Latest news with #RamornieHandicap
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Sha Of Gomer wins Ramornie Handicap to create Australian racing history for husband and wife Jeff Dunn and Rikki Jamieson
The husband-and-wife team of Jeff Dunn and Rikki Jamieson created Australian racing history on Wednesday when they combined with Sha Of Gomer to win the $200,000 Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton. Never before in Australian racing has a husband and wife trained and ridden the same horse to win a stakes race in Australia. Dunn, a former stunt performer on horseback, celebrated the biggest win of his short career when Jamison produced Sha Of Gomer in the straight and the horse surged clear under the urgings of his wife. Sha Of Gomer ($10) defeated Compelling Truth ($4 fav) by 1¼ lengths with a half-length back to Barber ($6) in third. 'It's absolutely huge,' Dunn said. 'What a thrill to win such a special race. 'I'm overwhelmed with the support that we've had with this horse. To win this race is really special for us. 'This would have been great for me but it will never be surpassed in my career. 'I can't believe it's happened and it's really special to share it with Rikki. 'As long as she remembers who's boss, we're all good.' Sha Of Gomer powers away and wins the Ramornie! ðŸ�† Rikki Jamieson and Jeff Dunn combine for a dominant win! ðŸ'� — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 16, 2025 Sha Of Gomer was formerly trained by Australia's premier trainer Chris Waller and found his way into Dunn's Beaudesert stable in April. The gelding went close three runs back when narrowly beaten in the Eye Liner at Ipswich but Wednesday's win provided Dunn with Jamieson with what the jockey described as 'the highlight' of her career. 'Doing it with Jeff is such a thrill,' Jamieson said. 'He's just beginning his career and needs a few more decent horses so to get a result like this is a big thing. 'He trains so well, we work really well as a team, we have great staff at the moment, everything's working really well.'
News.com.au
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Bred by a billionaire, bought by a battler: The Jackal's remarkable Ramornie legacy
There have been some great horses win the time-honoured Ramornie Handicap; Razor Sharp, Mistress Anne, Cangronde and the greatest of them all, Takeover Target. But why is it that so many people's favourite Ramornie winner – The Jackal – is the same? He's one of four horses to have won the race twice but only the ardent racing scholars could name the other three. Everyone loves The Jackal, the horse bred by a billionaire but bought by a battler. 'He was a life-changer,'' the horse's trainer Paul St Vincent told Racenet 17 years on from The Jackal's second Ramornie win. 'I bought him at the Magic Millions Sale in June (2004) so he was a fairly late yearling by then, nearly turning two. 'Gerry (Harvey) bred (him). I paid twenty grand for him.' Not big money for Harvey but hardly an insignificant sum for any country trainer to spend on an unraced horse at the time. 'That's a fair few years ago and we weren't racing for anywhere near the prizemoney we're racing for now,'' St Vincent says. 'That's why he had to move about a bit and travel, Brisbane, Sydney whatever to chase the rich races.' • Ramornie mission is Boom or bust Time for Heathcote galloper Given St Vincent was stationed at Tamworth, The Jackal wasn't that much further from Eagle Farm or Doomben as he was from Randwick or Rosehill. In fact, 27 of The Jackal's 74 starts were at Eagle Farm. 'He was in some pretty big races,'' St Vincent said. 'The thing about him was that he didn't like it if the track was soft. 'He was fairly sound. Towards the end, he had a few little niggles and has his issues that we had to manage continuously 'It wasn't 100 per cent with nothing ever not going wrong, there was always something happening here and there but that's training racehorses. 'I was lucky because we owned him, we could call the shots and if I didn't like the way he was, if I thought he's got something not right, I didn't go. I could pull him out and I didn't have an owner that I had to explain to.' • For the record. The Jackal won 15 times including the WJ Healy Stakes, Star Kingdom Stakes, Prime Minister's Cup and Falvelon Stakes. But it was his two Ramornie's in 2007 and 2008 that elevated him to cult status. 'That's what country racing can do to horses,'' the man they call The Saint says.' 'When they're owned by country people and trained by country people and come out and beat whatever's the best on offer, they seem to get plenty of coverage from it.' So with another Ramornie nigh upon us, plenty of racing fans of a certain age with tell those younger of a horse named The Jackal. For those of us who admired the son of Bite The Bullet from afar, we think of him every Ramornie day every year. But for The Saint, it's more often than that. • Mitch Cohen's Blackbook: Five to follow from Randwick on Saturday 'I think about him every day cause I've gotta feed him,'' St Vincent said. 'He's still alive, you know. He's at my place at Tamworth. We've got a place out of town and he lives out there. 'He gets looked after pretty well. 'He's rising 23, it's not what you class as old, old, old but it's pretty good I can tell you.' A $20,000 purchase who would go on to win a million bucks and win not just the lifelong devotion of one man but the admiration of so many more. The Jackal, like the Ramornie itself, was always destined to become 'time-honoured'.
