Latest news with #OpenHandicap
Herald Sun
4 days ago
- 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
Sydney Morning Herald
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Compelling Truth chasing a rare feat at Wagga Wagga meeting
One of the most dynamic country-based sprinters in Australia is out to take his winning strike rate to 50 per cent from 22 starts when he tackles the feature sprint at Wagga Wagga on Thursday. Compelling Truth, a high-class and on-speed five-year-old son of I Am Invincible in the Mack Griffith camp at Mudgee, got back to winning ways 26 days ago at Eagle Farm by finishing best in an Open Handicap over 1200m on soft ground. That was his first win since claiming the Panorama at Bathurst last September, although he had no luck from a wide draw in the Kosciuszko at Randwick four weeks later. That was enough to send Compelling Truth to the paddock for a break before he trialled twice and headed north for a three-race campaign in Brisbane. Placed in his first two efforts when leading over 1000m, he didn't quite reproduce that same sectional dominance, although taking a sit next start over a furlong further proved beneficial, sweeping over the top late. Loading Bailey Wheeler keeps the ride and becomes the first jockey to stay aboard for consecutive races since Jake Pracey-Holmes in the middle of last year. Earlier in his career, Compelling Truth cut a swathe through NSW country racing. From January, 2023 through to September of last year, he won nine races from just 14 starts up to BM 86 level. Five of those were by more than five lengths. In what is a wide and strong renewal of Thursday's Wagga Town Plate (1200m), Compelling Truth opened on the top line of betting around $5.50 ahead of high class four-year-old sprinters The Instructor who won a Listed feature at Mornington last start, and promising Rosehill-based four-year-old Celui, both opening around $6.50.
The Age
30-04-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Compelling Truth chasing a rare feat at Wagga Wagga meeting
One of the most dynamic country-based sprinters in Australia is out to take his winning strike rate to 50 per cent from 22 starts when he tackles the feature sprint at Wagga Wagga on Thursday. Compelling Truth, a high-class and on-speed five-year-old son of I Am Invincible in the Mack Griffith camp at Mudgee, got back to winning ways 26 days ago at Eagle Farm by finishing best in an Open Handicap over 1200m on soft ground. That was his first win since claiming the Panorama at Bathurst last September, although he had no luck from a wide draw in the Kosciuszko at Randwick four weeks later. That was enough to send Compelling Truth to the paddock for a break before he trialled twice and headed north for a three-race campaign in Brisbane. Placed in his first two efforts when leading over 1000m, he didn't quite reproduce that same sectional dominance, although taking a sit next start over a furlong further proved beneficial, sweeping over the top late. Loading Bailey Wheeler keeps the ride and becomes the first jockey to stay aboard for consecutive races since Jake Pracey-Holmes in the middle of last year. Earlier in his career, Compelling Truth cut a swathe through NSW country racing. From January, 2023 through to September of last year, he won nine races from just 14 starts up to BM 86 level. Five of those were by more than five lengths. In what is a wide and strong renewal of Thursday's Wagga Town Plate (1200m), Compelling Truth opened on the top line of betting around $5.50 ahead of high class four-year-old sprinters The Instructor who won a Listed feature at Mornington last start, and promising Rosehill-based four-year-old Celui, both opening around $6.50.
