Racing typically takes place every Thursday and Saturday with the first post at approximately 12pm EST.

David Haslett, CEO of Sky Racing World, stated: “We are proud to offer the simulcast of racing from Hipodromo Chile to North America and expand the audience size for this high-quality racing product.”

The post Sky Racing World To Simulcast Racing From Hipodromo Chile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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L'Ormarins Queen's Plate winner Jet Dark is the best weighted runner based on merit ratings, but only by 1lb. In fact, there is very little separating the highest rated five runners.

The Justin Snaith trained 3-year-old Double Superlative, who last month won the G1 Cape Guineas, could be substantially better than his current merit rating of 113 and is joint favorite for the race. But while Double Superlative may have won the Guineas, there is a question about the ability of this current crop of 3-year-olds and it could be wise to look elsewhere for the winner.

The horse who ticks almost all of the boxes is Kommetdieding. Trained in Cape Town by the father and daughter team of Harold Crawford and Michelle Rix, this 4-year-old son of Elusive Fort won the country's biggest handicap, the G1 Vodacom Durban July at Greyville last year.

He has had the perfect preparation with two really good build-up races, finishing third in the Cape Mile and then second to Jet Dark in the Queen's Plate. Both those races were over one mile, and he will improve markedly over the additional two furlongs.

He won his first four races and was then targeted at last year's Cape Derby, but an injury forced him out and he was not seen in action until May.

Everything is on track for this colt this time.

“Right now, we could not have asked for a more sound and fitter racehorse, and I'm looking forward to Saturday,” said Rix.

He is owned by charismatic Ashwin Reynolds, and the name, Kommetdieding, is Afrikaans for “bring it on.”

Gavin Lerena picked up his first Durban July winner on this horse and will be hoping Kommetdieding will give him his first triumph in the Met.

Meanwhile, Jet Dark could not have been more impressive in winning the Queen's Plate for the second successive year and trainer Snaith is very confident this son of Trippi will see out the trip.

“I don't see 1 ¼ miles a problem for him,” said Snaith. “For a champion racehorse the distance is elementary, and Jet Dark sets the bar very high in the Met.”

However, Jet Dark is racing against other horses who have no stamina doubts, and it will be interesting to see whether he can produce the same finishing burst over 1 ¼ miles as he does over 1 mile.

S'manga Khumalo is unbeaten in two Grade 1 races on him and he is back aboard on Saturday.

Critics may knock Linebacker's somewhat dull performance in the Queen's Plate when beaten out of the placings three lengths back. His jockey on that occasion, Craig Zackey, explained that Linebacker was off the bit early and out of his comfort zone.

It is conceivable Linebacker, winner of the G1 Cape Derby and G1 Daily News 2000, reverts to his usual high-class form in a race likely to be run to suit, especially with regular rider Grant van Niekerk back in the irons.

The Kenilworth card 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, DRF Bets 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.

The post South Africa: Little Separating Top Five Runners In Saturday Morning’s Cape Town Met appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Simulcast is now available for all Palermo meetings on the SRW website, ADW websites, and the SRW App. The races will take place every Monday, including a mix of races on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday with first post at approximately 3 PM EST. The weekend dates change monthly and you can see the full calendar here.

This exciting news is all possible thanks to the work done by the Board and Management of Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo and their work with the government to pass legislation that allows international commingling. The Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo is home to some time-honored events, like the Estrellas Classic, Gran Premio Selección and the Gran Premio Nacional (The Argentine Derby) which started back in 1884.

American and Argentinian breeding have a rich connection that goes back many years. A great example of this is Pure Prize, a Grade 2 winner who sired Grade 1 performers in both countries. In total, Pure Prize has sired 13 crops of racing age and combined progeny earnings of nearly $75 million. He's not alone, as other great stallions Blue Prize and Hi Happy were bred in Argentina before moving north to win major races there. More recently, we saw Gouverneur Morris move over to Argentina when sold, after being a hopeful for the 2020 Kentucky Derby.

All races are live-streamed on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms. Fans can also get free access to past performances and picks at skyracingworld.com.

