Flying Embers burns bright in Randwick Midway to give apprentice William Stanley his first city success

Apprentice jockey William Stanley and the John Thompson-trained Flying Embers have forged a strong partnership which culminated in a Midway Handicap win at Randwick.

William Stanley rides Flying Embers to victory in the Midway Handicap at Randwick. Picture: Getty Images

Former Central West apprentice William Stanley, whose tally of winners recently went beyond 100, posted his first city victory at Royal Randwick on Saturday thanks to a gritty and determined local, Flying Embers.

Stanley was the obvious choice for Flying Ember’s trainer John Thompson, not only but mostly owing to the hoop’s near faultless record on the mare which prior to Saturday’s Midway Handicap was two wins and a nose second from three shared assignments.

Their previous two wins were by bigger margins each time but none showcased the mare’s desire more than this one given she was forced to race three-wide with no cover from her wide draw.

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Despite her less favourable run in transit, Flying Embers ($3.40 fav) took control of the race inside the final 200m, fending off a typically brave Danish Prince ($12) with Kembla mare Callistemon ($8) finishing best of the rest.

“Big thanks to John and the team, they’ve given me a lot of support throughout my moving to Newcastle. I couldn’t be happier,” Stanley said.

“I planned on being one-out, one-back, even three pairs one-off, but it was just the way it unfolded.

“She travelled well through the wet and the favourite led, and I didn’t want it to give it too much of a lead and she bounced along nicely.”

🔥 Flying Embers does enough in a tough win at Randwick!@JTRacingRwikpic.twitter.com/aenxBeYEih

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 24, 2025

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Flying Embers was born and raised at Arrowfield Stud who offered the mare (as agent) at the Magic Millions sale in 2023 where she was secured by Prime Thoroughbreds for $100,000.

The daughter of Shalaa is already showing a tidy profit as a racehorse but should make plenty of appeal to breeders later on given her dam is a half-sister to Ortensia.

Other notable family members include the sibling trio of Bint Marscay, Filante and Kenny’s Best Pal.

“She’s a really nice filly,” Thompson said.

“I actually think she doesn’t like the wet but she just tries so hard and pushes her way through it.

“I think on top of the ground, she’ll show a better turn of foot.”

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A Pound Of Salt again demonstrated size doesn’t matter when he burst through the pack to score a spectacular win at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Most of his TAB Highway rivals towered over the diminutive A Pound Of Salt but his win in the 1200m spring showed he’s “big” on ability.

Trainer Todd Howlett admitted when A Pound Of Salt first came to his stables he never expected the horse to be good enough to win a Highway.

“When I got him, I didn’t expect he would win a Highway because he was such a little ‘fella’,” Howlett said.

“But for an unassuming little horse, what he does is try his hardest every time and that is a great habit for him to have.

A Pound Of Salt takes out the Highway at Randwick@[e-mail]/JSHc0f2zsR

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) May 24, 2025

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“He’s also got a very good turn of foot which he showed today.”

A Pound Of Salt ($6.50) looked to be in a tough spot back inside horses coming around the turn but Zac Lloyd was able to navigate a path through the field and he swept clear late to score by a widening one-and-a-quarter lengths.

Super Norwest ($5 favourite) ran on for second, just in front of Plenitude ($6.50).

Howlett said A Pound Of Salt might emerge as a “country cups horse” before praising’s Lloyd’s winning ride.

Lloyd, who rode his first city winner for the month on A Pound Of Salt, said it wasn’t his plan to get that far back on settling down.

“I was happy to stay on him today because I didn’t give the horse a great ride last start, I gave him too much to do,” Lloyd said.

“So today I went ‘underneath’ to help the horse but I didn’t want to get that far back but he was run off his feet early.

“I was a bit concerned because it is hard to make up ground on these tracks but he did a great job.”

Originally published as Flying Embers burns bright in Randwick Midway to give apprentice William Stanley his first city success