FONTITON has remained favourite for the Blue Diamond Stakes since winning on Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley; it would take quite a performance to push her off the perch now.

She has won at each of her two preparations, she is well seasoned which is a huge advantage, at some stage of the Diamond she will be looking like a winner.

While Victorian breeders were scratching about looking for a new sprint sire they completely overlooked Turffontein was on offer.

He has gone to Blue Gum where they are no strangers in making a sire, evidence of that being the success of Noalcoholic and Encosta de Lago.

Turffontein is by Johannesburg, the best two year old of his season, he is the sire of winners of $60 million.

Johannesburg stood here at Coolmore for a couple of seasons with just mixed success; he performed better in the northern hemisphere.

TONY McCoy, born in 1974, among the leading jump riders in the U K and Ireland, has
announced his intending retirement at the conclusion of the jumping season in late March.

He is the most intense rider the sport has known, he was been champion jumps jockey every season since 1997-1998.

With the assistance of trainer, Martin Pike, he set new standards for jumps riders for the number of winners in a season 253 in 1997 – 1998, a record that still is intact.

RECORD ENTRIES have been received for The Championships, scheduled for Royal Randwick on Saturday April 4 and April 11.

When entries closed on Monday of this week 1221 nominations were received for the 10 races involved in The Championships.

The feature race, the $4 million Group 1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000 metres on the second day, attracted 120 nominations, up eight on last year’s figure.

Whilst nominations for the $3million Group 1 Doncaster on the opening day, entries have risen to 139 --11 more than 2014.

They will be coming far and wide for The Championships, with nominations received from every Australian state besides New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and the United Kingdom.