Sky Racing World is a subsidiary of Tabcorp, Australia's biggest wagering and entertainment company. It retains the exclusive rights to distribute live racing from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan (NAR) to territories across the Americas and the Caribbean. It also remains the leading digital source for premium tipping content from the Southern Hemisphere's leading race markets and live video broadcasts.

The post Sky Racing World Announces Historic Merger Of U.S., Argentinian Wagering Pools appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Friday Night's Feature Race: Race 8, the G1 $1,000,000 Spring Champion Stakes, for 3-year-olds at 1-1/4 miles. Wagering is headed by the exacta horses from the traditional prep race, the Gloaming Stakes, along with a filly who caused a massive Group One upset just last week. The trio can keep close tabs on each other, as they break from adjoining gates.

Hefty Price Tag: Profondo is Italian for “deep,” which describes the pockets belonging to the owner who paid $1.9 million for this colt. More likely, the name pays homage to his late sire, the Japanese racetrack-and-stud sensation Deep Impact (by Sunday Silence). Unraced as a 2-year-old, Profondo debuted with a seven-furlong maiden win on September 1st, before stepping up to nine furlongs in the G3 Gloaming Stakes. Sent off favorite, Profondo raced a bit keenly before hitting the front in the stretch, only to throw the race away by ducking in sharply. He lost narrowly to the more seasoned Head Of State (a son of American Pharoah), and the pair will be neighbors in the starting gate for Friday night's much-anticipated rematch. #1 Head Of State (gate 9) is 7-2, while #2 Profondo (gate 10) is 2-1 favorite.

Fillies Trending: While only three fillies have won the Spring Champion Stakes (first run in 1971), those wins have all come in the past five years (including 2020 winner, Montefilia, who won last week's G1 Metropolitan Handicap as a 4-year-old). #11 Never Been Kissed will attempt to replicate Montefilia's feat of last season, by winning the G1 Flight Stakes and the G1 Spring Champion Stakes “double.” Never Been Kissed was let go at 60-1 when winning the one-mile Flight versus her own sex. She is 4-1 third choice for Friday night's assignment against colts and is drawn directly inside Head Of State in gate 9.  

Selection: #2 Profondo

Supporting Stakes: Race 7, the Silver Eagle, is a $500,000 race for 4-year-olds and up at 6-1/2 furlongs. The program also features a pair of Group Two races and a pair of Group Threes. Friday night's 10-race card attracted a total of 140 entries (including Also Eligibles). First Post is 6.35pm Pacific.

Hot jockey(s): Reagan Bayliss was last Friday night's star, increasing his career Group One win total from three to five (Epsom Handicap and Flight Stakes). Hugh Bowman deserves an honorable mention for reaching a special milestone: by winning last week's other G1, the Metropolitan, Bowman became just the fourth Australian rider to register 100 Group One victories (exactly one quarter of Bowman's came aboard Winx).    

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:35pm ET / 6:35pm PT) alongside cards from Gold Coast, Eagle Farm and Goulburn. 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, DRF Bets 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. 

The post Australia: The Everest Summit Is One Week Away appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The commingling of pools provides improved liquidity, greater stability of odds and a more attractive wagering proposition to USA players overall. It is also anticipated that commingling will enable the number of Australian Greyhound meetings offered each day to increase, which will be a boost to the entertainment options available to USA fans of Greyhound racing and the growth of the Australian industry.

Sky Racing World has distributed the simulcast of Australian Greyhound racing in the USA since June 2020, and it has quickly become popular with USA Greyhound racing fans. Audiences have been able to experience the quality of the Australian Greyhound racing product from a variety of locations across Australia, including the states of Victoria (Melbourne) and New South Wales (Sydney), with feature racing from city tracks like The Meadows and Wentworth Park. Now, they'll also get the added benefit of commingling and improved liquidity. 

The last year has been huge for innovation within Greyhound Racing Victoria led by its Board and Chair Peita Duncan. In addition to commingling, it has launched a variety of measures to improve the sport, like The Phoenix, which is the world's only slot race for greyhounds. With eight slots available at $75,000 per slot, there's over $1,145,000 in total prize money to win, along with the winner going home with $750,000 and it run at The Meadows on Saturday, December 18th.

