Australian racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Australia: Four Derby Wins For Explosive Jack?

Explosive Jack looks to equal an Australian and American record for most Derby wins in a season (four) this Friday night in the Group 1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm racecourse. Tune in to TVG or stream on the new Sky Racing World App (First Post: 9:34 p.m. ET / 6:34 p.m. PT).

Explosive Jack is by the late Jakkalberry, a globetrotting G1 winner in Italy who won the inaugural American St. Leger at Arlington in 2012 (a race that was discontinued after six years). Jakkalberry also won in England and Dubai, competed in Japan and Hong Kong, and finished third in a Melbourne Cup.

Explosive Jack's Derby odyssey began in February, winning the Tasmanian Derby in Australia's island state. There is a quantum leap in quality from the Tasmanian Derby, which carries only listed status, to the G1 Australian Derby at Sydney's “The Championships.” However, Explosive Jack sprang a 15-1 photo finish upset at Randwick before dominating the G1 South Australian Derby in Adelaide three weeks ago. This was the first time in his eight-start career that Explosive Jack started favorite, and he will again carry the weight of public support (2-1) in his history-making endeavor this Friday night.

Only one horse – Dayana, in 1972, trained by the legendary Bart Cummings – has won four derbies in Australia. Explosive Jack would become the first to achieve the feat in four different states. Jay Privman, who attended his first Kentucky Derby in 1982 and has led Daily Racing Form's Triple Crown coverage since 1998, name a trio of American horses with four derby credits: Smarten (1979), Snow Chief (1986) and Lost Code (1987). Interestingly, none of those four-peats included the Kentucky Derby – indeed, Privman recalls trainer Woody Stephens specifically targeting Smarten at the Illinois, Pennsylvania, American and Ohio Derbies after an early-season encounter with Spectacular Bid caused him to alter plans for the year. Admittedly, there is no generational freak in the current crop of Australian 3-year-olds, but the fact that Explosive Jack boasts the Australian Derby win at Royal Randwick adds merit to his streak.

The Queensland Derby, at 1 1/2 miles, is the seventh of nine races and shares Friday night's G1 spotlight with the weight-for-age Kingsford Smith Cup, Race 8 at six and ahalf furlongs. Godolphin's royal blue silks will be carried by Savatiano (7-2) and Trekking (8-1), who bear many coincidences apart from their ownership. Both are 6-year-olds with similar career records: Savatiano 39:13-10-3; Trekking 35:10-6-4. Moreover, both are by Street Cry from a Redoubte's Choice mare. Street Cry enshrined himself in American and Australian breeding history through the deeds of daughters Zenyatta and Winx, while Redoubte's Choice has been Australia's most influential sire of this century. Savatiano, also a mare, comes off a photo finish win and a photo finish defeat at G1 level during Sydney's recent “Autumn Racing Carnival.” Trekking has netted $5 million in earnings throughout his career, and was beaten less than a length in Eduardo's G1 Doomben 10,000 two weeks ago. Godolphin's private trainer in Australia is James Cummings, grandson of the aforementioned Bart Cummings, one of the nation's most revered and successful trainers who won a record 12 Melbourne Cups.

If their breeding epitomizes the link between Australia and the United States, Savatiano and Trekking would be an appropriate exacta result in a race which honors Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. In 1928, the pioneering aviator made the first trans-Pacific flight – from Oakland, Calif., to his hometown of Brisbane, Australia. The journey (with an Australian co-pilot and two American crewmen) was completed in a slick 83 hours and 38 minutes of flying time, with stops in Hawaii and Fiji. Kingsford Smith's plane, the Southern Cross, is on display at Brisbane Airport – less than three miles from Eagle Farm (Doomben is situated between them). Also in 1928, another Queensland-born aviator, Bert Hinkler, landed his plane on Eagle Farm's home stretch – in between races, in front of a massive crowd – after a record-breaking solo flight from Britain to Australia.

