Thursday, 18th June 2026
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Global Breeding, Racing and Sales News

  • Kelso Stable Rapt with Legarto's Full-Sister

    Thursday, 18th June 2026
    The search for another stable star has taken an intriguing early step for Ken and Bev Kelso, with well-bred juvenile Latoya winning an 800m Avondale trial on Tuesday and giving the Matamata trainers a first proper glimpse of the ability that sits in her pedigree. The Proisir filly is a sister to Legarto, the Kelsos' five-time Gr1 winner who recently made A$2.8 million at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale, but Ken Kelso is resisting any rush to compare the pair too strongly. He said Latoya is a good doer with "a little bit of sass" and, while there are some similarities to Legarto, she is a smaller version and still very much a work in progress. Her Avondale effort was a clear step forward from her first trial at Waipa, where expectations were higher after Opie Bosson had been working her and jumping her out, only for the filly to be slow away after turning her head in the barriers and then be run off her feet when the heat was quickly run. Kelso said improvement was expected this time and she duly delivered, putting herself on a path towards a possible raceday debut in coming weeks. Finding the right race, however, is not straightforward, and Kelso was critical of the lack of dedicated 2YO opportunities in New Zealand at this stage of the season. He said he had gone through the programme after the trial and could not find a suitable 2YO-only race, adding that he regarded the situation as "totally ridiculous" given juveniles are the future of the industry and should not be forced to meet older horses, particularly on winter tracks. While Latoya gives the stable a fresh family thread to follow, Legarto's sale remains a major recent milestone. Kelso said the mare would receive every chance with Yulong and, after messaging Sam Fairgray, understood the plan was for her to visit Extreme Choice in spring. The stable is also looking towards the new season with several proven horses back in work, headed by Gr1-performed sprinter Alabama Lass, who has returned from a spell after her dramatic King's Plate incident at Ellerslie, where she looked certain to win before ducking through the running rail and dislodging Sam Collett. Kelso said she had put on about 60kg, looked fantastic and appeared physically sound, but no firm plans would be made until she trials in spring. Another tilt at the Gr1 Moir Stakes, in which she was runner-up last year, remains possible. Sarti is expected to progress through the grades, while Levakia, rated 86, could be aimed at races such as the Counties Cup or Queen Elizabeth II Cup, with Kelso believing she is better right-handed. Among the younger team, he has time for Acanthus, the Almanzor half-sister to Feroce, and Themarierose, a Super Seth filly who should appreciate firmer ground, while Ellerslie 2YO winner Stromlinien has also joined the stable and is still in pre-training.

    Latoya

    Latoya appears to have inherited smart ability (pic: Trish Dunell)

  • Campbell Close to Career Best Performance

    Thursday, 18th June 2026
    A career-best benchmark is within reach for Barry Campbell after another powerful season from the Hall of Fame trainer, whose Devonport double last Sunday lifted him to 46 wins for the campaign and left him just one short of his best tally across the past decade. Campbell's current strike-rate of 29.1% from only 158 starters underlines the efficiency of the operation, while more than $1.5 million in prizemoney has flowed largely from a strong run in Tasmania's feature races. He said it had been "an unbelievable year", better even than last season, with the stable's horses continuing to race consistently well. That depth has been central to the success, with Night Invader, Hartman, Mazzini, Sanniya and Beneficiary all winning five races this term, Tuskegee adding four, and Taroona and Durazzo each contributing three. Campbell said the stable had collected 11 feature wins, a haul that had made a significant difference to the prizemoney total and given him a strong platform heading towards 2026/27. The challenge next season may be managing a team whose best horses are likely to cross paths in the same races, particularly with Sanniya and Mazzini both entering their 4YO campaigns and shaping as possible Tasmanian Newmarket contenders. Durazzo won that $150,000 Listed 1200m feature in 2025, and the race could again become a key early-summer target for Campbell's better sprinters. For now, he is inclined to keep the stars at home, saying there is excellent money available in Tasmania during summer if a stable can win the right races, making local targets the sensible option. Sanniya is expected to be aimed at fillies and mares features when she returns in November, while full brothers Durazzo and Mazzini may follow a weight-for-age path after the Newmarket. Before those bigger plans take shape, Campbell will try to extend his winning run at Hobart on Sunday with a team that includes Taroona, Dancing Wolf, Bayside and Azonto. Taroona is set to back up after pleasing the stable since her latest run, although Campbell believes she may have a difficult task against John Blacker's Daytona Diva. Dancing Wolf will be tried again on grass after a lesser Devonport effort, while Azonto looks close to another win after recent racing suggested she has her hoof on the till.

