Verry Elleegant’s winning owner Brae Sokolski apologised for breaching COVID-19 protocols when he jumped into the mounting yard after his six-year-old mare and emerging champion Incentivise ran the quinella in the Melbourne Cup. Sokolski watched the race on the lawn in front of the Hill Stand in the green zone with friends who lifted him above them in jubilation after […]

A text message from Ben Casanelia a few years earlier led to a bunch of friends – all but one from Geelong – sitting together in Flemington’s Hill Stand on New Year’s Day to cheer home their horse Tralee Rose in the Bagot Handicap. And yell they did as the Symon Wilde-trained four-year-old mare bolted in the 2800-metre handicap by […]

1. Twilight Payment Trainer: Joseph O’Brien (2 cup wins), Jockey: Jye McNeil (1 cup win), barrier 2No nine-year-old has won, but few have his credentials. Part-owner (Lloyd Williams) a Melbourne Cup specialist, trainer Joseph O’Brien has already taken two, barrier two, a successful jockey, and he scored last year. Up in weight but opposition not as strong.Sportsbet odds: $12 2. […]

By the time Ocean Billy kicked clear in the straight at Ellerslie to win the 2021 Auckland Cup in March over the Melbourne Cup journey, the gelding’s trainer Bill Pomare had already lived a full enough life for his son, the critically acclaimed crime novelist, J.P. (Joshua) Pomare, to contemplate committing his dad’s life story to print. On Tuesday, having […]

Bookmakers around the country face losing at least $50 million on Tuesday if Incentivise can become the shortest-priced favourite since Phar Lap to win the Melbourne Cup. It is an old-fashioned Melbourne Cup with Australian stayers making up the majority of the field due to new regulations around starting in the race that stops the nation, and the betting has […]

Restrictions on interstate travel and bans to some of Victoria’s leading riders have opened the door for lesser-known jockeys to shine on Tuesday when they make their Melbourne Cup debuts. Damien Thornton and Rachel King are among a number of riders, including Fred Kersley, Teo Nugent, Harry Coffey and Blaike McDougall, who will have their first-ever Melbourne Cup rides this […]

Champion jockey Craig Williams has quashed any concerns about the fitness of Spanish Mission after jumping on his back at Werribee on Sunday morning ahead of Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup. The European import was passed fit to run in the Cup after three Racing Victoria vets gave him the tick of approval on Saturday afternoon. He had failed two prior inspections, […]

Leviathan breeding operation Coolmore has a new superstar stallion-to-be on their hands after Home Affairs won the three-year-old championship race they sponsor, the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington. Sydney’s premier jockey James McDonald has gone so close before to winning the coveted Derby day sprint, but Saturday’s race never looked in doubt for the Chris Waller-trained Home Affairs, who overcame […]

Don’t miss a thing by getting the Daily Star’s biggest headlines straight to your inbox! Horse racing is one of the oldest sports in the world due to its basic premise, where one horse simply beats the others over a set course or distance. Like most modern forms of entertainment, horse racing is incredibly lucrative with another basic premise – […]