The Eagle Farm card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:34 p.m. ET / 6:34 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Randwick, Kembla Grange and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Wrona's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. He also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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Australian Rider McIver’s One-Year Ban Overturned Upon Review

Queensland jockey Chris McIver, who earlier this year was handed a one-year ban for mistreatment of horses, has had that ban overturned on appeal. McIver had been found guilty of misconduct by the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) in February during an incident in the starting gate at Rockhampton, and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

At the time of the incident, McIver had returned from a seven-month suspension for mistreatment of a horse in 2020.

McIver filed an appeal and upon a review in March, McIver's attorney Peter Boyce said the QRIC determined the evidence did not support the original finding.

“The reviewer, in carefully considering the totality of the evidence, including the applicant's submissions, the clarity of the footage of the alleged incident and the aforementioned factors, is not satisfied to the requisite standard that the applicant's actions constitute misconduct,” read a statement from QRIC internal adjudicator Kane Ashby.

As a result, McIver is not considered guilty of any charge related to the incident and resumed riding.

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Australia: Zaaki Seeking Group 1 Goodness

One of the strongest fields to ever contest the Group 1 Doomben Cup is headed by a pair of English expats – equine and human – who are rapidly rising to prominence Down Under. Six-year-old Zaaki (9-5) sits on the cusp of a first G1 success this Friday night, two months after his 30-year-old trainer, Annabel Neasham, achieved the feat.

Despite having no experience of horse racing growing up, Annabel Neasham had horse history in England through show jumping, point-to-point, and eventing. She came to Australia on a working vacation with legendary Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse, expecting to stay no more than a year. However, Neasham was subsequently hired as assistant trainer to the formidable partnership of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. Amid her four-year stint with Maher and Eustace, she took time out to compete in the Mongol Derby, a 625-mile endurance race on horseback across the Mongolian steppe. Through monsoon rain, fog and heat, while subsisting for six days on cereal bars and purified water, Neasham won.

In the middle of 2020, ready for another challenge, Neasham branched out on her own. She won with her first runner and, with the support of prominent owner Aquis Farm, acquired several horses from champion trainer Chris Waller. In her first year of training, Mo'unga gave Neasham a G1 victory in the Rosehill Guineas during Sydney's recent “Autumn Racing Carnival.” Now, she is playing a major role in Queensland's “Winter Carnival” with her latest star performer, Zaaki.

The gelded son of the late Leroidesanimaux achieved modest success in England, but has thrived in Australia under Neasham's tutelage. After a pair of promising performances in Sydney, Zaaki demolished a quality field in the G2 Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast. Among the Hollindale vanquished who are trying again in the Doomben Cup is Melody Belle (16-1), who will shoot for an incredible 15th G1 victory in her career swan song. However, Zaaki's stiffest opposition is expected from Sir Dragonet and Mugatoo (each at 4-1), who finished first and fourth respectively in last October's Cox Plate. Most recently, they were just behind the placegetters in last month's memorable Queen Elizabeth Stakes showdown between Addeyb and Verry Elleegant.

Curiously, only three favorites have won the Doomben Cup in the past two decades. Should Zaaki buck that trend, both he and his trainer will embody the Arabic meaning of his name: one who increases in growth and goodness.

Friday night's nine-race Doomben card includes several supporting stakes named for famous Queenslanders. The fourth and fifth races honor trailblazing jockeys Darby McCarthy and Pam O'Neill. McCarthy, who died last year at 76, was an Indigenous Australian who rose from the humblest of beginnings in Outback Queensland to become one of the nation's top riders of the 1960s. He won more than 1,000 races in Australia, England, and France.

O'Neill campaigned for more than a decade before being granted a license – in 1979, at the age of 34 – as Australia's first female jockey. Her career tally of more than 400 winners includes several during a month-long stint in Japan. Australia now boasts a world-high ratio of female-to-male jockeys. Jamie Kah is the star of Melbourne's riding colony, while Rachel King is third in the Sydney standings.

Race 6 is named for the ultimate “horse for a course.” Chief de Beers recorded minor placings at multiple tracks during his 51-start career in the 1990s – but every one of his 20 victories came at Doomben. Upon retirement, he served for a decade on the Queensland Police Force, receiving a prestigious Blue Cross Medal for his service to the force and community. Chief de Beers died last year at Living Legends Farm, aged 28.

