New RQ boss determined to bury industry’s demons
NEW RQ chairman Steve Wilson says he is not deterred by the ghosts of the past and insists he sees a host of opportunities that can renew confidence in this state’s racing industry.
QLD Racing
Ratings to need real trackwork
SETTING aside the problems that have beset the new Eagle Farm, track ratings have become a hot topic of discussion in the past fortnight.
Eagle Farm stays firm over surface plans
EMBATTLED Eagle Farm will race on as administrators move to stem the tide of public opinion against the new surface following Saturday’s meeting.
Kelly’s Cover Girl steals the show
KELLY Schweida’s finest day of training was spent with old school mates and early work colleagues as he watched Miss Cover Girl’s Tatts Tiara win from Rockhampton.
Cellar door opens for decent stakes race victory
CHRIS Waller and Hugh Bowman both believe Cellarman can win a nice stakes race in the spring after the colt survived a protest to win at Eagle Farm.
Smart money finds Miss Kindilan
EAGLE-EYED video watchers were on the money with the long-priced move for Miss Kindilan, who finished best to win the opening race on Tatt’s Tiara Day.
Slater back in the saddle to spruik racing
BILLY Slater’s memories drifted back to family campouts at country Queensland race meetings as he returned to the racing spotlight on Friday for the first time since becoming an NRL superstar.
Inside information on Farm track says go wide
EAGLE Farm track manager Sean Bridges has forecast a similar racing pattern to Stradbroke Day and warned it will take months before the surface can race as a genuine Good.
Jockey determined to put the hammer down
PAUL Hammersley is in the firing line to win a late winter carnival consolation prize at Eagle Farm on Saturday, a fortnight after one of his biggest disappointments.
Blueberry Hill earns shot at big time
IT was always the plan for Blueberry Hill to be a Group 1 contender as a three-year-old, even though Liam Birchley was expecting it to come a lot earlier than Saturday’s final major for the season.
Unimpressive debut just a Twist of fate
ANALYSIS: DANISH Twist is one step away from the unlikely path of being trounced in a Taree maiden to savouring Group 1 glory.
Gollan joins push to change early starts
TONY Gollan has joined the chorus of calls for a change to early morning starts as Eagle Farm trainers face yet another hurdle in the Eagle Farm construction zone.
Giantkiller eyes another big scalp
FIELD: HAVING burst one bubble already this carnival, trainer David Pfeiffer is plotting the downfall of another big name with Cradle Me in Saturday’s Group 1 Tatts Tiara.
Azkadellia regains sparkle for Tiara
BETTING: CIARON Maher has given Azkadellia the thumbs up to start in the final Group 1 race of the Brisbane Winter Carnival on Saturday.
Time to press go on stalled track facelifts
IT’S welcome news that the final composition of the new Racing Queensland board is imminent. It has only taken 12 months and the industry has been on pause for most of that time.
Farm poised to become Queensland jewel
STRADBROKE Day confirmed Aquis Farm is set to be a major force in racing and this weekend the operation could be celebrating its first Group 1 success.
Ban a barrier to premiership aim
JAMES Orman is certain to lodge an appeal against the 11-day suspension he incurred at Ipswich on Saturday in a bid to keep his premiership aspirations alive.
Reluctant visitor Browne dominates
JOCKEY Damian Browne’s double success on the Ipswich’s biggest race day won’t coax him into making more trips south.
Gollan moves whisker away from his record
TONY Gollan insists his stable will have even more depth next season after the state’s top trainer moved to within half-a-win of his own Queensland training record at Ipswich on Saturday.
Slow track downgrade a punters’ nightmare
STEWARDS were slow to downgrade the track on Saturday after going up a Good 4. Riders suggested early on that it was worse than that.
Stewards stand firm on close call
HAPPY Event’s trainer John Zielke insists officials should have declared a dead-heat in Saturday’s Bundamba Handicap, but stewards had no doubt the judge got it right.
Cup victory a sign of things to come for Vandyke
DAVID Vandyke celebrated his first weekend as a fulltime Queensland trainer in style on Saturday as Maurus easily claimed the Ipswich Cup.
Vandyke plays a pretty tidy Blackjack hand
DAVID Vandyke has notched his first Saturday metropolitan winner since moving to the Sunshine State full time courtesy of Blackjack Bella at Ipswich.
Moody fielding apologies over cobalt fallout
PETER Moody has revealed he received apologies from some Queensland trainers who initially thought he was a cheat before they were caught in the controversial cobalt net.
Nathan’s Racebook: Ipswich
THE Courier-Mail’s racing editor Nathan Exelby breaks down the eight-race card at Ipswich featuring the $175,000 Eye Liner Stakes and $175,000 Ipswich Cup.
Talk of promising Cup prospects not mumbo Jumbo
MICHAEL Nolan would dearly love to emulate his father Paul as bargain buy Jumbo Prince finally gets to his grand final in Saturday’s Ipswich Cup.
Early rain Trubia’s biggest handicap
MICHAEL Cahill fears rain could bring about the undoing of Trubia when he reunites with the hulking sprinter in Saturday’s Eye Liner Stakes.