The GRV has been focused on the adoption of greyhounds, with around 3,000 greyhounds being rehomed to loving families in 2020-21. They've also recently launched a new Desexing and Dental Scheme for retired greyhounds, where the GRV will pay for desexing and dental work (up to $400 for a male and up to $500 for a female) to assist in a Greyhound's rehoming.

The Welfare and integrity of greyhounds are paramount for the GRV as a regulator and they've been concentrating on major infrastructure projects that focus on safer racing. An example is the Traralgon track, which is the first of its kind with a redeveloped 'J' design. It's designed to reduce physical stress on greyhounds during their races featuring one turn and a 300-metre straight track, according to research conducted by the University of Technology Sydney. The Victorian Government has invested $3 million dollars, while Greyhound Racing Victoria topped up the investment with $2 million dollars, making it a $5 million dollar project. 

On June 18th, the GRV also ran the first Pink Diamond night at the Bendigo Greyhound Racing Club. The series ran at race clubs all over Victoria to reward Victorian bred greyhounds of all ages and abilities, and around $790,000AU in prize money and breeders' bonus were handed to Victorian participants.

All of these impressive feats have brought forward a sport that US players can now access the Australian Greyhound wagering pools (NSW Tote) via Advance-Deposit Wagering (ADW) partners who offer wagering on Greyhounds.

David Haslett, CEO of Sky Racing World, stated: “The commingling of pools provides a significant boost to wagering play on Australian Greyhound racing and it wouldn't have happened without the support of the Australian Greyhound Racing industry, particularly Peita Duncan (Chair, Greyhound Racing Victoria) who helped drive the initiative. Last year, we were proud to introduce the simulcast of Australian Greyhound racing to the USA, but this will take participation to the next level. It is also a great milestone for the Sky Racing World business, Tabcorp and the Australian Greyhound racing industry and its state jurisdictions.”

All races are live-streamed on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms. Fans can also get free access to past performances and picks at skyracingworld.com. 

Sky Racing World is a subsidiary of Tabcorp, Australia's biggest wagering and entertainment company. It retains the exclusive rights to distribute live racing from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan (NAR) to territories across the Americas and the Caribbean. It also remains the leading digital source for premium tipping content from the Southern Hemisphere's leading race markets and live video broadcasts. 

The post Sky Racing World Begins Commingling Of US, Australian Wagering Pools appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Justin Snaith is going all out with four entries among the 18 runners carded for Greyville on Saturday. He is coming off a hat-trick of wins, having saddled Belgarion to win last year and prior to that Do It Again to back-to-back victories. Both horses are in the line-up again this weekend and will spearhead Snaith's attempt to win Africa's greatest horse race for a fifth time, chasing the seven successes of the legendary Syd Laird and the six of Terrance Millard.

Raced on turf, the Durban July Handicap is open to horses of all ages, but all of them will be chasing after Rainbow Bridge from the off, as the gelding and rider Luke Ferraris have changed their running tactics, won their last three races, and claimed pole position for the upcoming race. Top weight Rainbow Bridge will be looking to win this one for owner Mike Rattray, who been competing in this prestigious race for over four decades.

Despite Rainbow Bridge's pole position, he isn't currently trading as the favorite with 5-1 odds, as it's Got The Greenlight who leads the way with 5-2 odds. The 4-year old was runner-up to Belgarion last year where he was beaten by just shy of one length. Trainer Joey Soma has had the Vodacom Durban July in his sights since Got The Greenlight's loss last year and the colt does appear to have had the ideal preparation. On the other hand, weight could be an issue and Ferraris will need to avoid traffic in a notoriously rough race from his pole position draw.

Even with the number 14 draw, Got The Greenlight's jockey, Muzi Yeni, said, “I was extremely happy with Got The Greenlight's gallop, which was outstanding. He gave me the feel that he has strengthened up even further and he is really in a good space, so it's all positive from my side. I am not too concerned about his No 14 draw as I would prefer not to be caught up in the scrimmage for position in the early stages. All the major players seem to have put up good gallops and all looked very well within themselves so it's going to be a great spectacle.”

