Brad Waters' horses to follow from Flemington on Saturday
FENESTELLA (2.1 length 4th of 5, Race 1): The Shane Nichols -trained filly ran fourth over 1200m at Seymour on debut last month but went around at big odds despite being only one of five runners in the first race at Flemington. The race was a slowly-run affair, causing Fenestella to be flat-footed when the sprint went on early in the straight. However, Fenestella finished off her race strongly to finish two lengths from the winner. The Brazen Beau filly could continue to improve as she gains experience.
CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (0.35-length 2nd of 8, Race 2): The Irish import looks to have had the benefit of more time in Australia with his excellent second at Flemington. Changingoftheguard went OK when resuming in Sydney on June 14 but went into Saturday's race off a six-week break. The former Aidan O'Brien-trained stayer raced handy to the speed and boxed on well in the straight to be beaten a long head while giving the winner 5.5kg. He could show up in the Archer Stakes next month.
It's not easy to shake off Capper, but De Bergerac has done it!
Tom Prebble and Grahame Begg combine on what could be a big day for the pair, holding out a gallant Capper Thirtynine � pic.twitter.com/VGaZ4lL5pC
— 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) August 2, 2025
CAPPER THIRTYNINE (0.15-length 2nd of 16, Race 3): Capper Thirtynine made a terrific return to racing for trainer Nick Ryan with his fighting second to handy sprinter De Bergerac down the Flemington straight. The five-year-old had not raced since March but was prominent throughout the Benchmark 74 contest before going down narrowly, giving the winner 2kg. He looks set to win a couple of similar contests this time in.
TOO DARN DISCREET (0.75-length 1st of 15 Race 8): Too Darn Discreet produced a terrific effort to salute at her first crack at open-age racing at Flemington. She was a Group 2 winner as a three-year-old but those horses sometimes fail to progress in their four-year-old seasons. However, Too Darn Discreet's powerful Flemington finish showed she could develop further as her preparation progresses.
TOO DARN DISCREET ðŸ'¥
She's back to her best! An explosive burst late under Declan Bates for the 2X Group winner sees her salute at $26 😱 @DOSullivanRace @decbates pic.twitter.com/KGCILFLQkU
— 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) August 2, 2025
FARHH FLUNG (0.75-length 2nd of 15 Race 8): Farhh Fung is racing in great heart in two runs back from a four-week freshen, performing well again at Flemington on Saturday. The Danny O'Brien-trained galloper stepped up to BM84 class and looked a chance to break through for a deserved win but found the smart Too Darn Discreet too strong late. There's a win in store for him in the coming weeks.
He's the King of the straight!
King Of Roseau brings down the Sydney form and blows them away in the Aurie's Star ðŸ'' @SnowdenRacing1 pic.twitter.com/shCPyS6cwg
— 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) August 2, 2025
PLEASE FORGIVE:
EXIT (1.6-length 3rd of 5, Race 1): Exit was a victim of circumstances when a beaten favourite in the first race of the day. She ended up at the back of the field after a moderate start while the tempo of the five-horse race didn't suit the Ciaron Maher-trained filly. She ran on soundly but was unable to reel in the quinella horses late. She can bounce back in a bigger field soon.
DOCUMENTARY (3.6-length 8th of 10, Race 4): The heavily backed Documentary was poised to pounce on the leaders at the halfway point of his 1000m assignment but didn't quicken in the second half of the race to be well held late. However, a later vet's examination found Documentary pulled up lame in a foreleg.
FEDERER (1.5-length 2nd of 12, Race 5): Federer had a comfortable run to the home turn but had trouble getting clear running early in the straight, preventing him from building the required momentum to reel in the winner in the last 300m. He's worth another chance.
Finishing the day in STYLISH fashion @FlemingtonVRC 😎 @blake_shinn wasn't going to go home without a winner! Stylish too good in the last for @lindsayparkrace pic.twitter.com/7n88CQdJgB
— 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) August 2, 2025
STEWARDS SAY:
EXIT (Third Race 1) – Rider Blake Shinn said she needed tracks with more give.
EPIC PROPORTIONS (7th Race 3) – Held up from the 400m to the 250m.
MUNHAMEK (8th Race 6) – Jockey Mark Zahra said the gelding might not have handled the seven-day break between runs.
Jockey Liam Riordan suspended for eight meetings for overuse of the whip on Marble Nine in Race 8.
EL SOLEADO (14th Race 8) – Blood in one nostril detected in post-race examination.
Bold Soul is a beauty!