Browne weighs in to Ipswich Cup challenge
DAMIAN Browne believes a lack of depth in the staying ranks is the reason Maurus can buck history and lump 58kg to success in Saturday’s $175,000 Ipswich Cup.
Ipswich asks for a giddy-up
ON THE eve of the 150th anniversary of the Ipswich Cup, the Ipswich Turf Club is still waiting for funding approval for a project that had its origins in 2008.
Holler ’adapting well’ ahead of Ascot tilt
JOHN O’Shea remains cautiously optimistic over Holler’s Royal Ascot prospects after the Aussie raider completed his Diamond Jubilee Stakes preparations.
Azkadellia still in running for Tiara
CIARON Maher has told punters to put a line through Azkadellia’s Stradbroke flop and is confident the four-year-old can bounce back in Saturday week’s Tatt’s Tiara.
Ghisoni ruled out of Tatt’s Tiara
TALENTED filly Ghisoni has been ruled out of Saturday week’s Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m).
Twist adds some Danish flavour
AS nominal favourites Azkadellia and Ghisoni faltered in Brisbane, Danish Twist emerged as a leading hope for the Group 1 Tatts Tiara after winning in Sydney.
Knowing Winx boosts faith in Plate defence
WONDER mare Winx is set to return to work later this month as she builds towards a Cox Plate defence in October.
Pike pair have spring in their step
TONY Pike’s Group 1-winning duo Provocative and Sacred Elixir have been allotted Timeform ratings that historically set them on a path to spring riches.
Country rejoices in Farm reopening
BLAKE Shinn created history and gave a glowing first impression of the new Eagle Farm track following My Country’s win in the Lancaster Stakes.
No need for Magic tricks with smart Tsaritsa
THE Magic Man reckoned he didn’t need to pull a rabbit out of his hat to win the Queensland Guineas on exciting filly Tsaritsa.
This is just the start for our grand old lady
MUHAMMAD Ali looked down upon Eagle Farm on Saturday with the raised eyebrow of a man not sure what to make of it all.
Louvre refuses to settle for second best
TAB BIG BETS: NOT even an early crow was enough to stop former bridesmaid Under The Louvre from landing Queensland racing’s greatest prize at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Double Pike has affable Kiwi doing somersaults
TONY Pike cast aside a miserable 2015 winter carnival to unearth potential spring stars in Sacred Elixir and Provocative as the likeable Kiwi trainer landed a Group 1 double.
Queensland triumph one for the good Guys
BRYAN Guy fought back tears as vowed his fabulous Queensland Derby triumph with Eagle Way would be the perfect springboard for a new family training partnership.
The Last Say with Ray Thomas
SATURDAY racing comes to you from Randwick and Eagle Farm. Here’s all the last minute tips and info from Daily Telegraph racing editor Ray Thomas.
Nathan’s Racebook
POLL: THE Courier-Mail’s racing editor Nathan Exelby breaks down the Stradbroke Day card that features four Group 1 races on the same day for the first time in Queensland.
Punters launch Az if it’s already over
POLL: BOOKMAKERS have described the plunge on Stradbroke favourite Azkadellia as relentless, with punters seeing Saturday’s $1.5 million Stradbroke as hers to lose.
Lightning might strike twice in Farm return
AFTER 22 months, what are the odds of a horse winning the first race on the new Eagle Farm track for the same owner and trainer as the last winner on the old track?
Moreira wants to sprinkle magic around
“MAGIC Man” Joao Moreira wants to be Aussie Joao and is already on the lookout for a Melbourne Cup ride.
Veteran confident of snaring Big upset
ROBERT Thompson was riding big-race winners in Brisbane before most of his rivals in Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap were born.
Elixir could prove a special kind of brew
SACRED Elixir is confounding breeding experts and his trainer Tony Pike, who admits the son of English Derby winner Pour Moi is doing things he should not be able to achieve as a two-year-old.
High-flying Hugh on hunt for more riches
HUGH Bowman has guided his mounts to a gold mine of almost $25 million and he hopes to cap his “mind-boggling” season with more riches at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Kamikaze initiation that took J-Mac to the top
THERE was no Group 1 glory on offer for James McDonald when he faced the riding challenge which defined his career.
Ollie keen Az for another shot at Straddie
POLL: DAMIEN Oliver arrived early in Brisbane for reconnaissance of the new Eagle Farm track as he plots to win his second Stradbroke in three years.
Bushy gets his dream moment in the big smoke
THE jockeys in Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap can only hope they find a rails run similar to that which greeted a 14-year-old budding racecaller in Longreach.
Reith eyes up homecoming coup
POLL: CHRISTIAN Reith will be the proudest of Queenslanders if he can pull off a Stradbroke coup on wildcard entry Kaepernick on Saturday.
Buff to be honoured at Eagle Farm
QUEENSLAND idol Buffering will fittingly be housed in Stall 1 on Saturday, with a vantage point looking towards a spanking new bar which will be christened in his honour.
