Mister Bianco books Winx Guineas bid with winning hat-trick
Winx's part-owner Tighe knows Mister Bianco is no Winx, but he was more than happy to win the $150,000 TL Cooney (1350m) at Ipswich as the three-year-old gelding made it a hat-trick of wins.
Mister Bianco, which races in Tighe's Magic Bloodstock colours made famous by Winx, will now attack the Group 3 Winx Guineas over 1600m on the Sunshine Coast in a fortnight.
In 2015, Winx won the race which was then known as the Sunshine Coast Guineas and it marked the start of the mighty mare's incredible 33-race winning streak.
• 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!
'The Winx Guineas is on the table, I haven't won that race since we won it with Winx and in fact I haven't even had a runner in it since,' Tighe said.
'The idea was if he keeps improving, we would give it a crack.
'But I won't be on the Sunshine Coast for the Guineas, I am just about to head to America for a month so I will have to keep an eye on it from afar.'
Mister Bianco started the $3.40 equal favourite at Ipswich and he and fellow betting pick Stay Focused settled down to fight it out from a long way out with Mister Bianco being stronger on the line.
READ: 'Didn't think she get to the races': $5500 filly delivers on debut
Andrew Mallyon scored a late pick-up ride on Mister Bianco after Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michael Rodd fractured his hand at track work in Brisbane on Saturday morning.
'I feel for Michael Rodd who was meant to ride this horse,' Shailer said.
'He'll be out of play for a little bit but Andrew was a great replacement. He is familiar with the horse and has done a wonderful job.
'The penny is starting to drop with Mister Bianco and he is racing with confidence.
'Three months ago, he wouldn't have won that race.
'He would have found a way to get himself beaten so it is good that he's got that killer instinct about him and he was really good off what was a strong tempo today.'
Meanwhile, Gold Coast trainer Adam Campton struck a blow at big odds when mare Zouperb ($17) won the BM80 Handicap (1100m).
Campton had been considering aiming the five-year-old mare at the Gai Waterhouse Classic but instead opted for the easier assignment over the shorter trip.
'She was purchased online for $30,000 and she's now got a Saturday metro win next to her name,' Campton said.
'Around the turn I was quietly confident but I knew we had to chase down a couple of handy horses and I was seeing (runner-up) End Assembly coming late,' Campton said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
27 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Spare us the whinging, England. The only thing embarrassing about Old Trafford was your tantrum
Increasingly, the balance of world opinion favours an Indian win in the final game. Why? Because the posturing that accompanied England's Bazball revolution has got to the point that even some among their countrymen are beginning to tire of it all. There is also the fact that the self-appointed great entertainers, all about saving Test cricket and making the game more enjoyable, are now increasingly inclined towards the kind of flinty attitudes held by teams rather more concerned with winning. The contradictions are piling up. Steve Smith, for one, picked this up during the Manchester Test. 'They have started to play a little bit differently in the last couple of weeks in terms of playing the situation, as opposed to going out and trying to be the entertainers that they said they wanted to be,' Smith told the BBC's Test Match Special. 'They are actually trying to win the games now which is perhaps different to what was said in their comments previously.' Loading Back in 2023, England's posturing included barbs about having effectively won a game at Edgbaston that they actually lost, then a flurry of indignation at Jonny Baristow's legitimate stumping by Alex Carey at Lord's. This was closely followed by dog whistling to ensure that Australia's players were given hell for the rest of the trip - the unpleasantness escalating even to death threats. But of course, England did not win the series nor regain the Ashes. Similarly, they are yet to win a series against India under Stokes and Brendon McCullum. And their white ball team has slipped a long way from the heights of the 2019 World Cup, and got to the point last year that McCullum was asked to take over the all-format program. So this year, with India and the Ashes both looming large, there has been a rhetorical shift towards more pragmatic cricket, but also more unpleasant behaviour on the field, in search of tactical advantage. Open discussion of team meetings where tactical sledging was discussed certainly raised the eyebrows of Australian players, seven years after their own descent into the infamous Cape Town Test and all the introspection that followed. Loading Members of that 2018 team are well aware that the path of sledging and unsavoury behaviour is a slippery one, leading to ever-greater animosity. They were amused to hear Stokes mimic their old phrase after a spiteful lord's Test match: 'At not one stage did we go over the line.' The Australians also recall that if the sledging didn't work, it would result in a backlash of commensurate fury from the likes of AB de Villiers or, some years earlier, Brian Lara. McCullum has even called in Gilbert Enoka, his old friend from the New Zealand cricket team and a longtime advisor to the All Blacks, to help shape the culture and identity of England's Ashes challengers. Enoka still has some work to do. Faced with an Indian side that did not want to dance to their tune, England looked churlish, bad-tempered and even a little bit brittle: happy and jovial when things go their way, but sulky and childish when they don't.
