One to Watch – Hawkesbury

Tara Madgwick - Tuesday August 31

Astute trainer Mark Newnham is fast becoming an expert on champion sire Frankel with an impressive maiden winner by the sire at Hawkesbury on Tuesday and the chance of a another winner by him at Randwick on Wednesday.

Three year-old filly Von Trapp has been catching our eye at the trials for the past month and was a close and unlucky seventh when making her debut at Randwick on August 18 and took good improvement from that run to start favourite in the 1300m maiden today.

She raced just behind the leaders for Josh Parr and scored a stylish half length win that will have her well placed to progress further.
 



Entered for the Group I MRC Thousand Guineas, Von Trapp is a homebred for the Hutchinson family and carries the colours made famous by Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy.

She was withdrawn from Inglis Easter and retained which may well be a good move.

Von Trapp as a yearling.

Von Trapp is bred on the same cross as Frankel’s Epsom Derby winner Adayar being from Chortle (GB), a winning Dubawi mare that is a full sister to triple Group I winner Hunters Light, who was successful up to 2250m.

Chortle was bought by bloodstock agent Neil Jenkinson from the Arqana December Mares Sale in 2016 for 220,000 euros and subsequently sent to Frankel with Von Trapp the result of the mating.

Chortle has a yearling filly by Written Tycoon and is due to foal to Pierro.

The female family is absolutely A grade European Black Type that screams Oaks filly and in Mark Newnham, Von Trapp has the right trainer.

Newnham will saddle another exciting Frankel at Randwick on Wednesday with three year old colt Money From the Sky well fancied to win the 1400m maiden and well capable of improving on his debut second at the same venue two weeks ago.

 

Advertisment

Race Result - XXXX Gold Mdn Plate 1300m

Hawkesbury Track: Good(4) Time: 1:17.83
1
Von Trapp
- 3f Frankel (GB) x Chortle (GB) (Dubawi (IRE))
Tnr: Mark Newnham Rdr: J Parr 56
2
0.5
Achira
- 3f Maurice (JPN) x Swift Lady (NZ) (O'Reilly (NZ))
Tnr: Lee & Cherie Curtis Rdr: J Ford 55.5
3
0.7
Thousand Years
- 3f Dundeel (NZ) x The Darling One (AUS) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: S Clipperton 55.5
4
1.4
In The Blink
- 3f Pierro (AUS) x Burnished (AUS) (More Than Ready (USA))
Tnr: K A Lees Rdr: Tim Clark 55.5
5
1.8
Dubai Showgirl
- 3f Pride Of Dubai (AUS) x I'm A Showoff (AUS) (Thunder Gulch (USA))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: A Adkins 55.5
6
2.1
Betcha Baby
- 4m Starspangledbanner (AUS) x We Betcha (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: J Bowman 58
7
2.4
I'm Divine
- 3f Roman Emperor (NZ) x Novena (AUS) (Street Sense (USA))
Tnr: Edward Cummings Rdr: Tom Sherry 55.5
8
3.9
Galactic Angel
- 3f Zoustar (AUS) x Lucky Angel (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: A J Cummings Rdr: K Mc Evoy 55.5
9
6.1
Auspicious Cloud
- 3f American Pharoah (USA) x Galizani (AUS) (Galileo (IRE))
Tnr: John Thompson Rdr: Rachel King 55.5
10
28.0
Three Socks Sally
- 4m Poet's Voice (GB) x Miss Percival (AUS) (Dehere (USA))
Tnr: J M Austin Rdr: Brock Ryan 58
11
32.4
Manna From Heaven
- 4m The Factor (USA) x Heaven On A Stick (AUS) (Galileo (IRE))
Tnr: Craig Carmody Rdr: Ms K O'Hara 58
More Reading...
Via Sistina Honoured at NSW Horse of the Year
One of the greatest seasons of all time has secured Via Sistina the TAB NSW Champion Horse of the Year award. The Chris Waller-trained mare was recognised at Racing’s Night of Champions for her outstanding performance in 2024/2025 which included equalling Winx’s record of seven Group 1s in a single season.
Sire Power Highlights Quality MM Horses in Training Catalogue
An incredible selection of the country's best proven and hottest young sires will feature at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Horses in Training Sale in October.
Sir Stanley Goosman’s Impact on the National Yearling Sale
Karaka 2026 will mark the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand, and a prominent buyer during the history of the Sale was Stanley Goosman (later Sir Stanley).  He was a key player at the Sale during the World War II era, and headed the list of winning owners in New Zealand on 10 occasions.
Melbourne Cup Dreaming for Kiwi Stayer
Peter and Shaun McKay are dreaming of a Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) tilt with their quality stayer Wolfgang, and he will start his journey towards the iconic feature at Wanganui on Saturday.
Trial Winner for Captivant
Captivant’s early promise was on full display at today’s Waipa trials when Capital Express stormed to victory in Heat 4. The Paul Pertab-trained 2YO colt impressed early, showcasing the speed and class expected of his G1 Champagne Stakes-winning sire in a performance that marked him as one to watch.
Spring Trial Watch – Everest Contenders on Show
The Rosehill trials on Thursday morning featured a couple of key Everest contenders with Private Harry winning easily over speedy 3YO North England, while Lady Shenandoah was under a tight grip to finish third in a later heat.
Sires With Winners - Thursday August 28
Here is the full list of 33 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Tara Talks Racing – Stallion Parades, Old Legends and a Weekend Tip
We’re back in podcast land as the spring unfolds with plenty to talk about following our recent run of visits to the stallion parades, so what stallions did we like?
Sires With Winners - Wednesday August 27
Here is the full list of 42 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Up and Coming Well Named - So Who Are These Guys?
The $250,000 Group III ATC Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday is a race well named with a field of eight colts and geldings set to line up and while none are stakes-winners yet, one of them will be after the weekend.