Worth $1million, the Group I VRC Kennedy Oaks at Flemington on Thursday is run over a testing 2500m and this year we have no Group I winners engaged, so it’s all about potential and the ability to stay.

Hobby breeder Paul Lanskey and Kitchwin Hills principal Mick Malone realised a life-long dream when the Inglis Classic graduate Vow And Declare won the s G1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington.

Exciting young Newgate Farm sire Deep Field had strong results on Melbourne Cup Day with a treble of smart winners in Fields of Ivy, Defend and Jet a One as well as two new stakes horses at Flemington.

Vow and Declare has provided a massive boost to January's 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with a thrilling win in the Group One $7,75 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.

Boutique Hunter Valley nursery Kitchwin Hills have always been great supporters of the Breednet Foal Gallery and when they sent in this image back in 2015 of a colt by Declaration of War (USA) from Geblitzt it’s fairly safe to say nobody thought we had a Melbourne Cup winner in the making.

Following her last start win in the Listed ATC Reginald Allen Quality (1400m) at Randwick on Everest day, the million dollar Snitzel filly Akari arrived in the nick of time in the Listed Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) for three-year-old fillies at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day.

If Australian Bloodstock was disappointed with the performance of their colour-bearer Mustajeer (GB) in the Melbourne Cup it didn’t take long to bounce back with the Bel Esprit gelding Tactical Advantage breaking a run of outs in the Listed MSS Security Sprint (1200m) at Flemington.

A Group 1 winner in his native South Africa, Yulong Prince (SAF) opened his Australian account at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day when he came with a barnstorming finish from last to claim the Listed Furphy Plate (1800m).

For the first time since Shocking ten years ago, an Australian bred, owned and trained horse has fought off the best handicappers from around the world to earn an historic win in the 159th running of the $8 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.

Skilled mare Fiscal Fantasy may be small, but she is mighty.

It’s been exactly a year between drinks for well bred Written Tycoon mare Teleplay, who won a Listed race at Flemington on Cup Day last year and returned to win the Group III VRC Jim Beam Stakes (1400m) today.

Seven years ago Shadwell Stud’s two-year-old Shamardal (USA) filly Bulbula won the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes for trainer David Hayes and did not win another race in 13 starts, so the same connections will be hoping that Bulbula’s daughter Aryaaf can build on her hugely impressive debut in the Group III Darley Ottawa Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day.

Coolmore have released service fees on their European flat sires for 2020 and while Galileo remains listed as private, their most expensive sire listed with a fee is now Scat Daddy’s high class son No Nay Never (USA), currently based in Australia for Coolmore at Jerry’s Plains.

Keeneland’s prestigious November Breeding Stock Sale, an internationally recognized marketplace of outstanding Thoroughbred bloodstock, begins at noon ET on Wednesday, November 6, with an exclusive Book 1 featuring 284 graded stakes-winning fillies and mares and notable weanlings.

Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock suffered a serious injury to his near fore foot eight days ago.

It looked a demanding track at Flemington last Saturday with long margins from first to last in nearly every race including the Victoria Derby with a spread of almost 50 lengths from top to tail.

The latest round of Thoroughbred Sport Horse Association classes were run at the Hunter Valley Spring Jumping Championships last weekend with Darley’s late champion sire Commands not only siring a Group I winner at Flemington on Derby Day, but also a winner over the jumps at this event.

Statistics released by Weatherbys this week reveal the busiest thoroughbred sires in Britain and Ireland this year and while jumps sires fill the first four places on the list, the most popular flat sire is a first season horse that has shuttled to Victoria this spring in Sioux Nation (USA).

Spendthrift Australia were honoured to sponsor the sixth race at Goulburn on Sunday, the $50,000 Spendthrift Guy Walter Handicap for fillies and mares over 1300m.

With the Melbourne Spring Carnival in full flight, the Japanese raiders have impressed, by dominating the first two legs of one of Australian racing’s most celebrated G1 doubles and claiming two further G1 scalps through Fierce Impact.

One Australian breeder very happy with results from the Breeders' Cup meeting at Santa Anita last weekend would have been Wilf Mula, who is lucky to own the half-sister by champion sire Street Cry to Group I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes winner Sharing.

What a weekend for Karaka graduates, a Flemington G1 winner, a Golden Eagle winner and a G2 Wakeful Stakes Quinella.

With nine winners in the past seven days, Not a Single Doubt is a sire on fire and two of those winners are stakes-winners with Samizdat winning the Group III WATC Asian Beau Stakes at Ascot on Saturday while Southern Legend scored a record breaking win in the Group III Sa Sa Ladies Purse Handicap at Sha Tin.

His name is Sioux Nation and he’s a stallion that promises to bring so many different layers to the Victoria breeding industry.

