in a row ðŸ'° @LindsayParkRace — (@Racing) April 12, 2025 • Bookies rated All Kinds Of Folk as a $9 chance in early Australasian Oaks betting. Winning the Group 1 feature would end a long chase for John Ledger, who has raced some outstanding horses such as Group winners Brave Chief, Soleil and Mind Your Head without saluting at the highest level. Ledger said the family was determined to change that status. 'Brave Chief won a Group 2 and John has won 16 Listed and black-type races like Group 2 and Group 3 races,' Ledger said. 'The best we've done in a Group 1 race is when Largo Lad ran fourth in a (Australian) Guineas. 'John's brother George won a Galaxy with Rich Fields Lad in 1985 so we've been chasing pretty hard for many years to get to that level. 'It's definitely a dream for all of us'
