Sires With Winners - Sunday April 20

Tony Pike couldn’t have wished for a smoother lead-up with Cream Tart ahead of the filly’s sternest challenge at Riccarton.

The Fasig-Tipton November Sale, held Monday at the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Kentucky, lived up to its billing as the World’s Premier Breeding Stock Event with a lively session of trade in which the sales exceeded $100million for the fourth time in the past five years and featured an amazing 27 mares that sold for $1million or more.

Cup Day at Flemingto will kick off with the Group III VRC Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) which has attracted a big field of juveniles including some unraced blueblood homebred babies for Godolphin and Yulong as well as the highest priced yearling by first crop sire Pinatubo (IRE).

There are many great events and coveted prizes on the Australian racing calendar, but no others capture attention quite like the Melbourne Cup (3200m).

Back in May of this year I was very pleased to share details of a tax case that held that a farmer need not pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on the subdivision and sale of his 10-acre holding. CGT was avoided as it only applies to capital assets acquired on or after 19 September 1985.

Steely Man scored the second victory and the biggest cheque of his career when he took out the $75,000 NZB Ready To Run Sale Trainers Series 1600 (1600m) at Ellerslie on Tuesday.

Talented Pierro gelding Osipenko doesn’t overdo the business of winning, having been out of pole position since taking a Listed race at Rosehill in January, but he picked a lucrative race in which to return to form landing the $750,000 ATC Little Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Cup Day.

Recording his seventh stakes victory, the Andrew Gluyas trained Air Assault produced an outstanding effort at Morphettville on Melbourne Cup day, romping away by more than six and a half lengths to record his second consecutive Listed SAJC John Letts Cup (1800m) victory.

The $1million Group I VRC Oaks (2500m) is the highlight at Flemington on Thursday and with all of the fillies on trial at the trip, pedigree can be a good indicator and in a field of 13 that features no G1 winners it’s a real year for the up and comers.

If you are having trouble settling on your Melbourne Cup horses a look at pedigree might be a help, so take a flick through our five generation pedigrees for all Cup runners and we’re giving you a clue as to what to look for!