HORSE RACING SHANE Nichols is adamant there’s another good race in his star galloper Streets Of Avalon. The ever-consistent gelding finished just off the placegetters in the Group Two Feehan Stakes last start when out to the mile but returns to his favourite track and trip this Saturday at Caulfield. The seven-year-old, who has claimed both of his Group One wins over 1400m at the track, will line up in the Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) for the third time. Nichols said the gelding is going super and just needs to draw a good barrier to be in…
Author: Ben Triandafillou
HORSE RACING MORNINGTON-based trainer Cliff Brown is back training winners in Australia. The 15-time Group 1 winning trainer in Singapore returned to Victoria in May and broke through for his first winner back with Veterok at Pakenham on Friday 27 August. Just a week later and Brown has claimed the Group 2 McEwen Stakes with his Group 1 winning Singapore sprinter, The Inferno (formerly known as Inferno). After racing keenly and trapped wide first-up at Caulfield to finish midfield, The Inferno quickly shot back into form in the 1000m sprint at The Valley to win by a comfortable one-length margin…
HORSE RACING DAVID and Coral Feek continued their successful run of late with their handy mare Belsielle claiming another city win on Saturday 21 August. The Feek partnership utilised a freshen up for the speedy ‘pocket rocket’ to find her best at The Valley and bring up the stables third winner from their last six runners. Coming off a four-week break, Belsielle sat at the hind-quarters of the leader and race-favourite Malicorne before taking over on the bend. She dug deep in the last 100m to hold off the swoopers Love Sensation and Don’ttelltheboss to win by half-of-a-length. Mornington-based co-trainer…
HORSE RACING SHANE Nichols could have another promising mare to target the Group Two Stocks Stakes with this Spring. The progressive four-year-old So You Assume handled another rise in grade at Caulfield on Saturday 14 August to land an all-the-way victory in a benchmark 84 contest. The daughter of So You Think has come a long way in a short space of time having begun her preparation in a three-year-old benchmark 64 at the end of May. Now with three city wins from her last four starts, Mornington-based trainer Shane Nichols is contemplating raising the bar to Group class. “We’ve…
HORSE RACING STREETS of Avalon is right on track for his Spring targets after running a gallant second in the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday. The tough six-year-old gelding sat outside the leader in the day’s feature sprint and was one of the first horses to come off the bridle turning for home. Showing plenty of determination, Streets of Avalon didn’t give in under the pressure and fought off several challenges in the straight. But, a late dive from the Phillip Stokes-trained Sansom proved costly as the four-year-old gelding got his head down right on the…