The Inglis Easter star Exceedance (Exceed And Excel) confirmed his status as one of the most valuable colts in training anywhere in the world with victory in the stallion-making G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington.

You may notice something slightly different about our runners from November 1. That’s because for the entirety of November, Triple Crown Syndications has swapped its famous red silks to pink in order to raise money for the McGrath Foundation and help to increase breast cancer awareness.

This is the story of how a horse bought for $5,500 from an online auction will run in the Melbourne Cup at just his 11th race start.

Aucklander Kevin Mackenzie feels he has a duty to deliver the second leg of a remarkable family double as he ponders Melbourne Cup success on Tuesday.

The ageless More Than Ready (USA) is now the leading sire of Breeders’ Cup winners after Chad Brown-trained Uni took the Vinery Stud shuttlers total to seven in the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Santa Anita on Saturday’s.

A partnership that began with the establishment of Wentwood Grange Stud back at the beginning of the century can lay claim to a unique breeding connection on the weekend after Kolding took out the inaugural running of the A$7.5m Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday, a result preceded by the victory of Exceedance in the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.

Stakes races at Turffontein in South Africa on Saturday were won by the progeny of All Too Hard, Dundeel and Exceed and Excel.

It was a perfect start for Coolmore’s Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (USA) at the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Santa Anita when his top class colt Four Wheel Drive led home an American Pharoah first and third finish in the Grade II Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint to stay undefeated.

Top class sprinter Pierata rebounded from an unlucky fifth in the $14million The Everest last month to score a stylish length victory in the inaugural $1million ATC Redzel Stakes (1300m).

Worth $7.5million, the ATC Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill was the richest race in the country on Saturday, a day that has traditionally belonged to Derby Day at Flemington.

The decision to target the Spring Carnival in Melbourne with the Deep Impact entire Fierce Impact (JPN) has proven a multi-million dollar windfall for connections after he added Saturday’s $2 million Kennedy Cantala Stakes (1600m) at Flemington to his last start win in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield.

We could probably write a book on the success of South Australia’s Mill Park Stud, who went to a new level at Flemington on Saturday when they topped the win of their Carbine Club winning graduate Dalasan with the $2 million Group 1 AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) hero Warning.

Foxton trainers David and Emma Haworth came within a nose of a quinella in Saturday’s Listed Ricoh Feilding Gold Cup (2200m) at Awapuni, headed by a breakthrough performance by Toms.

Reigning New Zealand Horse Of The Year Melody Belle wins Group 1 races for fun in her homeland but if she needed to prove something to Australians she did that in spades in Saturday’s $1,000,000 Group 1 Tab Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.

Champion sire Exceed and Excel delivered the quinella in the Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday with talented colt Exceedance turning the tables on Bivouac to score a very valuable win in the Vinery stud colours.

Moments after his star son Reliable Man (GB) sired the Wakeful Stakes winner Miami Bound, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and French Derby winner Dalakhani (IRE) chipped in with a winner of his own with the South Australian star Dalasan who was in for a big payday.

Last Saturday we saw the Aidan O’Brien trained Hunting Horn (IRE) secure a start in the Melbourne Cup after winning the Group II MVRC Moonee Valley Gold Cup and the horse who finished third to him on that occasion Downdraft (IRE) has also secured a Cup start after winning the Group III VRC Hotham Handicap (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday, both classy stayers sired by Epsom Derby winner Camelot.

Two New Zealand-breds that look certain to play a major part in next Thursday’s $1,00,000 Group 1 Kennedy (Victoria) Oaks fought out the finish of Saturday’s $300,000 Group II G.H. Mumm Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington and were promptly made equal favourites for the Classic.

Sun Stud’s Magnus started the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington on a winning note when his progressive sprinter Kemalpasa made light of the wet conditions to score a stylish win in the Group II VRC Linlithgow Stakes (1200m), a race won by his sire back in 2006 when it was known as The Age Classic.

The Group III VRC Carbine Club Stakes is run at Flemington this afternoon and seven years ago the winner of that race was the Bart Cummings trained Lunar Rise and what an interesting life he’s had.

Promising young Victorian based sires Shamus Award and Puissance de Lune (IRE) both have runners in the Victoria Derby on Saturday with good chances in Soul Patch and Southern Moon, the dynamic duo also siring smart winners at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

Already a Group I Melbourne Cup (3200m) winning owner, Fergus Doyle has put his ultimate racing dream in the hands of New Zealand trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman.

A sparkling trackwork gallop at Flemington on Tuesday has given Matamata trainer Jamie Richards all the assurance he wanted from stable star Melody Belle as she heads in to Saturday's Group I  $A1 million Empire Rose Stakes (1600m).

