‘Our best-ever season': Darby Racing passes century of winners for 2024-25

News.com.au

2 days ago

Scott Darby likens his successful racehorse syndications business to an evolving footy team.
'We are always trying to add an older, established 'player' to Darby Racing while continuing to bring in some younger talent,'' Darby explained.
'It's almost like trying to build a good football side. Although many of our owners might only be in one horse they are following all of our Darby horses so it is very tribal.''
Darby is an avid Wests Tigers supporter but it is fair to say he's having more success on the racetrack than his team is on the footy field.
'I am struggling with the Tigers because the season is going the way it has gone the last few years,'' he said.
'I am very competitive and I'm finding myself turning the Tigers games off before they are finished. I love an underdog and the Tigers are improving slowly, but too slowly.''
Fortunately for Darby, his Darby Racing Syndications business is making winning a habit on the racetrack with the owner's familiar racing colours of white, navy blue Darby Racing logo, navy blue armband and cap being worn by jockeys to more than 100 race wins this season.
During 2024-25, Darby Racing-owned horses have won the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes and have had Group 2 wins in The Ingham, Brisbane Cup, Sweet Embrace Stakes, Shannon Stakes and Ajax Stakes, Group 3 wins in the Sydney Stakes, Newcastle Stakes, Parramatta Cup, Queen Elizabeth II Cup and Liverpool City Cup, plus a host of Listed races including the Inglis Nursery and Inglis Banner.
'I think all-round with winners, stakes wins and prizemoney, this has been our best-ever season,'' Darby said.
'We are on track for 120 wins for the season. We have been trying to average 10 wins a month and we have 107 wins going into July.''
Robusto and Raging Force, who are both entries for Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, are representative of the Darby Racing ethos.
Apprentice Ben Osmond ducks and weaves on Robusto and the @cwallerracing -trained gelding wins first-up ðŸ'Š pic.twitter.com/Z3scx5nF6A
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 20, 2024
The Bjorn Baker -trained Robusto, a relatively recent Darby Racing purchase, is a rising six-year-old but has had a career-best season and is chasing another feature race win in the Listed $200,000 Winter Stakes (1400m).
Raging Force, the boom Peter Snowden -trained two-year-old, has looked exceptional winning both starts this winter and is looking to extend his winning streak in the Thank You ATC Members Handicap (1100m).
Darby purchased Robusto for $160,000 as a tried racehorse last spring and the gelding struck a rich vein of form last summer including his win in the Group 2 $2 million The Ingham.
'Robusto has been unbelievable for us,'' Darby said.
'He was primed for the Stradbroke Handicap but it didn't quite work out for him that day. There is not much else for him and I would say he will run.
'He is better on a firmer surface so as long as it is not too wet, he will be racing.''
Robusto has topweight of 60kg and is at $6 in early TAB Fixed Odds betting behind stablemate Thunderlips ($4.80) for the Winter Stakes.
Exciting colt Raging Force also has the number one saddlecloth after being allocated 59kg for the juvenile opener but his brilliant wins in the Red Crown at Muswellbrook and then at Kensington has him rated a dominant $2.10 favourite.
That's a big win at Randwick to Raging Force, who makes it two wins in a row! ðŸ'° @TommyBerry21 @SnowdenRacing1 @aus_turf_club @Darby_Racing pic.twitter.com/uipHCNbKbr
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 25, 2025
'We had him touted as a Golden Slipper horse early in the season but he went amiss in the Breeders Plate,'' Darby said.
'He went sore behind, it was the same sort of injury that Ozzmosis had early in his career.
'Raging Force surprised me at Kensington. I thought he could win but the way he did it was incredible.''
The Michael Freedman stable has accepted with two Darby hopefuls – the consistent Bunker Hut ($8) in the Foundation Female Member Handicap (1200m) and Queen Of The Mile ($12) in the Captivant At Kia Ora Handicap (1100m).
Bunker Hut is resuming from a spell but has a good first-up record and he is effective on rain-affected going.
'Michael has given Bunker Hut three barrier trials so he is ready to go,'' Darby said. 'I would imagine he will kick off on Saturday, at least he can handle it wet.
'If Queen Of The Mile had got a firm track then she would just about win. She has returned in terrific order, her first-up run (fourth to Storm The Ramparts) was very good, but she doesn't like it too heavy. We will see what sort of track we get on Saturday.''
Bunker Hut was too good first up in the opener at Rosehill. @MFreedmanRacing @Darby_Racing @G1TySchil pic.twitter.com/xcVLWfVTZm
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 9, 2023
The Ciaron Maher -trained Rise To It ($21) and the superbly-bred Fleet Commander ($23, by Galileo out of Atlantic Jewel) from the Baker stable give Darby Racing two competitive chances in the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap (2000m).
'Rise To It is usually thereabouts, we would like to try and get another win out of him this preparation,'' Darby said.
'Fleet Commander has had two runs back from a spell and is coming up nicely. He's ready to run a good race.''
Darby set up his syndications business 17 years ago and has enjoyed consistent success over the years with the likes of Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign and Group 1 winners Yankee Rose, Overpass, Ozzmosis and Samadoubt.
But the syndicator maintains success is borne out of 'hard work and luck' in an increasingly competitive market.
$20k purchase She Will Reign wins the 2017 #GoldenSlipper! What a ride from @BMelham! pic.twitter.com/B2Tcy5YxTi
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 18, 2017
'Obviously, like everyone in the game, we are fighting for some of that entertainment dollar and it can be very challenging,'' Darby said.
