Randwick

Within The Law (Aus) (Lucky Vega {Ire}) gained her second stakes victory in the 1000-metre R. Listed Inglis Nursery at Randwick on Saturday. Trained by Bjorn Baker, the daughter of Contract Signed (Aus) (Dundeel {NZ}) quickened up nicely in the final stages and held off Cobra Club (Aus) (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}) by just under a half-length (video) and is now under consideration for the G1 Golden Slipper. "It has been a good week, and a great job by Bjorn and Darby [Racing] and the team to find these races,"...

King Kirk (Aus), one of the most promising two-year-olds in Australia following his debut win in the G3 Breeders' Plate at Randwick last month, has died as a result of a freak accident, Racenet reported on Tuesday. Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, King Kirk had participated in a barrier trial earlier in the day as he continued his preparation for a tilt at the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast on Saturday, January 11. However, the son of first-season sire Ole Kirk (Aus) reportedly...

Turnover on World Pool bet types across the 12 races from Randwick, Caulfield and Ascot on Saturday reached a record high for a single day's racing, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Tuesday. A total of HK$424.1m (around £48m) was staked from over 28 countries, eclipsing the previous record of HK$385.2m (£38m) set when 12 races from the Queensland and Epsom Derby meetings took place under the World Pool banner earlier this year. Ascot's six races on QIPCO British Champions Day generated HK$200m (£19.75m) of the HK$424.1m. Turnover...

Kicking off the World Pool meetings, last weekend's Turnbull Stakes Day at Flemington drew HK$133.4 million (approx. A$26.6 million) in wagering. The card consisted of five races from Flemington combined with four from Newmarket and one, the Gran Premio Latinoamericano, from San Isidro. Defending G1 Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip took the featured G1 Turnbull S. The combined Win pool on the five World Pool races (A$6,545,489.82) was almost nine times the combined pool on the five non-World Pool races with the Victorian tote ($743,831.06). Meanwhile, the combined Duet (Quinella...

Mohamed Obaida's Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) defeated dual Group 1 scorer Mo'unga (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) and nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe (Aus) (Street Boss) to win the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at Randwick during the second weekend of The Championships on Saturday. The William Haggas trainee claimed the G1 Ranvet S. at Rosehill in March, and his two top-level victories have his trainer feeling "pretty keen" to add an Australian satellite yard to his operation. Haggas, who would likely share the base with Andrew Balding according to...

Jockey Tom Marquand, who is riding a stint in Australia, fell off his mount due to interference in the A$2-million Inglis Millennium and sustained a concussion at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Marquand was riding trainer Annabel Neasham's Dorothy Gail (Aus) (Capitalist {Aus}), and was unseated by a mid-race maneuver from the Josh Parr-ridden Hellish (Aus) (Hellbent {Aus}). Parr was suspended 20 meetings for the careless riding  incident. "That was pretty horrible," Neasham, who won the race with Learning To Fly (Aus) (Justify), told SKY Thoroughbred Central. "He [Marquand] is ok,...

Trainer William Haggas said his team in Australia is "really happy" with G1 Champion S. winner Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) ahead of the 7-year-old's defense of his G1 Queen Elizabeth S. title at Randwick on Saturday, and that he thinks some rainfall will help the gelding turn the tables on star local mare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), who beat him first up in the G1 Ranvet S. on Mar. 27, which Addeybb also won last year. "They are really happy with him, but we could do with some rain....

It's a move that has already worked well for Johnny Allen, and swapping Ireland for Australia also seems to be paying off for Robbie Dolan. Champion apprentice last year in Sydney, Dolan is attached to the rising stable of successful jockey-turned-trainer Mark Newnham, who has boxes at both Randwick and Warwick Farm. The pair combined last Saturday to win the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint with Splintex (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) to give Dolan the biggest win of his career to date during the second weekend of The Championships. "That was my...

The grass gallops are now open on Newmarket's Warren Hill—a sure sign that spring is on the way, and formerly part of the traditional countdown to the start of the Flat season. These days, however, the top-class Flat action barely stops throughout the year which means that before the wraps come off the British turf season at Doncaster on Mar. 28, a number of the town's trainers will already have had some of their leading lights in action around the world. This spring promises to have a more international outlook...