News.com.au
14-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Prince of Boom could be retired if he doesn't show enough in Wednesday's 2025 Ramornie Handicap
Ramornie Handicap contender Prince Of Boom could be retired unless he can rediscover his old form in the $200,000 Listed race over 1200m at Grafton on Wednesday. The Robert Heathcote -trained gelding, who has been battling hoof issues, hasn't won since taking out the Group 3 WJ Healy Stakes (1200m) two years ago. And jockey Aaron Bullock faces a monumental challenge to win the time-honoured sprint on the six-year-old after Prince Of Boom drew gate 20 (including emergencies). Heathcote's fellow Brisbane trainer Kelly Schweida scratched Metalart from the Ramornie on Monday afternoon after the last-start WJ Healy Stakes winner drew barrier 19. Metalart was a $5.50 chance with bookmakers before the barrier draw. The race favourite is the Richard Litt -trained gelding Barber ($4, barrier four), with the ex-Godolphin sprinter's most recent victory coming in the $250,000 Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford on May 10. Heathcote spoke to Racenet on Monday from the Rocky Mountains in Canada, where he is holidaying with his family, and admitted Prince Of Boom faced a rocky future if he couldn't turn around his fortunes on Wednesday. The son of Spirit Of Boom finished last in the WJ Healy on June 28 at Eagle Farm. Heathcote will also saddle up The Big Goodbye in the Ramornie, which the gelding won as a five-year-old in 2023. The Big Goodbye has been freshened up nicely after suffering a stone bruise in his hoof that led to an infection, similar to what happened to star stablemate Rothfire in the lead-up to the $3m Stradbroke Handicap last month. 'It's fair to say they're past their best but if they can recover some of their past form then they're going to be competitive,' Heathcote said about his pair, who are both $11 in the market. Prince Of Boom goes bang in W.J Healy Stakes! @clarkyhk the king of front running rides delivers again for Robert Heathcote who trains the quinella. — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 24, 2023 'Prince Of Boom is a $1.4 million earner and on his best day, he would beat these but he's a horse that suffers from chronic hoof issues. 'He's an ongoing source of frustration but I reckon we've got him right going into this race. 'I can shout from the highest mountain saying 'he's spot-on' but we won't really know until he's under pressure at the 300m mark. 'It's a hard race so my two will have to step up and be counted. Certainly Prince of Boom, his future is clouded unless he can recover his old form. 'His desire is still there but his feet are causing him problems.' The Big Goodbye overhauls a very brave Ranges in the 2023 Ramornie! Martin Harley with a peach for the Robert Heathcote yard! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 12, 2023 Schweida had never entered a horse into the Ramornie Handicap before this week but he was ready to have a crack with Metalart until the barrier draw cruelled his hopes of vying for the winner's $109,000 in prizemoney. In a wide-open race, there are five gallopers in the market at $8 or under. They are Barber ($4), Compelling Truth ($5), Midnight In Tokyo, Sha Of Gomer and Tribeca Star (all $8). Leading Sydney trainer Peter Snowden has won the Ramornie six times, either solo or with his son Paul, including last year with Ka Bling, but does not have a horse in this year's edition.
