2025 Big Dance: Boys Night Out wins 2025 South Grafton Cup
Boys Night Out ($4) came out on top in a thrilling three way go that saw Vivy Air ($8.50) and Sibaaq ($7) narrowly denied in a desperately tight photo finish.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
It gave Dunn a hat-trick of South Grafton Cup wins.
Former star stablemate Cepheus went back-to-back in the South Grafton Cup in 2023/24 and went on to finish runner-up to Attractable in the inaugural 2023 Big Dance, lugging 62kg.
The imported gelding died due to an injury in trackwork in the lead-up to his second crack at the Big Dance.
Boys Night Out is one of Dunn's latest contenders for the lucrative spring feature and backed up consecutive victories at Rosehill Gardens and Ipswich with a determined Cup success.
• Archibalds have eye on Grafton feature double
'This race is quite special,' Dunn's stable representative Holly Julius said.
'Cepheus won it last year and the year before and we've lost him and it gets a bit emotional when you talk about him.
'But we have to talk about this boy now, Boys Night Out. He has done such a fantastic job to hold onto that.
'He fits so hard and a credit to Jake (Bayliss), he kept his cool.'
The Luke Pepper-trained Hot Bandit also snared Big Dance eligibility on Sunday after taking out the $70,000 Narrandera Showcase Cup (1600m).
• New Entain Australia boss wants to win ... 'but not at all costs'
Apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag helped the son of Sebring Sun make a sustained run from back in the field and outpoint Prince Of Helena ($4.40) in a competitive fight to the line.
Both Prince Of Helena and South Grafton Cup runner-up Vivy Air also get Little Dance-Big Dance eligibility for finishing among the placings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
33 minutes ago
- ABC News
Collingwood players Dan Houston and Bobby Hill will not play against Fremantle in AFL round 19
Collingwood recruit Dan Houston and Norm Smith Medallist Bobby Hill have been ruled out of facing Fremantle at the MCG. Houston suffered a mild abdominal strain in the Magpies' defeat to Gold Coast last Friday night and will miss the next two weeks. ABC Sport is live blogging every round of the AFL and NRL seasons in 2025. ABC Sport is live blogging every round of the AFL and NRL seasons in 2025. The former Port Adelaide superboot had scans after playing the Suns, with results ruling him out of facing the Dockers and Richmond. Hill will sit out a fourth straight match after dealing with personal reasons, and battling with illness last week. "Hill returned to training over the weekend," Collingwood high performance boss Jarrod Wade said. "His focus is on resuming full training before a timeline is placed on his return." Along with Houston, veteran Jeremy Howe will leave another hole in Collingwood's defence after suffering an adductor strain against Gold Coast, ruling him out for two weeks. But in better news for the Magpies, forward Beau McCreery is set to return against Fremantle after recovering from a hamstring that led him to miss the past three matches. Premiership star Jordan De Goey is due to come out of concussion protocols in coming days after copping a hit at training. But De Goey will be put through a two-week training block before being considered to play. The 29-year-old has been restricted to five games this season, the last coming in round eight against Geelong. Collingwood being without a number of key players will not worry them. In round nine, the Magpies travelled to Perth undermanned and managed to secure a 14-point win against Fremantle at Perth Stadium. AAP
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Super Netball Round-Up: Finalists locked in, Diamonds announced and Giants set for complete rebuild
It's a bloody good time of year to be a netball fanatic. The regular season is done, the top four are locked in and the Australian Diamonds 2025-26 contracts have been announced. The release of the 18-player national squad was delayed this season without a major tournament to play until the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year, allowing selectors more time to assess the athletes' form across the entire Super Netball campaign. In Round 14, the Giants farewelled retiring captain Jo Harten with an emotional victory against the Melbourne Mavericks, 74-59. The Adelaide Thunderbirds claimed the last remaining spot in finals and ended the Sunshine Coast Lightning's season, 59-55. The first extra-time game of 2025 happened on the final day of competition as the NSW Swifts handed the Queensland Firebirds their 12th straight defeat, 79-75. Before West Coast Fever broke a regular season Super Netball crowd record for a second straight week, with 12,813 people cheering them on in their win over the Melbourne Vixens, 71-60. It's easy to forget how far the teams have come since April, so we'll give a look back at the different challenges each of the top four sides has overcome to reach finals. Plus, there is a major rebuild expected at the Giants with at least six to seven playing contracts up for grabs. But will any one outside of the existing group want to sign with them without a head coach or captain determined for 2026? If you missed it, don't worry — we'll get you up to speed with our Super Netball