Sandbar may sport a toff’s pedigree but he has a streetfighter’s attitude, which came in handy in the closing stages in Saturday’s Listed The Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens.

Racing NSW has today announced that it has allocated $1 million towards assisting NSW Thoroughbred Racing Participants who are suffering financial hardship due to the drought.

Trainer Tony McEvoy is hopeful that last season’s smart juvenile Crockett is back on track following his barnstorming win in a benchmark 70 over 1400 metres for three-year-olds at Flemington on Saturday.

One of the most interesting first starters anywhere in the world this weekend will run at Cork in Ireland and she’s a half-sister by Galileo to Australia’s reigning Champion First Season Sire Zoustar.

Having sired two Derby winners and an Oaks winner last season from his first crop of three year-olds, Pierro is a real ‘watch sire’ as we move towards spring so any debut winner by him that wins like this one did at Geelong on Friday is worth further investigation.

This nicely bred daughter of champion sire Redoute’s Choice made a one act affair of the 1000 metre maiden at Geelong on Friday.

The ultimate gear change appears to have worked the oracle for gavelhouse graduate Zanahary  having posted his second win in a row on Wednesday.

The 2018/2019 racing season is in progress with the first early sire tables showing High Chaparral (IRE), Written Tycoon and Smart Missile leading the way with earnings in the first nine days of the season topping $200,000.

Organised by the French charity Au-Dela Des Pistes with the support of France Galop, the third edition of the Retraining of Racehorses Day takes place on Saturday, August 25 at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse.

Spieth, the fastest son of the late Champion Sire Thorn Park is preparing to enter his first season at stud at Aquis Farm in the Hunter Valley.

As a brother-in-blood to recently retired star colt Menari, it must have been a tough decision to geld this son of Snitzel.

It would be rare nowadays to purchase an I Am Invincible colt for $36,000 but even if you paid ten times that amount you would be hoping to get one as good as Voodoo Lad.

A dominant winner of the Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes, Flying Artie was the Champion 3YO Sprinter of 2016/2017 and has been a super popular addition at Newgate Farm with his first foals arriving this spring.

"He hasn't even moved on A Good Yarn; A Good Yarn is absolutely going to space them, and eased down too, you wont see a more impressive win anywhere.

Day in, day out, how much effort do you make when attempting to save money? Sometimes you’re happy if you can save a few dollars here and there, sometimes it’s tens or hundreds of dollars.

Dream Ahead closed out the 2017-18 season as one of the best third crop sires in the world.

A record breaking 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale concluded on Tuesday with an all-time record gross, the second-highest average and a record-tying median.

While other Group I winning Northern Hemisphere stallions are headed to Australia this spring to cover mares, this one is coming here for racing first and maybe mares next spring.

A full sister to Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes winner Catchy, Fastnet Rock filly Symi was the centre of attention at Canterbury when making her debut on Wednesday and she emerged with a win on the board.

Jamie Richards used a trip to Taupo for a hit-out on Wednesday morning to put top mare Melody Belle on target for her Group Two return to racing at Te Rapa.

The first US bred yearlings by Coolmore’s Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (USA) have been making headlines at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale this week, but for Australian breeders the ride is just beginning with his first Southern Hemisphere bred foals born this spring.

In October 2015, tragedy struck at then Smeaton based Moorookyle Park when Robyn Shakespeare’s much-loved stakes winning sire Hurdy Gurdy Man succumbed to an immediate colic attack.

Caulfield trainer Colin Little will be looking to add to Vassilator’s black-type record later this month when he lines-up his promising three-year-old in the Group III  Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on August 18.

On Monday and Tuesday this week there were 61 stakes winners that barrier trialled across five venues, including 21 Group One winners, so we thought it was worth putting them all in one spot as they prepare to kick off their spring campaigns.

The first set of Off The Track shows to be sponsored by Victorian breeders have been locked in with 12 Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria (TBV) members signed up.

Fastnet Rock has already had an impressive debut blueblood winner this week in More Sundays and may well have another at Canterbury today if the full sister to Group I winner Catchy has a fraction of her big sister’s ability.

A win at Moonee Valley last Saturday was a ray of sunshine for former Kiwi jockey Matthew Enright and his partner, Tegan Hearps.

The 2018 Fasig Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale saw the first yearlings by Triple Crown hero American Pharoah offered for sale and they lit up the ring with a filly and colt selling for $1,2 million and $1million to top the opening session of this prestigious sale.

This time last year Exceed and Excel colt Performer was showing untapped ability and made a winning debut in the Listed ATC Breeders Plate earning him Golden Slipper favouritism, but 12 months on and we look back to see that the remainder of his juvenile season did not ultimately unfold as connections may have hoped.

Eureka Stud is home to of one of the most exciting young stallions in the country in Spirit of Boom and they also have high hopes for Choisir’s brilliant son Defcon, whose first foals are being born this spring.

Winx improved, nothing much changed with Chautauqua when they were the headline acts at a star-studded set of heats at Rosehill Gardens on Tuesday morning.

Winner of the Group II SAJC Swettenham Stud Stakes in 2004 before it was upgraded to Group I status, high class Anabaa (USA) sprinting mare French Bid featured with a promising juvenile winner in the UK overnight in Evie Speed.