The Age
27 minutes ago
- The Age
Spare us the whinging, England. The only thing embarrassing about Old Trafford was your tantrum
Increasingly, the balance of world opinion favours an Indian win in the final game. Why? Because the posturing that accompanied England's Bazball revolution has got to the point that even some among their countrymen are beginning to tire of it all. There is also the fact that the self-appointed great entertainers, all about saving Test cricket and making the game more enjoyable, are now increasingly inclined towards the kind of flinty attitudes held by teams rather more concerned with winning. The contradictions are piling up. Steve Smith, for one, picked this up during the Manchester Test. 'They have started to play a little bit differently in the last couple of weeks in terms of playing the situation, as opposed to going out and trying to be the entertainers that they said they wanted to be,' Smith told the BBC's Test Match Special. 'They are actually trying to win the games now which is perhaps different to what was said in their comments previously.' Loading Back in 2023, England's posturing included barbs about having effectively won a game at Edgbaston that they actually lost, then a flurry of indignation at Jonny Baristow's legitimate stumping by Alex Carey at Lord's. This was closely followed by dog whistling to ensure that Australia's players were given hell for the rest of the trip - the unpleasantness escalating even to death threats. But of course, England did not win the series nor regain the Ashes. Similarly, they are yet to win a series against India under Stokes and Brendon McCullum. And their white ball team has slipped a long way from the heights of the 2019 World Cup, and got to the point last year that McCullum was asked to take over the all-format program. So this year, with India and the Ashes both looming large, there has been a rhetorical shift towards more pragmatic cricket, but also more unpleasant behaviour on the field, in search of tactical advantage. Open discussion of team meetings where tactical sledging was discussed certainly raised the eyebrows of Australian players, seven years after their own descent into the infamous Cape Town Test and all the introspection that followed. Loading Members of that 2018 team are well aware that the path of sledging and unsavoury behaviour is a slippery one, leading to ever-greater animosity. They were amused to hear Stokes mimic their old phrase after a spiteful lord's Test match: 'At not one stage did we go over the line.' The Australians also recall that if the sledging didn't work, it would result in a backlash of commensurate fury from the likes of AB de Villiers or, some years earlier, Brian Lara. McCullum has even called in Gilbert Enoka, his old friend from the New Zealand cricket team and a longtime advisor to the All Blacks, to help shape the culture and identity of England's Ashes challengers. Enoka still has some work to do. Faced with an Indian side that did not want to dance to their tune, England looked churlish, bad-tempered and even a little bit brittle: happy and jovial when things go their way, but sulky and childish when they don't.
Perth Now
27 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Wallaroos aim to head into World Cup with Welsh scalp
The Wallaroos are hoping that lightning doesn't strike twice as they get the chance to square the ledger with Wales in their final Test before the Women's Rugby World Cup. The Australians will take on the Welsh at North Sydney Oval on Friday with the match following a 21-12 loss to the tourists in Brisbane last weekend. The Wallaroos got off to a positive start, with Annabelle Codey crossing in the eighth minute. But after a 30-minute delay, with the teams ordered off Ballymore due to lightning, the hosts lost their way to fall to Wales for just the second time in 10 meetings. While they created plenty of opportunities they recorded 24 turnovers in the greasy conditions, with about half from dropped balls, while their usually dependable lineout faltered, losing five of their own throws. Winger Desiree Miller said the review was "tough to watch", with the team putting the error-riddled effort down to an off day. The Australians will fly to the UK and face Samoa in their opening World Cup pool game in Salford on August 23 and Miller said that after three successive losses, they wanted to arrive with confidence. "It was pretty tough to watch and it definitely doesn't reflect what we've been working on the last few months," the 23-year-old said. "It's just upsetting to see that we couldn't put out on the field what we've been working so hard for. "Fortunately enough, we have this next round versus Wales again to rectify that and produce a result we're happy with and build some confidence, especially leading into the World Cup in a couple of weeks." Almost a year ago the Wallaroos were edged by Wales at home but a week later faced them again and rebounded with a thumping 37-5 victory which helped Australia clinch the WVX2 trophy in South Africa. "I guess we can reflect back on last year and see that we can do it," said the NSW Waratahs star. "So, yes, something that we can definitely focus on in the days leading up but like I said, it wasn't acceptable what we produced and we're looking to really rectify that and produce a better result because that's not who we are." A big crowd is expected given the Welsh supporters who are in Sydney ahead of the third Test between the Wallabies and British and Irish Lions 24 hours later at Accor Stadium. "It's predicted to be the biggest World Cup to date, which is awesome, and it's great for the women's game, so getting a taste of that, kind of acclimatised to that, it's a good preparation heading into the World Cup," said Miller.
