Latest news with #2000m
Herald Sun
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
Craig Williams relishing ‘hunter' role in Melbourne jockeys' premiership battle with Blake Shinn
Champion jockey Craig Williams clawed back to within five winners of Melbourne premiership leader Blake Shinn with a Flemington treble. Williams bookended the card on Saturday with the first winner – Duchess Zou – then piloted home the last two – Sayedaty Sadaty and Losesomewinmore. Shinn moved to 71 on Saturday with one winner at Flemington – La Fracas. • 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! There are 25 metropolitan races left in the season. 'Blake is an amazing rider, a great friend of mine too,' Williams said. 'Even when we talked today going out for the last race I said 'mate, you're killing me'. 'He's like the Road Runner, I get close to him and beep, beep and he's off again.' Williams is determined to try and win his 10th Melbourne jockeys' premiership. 'I love hunting,' Williams said. 'I need to hunt, Blake is unbelievable.' • 'Exciting future': Hayes smiling after colt makes winning return Sayedaty Sadaty sealed back-to-back wins to reignite spring ambitions. A combination of gelding, more time to acclimatise and placement to advantage has helped the former international, trained by Ciaron Maher, start to repay connections on the racetrack. Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Sayedaty Sadaty could race again at 2000m next month before attention turned to bigger prizes. 'I'd say we're one more at (2000m) if the boss wants to go (2400m), we know he can stay,' Turnbull said. 'It's now probably picking the perfect path into spring trying to get him qualified (for Cups), if he's good enough, we can work backwards.' Charterhouse, also trained by Maher, placed third in the 2000m Open Handicap while stablemates Kettle Hill (ninth), Wyclif (13th) and Relentless Voyager (15th) raced 'well from where they were'. • Rose eases Prebble's worries in Rising Stars final Duchess Zou capped a brilliant first racing campaign with her third success in five starts. The Maher-trained filly overhauled Lario in the 1400m 3YO Open Handicap and held a comfortable margin on late-finisher Legacy Bay. Maher said Duchess Zou, who placed third in the Listed Creswick Stakes (1200m) the start before, would benefit from a short break. 'She'll have to get through the grades a little bit (next season), she's obviously on the right path,' Maher said. 'It's a winter race she was expected to win and done it quite well … in a couple months' time, she'll lift again.' • Derby path looms for Busuttin-Young stayer Co-trainer Michael Kent Jr hailed Shinn's initiative as the catalyst for La Fracas completing a hat-trick of wins in the Benchmark 84 sprint (1200m). La Fracas had easily won on heavy tracks at his previous two starts but found himself on firmer going and jumping from the awkward barrier one in the Flemington straight contest. However, Shinn's manoeuvring got La Fracas ($2.40 fav) into the right part of the track from where he finished hard to grab De Bergerac ($5) on the line. 'Midrace, he made a daring move to attach himself to the back of (stablemate) Moby Dick, who he assumed would take him forward into the race,' Kent Jr, who trains La Fracas in partnership with Mick Price, said. 'That was the winning move.' – with Brad Waters Originally published as Craig Williams relishing 'hunter' role in Melbourne jockeys' premiership battle with Blake Shinn
NZ Herald
29-04-2025
- NZ Herald
Why Queenstown's Bike to Brewery trail is the ultimate weekend activity
One of the best things about this self-guided biking tour is how long you have before the shuttle picks you and your bike up at Canyon Brewing to return to Queenstown. The ride itself should take 1.5-2 hours, but there's also the allowance of an hour for exploring Arrowtown and 1-1.5 hours given for the breweries at the other end. With the shuttle service from the start and end of the route back to Queenstown included in the experience price, it's easy and convenient. When I set off from the carpark in Arrowtown, the weekend market was on. Filled with artisans, it's a great way to see local crafts and grab a gift or two. Of course, Arrowtown is also the perfect place to grab a pre-ride coffee and pastry before hitting the trails. Realistically, this is the only section where road cycling is required. After you come up from the carpark to the main drag of Arrowtown, you head down through the public carpark to reach the cycle trail (Countryside Trail) along the Arrow River. After a quick dip back on to the road, you'll reach Millbrook Resort and Country Club. While you're technically cycling along the road here, the vehicles are few and far between and the speed bumps mean