Speaking of Belgarion, last year's winner is back again looking for the double, but this time with a different rider. This year he will be going for the win with S'Manga Khumalo, who won the race with steed Heavy Metal back in 2013. Belgarion is a 9-1 favorite to win and fans will be hoping he can go back-to-back.

Make sure not to forget about Do It Again, as he'll be in the race as well, with stable rider Richard Fourie. He'll be looking to make history as the only horse to have won the race three times, after winning in back-to-back years before losing to Belgarion last year. Currently at 8-1 odds, Do It Again last won the race two years ago, but can he follow his name and get it done again?

Also in the field is the three-year-old Linebacker, winner of the Grade 2 KZN Guineas and Grade 1 Daily News 2000, who is the clear second favorite at 7-2. Three-year old horses have an outstanding record in this race over the recent years, so maybe Linebacker can make his mark on the proceedings. Another factor going in the favor of three-year old horses is that they will all carry the minimum weight for their age group going into the race.

Who will win this historic event in 2021? Will it be favorite Got The Greenlight or another one of the horses in the field? Find out on July 3rd on Sky Racing World, our app and on TVG!

The Greyville card will be broadcast live on TVG this Saturday morning (First Post: 5:15 AM ET / 2:15 AM PT). 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. 

The post South Africa: Trainer Snaith Chasing Fourth Straight Win In Historic Durban July Handicap appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Melbourne jockey Craig Williams has reaped the benefits of a decision to base himself in Brisbane throughout Queensland's “Winter Racing Carnival,” as COVID-19 flare-ups have caused state border closures resulting in restricted opportunities for some of his peers. Williams has collected a G1 victory, three G2s and a pair of listed stakes, and he stole the show at Eagle Farm two weeks ago by winning three stakes races across the second half of the card. The astute rider was the first to identify an outside bias, which he exploited to full advantage at odds of 16-1, 11-1 and 7-1. If a fan were leaning over the outside rail enjoying a hot dog during the finale, “Willo” almost could have snatched it as he brought Brooklyn Hustle from last of 15 at the 1/8-pole. That win, in the G2 Dane Ripper Stakes, would normally guarantee a return mount for Williams in Friday night's Tattersall's Tiara. Both races are restricted to fillies and mares, and five of the last seven Tatt's Tiara winners have come through the Dane Ripper. However, another of Craig Williams' wins two weeks ago was the G1 Stradbroke Handicap, in which Tofane defeated males and repaid the faith of her owners, who withdrew the soon-to-be 6-year-old from a broodmare sale last month.   

“It was like choosing between my daughters, which no parent wants to do. It was a really tough decision,” said the 44-year-old winner of 64 G1 races in six countries.

Ultimately, Williams has stuck with Tofane (4-1 favorite), whose only two starts at seven furlongs have yielded two G1 wins over males. Brooklyn Hustle (10-1) will have the services of veteran local jockey Michael Cahill, who won a pair of G1s during the last full-length Winter Racing Carnival in 2019. Odeum, one of two 3-year-old fillies, is the 6-1 second choice off an excellent second to Brooklyn Hustle, whom she meets 5 1/2 pounds better for a ½-length defeat.

Savatiano (7-1) is the most likely of a Godolphin trio to “wear the Tiara.” The 6-year-old daughter of Street Cry finished 3rd as favorite when the race was last run, in 2019. Hugh Bowman seeks a 100th G1 win aboard Subpoenaed (10-1), the best fancied of three entrants for trainer Chris Waller, with whom Bowman collaborated to famous effect throughout the record-breaking career of Winx.

As a successful Queensland “Winter Racing Carnival” draws to a close (following a pandemic-abbreviated version in 2020), optimism abounds that the state will be granted an increase in G1 races next season. Queensland currently hosts eight of Australia's 74 G1s, but Zaaki's victories in the Gold Coast's Hollindale Stakes and Eagle Farm's new Q22 give those races an excellent chance for elevation from G2 status. The 2021-22 season begins on Aug. 1, with Sydney's “Royal Randwick” set to stage the country's first G1 – the Winx Stakes – on the night of Aug. 20. In the meantime, Australian racing will continue to offer big fields and tremendous wagering value from multiple tracks on a nightly basis. 