Maher on course for higher honours
THE Courier-Mail’s racing experts Nathan Exelby and Ben Dorries preview the star-studded Super Saturday meeting at Eagle Farm.
Ex-fisherman hooked on new passion
LOBSTER is the ultimate indulgence for many diners, so imagine having a tonne of it on board a trawler heading home from a day at sea.
Music not in tune to one ratings gun
RATINGS expert Daniel O’Sullivan has cast doubt on the Stradbroke chances of top fancies Counterattack, Malaguerra and Music Magnate in Saturday’s $1.5m sprint.
Bart gets Rawiller’s heart racing
BRAD Rawiller says any more improvement in Black Heart Bart will make him a formidable chance in Saturday’s $1.5m Stradbroke at Eagle Farm.
Johnston strikes gold in Lightning
KRYSTLE Johnston delivered her family one of their biggest successes when Executed landed a betting plunge in Wednesday’s postponed Listed Lightning Stakes.
Star mare lands perfect Stradbroke draw
FIELD/BETTING: Azkadellia’s perfect Stradbroke preparation continued into the barrier draw as track staff confirmed how much Eagle Farm had dried out since Saturday.
Byrne hooked on Kebede in Oaks
JOCKEY Jim Byrne wants to bound back to his Group 1-winning best on Super Saturday, after admitting he got things wrong with his Doomben 10,000 ride on Hooked.
Azkadellia ready to show brilliant best: Maher
BETTING: CIARON Maher says Stradbroke favourite Azkadellia is a more brilliant mare than her “brute’’ stablemate Srikandi who won the rich Queensland sprint last year.
War vet on Counterattack to help less fortunate
A BIG part of Geoff Grimish will rejoice if Counterattack wins the Straddie on Saturday. But the Vietnam War veteran will also feel a sharp pang of guilt.
Queenslanders stirring for Straddie assault
SUPER Saturday could also be Queensland Day as the home players look to turn around their flagging Winter Carnival fortunes this weekend.
Dreams can have a Habit of coming true
BJORN Baker is planning on replicating some Stradbroke magic of his own when Music Magnate attempts to break a 28-year hoodoo in Saturday’s $1.5 million race.
Straddie emerges the big winner from wild ride
UPDATE: SATURDAY’S big wet has paved the way for Stradbroke Day to become the most prestigious race meeting in Queensland history next Saturday.
Rescheduled races a nice compromise
FOR the cynics, the 9am call to abandon Saturday’s Oaks meeting was justification that the new Eagle Farm track does not live up to the hype.
Big wet ruins Stradbroke hopes for star duo
SATURDAY’S abandoned meeting is likely to rule out the fancied Kaepernick from this week’s Stradbroke, with Team Hawkes expected to keep him for the QTC Cup.
BRC counts cost of washout
THE Brisbane Racing Club was counting the cost of Saturday’s washed out its Oaks Day meeting, with early estimates putting the loss at $400,000.
The Last Say with Ray Thomas
SATURDAY racing comes to you today from Rosehill Gardens. Here’s all the last minute tips and info from Ray Thomas.
Trubia has to beat rain and rivals for Straddie slot
MICHAEL Lakey is hoping the grim Brisbane weather forecast on Saturday doesn’t rob Trubia of his chance to qualify for the Stradbroke Handicap.
Shades of optimism for rain delay
BRC chairman Neville Bell hopes the fact he had to wear sunglasses at Eagle Farm on Friday was an omen for Saturday’s Queensland Oaks meeting being able to dodge the predicted deluge.
Kebede can put icing on stable’s rapid rise
TWO years ago Matt Dunn dreamed big and gambled everything on an unfinished stable complex at Murwillumbah. That investment may pay off on Saturday.
Nathan’s Racebook
THE Courier-Mail’s racing editor Nathan Exelby breaks down the big races at the much-anticipated return to Eagle Farm, headlined by the Queensland Oaks.
Vandyke prays Maurus gets shot to snare Cup
DAVID Vandyke is sweating on Saturday’s Eagle Farm Cup going ahead, believing Maurus is perfectly placed to clinch the race formerly known as the O’Shea Stakes.
Eagle Farm back-up plan in case heavy rain hits
UPDATE: OFFICIALS will give Saturday’s scheduled return to Eagle Farm every opportunity to go ahead but contingency plans are being made in case the forecast deluge hits.
Oaks mudders, scuba gear and roulette wheels
THE Courier-Mail’s racing experts Nathan Exelby and Ben Dorries preview the Queensland Oaks meeting in the latest edition of Carnival Capers.
Jake takes the reins on a super double
WOULD you rather own a promising horse, or knock around with Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk. Jake Turpin considers himself blessed because he gets to do both.
Baker to maintain Imposing strike rate in Oaks
BJORN Baker won’t be wearing a snorkel on Saturday as he reckons the expected rain deluge would only be classed a light shower in his former New Zealand homeland.
Dwyer warming to Tavi Bay’s chances
HENRY Dwyer has no hesitation in labelling Oaks hope Tavi Bay a classier type than his 2014 Queensland Derby winner Sonntag and he is warming to the idea of repeating history on Saturday.
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