He strikes again at Flemington for Team Payne and Micky Dee in a competitive finish to the staying event of the day ðŸ'° @mj_payne pic.twitter.com/AjuwYF0LQj
— 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) August 2, 2025
PUDDING (6th Race 8) – Held up from early in the straight until the 100m.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
24 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Steph Kyriacou narrowly misses second hole-in-one to finish top Australian at women's British Open
Minjee Lee got an up close look at the 'fearless' next generation she'll have to battle for a career grand slam in the final round of the women's British Open as her title challenge faded on the final day in Wales. Compatriot Steph Kyriacou went within centimetres of a second hole-in-one at Royal Porthcawl and finished as the leading Australian in a tie for eighth, despite a seven on her opening hole, as Japan's Miyū Yamashita held on for a two-shot win in her major breakthrough. Three-time major champ Lee didn't leave Wales empty-handed, taking out the ANNIKA Major Award as the best performed player across all five majors in 2025 after finishing in a tie for 13th after a rollercoaster final round playing with shooting star Lottie Woad. The former world No.1 amateur, Woad won the Irish Open and Scottish Open last month, the second victory coming in her first event as a professional and looms as a major challenger that was very apparent to Lee, who needs one more to complete the career grand slam. Lee, 30, said there was something 'totally different' among the new crop of young players on the LPGA tour. 'When I started, it was a little more top heavy, but I feel like the depth of the field ... I don't really know if there's like that much of a gap now,' she said. 'Everybody is younger and talented and really fearless. I played with Lottie today, and she played great. 'I feel like they don't really care as much. Maybe they need a couple more years to get more experience and they will (laughter). No, I feel like everybody's crushing it, and it's getting better and better, all the talent.' Lee gave herself an '8.5 out of 10' for her major season but said her closing even-par 72, which included four birdies and a double-bogey, was 'about the worst score I could have had'. Kyriacou, said there was a sense of 'pride' in fighting back from a horror start to her final round, which began with a triple-bogey seven before nailing five birdies in her final 15 holes to provide major motivation for 2026 and bragging rights among the Aussies. 'I think it would have been quite easy to throw it in and be like, 'Oh, 'F this' or whatever, but I got something out of my round,' she said. 'I got something out of my day. I'm really proud with how I showed up for the rest of the day. 'I've definitely played golf how I've wanted to, which is nice. I think sometimes in majors I let like it being a major to add some pressure. 'I think I've learned a lot in majors, which I'll take into next year.'

ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Meg Harris claims 50m freestyle gold to round out world swimming championships
Australian swimmer Meg Harris has won the gold medal in the women's 50m freestyle final at the world swimming championships in Singapore. On the final night of competition, Australia's Jenna Forrester and women's medley relay team also claimed silver. Harris beat Chinese swimmers Quinfeng Wu and Yujie Cheng in 24.02 seconds, marginally slower than the swim that won her the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. "Stoked, like there's not much more I can say," she said after the race. "I did the dream that I've been dreaming this whole time, like this is why I swim — also for the enjoyment — but it is nice winning. "I still can't even put it into words … it'll take a while to process." Harris, who also won a gold medal in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay on night one of the championships, said she had to reset her outlook after her Paris success. "It was a bit of a tough one," she said. "I felt such a high coming off that and then starting this year had to find a new motivation, not just coming in and doing the exact the same thing. "I tried for the first couple of months, but something just wasn't working, and I needed to find a new way to do it. "So, I stripped everything back and started with the basics — all the reasons that I started swimming, like I love sprinting, and I love racing." Harris admitted after the race that she swims with her eyes closed. "I guess it's just like trying to focus on my stroke," she said. She also took a breath — against instructions. "Pretty much my whole training has been to focus on not taking a breath, but it didn't feel so great in the semis, so I just tried to do whatever came naturally and the breath came naturally," she said. Canada's Summer McIntosh bounced back from her disappointment with her bronze in the 800m from Saturday night to blitz the field in the 400m individual medley. Her time of 4:25.78 was two seconds slower than her own world record but was a championship record. Australian Forrester came from third with her last stroke to tie for second with Japan's Mio Narita, 7.48 seconds behind McIntosh. "Yeah I didn't know that I was going to come in second, I thought, maybe third," Forrester said. "But seeing second up on the scoreboard I was honestly in disbelief. That was crazy. "To make a comeback like that this year, I'm super proud of myself. Super grateful to have the support team around me: My coach, my family, my friends. "It really means the world to me, and I felt like that swim was for everyone who helped me get here." Mollie O'Callaghan had one last chance to move ahead of Ian Thorpe as Australia's greatest world championship swimmer in the final of the 4x100 medley relay. But it was the United States that stole the show, breaking their own world record with a time of 3:49.34. The quartet of Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske will share a $US30,000 prize for breaking the record. The Australian team of Kaylee McKeown, Ella Ramsay, Alexandria Perkins and O'Callaghan came second 3.33 seconds behind the Americans. "I'm really proud of us all, I think we've all had a big meet," Perkins said. "Just to come out here and do our best is really important and I think we did a great job. "Also, a special mention to our little 16-year-old Sienna. She did a great job this morning too." That medley relay was the last event of the championships, which saw the United States top the medal table with nine gold, 11 silver and nine bronze ahead of Australia in second with eight gold, six silver and six bronze. "One medal short," Australian head coach Rohan Taylor lamented. "Obviously you hope for it all the time but it's nice for it to come down to the last relay and we did our best. "But anyway, they were too good on the day, but that just makes us more hungry for it." He said there was still room for improvement, given the absence of Ariarne Titmus, who was taking a year off, and decisions by some athletes not to swim in certain races. Illness also swept through the team and prevented Sam Short swimming in his favourite 800m. "We've now got past this meet and me in my mindset is looking forward to the future and the next stop is Comm Games and Pan Pacs," Taylor said. "We had a great conversion rate … as of tonight I think our whole team had a 60 per cent of finals swims that were equal or better than trials, which is something we really strive for." Asked for his highlights of the meet, Taylor said they all had a little meaning. He commended Forrester, who had to wait until the last day of the meet to swim. He also highlighted the two 100m freestyle relay gold medals on night one and Lani Pallister's silver medal. "Geez, that 800 free was special last night, it was just epic, I was fanning the whole time," he said. Asked if Ariarne Titmus planned to come back to the sport after her year off, Taylor said he hoped so "I haven't had a chat with her, I leave Arnie alone and let her work through that, but if Arnie wants to talk to me she'll obviously ring me," he said. "But I leave her to make her own decision, but I hope so, I really do. It'd be great."

ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Swimming development funding shortfall threatens Olympic dreams, coaches say
As Australia celebrates its World Championship swimming success, there are fresh warnings that the next generation of winners is not getting the support it needs. Swimming Queensland's chief executive Kevin Hasemann said there were about 600 teenagers in the state's development programs, but the majority were not receiving any financial support to cover competition and training costs in the lead-up to Brisbane's 2032 Olympics. "I expect the Australian public would be as mystified and disheartened as we are that several billions of dollars will be spent on Games-related infrastructure, including a new aquatics facility," Mr Hasemann said. "But little, if anything, is going to the junior swimmers who face the herculean challenge of replacing our current batch of Olympic and Paralympic medallists." Mr Hasemann said government funding was available, but it was mostly limited to elite athletes. He said Swimming Queensland was relying on donations from Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, to run development programs. Mr Hasemann said he asked the Queensland government for about $500,000 a year to help young swimmers in the lead-up to the Brisbane Games. But he has not had any luck. "The sad thing about this is that when the penny drops, it can be far too late," he said. "Because the work needs to be happening right now. Seven years for a young athlete is a very short period of time. You can't afford to get it wrong." Luca Widmer, 17, is one of the athletes in Swimming Queensland's development program. He trains for 18 hours a week with his club at Caloundra, north of Brisbane, juggling that with year 12 studies. "I've had the dream of competing at the Olympics my entire life," he said. "I know that road ahead is long and it's tough, but I know that if I want it badly enough and I have the right support, anything is possible." For up-and-coming swimmers like Luca, travelling to competitions and paying for top trainers is crucial. But his mother Leanne Bullemor said proud parents like her were doing most of the financial heavy lifting. "Over the last 12 months, just looking at the financial side of things, with my two boys competing in development programs, it would have cost $20,000 for me to support them," she said. "That's just the training fees, the membership fees, the competition fees I have to pay." Ms Bullemor said local clubs and Swimming Queensland were doing the best they could with what they had. But she said state and federal governments should do more to help. "Our state is very proud. We're an extremely proud swimming state," she said. Luca is training in the same pool that launched Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown's career. His swimming coach Theo Fuchs, who trained for the Olympics in France, pointed out Australia's toughest opponents in the pool, the United States and China, would not be waiting for us to catch up. "We need more money for swimmers, we need more money for coaches," he said. "If you look at the top countries in the world, they are supported by money, and if you want to be doing good consistently, then you have to have that support." The Queensland government didn't respond to questions about whether it would deliver on Swimming Queensland's development funding request. But, in a statement, a spokesperson for the state's Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander said more than $5 million would be spent on high-performance swimmers in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics in 2028. The federal government didn't respond.