The Eagle Farm card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (first post: 9:43 p.m. ET / 6:43 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Randwick, Newcastle and Belmont. All races will be livestreamed 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.

The post Australia: The Final Group 1 Of The Australian Season appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Zaaki rendered racing fans breathless when pulverizing the G1 Doomben Cup field in stakes record time three weeks ago. Zaaki's star is ascendant on a similar arc to that of 30-year-old Annabel Neasham, who celebrated her second G1 winner in her first year of training. Neasham's original plan was to rest Zaaki after the Doomben Cup, while targeting Melbourne's prestigious W.S. Cox Plate in October. However, the lure of a $1.2 million purse for the Q22 – under the same weight-for-age conditions and at the same distance (1 3/8 miles) as the Doomben Cup ­– has proven irresistible. And, in an ominous warning for Zaaki's opposition, Neasham declared, “He pulled up superb and certainly hasn't taken a backward step since. I can't see why he's not going to turn up in the same form.”

It is somewhat surprising – but a big boost for the new Q22 – that 15 horses will take their chances against Zaaki, who was installed a prohibitive 1-2 favorite. Just as his multitude of opponents might be competing for worthwhile minor paychecks, wagering might be heavily slanted towards the exacta pool.

Toffee Tongue (10-1) completed the Doomben Cup exacta and is the “favorite” to again finish closest to Zaaki. Spirit Ridge (16-1) brings a recent G3 victory into the equation. Paths of Glory (30-1) finished a sound third behind Spirit Ridge and has the distinction of being the last horse to defeat Zaaki – by a head in April at Randwick, when carrying 13 pounds less; they meet at level weights in the Q22. Vanna Girl (also 30-1) gives the impression she will appreciate her first assignment beyond 1-1/4 miles.

If the race for second in the Q22 is wide open, there are candidates galore for the Stradbroke Handicap (G1) winner's circle. Vega One was a close, unlucky fourth in last year's race and is 5-1 favorite to make amends this Friday night. Supporters will hope he didn't use up a year's worth of luck when winning the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup two weeks ago. Melbourne's leading rider, Jamie Kah (in the yellow silks in this replay), produced a miraculous “steer” to navigate a passage. Kah is stuck in Melbourne, which has entered another lockdown, and Vega One will be ridden by another of Australia's star female jockeys, Sydney's Rachel King.

Wild Planet (6-1) and The Harrovian (8-1) filled the minor placings in the G1 Doomben 10,000 (whose winner, the outstanding Eduardo, is enjoying a well-deserved layoff). Mr Quickie (9-1), who won the 2019 Queensland Derby at 1 1/2 miles, has become most effective as a late closer in races from seven furlongs to a mile. He has been kept fresh for the Stradbroke's seven furlongs, and will be ridden for the first time by James McDonald – two hours after Sydney's leading jockey pilots Zaaki in the Q22. Regardless of his Stradbroke result, Melbourne-based Mr Quickie will spend some time relaxing in Queensland's perfect mid-year weather. Even if not competing, many southern horses benefit from “wintering' in Australia's northeast. Mr Quickie's trainer, Phillip Stokes, summed up the Sunshine State's broad appeal: “It's the place to be at this time of year.”

Friday night's other G1 race is the J.J. Atkins Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile. Hugh Bowman rides Port Louis (7-2) and is currently one win away from becoming just the fourth Australia-based jockey to register 100 G1 triumphs. Apart from the significant contribution by Winx (25), Bowman's total includes four G1s in Hong Kong and one in Japan. The 40-year-old reached 99 G1 wins by producing a peach of a ride, from a wide gate, in last week's Queensland Oaks on Duais. Port Louis has been luckless in consecutive races beneath Bowman from wide draws.

“Surely I'm due for a better marble in a big race,” said Bowman early this week … before being dealt gate 13 of 14.

Favoritism for the J.J. Atkins rests with Converge at 5-2.

Eagle Farm's card boasts an average field size of 12, with several favorites above 4-1. Last week on TVG, I recommended a six-horse exacta box on an Eagle Farm race. A 5-2 winner over a 15-1 runner-up yielded $56.25 for a $30 investment. I will be on the lookout for similar opportunities this week.