The fourth and final session of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale brought down the curtain on the world’s largest horses in training sale. Sustained demand continued through to the end with a clearance rate in excess of 90% taking the turnover for the sale past 25 million guineas, the third highest in the sale’s history. 

Aquis Farm have announced this morning the death of their promising young sire Spill the Beans, who just posted his first winner last Sunday.

A blue blooded winner for Pierro at Gosford on Thursday highlighted a nick that has really clicked.

Following a luckless second to Montserrat when making her career debut at Warwick Farm on October 16, the Fastnet Rock filly Harto left that filly in her wake with a milestone maiden win over 1100 metres at Gosford on Thursday.

The Australian racing industry is mourning the passing of well-known racehorse breeder/owner and former NSW Government minister, Mr Paul Whelan, 75, following a long battle with illness.

Carrying the famous Trelawney Stud silks, the royally bred Savabeel filly Zayydani made the best possible start to her career on the track with an emphatic win in a 1600 metre maiden at Seymour on Thursday.

Ottavio & Wendy Galletta remain in the ownership, John Messara becomes Castelvecchio’s racing manager and the colt will stand at Arrowfield at the end of his racing career.

Salivating over scores of promotional videos of yearlings can be a trap for young players although with the passage of time you can, more often than not, admit that you dodged a bullet there - yet this one was a bit different.

Plenty of interesting two year-old trials around the country in the past week so here are all the placegetters with their breeding and sale information.

The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale continued in strong fashion on the third and penultimate day, with the Listed-placed SALUTE THE SOLDIER heading proceedings.

The Group I VRC Victoria Derby is worth a whopping $2 million making it the richest race for spring three year-olds in the country and the testing trip of 2500m means not always the best horse wins, but rather the horse that stays best on the day.

Group 3 winning entire Charge has topped the October (Late) Online Auction, with the son of Zoustar selling to overseas-based buyer HBL for $190,000.

The number one Sale of its kind, NZB’s Ready to Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds is the unrefuted source of Stakes winners and performers purchased from 2YO Sales in Australasia.

A last start second to Wolfe (JPN) in the Group III Coongy Cup at Caulfield, Top Of The Range benefitted from an inspired ride by William Pike to capture Wednesday’s Group III Jayco Bendigo Cup (2400m).

Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association, awarded the 2020 Irish National Stud Breeding Course scholarship to local lass Ms Rachel Thompson of Barador Stud in Martindale.

No wonder the Whishaw family are all smiles this week, the brand of the famed Tasmanian nursery Armidale Stud carried to WS Cox Plate weekend victory by two very nice horses - Double You Tee and Soul Patch.

With many farmers and breeders in Australia, especially in NSW & QLD, being affected by a severe drought, it gives me pleasure to pass on information relating to any type of financial relief for primary producers.

New Zealand-bred galloper Kolding is on song for the A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday, according to jockey Glenn Boss.

Darley Stud’s Braze Beau is having some kind of a week.

Despite not buying in the same numbers as the opening day, Australian buyers again made their presence felt on day two of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale on Tuesday.

Almost twenty years after Dubai Millennium's win in the 2000 Dubai World Cup, his influence on the Darley roster has never been more apparent.

Impressive young sire Charm Spirit (Invincible Spirit) confirmed his class among an outstanding group of emerging stallion talent, when striking his second Group winning blow from his first southern hemisphere 3YO crop at the weekend.

Three heats for juveniles at Rosehill on Tuesday morning produced some interesting horses including a Choisir colt bought by Darby Bloodstock for $240,000 at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale last week and the sibling to Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign, who has a bit to learn but is going the right way.

The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale got off to a strong start with two of the top three lots headed to Australia to join the Chris Waller stable and the average and median rising significantly.

Armidale Stud is deeply saddened to announce the passing of White Gold, most famously known for being the dam of Group 1 winner Mystic Journey. 

Set to return to Australia next year to take up the role of CEO at Aquis Farm, Goffs UK Managing Director Tony ‘Tubba’ Williams enjoyed the thrill of a lifetime on Sunday winning the Countryside Alliance Charity Race at Aintree.

With his first Australian bred offspring set to be offered at local yearling sales in 2020, Coolmore’s Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (USA) has done everything right so far with his first Northern Hemisphere runners, delivering his 20th winner this week at Churchill Downs.

Talented Darci Brahma gelding Harlech added his name to the list of northern raiders bound for Riccarton next month when he dominated his three-year-old rivals in the Group II James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa.

The Explorer Program has confirmed itself as the best way to fast track a career in the thoroughbred industry with the 2019 intake of cadets, coming from right across Australia, on track for jobs upon graduation or committed to pursuing further equine-related educational opportunities. 

The same colours carried by mighty colt The Autumn Sun featured on Monday aboard a super impressive debut winner by Pierro.