Round-Up. Australian head coach Stacey Marinkovich and national selectors Anne Sargeant and Michelle Wilkins have made some interesting decisions regarding the Diamonds squad, choosing to stay loyal to some players who are either battling injury and out of form. Donnell Wallam has been relegated from a fully fledged squad member to a camp invitee despite helping her New Zealand Premiership team reach the grand final. Wallam sits fourth in the league for total goals (275) despite missing four rounds with a wrist injury. Alice Teague-Neeld has been elevated from invitee status and is the only new name that's been added from last year's list. The midcourter leads the 2025 Super Netball goal assist (315) and centre-pass receives (292) stats. Amy Sligar and Teigan O'Shannassy have been named as invitees for the first time, while Erin O'Brien will also attend camp as an injury replacement for O'Shannassy. Shooters Kiera Austin (Vixens) Sophie Dwyer (Giants) Sophie Garbin (Vixens) Cara Koenen (Lightning) Midcourters Paige Hadley (Swifts) Georgie Horjus (Thunderbirds) Kate Moloney (Vixens) Hannah Mundy (Vixens) Amy Parmenter (Mavericks) Jamie-Lee Price (Giants) Alice Teague-Neeld (Fever) Liz Watson (Lightning) Defenders Sunday Aryang (Fever) Courtney Bruce (Lightning) Ash Ervin (Lightning) Matilda Garrett (Thunderbirds) Sarah Klau (Swifts) Joanna Weston (Vixens) Invitees Lucy Austin (Thunderbirds) Erin O'Brien * (Giants) Teigan O'Shannassy (NSW Swifts) Amy Sligar (Giants) Donnell Wallam (Northern Mystics) At this stage we have more questions than answers about the Giants' future. Last week ABC Sport confirmed that external party Mounties Group wanted to take over Netball NSW's second Super Netball licence and that the state body was exploring its proposal regarding a transfer of ownership. Reports suggest that the process has already progressed to the next step and is now waiting on approval from Netball Australia. A decision is expected to be made by next week. Mounties Group told ABC Sport their mission is to help elevate women's sport to an equal level of prominence as our Australian male sporting codes, while setting a benchmark for how private investment can be used for public good. Its junior rugby league programs have produced NRLW players and the South West Mounties Magic won the 2024 Netball NSW Premier League Opens grand final in their debut season. "Sport is one of the most powerful tools we have to improve lives and build communities," Dale Hunt chief executive at Mounties Group said in a media release shared with ABC Sport. "We believe women's sport represents the next frontier for growth in Australia … and are committed to investing in it with a long-term view. "This is about community, representation, and building stronger futures for women and girls." The good news is that if this falls through, Netball NSW will at least see out next season with the Giants, so the state will still have two teams for 2026. But here's where our questions begin. If there is a transfer of ownership, will the Giants be rebranded immediately or would Mounties wait until after the current broadcast deal expires at the end of next year when the league is expected to expand and introduce new teams then anyway. What will become of Julie Fitzgerald? The most experienced coach in Super Netball has been around since the 1990s. Her career has spanned four different iterations of the national league. Last week we reported Fitzgerald planned to carry on in her role, now that situation seems murky. Insiders say Fitzgerald has told the playing group she has coached her final Super Netball game. The club says more information will be provided on her role in the coming weeks. The player contracting window opens in less than three weeks from now after the grand final. Will players want to sign with a team that has such little stability? One of the Giants captains has already left the building. Harten played her final game on Saturday in front of 5,223 fans, sinking the final super shot of the game. It was the team's second highest crowd behind the NSW Derby they hosted this year. Their other captain may also have one foot out the door. Aussie Diamond Jamie-Lee Price is set to follow her AFL playing partner Harry Perryman interstate after he was traded to Collingwood. Price, Sophie Dwyer, Erin O'Brien and Jodi-Ann Ward are all signed for 2026, but several sources believe the midcourter will be released early and switch to a Melbourne team. Ward is unlikely to be back to start 2026 as she recovers from an ACL, while injury replacement Casey Kopua told Fox Netball's Pivot she wasn't interested in returning. That's a lot of experience to lose all at once and leaves at least seven spots to fill on their roster, so it'll need to be a complete rebuild. Fever finished second at the Team Girls Cup pre-season tournament and looked as if they might be okay without Jamaican Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard to spearhead their attack. But those hopes were dashed pretty quickly after they lost their opening two matches by a total of 31 goals. The five-time league MVP had originally planned to sit this season out on maternity leave. Sadly, the club shared the difficult news in January that she had suffered pregnancy loss. Over time, Fowler-Nembhard decided she wanted to