The Eagle Farm card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (first post: 9:29 p.m. ET / 6:29 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Randwick, 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 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.

The post Australia: Zaaki To Star On Stradbroke Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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After Chris Waller captured last week's Group 1 Queensland Derby with Kukeracha (spoiling Explosive Jack's bid for a fourth derby win), the master conditioner set his sights on Friday night's G1 Oaks. Regardless of how many G1 trophies Waller accumulates – his current total is a whopping 126 – he will forever be synonymous with the storied career of Winx. The Queensland Oaks was the first of Winx's 25 G1 successes and the second win in her unforgettable streak of 33. The 1 3/8 miles of the Queensland Oaks was also the longest distance at which the great mare was victorious and Waller has won the race twice since. In search of a fourth Queensland Oaks, he will pack the same numerical punch that saw him train six of the first eight finishers in last week's Derby.

The Waller sextet is led by Grace and Harmony (5-1), who enjoyed a change of fortune at the post position draw (three). The filly was given a “negative” ride, tactically, from a wide alley when sixth as favorite two weeks ago in The Roses, the key local prep which has produced 12 of the last 20 Queensland Oaks winners. Waller still won The Roses with 15-1 shot Only Words, who is about half those odds (7-1) this Friday and has a wide gate with which to contend. Splitting that pair in wagering is Charms Star (6-1), who was third in The Roses in her Australian debut after placing in the New Zealand Oaks. Waller is also represented by Easifar and Signora Nera (each 16-1) and 100-1 shot Ruru.

For all the headlines that Chris Waller naturally generates, he doesn't train the Oaks favorite. Future book wagering had been headed by Duais, who lost favoritism to Bargain as a result of the post position draw. The pair bring strong formlines from the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival: Duais led a 1-2 finish in a G2 race, then a 2-3 finish in the G1 Australian Oaks during The Championships at Randwick. Duais could become the first G1 winner in the fledgling career of a fourth-generation trainer with royal racing bloodlines. Edward Cummings, 35, is a brother of James (Godolphin's private trainer in Australia), son of Anthony (with whom Edward trained in partnership before going solo in 2019), grandson of Bart (trainer of a record 12 Melbourne Cup winners) and great-grandson of Jim (who trained the 1950 Melbourne Cup winner). Edward named his stables Myrtle Lodge in honor of a horse that Jim Cummings rode to victory in 1910 before taking out the training license that would launch a great racing dynasty. Bart Cummings, the “Cups King,” had a checkered history with the Queensland Oaks, winning it only once (in 1987) and saddling the favorite in 2010, Dariana, who sensationally had her head in an adjacent stall when the gates opened and took no part.

Edward Cummings is forthright in his conviction that Duais is “the benchmark 3-year-old staying filly,” rating her second in the Australian Oaks the best performance in the race. He has elected to train Duais up to this Friday night's assignment, giving his filly an unusually long (by Australian standards) seven weeks between runs. After riding Duais in a May 13 trial (training race), jockey Hugh Bowman said, “Just go straight to the Oaks. She is in a great frame of mind and is a natural staying filly.” However, after drawing post 12 in the 14-horse field, Duais (5-1) was displaced for favoritism by Bargain (7-2). The well-named daughter of Shopaholic is trained by an in-form Mark Newnham, who saddled Spirit Ridge to win a G3race last week. Bargain has raced since the Australian Oaks, finishing second in The Roses.

Queensland's “Winter Racing Carnival” continues next Friday night with a tantalizing card, whose two G1 races might be overshadowed by the sport's newest star contesting a new race. Zaaki has exited his record-breaking G1 Doomben Cup win in excellent order and will line up in the Q22, a new event that currently carries G2 status but boasts an alluring $1.2 million purse. Zaaki, whose opposition is likely to include the aforementioned Spirit Ridge, promises to be a massive drawcard on a day that features the G1 Stradbroke Handicap at seven furlongs and the G1 J.J. Atkins Stakes at a mile for 2-year-olds.

The Eagle Farm card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:29 p.m. ET / 6:29 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 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.

The post Australia: Waller Presents An Oaks Sextet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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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