The Doomben card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (first post: 9:34 p.m. ET / 6:34 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Rosehill, Newcastle and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to livestreaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Wrona's vast U.S. experience includes race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the international simulcast network. Wrona also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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Australia: Eduardo To Hit Top Gear In ‘Queensland Winter Carnival’

Eduardo, the world's third-highest ranked racehorse, is the headline act this Friday night in Australia, as the “Queensland Winter Carnival” hits top gear at Doomben Racecourse. Eduardo will line up in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 over six furlongs which will be broadcast live on TVG and available to stream on the new Sky Racing World App (First Post: 9:38 p.m. ET / 6:38 p.m. PT).

Just as America's best eastern stables head south to Florida for the winter, Australia's focus shifts to its northeastern state of Queensland during the Southern Hemisphere winter. In fact, Florida and Queensland share the moniker “Sunshine State.” Queensland's capital, Brisbane, is Australia's third-largest city and my hometown. Its two racetracks, Doomben and Eagle Farm, are across the street from each other and will hold a Group One race six of the next seven weeks.

This Friday night, the G1 Doomben 10,000 is the seventh on a nine-race card. The six furlong weight-for-age event features late-blooming sprint star Eduardo (7-5 favorite). While always hinting at top-level ability, Eduardo was sporadically raced through his 6-year-old season, winning 4 of 13 starts. Since transferring to trainer Joe Pride, the gelding's 7-year-old season has yielded a pair of G2 victories and a G1 triumph from seven outings. His performances during the recent Sydney Autumn Carnival – which included breaking Randwick's five furlong track record in the G1 Galaxy – earned Eduardo his lofty ranking from the International Federation of Racing Authorities. Eduardo hasn't raced for five weeks, but Pride kept him ticking over with a trial (training race) win last Friday in Sydney, before embarking on the 580-mile van ride north to Brisbane.

Eduardo's opposition will include an enormously popular horse named The Harrovian (17-1), who has compiled an astonishing 16:14-2-0 record in Queensland since the beginning of 2019. Most of The Harrovian's exploits have been at lesser quality tracks in the far north of the state, but he won a pair of listed stakes races in Brisbane to cap an 11-race win streak that endeared him to fans statewide. While Eduardo and The Harrovian are both 7-year-old geldings, connections of two prospective stallions would love to notch a G1 win to enhance the commercial value of Wild Ruler (7-2) and Splintex (8-1). Wild Ruler, the lone 3-year-old, is coming off a G2 win during the Sydney Autumn Carnival, while 4-year-old Splintex is a last-start G3 Sydney winner.

The latter's trainer, Mark Newnham, would have been elated after drawing the rail, having earlier stated that “It doesn't matter if it's a Group One or a maiden, post positions going six furlongs at Doomben are vital … one to eight would be ideal.”

Godolphin's chances took a hit when their $5 million earner Trekking (6-1) drew gate 10.

Post positions weren't always as significant in six furlong races at Doomben. Apart from the Melbourne Cup, Flemington Racecourse is famous for its straight six furlong course. Modern-day racing fans – even in Brisbane – would be largely unaware that Doomben once had a “Straight Six” course. The Doomben 10,000 was inaugurated in 1933 as the Doomben Newmarket, and its first nine runnings were down the straight course. In 1942, the land was taken by eminent domain to become part of the neighboring Brisbane Airport. The race's name was changed in 1946 to reflect its purse money (in British pounds), which made the Doomben 10,000 the richest sprint race in Australia. That amount would be currently equivalent to US $590,000; the 2021 Doomben 10,000 field will compete for a purse of US $780,000.

Outside of Friday night's four Group races, great interest surrounds the return to action of Love Tap in Race 3. In the span of four races last year, the 3-year-old son of Tapit went from a debut win at an obscure “country” track to a G3 victory at Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse. An injury in January sidelined Love Tap from the Sydney Autumn Carnival, but the gray gelding is now set to appear for the first time since his only defeat, when well fancied in his Group One debut seven months ago.

The Doomben card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:38 p.m. ET / 6:38 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Rosehill, Kembla Grange and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Wrona's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Wrona also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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