Author: Ben Triandafillou

HORSE RACING DAVID Brideoake’s Group One winning mare Princess Jenni spoiled the internationals Melbourne Cup party to win the $400,000 Group Three Bendigo Cup last Wednesday. Despite having been winless for over a year, Princess Jenni took control of the race at the top of the straight before fending off the challenge of the Lloyd Williams-owned import, Pondus, who was having his final crack at gaining a Melbourne Cup start, to win by a head-margin. The Archie Alexander-trained Haky finished a further two lengths away in third. Stepping up to the 2400m trip for the first time in her career,…

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HORSE RACING MORNINGTON-based trainer Matt Laurie has struck Group class success with promising colt Portland Sky at The Valley on Saturday 24 October. The three-year-old son of Deep Field, who broke his maiden status on the Ballarat Synthetic track just two months ago, has quickly risen through the grades to win the $200,000 Group Three Red Anchor Stakes (1200m). Ridden by jockey Ben Melham, the exciting prospect made every post a winner at his fourth career start to win by three-quarters of a length over the Lindsay Park-trained Bella Nipotina, with the Godolphin-owned Valaquenta finishing a further length away in…

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HORSE RACING THE Jason Warren and Dean Krongold partnership has immediately struck winning form with new stable acquisition Ruby Skye on Sunday 18 October. Formerly in the hands of Sylvia Thompson, the seven-year-old mare has thrived in her new surroundings at Denistoun Park to win her way into the $500,000 Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Series on Kennedy Oaks day (November 5). With her last win coming up eight months ago, Ruby Skye shot straight back to somewhere near her best to take out Heat Five of the Country Series first-up for her new stable at Kilmore. Weaving a passage from…

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HORSE RACING PINECLIFF, Mount Eliza-based trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman remain adamant on bypassing the VRC Derby with promising colt Ain’tnodeeldun despite claiming the Listed Hill Smith Stakes (1800m) at Morphettville on Saturday. Co-trainer Anthony Freedman believes the $2million VRC Derby (2500m) on Saturday 31 October will come up too soon for the improving Dundeel three-year-old. “He still has some maturing to do so I don’t want to give him a gut buster in the Derby,” Anthony Freedman said on the Freedman Racing website. “I think he will be a better horse in the autumn so we will give him…

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HORSE RACING MATT Laurie’s Bendigo Guineas winner, Riddle Me That, returned to his best on Saturday 3 October to take out the $175,000 Listed Paris Lane Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. After throwing in an ‘out of the ordinary’ run at Caulfield at his prior start, it had left Mornington-based trainer Matt Laurie questioning whether there was anything wrong with his ever-consistent four-year-old gelding. “We were very happy with the horse going into his last run but he just went terrible,” Laurie said. “He pulled up poorly, but we couldn’t find anything wrong with him so we pressed on. We threw…

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