'There a lot of people doing syndications these days so it is hard to compete and stay relevant, to be exciting and entertaining, not just on the big days but all year round.
'We have different criteria when we buy yearlings compared to our tried horses but first and foremost we have to do our homework.
'With the yearlings, we need to check them out physically and also look at their pedigrees, with the tried horses we have to study their form
'Our team works very hard but you also need a lot of luck in this business, too. There are only so many boxes you can tick then you need some luck to go your way.''
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Darby to use the Force one final time this prep
Boom two-year-old Raging Force gets an opportunity to add his name to Darby Racing's lengthy list of potential spring carnival contenders in the Thank You ATC Members Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Champion trainer Peter Snowden, who recorded the 50th Group 1 win of his career with Tashi in last week's Tatt's Tiara, has a big opinion of Raging Force.
'Raging Force is a lovely horse and he did win with a lot of authority last start,'' Snowden said.
'He has stamped himself as a possibility for the spring and I'd like to give him one more run this preparation.
'He needs to show us he is the real deal because you soon get found out (spring carnival) if you go there too early.
'I think he just lacks a bit of racing toughness so another run wouldn't hurt him to see exactly where he is at but he's very promising.''
Darby Racing's principal, Scott Darby, hopes Raging Force can join his spring team that already includes possible The Everest contenders Overpass and Caballus, brilliant filly Within The Law and Melbourne Cup hopeful Campaldino.
Overpass! That's back-to-back Winterbottom Stakes and he extends his unbeaten record at Ascot to four! ðŸ'¯
Job done for @BBakerRacing and jockey @JoshuaParr8 ✅ pic.twitter.com/aab8Ajqxfo
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 30, 2024
Darby said he was hopeful of getting $10.5 million earner Overpass and talented young sprinter Caballus to The Everest but said the Sydney Stakes on the same day was the more realistic target for both horses.
'Overpass is back in pre-training and we will get him ready for another Sydney Stakes first-up,'' Darby said.
'There is some thought of Hong Kong for something different but it is hard to knock back Perth when he has won two Group 1 races (Winterbottom Stakes) there.
'Caballus had a throat issue and we had him gelded then when he came back into work he was flying going into the Ortensia Stakes at Scone where he won so well first-up.
'But then he was found to have two little trickles of blood coming out of his nostrils. It was nothing really but we have to treat him like a bleeder now.
'He had two months out and is due to start back in work next week. We thought he would target the Sydney Stakes but if he comes back really well he might be a chances for an Everest slot.
'It's the same with Overpass. His name will always be bandied around and if we knew he would get a slot he would go to The Everest without a lead-up run as his first-up record is incredible.''
Within The Law won three races – Inglis Banner, Inglis Nursery, Sweet Embrace Stakes – during a seven-race two-year-old season that also included narrow losses in the Champagne Stakes and Inglis Millennium. Her only unplaced run was in the Golden Slipper when she fell.
The @inglis_sales Nursery goes to Within The Law, giving Jason Collett a Randwick double! @BBakerRacing | @Darby_Racing | @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/sybM96XEML
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 14, 2024
'It was difficult watching what happened to Within The Law in the Golden Slipper, you are never prepared for something like that,'' Darby said.
'When you see it live, you think she has broken down and gone through the fence but it wasn't the case.
'She picked herself up and then returned to run well in two more races and almost won a Group 1.
'We feel she is an extra special filly, she is no fuss, nothing fazes her and she has returned bigger and stronger for the spring.''
Darby said he needs to discuss with trainer Bjorn Baker a likely spring campaign for Within The Law although the likely option is the Princess Series for three-year-old fillies which includes the Group 1 Flight Stakes.
'Is Within The Law a filly that will stretch out to a Cox Plate and Oaks or is she more a sprinter miler?'' Darby said.
'I tend to think she might be more a miler-2000m horse so she could do something similar to Yankee Rose and go through the Spring Champion Stakes and possibly the Cox Plate.''
Campaldino won the Orange Cup back in April to start a four-race winning streak culminating in his Brisbane Cup (3200m) win earlier this month.
Campaldino is simply too good in the G2 Brisbane Cup with Tim Clark in the saddle! � @GaiWaterhouse1 pic.twitter.com/fq0QZK0UUU
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025
'The rise he has made through the grades has been unbelievable,'' Darby said.
'When he won the Orange Cup I thought that day this horse has returned very well but he has kept on winning since.
'The Brisbane Cup was a bit of a sit-and-sprint and I said to the owners if the horse goes to the Caulfield Cup, it will be a very genuine tempo and you need to be a proper stayer.
'But if he can continue his improvement next season he might be a Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup horse.''
Darby said lightly-raced three-year-old Raikkonen would be aimed at the Golden Eagle, Iowna Merc and Sandpaper for the Epsom Handicap, while he rates Imperial Force as a horse to follow next season.
'Bjorn really likes Imperial Force and after he ran a close second in the Arrowfield Stakes we took him to Adelaide for a stakes race,'' Darby said.
'But he was disappointing that day and needed a break but we have had him gelded and think we can turn him into a serious racehorse next season.''