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Annabel and Rob Archibald target Ramornie Handicap-Grafton Cup feature double
Annabel and Rob Archibald are mulling over a two-pronged attack for Wednesday's Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) while track conditions will determine leading hope Don Diego De Vega's Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) fate on Thursday. The Archibalds are eager to claim a feature double at one of the state's most renowned country carnivals and nominated three contenders for Wednesday's $200,000 main event. Midnight In Tokyo will line up in the Ramornie while Rob Archibald said stablemate Eye Of The Fire was a '50-50 chance' of taking his place. Swiss Exile is also nominated for Grafton but the gelding ran fourth over 1200m at Doomben on Saturday afternoon. A maiden black type victory is high on the agenda for Midnight In Tokyo with the classy mare already placing in stakes company on five occasions this season. The daughter of Kobayashi will be looking to bounce back to her best following her last start sixth in the Group 3 WJ Healy Stakes at Eagle Farm. Eye Of The Fire was hard in the market first-up at Rosehill on June 28 and failed to fire but is capable of bouncing back. 'Eye Of The Fire raced well below expectations first-up, we were expecting a bit more from him but he has come through the run fine,' Archibald said. 'It was maybe a bit of a flat run for Midnight In Tokyo last start because her runs before that were quite good in some nice races. 'Possibly the ground was just a tough firm for her, I am not sure.' Eye Of The Fire, bred and sold by Twin Hills @inglis_sales Classic in 2022. An impressive Saturday win for a progressive horse. Back, wide, but too good! Well done to @ANeashamRacing and a big team of owners. — Twin Hills Stud (@TwinHillsStud) November 30, 2024 Eye Of The Fire has been a drifter from $15 out to $18 in 'all in' betting for the Ramornie Handicap with Midnight In Tokyo at $21. The Kelly Schweida -trained Metalart is the $5.50 favourite for the Ramornie Handicap before the final field is declared on Monday morning while Barber ($6) and Compelling Truth ($7) are among the other leading chances. The Archibalds have nominated four stayers for the Grafton Cup on the following day with Don Diego De Vega ($8) the clear top seed for the stable alongside Sir Chartwell ($51), Akrotiri ($26) and Little Mix ($26). 'We want to see what the track is like but if it's too firm, Don Diego De Vega would be a little query,' Archibald said. 'Sir Chartwell will possibly go there as with Akrotiri and Little Mix but we just want to see what the ground is like before making up our mind.'
The Age
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Excitement builds ahead of Grafton's five-day carnival
Clarence River Jockey Club chief executive Michael Beattie is looking forward to Grafton's five-day July carnival, which kicks off at the Northern Rivers track on Sunday. Grafton will host meetings over the next three Sundays, with the feature Ramornie Handicap and Grafton Cup double to be contested on Wednesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 17, respectively. 'It's an exciting time for the club, and it's always a very competitive carnival,' Beattie said. 'We had massive nominations for this weekend's meeting and ended up with nine races. It's a prelude day for the feature races of the carnival, so from a punting perspective, Sunday's meeting is worth taking close note of.' The Grafton Gas & Plumbing John Carlton Quality (1190m) is a lead-up to the $200,000 Ramornie Handicap, while the McKimms Real Estate Grafton Cup Quality Prelude (2230m) is a forerunner to the $200,000 Grafton Cup. There will be two divisions of the 2YO Springboard Prelude Maiden Plate (1015m), which leads into the Springboard To Fame 2YO Showcase Plate on cup day. The Herb Blanchard Haulage Grafton Guineas Prelude 3YO Benchmark 66 Handicap (1420m) and the Dougherty Property Country Boosted Belflyer Prelude Class 3 Handicap (1115m) are other events that lead to features in cup week. Murwillumbah trainer Matthew Dunn will have his usual strong team of contenders going around at Grafton on Sunday, headed by Full Of Sincerity in the Cup Prelude with Damien Thornton to ride. Stable apprentice Jett Newman will partner The Torque Xpress in the second division of the Springboard Prelude. Insinuate (Newman) and Flame Tree Star (Thornton) line up in the Grafton Guineas Prelude, while Yendy (Newman) will be Dunn's representative in the John Carlton Quality.