  • Oaks Hattrick on the Cards for Erkelens

    Thursday, 18th June 2026
    A late-season classic target is now firmly in view for Jazz Me Baby after the lightly raced Gingerbread Man filly produced a powerful staying-style finish at Belmont on Wednesday, giving managing part-owner Greg Browne and trainer Justine Erkelens the chance to chase a third Oaks success in as many years. According to tbwa.net.au, Browne and Erkelens won the 2024 WA Oaks with Own The Queen and followed up in 2025 with Machine Gun Gracie who also won the WA Derby (see below), and Jazz Me Baby now has the Listed Belmont Oaks over 2000m on July 4 in her sights after taking the Quayclean Handicap over 1700m in eye-catching fashion. Still last well into the straight, she picked up strongly for Troy Turner and swept past Wild Things and Bella Violetta to win going away, suggesting the step further in distance should hold no fears. Erkelens had long suspected stamina would be her filly’s strength, recalling that when she saw her at the 2024 Perth Winter Yearling Sale, “She was tall and didn’t look like a sprinter.” The trainer said Jazz Me Baby had kept growing and remained mentally immature, but she was happy to stretch her to 1700m and admitted the Belmont Oaks had been sitting quietly in her thoughts. Bred and sold by Greenfields Lodge’s Tony Patrizi for $30,000, Jazz Me Baby is out of the War Chant mare Jaz Me Up and is a younger half-sister to Listed Scenic Blast Stakes winner Jaz Session. Patrizi has been involved with the family since buying third dam Entrant for $70,000 at the 2006 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale, and the patience shown with Jazz Me Baby is beginning to pay off. She made an encouraging debut at Ascot in December, charging late from last of 13 to finish close up behind London’s Rascal on Platinum Stakes Day, then returned from a five-month spell in May and improved through maiden runs at Pinjarra over 1200m and Belmont over 1400m before finding a more suitable trip on Wednesday. Gingerbread Man’s strong record with War Chant mares adds further interest to the performance, and the Yarradale Stud sire produced another possible staying prospect a day later when Bob The Baker won the Swan Draught Maiden over 1675m at Bunbury. Trained by Darren McAuliffe for an Impressive Racing syndicate, Bob The Baker relaxed well for Holly Nottle and ran through the line strongly at his first try near a mile. McAuliffe said the gelding had “a good motor and a good mind” and believed he could develop into a WA Derby horse next year. Bred and sold by J Farms’ Janey Napoli for $37,500 at the 2025 Perth Magic Millions, Bob The Baker is from Northam winner Roberta, who foaled a Rommel filly last October. Yarradale also had reason to celebrate through Dont Wait For Luck, a Magic Millions graduate who won at Kalgoorlie on Sunday for Peter and Karen Fernie, lifting his Goldfields tally this season to three wins and career earnings beyond $180,000.

  • Ballydoyle’s King Charles Mission Under Control

    Thursday, 18th June 2026
    A late surge against the stands’ rail delivered a Royal Ascot landmark for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore as Mission Central snatched the Gr1 King Charles III Stakes in a finish that denied Australian sprinter Overpass a famous international win. For much of the closing stages the race appeared to be playing out through Overpass, Jakajaro and Rayevka, with the Australian favourite on the speed, headed, and then fighting his way back into the contest with the tenacity that has defined his career. Yet as attention stayed fixed on that battle, Michael Tabor’s colours suddenly appeared low in the picture, with Mission Central charging home at 14/1 to join Rayevka on the line and force a photo. The verdict went the way of the 3YO, giving O’Brien and Moore victory in every Gr1 race at Royal Ascot and extending Mission Central’s unbeaten run for the season. O’Brien said the colt had been given “an incredible ride”, explaining that the fierce early pace suited a horse blessed with natural speed but accustomed to being much handier when races are run more steadily. He said Moore recognised how hard they were going and produced the colt with perfect timing, driving him through the final furlong to a win that delighted the Ballydoyle team. Rayevka was desperately unlucky not to claim the prize, and trainer Francis Graffard said the mare had produced “an amazing turn of foot” at the distance, admitting he briefly thought she had the race won before realising on the post that Mission Central had finished even stronger. Graffard said dropping back to five furlongs on fast ground had been crucial after her Dubai run showed six furlongs stretched her, and he believes she can still win a Gr1 this year if similar conditions are found, possibly again in Britain. Overpass finished third, with Rosy Affair fourth, and Bjorn Baker took pride rather than frustration from his gelding’s performance. Baker said Overpass had gone “super” and had again delivered for his team, describing him not quite as an Australian champion in the purest sense, but “our champion”. He noted the horse had travelled like a war horse and that the uphill finish may have been the difference between winning and losing, while also pointing out that Overpass did not quite nail the start in his usual fashion. Still, Baker could not resist looking at the brighter side, saying they had beaten 23 rivals and been defeated only by two of the world’s best trainers. For a horse representing a Sydney stable on one of racing’s grandest stages, it was another performance of courage and quality. Baker, born in Woodville in New Zealand and now living his racing dream from Sydney, said Australians love an underdog and made it clear the experience had sharpened rather than dulled his ambition, adding: “Trust me, I haven't bought this hat for nothing!”

