David Hayes has quite an opinion of first starter, Athene Lass, after her win in the William Hill Handicap at Moonee Valley.

She had shown up quite well in recent trials, however, there is no substitute for an actual race and Hayes was quite pleased with her debut.

She will now be eased up a little with a spring campaign pending, she could easily get further as the filly settled down well in the field and was running on well at the right end of the race.

There are some nice races about that would suit her in the spring now she has the benefit of race experience.

Athena Lass is by the remarkable Snitzel, his progeny have produced earnings in excess of $56 million where he stands at Arrowfield alongside his own sire, Redoute’s Choice, who has sired winners of $125 million, sire of 1105 runners with 841 winners.

Athena Lass heading to the winner's circle

Yasnat gave her rivals something to chase

Canberra trained filly Yasnat showed her rivals a clean set of plates in winning the William Hill Cox Plate On Sale Handicap.

She led for the entire trip, but wouldn’t have wanted much further as the rest of the field were closing quickly, in particular World Of Hope, who came from last, at the entrance of the straight, to go down by a long neck.

Yasnat was the form horse of the race having won twice at Canberra over 1000 metres, she is a Written Tycoon filly, in her two previous races she was ridden by Jae Ford, who won a string of races on Takeover Target.

Yasnat returns to scale until Dylan Dunn

Trenchant has earned a break

Trenchant is the most impressive two year old colt we have seen during the winter, winning two races, both at Flemington

Saturday signalled he may have had enough for the present, and 1600 metres might be as far as he likes it.

Futura, a maiden, laid the gauntlet down to him in the straight, in defence of the favourite he showed a ton of courage and with strong riding from Craig Williams he scored by a nose.

“The plan is likely to be a freshen up,” and John O’Shea will make a decision from there later into the spring .

His sire, Medaglia D’oro, did win the Travers Stakes Group 1 at Saratoga over 2000 metres, horses with Derby aspirations in mind are just coming into work now.

Among the very few horses that raced through the winter and carried into the Spring was Phoibos, he was by Helios, he won the Caulfield Guineas and several weight for age races for Pat Quinlan, and ridden by Scobie Breasley.

Trenchant defeating Futura at Flemington

Premiership Too Close To Call

The jockey’s premiership is really warming up, with the decision likely to go down to the wire, with more interest centring on the jockeys rather than the horses, which is a rarity.

When racing commenced at Flemington on Saturday, Craig Williams was trailing Dwayne Dunn by 5 wins, the issue changed very quickly when Williams rode 5 winners and Dunn 1 win that has narrowed the margin down to 1 win in favour of Dunn, the battle is on again at Moonee Valley on Wednesday.

The last jockey to ride 5 winners in a day at Flemington was Greg Childs; he rode 5 winners from 5 rides in January, in 1992.

Apprentices Title is also close, Dylan Nunn is on 32 wins, with Michael Dee 29 wins, neither rode a winner at Flemington on Saturday.

Five winners for Craig

Winners Keep Rolling In For Weir

Sure you need good horses to win races but if you don’t have good management skills, the wheels would soon fall off the operation.

With 120 horses in work at Ballarat, soon another 100 when additions are completed to a stable extension at Warrnambool.

The training facilities at his disposal are second to none, horses that may be a bit jaded get the change of environment working among the sand dunes and a freshen up at the beach, works wonders.

Ballarat has excellent facilities, the best in Australia, the uphill straight track is a winner, it reduces a lot of wear and tear on a horse’s forelegs.

Weir has lot of skills when it comes to training, he makes a study of every horse, he knows every horse and their habits, and never short in complimenting his staff, he realizes they are the main stay to his vast operation.

Last Tuesday he had 77 horses trialling at Donald, roughly 100 kilometres from Ballarat, imagine the organising that would take, saddling them all up, not to mention the various types of gear certain horses have to wear, and he never misses a beat.

Darren Weir

Double For Von Costa De Hero

How unusual for a sire that won just the one race, sired a winning double at Flemington on Saturday.

Von Costa De Hero, he may have just missed that little edge that could have seen him being the best colt out in his season.

He won the Sires Produce Stakes Group 2 as a two year old, and ran Sebring to a nose in the Golden Slipper Stakes, and placed in both the Caulfield and Australian Guineas.

With just the one win from 19 starts, yet he paid his way earning $1,124,450, with a little bit of luck that could have been much more.

Lord Von Costa could easily assist his sire further as there is quite a lot to like about him; he has been placed twice at Flemington and placed twice at Randwick.

There was money about for him on Saturday and he should get to a mile as he was finishing on very strongly, a little extra distance should suit him.  

Lord Von Costa is trained at Flemington by Stephen Brown, he is putting a nice team of horses together since coming down from Darwin.

Stephen Brown trainer of Lord Von Costa

Grahame Begg has closed up shop in Sydney and heading to Melbourne to continue what has been a highly successful training career in the harbour city.

The closure of the Baramul Lodge Stables, at Randwick, was a huge decision one that was not have been taken lightly, you could imagine a lot of midnight oil was burnt before a finale was reached.

There is so much tradition attached to Baramul that cannot be wiped away with the mere stroke of a pen, it was the name of the stud in the Widden Valley where Todman, the inaugural winner of the Golden Slipper Stakes, was bred.

His decision to leave Sydney for Melbourne is a personal one, he does not have to elaborate further, it can be seen as a simple change of direction.