return to court and in round three, she made a 59-goal comeback to steer them back on track. The first-time minor premiers now head into finals as the most in-form team on a 12-game winning streak. It's difficult to see anyone beating them from here. The Swifts are the only top four side that has beaten them this season by 18 but it was way back in round one without Fowler-Nembhard. The Swifts have had a huge turnaround between campaigns, after finishing sixth in 2024 and parting ways with two-time premiership winning Trinidad and Tobago import Sam Wallace-Joseph due to behavioural reasons. They then picked up the biggest signing of 2025 to replace that position in New Zealand shooter Grace Nweke. The Swifts got off to a flying start with Nweke up front and claimed eight straight before teams started to figure them out. Now they've lost four of their last six matches including an 11-goal thumping by the Fever. Their success largely hinges on English goal attack Helen Housby and whether she can re-find the spark and dynamic play she possessed at the start of the season. Defender Teigan O'Shannassy will be unavailable for finals due to a back injury and there is also concern for captain Paige Hadley. Their best midcourter was spotted in a moonboot a few weeks ago and has been rested during the last two rounds. The Thunderbirds are gunning for a three-peat, but their chances took a hit when Shamera Sterling-Humphrey was ruled out after round three due to pregnancy. They have boasted the best defensive unit in the competition for the past two seasons but had become very reliant on Sterling-Humphrey. In her absence it took fellow Sunshine Girl Latanya Wilson a few weeks to learn the art of goal keeper. Now she's a frontrunner to be this year's MVP. Matilda Garrett and South African Sanmarie Visser have also rotated in and out of that role with success, so the challenge has now made the Thunderbirds even more versatile at the back. Their losses against Fever have been by five to six goals with Fowler-Nembhard in the team. The Vixens want to send their long-standing head coach Simone McKinnis out in style. After 13 years at the helm, McKinnis announced she will step down at the end of this season. That's enough motivation itself to want to lift the trophy and repay a coach that has done so much for Victorian netball. But on top of that, there's a hunger to right the wrongs of last year. The Vixens lost the 2024 grand final to the Thunderbirds 59-57 and this year's decider will be held at Rod Laver Arena. That's driving them to want to go one better in front of their home fans.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Peter Snowden believes impressive Randwick winner Grand Prairie can measure up in the spring
Master trainer Peter Snowden added another promising youngster to his growing spring arsenal when blue-blood colt Grand Prairie returned with a bang at Randwick Kensington on Wednesday. Less than a month after brilliant stablemate Raging Force stamped his authority at the same track, Grand Prairie highlighted his spring credentials with a determined first-up success. Grand Prairie ($6) battled hard late to hold off the Chris Waller-trained Pictor ($31) in the TAB Maiden Plate (1100m). Both horses race in the colours of heavyweights Yulong, which bred Grand Prairie from its ever-growing broodmare band. Grand Prairie is by Written Tycoon out of Group 1 winner Viddora, the latter of which was a was sold to Yulong as a breeding prospect for $2.55m in 2020. 'He is a nice horse, we've always liked him,' Snowden said. 'He is still learning, having a look around at other horses and when he got to the front he stargazed a little bit. 'That's good because he is still wining and doing that because you know with more race experience, the better he will get.' Grand Prairie just does enough to hold off Pictor and wins at Randwick-Kensington for @SnowdenRacing1! 🙌 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 16, 2025 • Snowden is still working out whether Grand Prairie is an out-and-out sprinter or whether he will be suited stepping out to 1400m to a mile. With the spring carnival right just around the corner, the Randwick trainer will have plenty of options to choose from in the coming months. 'He is in the right time of year and is ready to launch,' Snowden said. 'There is lot of good racing coming up. It is up to him whether he keeps stepping up but he has a great pedigree out of a very good mare. 'It's pleasing to have the Yulong horses going well. 'It's not a bad race either, there is a bit of depth in that so the fact is he has won and won like that, and he's still learning.' It's an easy watch at the Kenso track with Custom firing home to take out the third! 🚀 @JamesCummings88 | @ZacLloydx — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 16, 2025 There will be no shortage of trainers putting their hand up to take over the training duties of exciting Godolphin filly Custom. The daughter of Street Boss made a sensational return from a break when she bolted home from back in the field to score by 1¼ lengths in the Drinkwise Maiden Plate (1100m). Custom is currently trained by James Cummings but Godolphin will move to a public training model on August 1, meaning the filly will find a new home. That new stable is still to be confirmed.