  • Sensational Gr1 St James's Palace Finish

    Thursday, 18th June 2026
    A nerve-stretching finish to the St James’s Palace Stakes still ended with the result most expected, though very little about Bow Echo’s passage around Ascot was straightforward as he clung to his unbeaten record by a short-head, reports racingpost.com. The George Boughey-trained 2000 Guineas winner arrived at Royal Ascot carrying the growing weight of comparison with Frankel, and if the margin was far tighter than at Newmarket, the echo of history was impossible to miss, with Frankel himself having been made to work desperately hard to beat Zoffany in the same race 15 years earlier. Bow Echo had beaten Gstaad by 2.75l in the Guineas, but this time the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt came at him all the way to the line under Ryan Moore, forcing a photo that left Billy Loughnane visibly drained before the verdict confirmed he had just held on. The race began badly for the 20YO jockey, who said the first furlong proved crucial after he was squeezed early, lost his position and found himself trying to settle a horse who had become lit up in behind. Loughnane then had another problem when Power Blue came back into his lap, forcing him to angle out and commit earlier than he wanted. From there, Bow Echo had to rely on raw class and willpower, with his rider saying “his guts got him through” and praising his determination, turn of foot and ability. Ascot’s round course offers little forgiveness even to the best, and Loughnane was left covering ground into the straight while Moore saved more of it inside on Gstaad, slipping up the inner of stablemate Puerto Rico. Bow Echo initially appeared to be travelling the stronger, and when asked to quicken inside the final 400m he shot to the front, but the advantage was never comfortable. Gstaad kept closing, and Loughnane’s repeated glances to his right told the story of a rider who knew the danger was coming fast. He admitted afterwards that he had wasted ground and gone sooner than ideal, but said Bow Echo had rescued him from trouble and was toughest when it mattered. The pressure of riding such a horse was real, he said, but it was the sort of pressure any jockey would want, and he felt privileged to partner him. For Boughey, the imperfect nature of the win may ultimately prove valuable, because Bow Echo had to cope with adversity, traffic, a wide route and a rival who refused to go away. The next target is expected to be Goodwood on July 29, where he will try to follow Frankel again by winning the Sussex Stakes, and connections can take comfort from the fact that his Royal Ascot success was not built on an easy lead or a smooth run, but on the harder qualities that separate a high-class colt from a merely talented one.

  • JMac Strikes Early at Royal Ascot

    Thursday, 18th June 2026
    A patient wait on the opening day of Royal Ascot was rewarded in style when James McDonald struck with his first ride of the meeting, producing Map Of Stars with a powerful late run to win the Listed Wolferton Stakes. According to punters.com.au, the 2004m contest carried added significance for Australian racing, with the winner earning a ballot-free entry into the Caulfield Cup, and McDonald’s success gave the carnival an early southern hemisphere thread before his high-profile sprint engagement later in the week. Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, whom McDonald described as “basically the Chris Waller of France”, Map Of Stars arrived with strong credentials and made them count, recording his sixth win from 13 starts after unleashing a decisive finish in the straight. McDonald had no rides in the first five races on the card, but once given his chance he made it matter, adding a sixth Royal Ascot win to a record headed by Nature Strip’s memorable 2022 success in the Gr1 King Charles III Stakes. The champion jockey said he was grateful to James Doyle for giving him insight into the horse before the race, and to Graffard for the opportunity, describing Map Of Stars as “an absolute beautiful horse” who gave him a tremendous feel. He added that Doyle had told him beforehand he was sitting on a very good horse, and the performance confirmed that assessment. McDonald will chase another major Ascot moment on Saturday when he partners Australian mare Joliestar in the Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes over 1200m, but he was also content to absorb the early part of Tuesday’s card from the sidelines. He said he was a “racing purist” who loved the carnival, had enjoyed watching the Queen Anne and St James’s Palace Stakes, and regarded riding at Ascot as both magnificent and a huge honour, given the elegance and prestige of the meeting. There was another Australian connection in the Wolferton through Adelaide River, formerly trained by Kris Lees, but after settling outside the lead the 6YO weakened in the straight and finished out of the placings. Map Of Stars, however, now holds a Caulfield Cup ticket and has placed himself firmly on the radar for the Australian spring.

