Australia Possible for Babylon Berlin

Media Release - Wednesday May 1

Plans for Babylon Berlin are yet to be locked in, but a trip to Australia is high on the wish list for the top-quality sprinter.

The multiple Group-winning daughter of All Too Hard hasn’t raced since she finished out of the money in the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day, after which she underwent a wind operation.

Babylon Berlin winning at Te Rapa in November.   Photo: Race Images

The Ben and Ryan Foote-trained mare, who is tentatively booked to cross the Tasman later this month, took a pleasing step toward a return to competition on Tuesday when she was untouched to win her open heat over 850m at the Te Awamutu trials.

“I was pretty certain that everything was back to normal, so I expected that,” said Ben Foote, who shares in the ownership of the six-year-old.

“It was a bit of a relief of course, but I certainly thought she was back to her old self. She just stretched her legs for the last 100m or so and had a good blow.”

Babylon Berlin showed her customary gate speed to make the running and lengthened stride the run home for rider Courtney Barnes to coast home by four and a-half lengths.

“I’m not sure if she will have another trial or race here before she goes to Australia,” Foote said.

“She has got a booking on the flight to Brisbane on May 25 so we might go there, but nothing has been set in stone just yet.”

Babylon Berlin has won eight of her 27 starts, including Group Three successes in the Concorde Handicap (1200m), King’s Plate (1200m) and Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and a brace of Listed wins.

The only missing credit on her resume is a Group One victory after placings at the top level in the Telegraph (1200m), twice in the Railway (1200m) and BCD Sprint (1400m).

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Babylon Berlin’s progressive stablemate The Odyssey is still on a break after a lucrative spring and summer campaign.

The Zacinto four-year-old broke his maiden at Rotorua in October and added two wins at Te Rapa before success in the inaugural $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m) at Trentham.

“He will be back in work in two weeks, I didn’t want to bring him up too early,” Foote said.

“He was always a horse that was going to take a bit of time, his mum (Macavelli Miss) won the Thorndon (Gr.1, 1600m) as a five-year-old.

“We’ve got a few targets in the spring for him, the Counties Cup (Gr.3, 2100m), Wanganui Cup (Listed, 2040m), Waikato Cup (Gr.3, 2400m), Manawatu Cup (Gr.3, 2300m) are some of the races we can try and get him in with lighter weights.

“It depends how he comes up, we could also look at the Livamol (Gr.1, 2040m) but he’s a long way from that yet but you never know.”

The Odyssey’s stake earnings of more than $240,000 from nine starts is also a welcome reflection of the increased stake money that has been injected into the industry.

“One thing I’ve never really worried about is the trainers’ percentage every fortnight, but now it makes a difference and certainly a lot better than any time during my career,” Foote said. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.

Advertisment
More Reading...
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.
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.
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.
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.
Promising Winner and a Star on the Rise
One of the bargain priced sires on the Newgate Farm roster, Cosmic Force has never lacked for company covering 100 plus books of mares in each of his five seasons at stud so far totalling nearly 700 mares.
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.
Hello Youmzain Filly Chasing More Stakes Success
Hello Youmzain (Fr) filly Platinum Diamond will put her undefeated Heavy track record on the line when she heads to Wanganui on Saturday to contest the Listed HS Dyke Wanganui Guineas (1200m).
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.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday August 26
Here is the full list of 28 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.