Tavistock has sustained an injury in his paddock which will impact his ability to cover. Cambridge Stud have decided that Tavistock will be withdrawn from service for the remainder of the 2019 season.

Racing Victoria has announced a $25 million boost to fund the first three years of an expanded welfare program while the Victoria Racing Club will donate 10 per cent of ticket sales for next week's carnival to its Equine Wellbeing Fund.

Two mares bought for $800 and $700 in 2014 have proven an amazing investment.

Second crop sires are making their presence felt in a powerful way this spring.

With the Ballan Cup and Wodonga Cup already on the mantlepiece, the Logan McGill-trained Gold Fields added some more silverware and a first black-type win with a courageous performance in Sunday’s $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m) and round out a wonderful weekend for Blue Gum Farm.

Aquis Farm’s Spill the Beans posted his first winner on Sunday and just for good measure made it a quinella siring the first two home in the juvenile maiden at Townsville.

A full brother to Group I MRC Oakleigh Plate winner Booker, expensive Written Tycoon colt Banquo broke the ice for his first win at Sale on Sunday.

The $2m Inglis Millennium looms as an autumn target for Premier Yearling Sale star Ideas Man (Brazen Beau x Innovation Girl) following his strong debut win in the Listed Inglis Banner at The Valley.

Coolmore's champion sire Fastnet Rock sired his 150th stakes-winner on Saturday when progressive three year-old Sherwood Forest won the Group III War Decree stakes at Riccarton in New Zealand.

The death on Friday evening of Sheryl McGlade saw the passing of a highly accomplished horsewoman and one of jumps racing strongest advocates.

Exaltation, a three-year-old half-sister by Not a Single Doubt to star mare Melody Belle, turned in an impressive debut victory when winning the Helston & Associates Maiden (1200) at Riccarton on Saturday for trainer Jamie Richards.

For the second time in three seasons, the French connection of trainer Jean Dubois, jockey Jean Van Overmeire and Haras de Bonneval’s top-class stallion Siyouni have an exciting two-year-old prospect.

The amazing last to first win by Jericho Missile in the Listed D'Orsogna-Belgravia Stakes (1200m) at Ascot rounded out another successful Saturday Twin Hills Stud’s resident stallion Smart Missile.

The Hawkes family enjoyed a great ride with the outstanding racehorse All Too Hard and they have an emotional attachment to his daughter Amangiri who earned her first stakes win in Saturday’s $200,000 Group III Powerflo Solutions Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien was beaten to the punch by his son Joseph in claiming a Melbourne Cup but the master of Ballydoyle has a live cup prospect this year in Hunting Horn (IRE) who relegated Joseph’s horse Downdraft (IRE) to third place in Saturday’s $500,000 Group II McCafe Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m).

The Japanese are well on the way to sweeping the big three features in Melbourne this spring after Lys Gracieux (JPN) added Saturday’s $5,000,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes W S Cox Plate (2040m) to the win of Mer De Glace (JPN) in the $5,000,000 Group 1 Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2400m).

The aggressive stance adopted by Racing NSW in taking on the Melbourne Spring Carnival with a series of lucrative races in Sydney produced a dream result for Star Thoroughbreds on Saturday when classy Shooting to Win colt Kubrick took out the inaugural $1million ATC Bondi Stakes (1600m).

It was a United Nations Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley with the British-bred, Australian-owned Chief Ironside (GB), trained by French-born UK-based David Menuisier, playing his part with a hard-fought success in the $500,000 Group II Schweppes Crystal Mile (1600m).

Talented Zoustar mare Madam Rouge has been knocking on the door of a Black Type win for some time now with four previous seconds in stakes races before casting off the bridesmaid tag on Saturday at Randwick with a tenacious victory in the Group III ATC Nivison Stakes (1200m).

The Whishaw family of Armidale Stud will be biting the fingernails down to the quick as the countdown to Mystic Journey’s historic bid for the Cox Plate draws ever closer but the nerves would have been settled somewhat by the win of the Victoria Derby bound Soul Patch in Saturday's Group II Drummond Golf Vase (2040m).

Unbeaten filly Travelling Light snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Saturday’s Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie, earning clear favouritism for next month’s GroupI  gavelhouse New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

Promising Fastnet Rock 3YO Sherwood Forest showed he will be a force to be reckoned with at Group One level next month when he stormed home to take out the Group III War Decree Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton on Saturday.

Trainer Mitchell Freedman’s impressive stable of three-year-olds, which includes Classic hopefuls Moonlight Maid and Southern Moon, grew by one at Moonee Valley on Saturday when the Smart Missile filly Broadwayandfourth powered home to earn her first stakes win in Saturday’s Listed Crockett Stakes (1200m).