  • Royal Ascot to Shape Spring Carnival Markets

    Thursday, 18th June 2026
    Performances at Royal Ascot this week are set to sharpen Racing Victoria’s thinking around international targets for the 2026 Melbourne Spring Carnival, with the Gold Cup, Hardwicke Stakes and Prince Of Wales’s Stakes all likely to provide clues for future Australian visitors. RV head of racing Paul Bloodworth will head to the United Kingdom next month to continue discussions with connections of possible Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup contenders, but several names already command attention before the Royal meeting unfolds. Bloodworth said Thursday’s Gold Cup looked a particularly strong edition and that any horse able to perform well in it should have the right profile to be effective in a race such as the Melbourne Cup. He also pointed to Saturday’s Hardwicke Stakes as a familiar guide for Australian selectors, noting that a horse running well there is naturally viewed as a suitable Melbourne prospect. The Cox Plate watchlist includes Gstaad, who finished an agonising second in Tuesday's St James’s Palace Stakes, and Almaqam, who lines up in Wednesday’s Gr1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. Bloodworth described Almaqam (see below) as “an absolutely perfect Cox Plate horse” and said he hoped trainer Ed Walker and owner Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum might consider Moonee Valley as an option, even though the horse faces a serious task against the likes of Ombudsman and Daryz at Ascot. For the Melbourne Cup, Australian Bloodstock’s Al Riffa remains of obvious interest after his luckless seventh last year, although Bloodworth acknowledged he would again be high in the weights if he returned. The Gold Cup nominations also include Rahiebb, Carmers and Furthur, with Rahiebb especially prominent in Bloodworth’s thinking. He said the St Leger runner-up looked an ideal Melbourne Cup type and had returned impressively to win the Yorkshire Cup first-up, although victory at Ascot could push him beyond realistic reach from both ratings and weight perspectives. Carmers has already put a Melbourne Cup dream on the table after winning over 3200m at Listed level last start, while Furthur brings direct Flemington experience after finishing 11th in last year’s Cup. The coming days at Ascot may not decide Melbourne’s spring visitors outright, but they will help reveal which European stayers and middle-distance horses are worth pursuing most seriously.

  • Litt Follows Up with Tried and Tested

    Thursday, 18th June 2026
    A familiar source of stable success will again be in focus for Richard Litt this week, with the Warwick Farm trainer preparing to run established performer Balkans at Canterbury before unveiling another former Godolphin-owned recruit, Aleppo Pine, at Randwick on Saturday. Litt has developed a strong record with horses sourced from Sheikh Mohammed’s operation, and while the 3YO Aleppo Pine has been bought with longer-term upside in mind, Balkans has already justified his place in the stable by winning three races, all of them at Canterbury. The 5YO is entered for Wednesday’s TAB Handicap over 1200m, although Litt is weighing up whether conditions will be suitable enough to press on. The gelding was a close third at the same track two weeks ago under Siena Grima, who retains the ride, and Litt said he was ready to perform if the right set-up presents. He described Balkans as “very, very, well” and at peak fitness, but added that a big field, soft ground and a large weight were all factors to consider for a horse who is best suited on good going. Litt has a Benchmark 78 at Rosehill on Saturday week available as a fallback, but he is keen to give Balkans his chance when circumstances line up, saying the $30,000 purchase is no star but has the talent to win a Saturday race this campaign. He said there was little point overprotecting horses at this level because they cannot earn money from their boxes, though the track needs to improve before he is comfortable pushing ahead. Aleppo Pine cost Monarch Racing $100,000 and joins the stable with a profile Litt believes can develop into another worthwhile acquisition, following the success of stakes winner Barber for the same ownership group. The gelding won on debut for James Cummings, contested Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper lead-ups, and was stakes placed before later joining Lindsay Park, where he won once from six starts. Litt said Aleppo Pine had settled into his system particularly well after time in the paddock, better than some other newcomers manage, and he was pleased with a recent trial before deciding to resume him over 1000m. Tom Sherry has been booked for his first run for the stable at Randwick, while Grima will ride Romeo’s Choice in a Benchmark 94 over 1200m on the same program. Romeo’s Choice has tackled the Takeover Target and Bob Charley AO Stakes in two runs this preparation, and Litt felt his latest effort was strong in a deep race. He said the gelding remains consistent and competitive around his current level, but now needs the race shape and conditions to fall his way if he is to turn those honest performances into another win.

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