Harry Angel - New Winner

A half-brother to three stakes-winners, the Harry Angel (IRE) colt Tarpaulin has a bit to live up to and showed he is better than Wednesday class when breaking his maiden in the Schweppes Hcp (1200m) at Warwick Farm.

Aga Khan Studs don’t race a lot of geldings, but one that they do is Calandagan, who has taken giant strides in 2025 to become the Cartier European Horse of the Year and on Sunday he achieved the almost unthinkable with a history making win in the Group I Japan Cup (2400m).

The two-year-old race staged by the Levin Racing Club at Otaki every November has a proven record of unearthing top-level talent, and Te Akau Racing is hoping for more of the same with Sunday’s Levin Jumpouts 2YO (1100m) winner Kinnaird.

Last Saturday in Australia there were an astonishing 15 stakes races run in a time period most trainers see as being out of season, barring the Perth Summer Carnival, when we consider that our elite horses are programmed towards spring and autumn, so what is going on?

The 3-year-old action hots up on Saturday with the running of the Group III Vain Stakes and Group III Quezette Stakes at Caulfield and the Listed Rosebud Hcp at Rosehill where the opening race, the Schweppes (Bm72), will see Sunlight’s $1,400,000 Justify colt Dawn Service and the $1,600,000 Snitzel colt Imperial Force striving to shave $82,500 of their purchase price.

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh won the Gr.3 Jennian Homes Wellington Stakes (1600m) for the fifth time at Otaki on Sunday with emerging talent Ammirati, but this was a win unlike any other.

New stakes winners for resident stallions Redwood and Tarzino were celebrated by Westbury Stud at the weekend.

While it may have taken until his fifth start to break his maiden, 3yo Pierata colt Kilbrannan has pedigree on his side and with the step up to 1300m, the Gary Portelli trained colt impressed at Newcastle on Sunday when breaking his maiden for Laurel Oak Bloodstock and partners.

While the deteriorating conditions at Randwick resulted in the scratching of the unraced Qatars Choice, it proved a blessing for the odds-on favourite Tarpaulin, who put a talented field of 2-year-olds to the sword in the Ranvet Hcp (1100m).

Quality Toronado daughter Toropa upset her more fancied rivals and showed a blistering turn of foot to take the Listed Jungle Dawn Classic over 1400m, the second leg of The Pinnacles Mares Series at the Ascot carnival.