He comes to Melbourne with an imposing and formidable record, made up of 14 Group 1 races, 16 Group 2 races, 13 Group 3 races, and 26 Listed races.

His father Neville, a highly successful trainer here and abroad, can bust the buttons off his vest with pride, his son Grahame has excelled in about the hardest profession known to man.

The Begg family have had a long association with racing; they mainly concentrated on quality rather than quantity, it payed off as there has never been a shortage of a good horse at any time in the stable at Randwick.

With on course stabling a premium, at both major tracks Flemington and Caulfield, he has selected Pinecliff at Mount Eliza, a boutique training establishment with the best facilities in Victoria.

During the last 20 odd years with a team of about 20 to 30 horses, he has proven his ability time and again, with horses such as Whisked, Mahaya, Fraternity,Monopoliza, Telesto ,Bonanovo, All Silent , Our Egyptian and Secret Admirer, “I like to keep it nice and neat, so everything runs along smoothly, “ he said.

However, he readily agrees with the view shared by many that the face of the industry is entering a new era.

“It is pretty evident racing is changing quite a lot, when you look at what has happened at this year’s Magic Millions, and the Sydney Easter Sales, you see a lot of international money coming into the Australian thoroughbred industry, “he said.

“This is squeezing the local buyers out of the market, that in turn is making it tougher for the smaller stables, while the big trainers seem to becoming bigger and bigger,” he added.  

Grahame Begg has settled in well at Pinecliff, with half a dozen horses at this stage, earlier in the week he had two runners at Geelong.

Emoji was scratched after refusing to enter the starting gate, whilst first starter, Magic Word, finished well back in the fourth race, will gain benefit from the run but it is still early days, a lot of water will flow under the bridge.

Grahame Begg

Phonsie O’Brien, brother of the late legendary Vincent, has passed away at his home, Kilsheelan, in Tipperary, aged 86.

He deserved a book, fishing with President Bush, Chinese Cook, all round raconteur, and advisor to the team that included Robert Sangster, his brother Vincent, Charlie Benson, Bill McDonald, and those that sought his advice.

Patrick Robinson and Nick Robinson wrote Horsetrader, about the exploits of buying expensive yearlings out of Kentucky, when a yearling colt set the bloodstock world abuzz selling for $13.1 million.

Horsetrader is a fascinating read, it proved a best seller, it portrays Robert Sangster as quite a sentimental person, he believed he owed so much to Audrey Joan when she beat the colts, Close Call and Forlorn River, on a sunny afternoon at York.

When Robert got involved with Colin Hayes, he had Audrey Joan flown out to Lindsay Park, on his regular visits to the stud he never missed patting her, and she didn’t mind either.

It was a golden era with Nijinsky, The Minstrel, Storm Bird, Golden Fleece, Caerleon, Lomond , Royal Academy, and so many others.

An era that could never be repeated, so much has changed over all those years.

As the present racing season draws to a close, Mick Price has produced another interesting juvenile in Yu Long Sheng Hui, he haskept his record intact winning the Catanach’s Jewellers Handicap, the opening race at Caulfield.

Whilst the win may have been narrow, he looked pretty good, he is bound to be improved on the run, he is a very nice horse with an impressive pedigree, Mick Price will place him to advantage.

Dale Smith made the best of the opportunities he receives in the city, ten out of ten for the ride.

Dale Smith - Ten put of ten for a great ride

Miller’s Guide, known as the sportsman’s bible, has settled many an argument, will be missing from booksellers and newsagents shelves this year, due to increased costs.

It is a sad day for all sports, in particular racing, with the international horses coming for spring, all their form was revealed, just one of many great features of Miller’s Guide that will be lost.

First published in 1876 to 2015-2016, the duration of 140 years of various results, obviously racing has lost that tradition and the passion is long gone.

Thanks Dennis Huxley, the Editor for so many years, we will all miss Miller’s Guide.

Whilst the Hawkes team are on vacation, Ricky Frew was the stand in to strap Longeron in his winning of the Kevin Dunne Plate.

The gelding has now put two wins together in a fortnight, he is racing in peak form and no doubt will be kept in work while he retains his present form; no doubt he will remain in the stable at this stage.    

He is by Lonhro, who for reasons unbeknown has never been recognised as a champion, in some respect he has been overlooked, yet he won 26 races, of which were 20 Group races, from 36 starts, earning $5,790,510 in prize money .

As a sire winning a premiership once, he sired seven Group 1 winners, 35 Stakes winners, earning in prize money of $75,653,271, very few horses can match a record like that.

Ricky Frew - A worthy substitute

Racing is reaching an interesting stage, with the current season drawing to a close, with just eight city meetings remaining, the focus is directed more so to jockeys than to horses for a change.

History is waiting in the wings for the Dunn family; Dwayne is leading the jockey’s premiership with 63 winners, still five winners ahead of Craig Williams, after each rider rode a double at Caulfield yesterday.

While son, Dylan Dunn, is leading the apprentice’s version with 32 winners, 4 wins ahead of former New Zealand apprentice, Michael Dee, on 28 winners, he failed to ride a winner yesterday.

There is a lot interest in this premiership, it will be the first time that a father and son have figured so prominently, and if both premierships are collected by the Dunn family it will be unique, as it is very rare to see father and son competing in racing, except for training.

Dylan is a fine young man, much taller than his father, he has had to waste hard, and that does not get any easier, unfortunately he may have a limited time riding.

Dylan Dunn - Leading apprentice