Winx Returns 
The champion mare Winx is back on the Cox Plate trail with a barrier trial last week and looked in ominous form. She is chasing 18 in a row, in the Warwick Stakes on the 19th of August. The Street Cry mare seems to have grown in statue and with Arrogate failing in the San Diego Hcp last week . The prospect of her taking over the mantle as the best racehorse in the world could well be only a month away. Hugh Bowman after the trial, stated , she was the strongest she had ever felt. Her next trial date is set down for the 9th of August in the lead up to her first start this preparation. If she continues on her winning way this spring. Her resume will be up there with Australias all time greats. She will break Makybe Diva's stakes winning record and equal Kingston Towns three Cox Plate victories and be just shy of Black Caviars wins in succession record .

Winx Barrier Trial

Racing Legends

NSW racing has purchased a 2600 acre Bandonora Property situated between Lithgow and Mudgee that will become the retirement home for racehorses after their career has finished. Hartnell and Hauraki have already been booked into the $15 million dollar property for their retrirement life. The success of the Victorian concept has prompted this positive move by NSW. The Victorian Racing Legends is the home for greats like Apache Cat,Silent Witness,Might and Power and is growing every year with new residents. Its an initative that needed to be put in place. Many champion stallions and mares are housed after their racing lives for breeding purposes but geldings are a different matter. They are particularly difficult to home some go on to show eventing others sold on to for private owners for pleasure riding. There has been a programe running in the USA and its been growing over recent years . Where ex race horses are used for riding in correctional facilities and for therapeutic riding programs for people with disabilities and who have suffered trauma in their lives.  
 Chris Waller trainer of champion mare Winx on the racing legends programe."It is important that horses are well looked after from the day they are born until the day they die. This goes an extra step beyond what is already being done.I don’t think there is an issue (in horse racing) but we need to make sure there never is.”  

 Might and Power winning the 1997 Melbourne Cup

 

Horses Birthday 

In the southern hemisphere 1st of August is used as the horses birthday due to the mares oestrus cycle which begins around spring time or when daylight hours start to extend around the 1st September. Mares successfully bred in September generally start having their foals around early August. At times mares will produce a foal before the first of August and sometimes as late as November but the majority of foals are born in the months of September and October due to the cooler weather and the good quality and plentiful supply of grasses at this time.

Snitzel Filly born October 2014

Jockey Titles

• Victorian --  The Victorian title sees Dean Yendal recording a great year again with 138 winners and yet another title but lady jockey Linda Meech had an awesome season just falling short with 127 victories. She is a great horse woman and i believe entitled to some more regular rides in the big city. Linda was suspended on Sunday at Bendigo so her season is over and has left her just one win shy of Jamie Kah who has won the title as top female jockey of the season. 

 Dean Yendal aboard the super mare Yankee Rose who trialled this week in preparation for her return to racing after a bone chip kept her away from the tracks in the Autumn..

• Queensland -- Jeff Lloyd nicknamed The Guv was born on 1st September 1961 and when his family settled in South Africa in 1973 became an apprentice Jockey there in 1976. Jeff was champion apprentice in Transvaal South Africa,three years in a row 1977/78/79, riding for DeVilliers. Jeff later moved to the Ricky Maingard stable and here he learnt alot about being a true professional and how to conduct himself. It was also here he got to be associated to the great Wolf Power. Who Jeff says is the best horse he has ridden along with speedster,Tommy Hotspur. It was this partnership with Maingard that saw Jeff win South Africa Jockey premiership 6 times and in the 1991/92 season rode a record 313 winners. Following this he moved to Maurituis where he won the top jockey title 5 times. Jeff suffered a heart attack in 2013 but has clawed his way back to success in Queensland  and this year has added another Queensland jockey title to his tally. He has totalled 126 wins this season along way clear of his nearest rival Jim Byrne.

•     NSW -- In Jeff Penza we see another veteran jockey on top of the leader board just in front of Greg Ryan who has won plenty of titles over the last 10 years . Its good to see a different face take the title this year. Jeff Penza 132 wins but its worth mentioning  a young female hoop, Rachel Murray who is on 118 winners after the I Am Invincible gelding I Am The Bot won the maiden at Moree on Monday.  She will be worth following in the new season.

•     Perth -- Its another William Pike success story this season over in the west but it looks like he wont quite make the century of wins. He is sitting on 95 and with two meetings left he needs to be right on his game. William as totaled 191 wins this season in Australia the most successful jockey being 10 clear of Jeff Lloyd for that title.

•     Adelaide -- Its a battle of the ladies in the city of churches with Jamie Kah and Clare Lindop having  great seasons with even young Emily Finnegan coming in third with 32 victories. Coming into the  last meeting on Saturday Jamie Kah has 128 wins in season 2016-17 a new Australian record for the most wins by a female jockey in a racing year. Jamie has had a huge year and I can see her building on this next season so keep your eye on this young lady in 2017/18. 

Jamie will be riding Cashed at Morphetville on Saturday in the feature event a horse by Krupt she has had success on before.

•  Sydney -- Hugh Bowman has forged his way clear of Brenton Avdulla who has struggled for good rides over the last two weeks. At Canterbury yesterday Hugh scored a treble while Brenton got the unbeaten Special Missile home in race four this left Hugh, 2.5 wins clear with just Saturdays meeting left. It will be Bowman's fourth title. Brenton Avdulla said after winning on Special Missile " Its hard to fire a gun when you have no ammo. "

•     Melbourne -- Its been the Craig Williams show the past few meetings in Melbourne and it looks as though he has that title in the bag. Must give young Beau Mertens a wrap though. Its been an awesome year for the young apprentice who turned senior rider last week. He has totaled 73 winners this year so hats off to him. Lets hope we see him continue his great form as a senior rider.

Craig Williams riding the talented two year old 

High Chaparral filly heading for the VRC Oaks, Anchor Bid on Saturday

Clare Lindop and Rebel Raider

Ace Attack --  Trained by Leon Mcdonald and Ridden by Clare Lindop won at Morphetville in the benchmark 80 over 1800m. The Rebel Raider 3 year old gelding is out of the Rory's Jester mare, Buckle My Shoe . Clare tends to chase a lot of the Rebel Raider breed, to ride, and the win, must have bought back memories of  his win in the group one, Victorian Derby in 2008.


Clare Lindop -- One of the most accomplished female jockeys in Australia . Lindop has a strong association with trainer Leon MacDonald, which has assisted in her winning multiple South Australian jockeys premierships. She has ridden more than 800 winners including three Group I victories. The first one coming with the 2008 Victorian Derby on Rebel Raider. She became the first female jockey to ever ride in a  Melbourne Cup when she rode Debben for Leon MacDonald.

Rebel Raider --  Rebel Raider had 21 starts. He raced from 2 years old to 6 years old .He won from 1200m of the G3 Spring Stakes and coming from last in the 2008 VRC Derby at 100/1 proved he could stay. Rebel Raider stood his first season at stud at Carin Park in 2012, where he covered only 18 mares. He was then moved to Wyndholm Park where he has covered 84 mares in 2012, 88 in 2013, 112 in 2014, 104 in 2015 and 60 in 2016. He is by Reset the Zabeel stallion out of  Picholine who also has Sir Tristram on her dams side. Wyndholm Park also stands Floral Pegasus for $5,500 .

Rebel Raider 2008 Victoria Derby

Clare Lindop at home with her dog Coco