no one is rushing past you. Also, the helpful sights of the bright-blue Wharehuanui trail signs keep you on the right track – no pun intended. From here, there is a mix of gravel paths and tarmac bike paths along the main roads heading up towards Coronet Peak. This is the trickiest part of the cycle and the section where my unfit legs were happy to have the assistance of an e-bike. You pedal up the incline of Coronet Peak Station Rd, riding across with spectacular views of the 2000m Remarkables in the distance. This is classic New Zealand countryside and this vista makes the burn in your legs worth it. After you've climbed, the next part is a slightly technical downhill switchback section. It's pretty steep and had me riding the brakes a lot, but I saw plenty of seasoned cyclists take it in their stride. Given how flat the rest of the route is, it was cool to test myself with something a little more challenging towards the end. From this section by Downey's Dam, it's a straight shoot to Arthur's Point. You can stop at the historic Gantley's Tavern for a well-earned pint before continuing to Canyon Brewing, or pedal straight to the brewery taproom. I headed straight to Canyon Brewing where a flight of delicious, locally brewed beers awaited alongside some seasonal sliders. With an expansive outdoor seating area overlooking the Shotover River and the Edith Cavell Bridge, it's the perfect spot to rest and relax after a satisfying 16km cycle. Starring a menu and ethos grounded in sustainability, Canyon Brewing is an ideal place for a weekend pint. Tasting the various brews, it's interesting to see the use of locally sourced ingredients, including the fact its Canyon Gold lager is the first Central Otago-brewed-and-grown lager, using Queenstown-grown barley grown by the brewery director, James Paterson. There's something beautiful and unbelievably satisfying about spending time cycling through the New Zealand countryside, exploring under your own steam and then settling in for local food and sustainably sourced beer. Add in the sunshine on the deck area and you have a 10/10 weekend activity day. Despite this trail being relatively new, it's already getting a lot of use, as is the rest of the Queenstown Trails network, with 402,544 riders hitting the trails in the 2023-24 period. A new section of the Wharehuanui trail is scheduled to open in April, connecting to the new Shotover Gorge Trail. This new cycle route, as the name suggests, follows the Shotover Gorge from Arthur's Point for 7km before connecting with the Tucker Beach Trail, which goes for a further 3.5km to the Old Shotover Bridge. From here, the route also interconnects with the Twin Rivers Trail and the Countryside Trail, opening up day and multi-day route options across the Wakatipu Basin and the wider Queenstown area. Developing the Shotover Gorge Trail hasn't been an easy task, with the construction of the Kimi-ākau bridge to cross the Shotover River and the renovation of the historic Hugo Tunnel at Big Beach made possible through donations by the Hugo Charitable Trust. The Hugo Tunnel is a mining tunnel that spans an incredible 108m at the mouth of the Shotover Gorge. Although construction was planned during the Gold Rush, it wasn't built until 1962, and since then has fallen into disrepair. However, it's set to offer a historic and impressive addition to the new trail from this month onwards. However, if cycling to Central Otago's most beloved vineyards is more your speed, there's a new route, the Kawarau Gorge Trail, set to open in summer 2025-26. This 32km trail connects the vineyards of Bannockburn, near Cromwell, with the popular Gibbston Valley wineries near Queenstown. Connected by two spectacular suspension bridges, the route promises amazing valley views and plenty of tasty cellar-door experiences. So, despite being apprehensive about cycling again in general, let alone being left to my own devices armed with a paper route map, this self-guided bike-to-brewery tour is the perfect way to spend a weekend in and around Queenstown. If you've never done a cycle tour before and want to dip your toe in the water, this is a great route to start on. It's relatively short, well signposted and has beautiful scenery and enough of a challenge to make you feel like you've earned the pint at the end. What's not to love about that? Details The Arrowtown-to-Arthur's Point Bike To A Brewery experience costs $95 for a standard bike hire with maps and shuttles, $145 for an electric bike, and $40 if you bring your own bike from Queenstown. Children's bikes (ages 5-14) are $75 for a standard bike and $125 for an e-bike. Infant bikes and equipment are also available (ages 0-4) for $65. Tours depart from the Around The Basin store at 3 Searle Lane, Queenstown.