Exciting young Windsor Park shuttler Charm Spirit (IRE) added a 12th winner to this tally in the UK overnight with a resounding victory at Windsor for Lively Lydia.

Caulfield trainer Mick Price is pleased with the progress of Group One winners Grunt and Mighty Boss after the Karaka purchased duo filled the placings behind stablemate Holy Snow in a 990m trial at Cranbourne on Monday morning.

Over 70 Studs and Stud Masters around the nation have come together and donated a stallion cover by some of the best Thoroughbred Stallion’s in Australia.

The most interesting first starter anywhere in Australia today was three year old More Sundays, a royally bred colt by champion sire Fastnet Rock from John Singleton’s much loved champion mare More Joyous.

The beginning of a new season means it’s time to look back at what happened in the past 12 months for BOBS NSW eligible horses and while Snitzel was the top BOBS sire with 66 wins and BOBS earnings of $612,031 he did not sire a horse in the Top 10 BOBS earners.

Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard are hoping to kick off a potential Cox Plate programme with Scott Base in the Group I Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings.

Gary Vile is taking it a day at a time with Jacksstar, but he’s hoping to get the top stayer back to raceday action.

A $400 gavelhouse broodmare buy in October last year has proved a very smart one for Otago-based breeder Jason Coutts.

Though giving away raceday experience to his rivals, highly regarded Shamexpress 3YO Tiny Terror displayed a good level of professionalism when overcoming an interrupted passage to gain the decision and score on debut in the feature 3YO event at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Aquis shuttler Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) has been in top form this year and added a 12th Group I winner to his resume when well bred filly Well Timed, won the Group I Preis der Diana at Dusseldorf on Sunday.

The leading European first crop sire by winners and earnings, Coolmore shuttler No Nay Never (USA) made his presence felt in the US at the weekend when his Irish-bred daughter Mae Never No won the $59,700 Colleen Stakes at Monmouth.

Popular Rosemont stallion Toorak Toff is in for a change of scenery with a deal struck to stand the horse for 2018 at Tasmania’s Kingsley Park.

Despite just celebrating her fifth birthday, better things look in store for Laurel Oaks’ lightly raced Fastnet Rock mare Kentucky Diva following a dominant win in a benchmark 64 over 2100 metres at Sandown Lakeside on Sunday.

Waratah Thoroughbreds’ Frankel gelding New Horizons (JPN) has had nearly as many trainers as he has had starts but he finally shed his maiden status at his first start for Chris Meagher at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.

Former Darley shuttler Teofilo (IRE) sired a stakes double in Europe overnight, which featured a gelding that may be on track for a start in the Melbourne Cup.

After a hotly contested 2017/18 racing season, the QTIS Premiership winners were decided in the last two months of the season with Ben Currie, Robert Heathcote, Pennino and Bat A Kat taking the honours.

The Thoroughbred Breeders Queensland Association is excited to add the experience and knowledge of Paul Knight to the TBQA Committee.

After 14 years competing in the white-hot environment of Hong Kong racing you could excuse trainer Paul O’Sullivan for becoming a little weary of the constant struggle to perform.

Graduates of the Karaka sales complex finished first and second in the opening black-type race of the 2018-19 New Zealand racing season, the $100,000 Group 3 Winning Edge Presentations 121st Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton Park on Saturday.

Mount Brown International at Euroa in the heart of Victorian thoroughbred country is proud to announce the arrival of their first stallion Diamond Tathagata.

Closely related to Black Caviar, Godolphin’s progressive mare Soothing put up a performance that would have done the great mare proud as she scythed through the field to capture a Benchmark 78 at Randwick on Saturday and put the stamp on a golden day for the royal blue.

The Group II ATC Missile Stakes was won by champion racehorse and sire Lonhro in 2002 and the 2018 rendition at Randwick on Saturday did look as thought it might be a tribute to ‘the black flash’ on paper.

Godolphin import Avilius (GB) could hardly have been any more impressive when making a winning Australian debut in a benchmark 91 over 1600 metres at Randwick on Saturday.

This I Am Invincible colt had six starts at two, five of them in stakes races including a Group I and never finished worse than fifth, so no wonder he was a hot favourite in a maiden event at Kembla on Saturday.

Platinum Command landed a timely win to boost her broodmare value when charging home to take the Gr.

The first crop sires of 2017/18 may not have started the season with the same high expectations as some of the boom stallions of recent years however no less than eight sired stakes-winners - a total that has rarely been matched in modern times.

The Redoute’s Choice debutant Mig Energy was unloved in the betting for Saturday’s Essendon Mitsubishi Handicap (1000m) at Moonee Valley, although by the time he was being led back to the winner’s stall, the Brent Stanley-trained gelding was being touted as a Caulfield Guineas chance.

The Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard-trained Tiny Terror was a debut winner at Te Rapa on Saturday, but it was anything but plain sailing for the son of Shamexpress.

The Group II ATC Missile Stakes over 1200 metres at Randwick this afternoon was a pivotal race in the career of champion racehorse and sire Lonhro, so it’s more than fitting to see two of the best chances in the race today are his son Kementari and grand-son Pierata.

Larneuk Stud’s O’Lonhro is the sire of exciting prospect A Good Yarn, who racked up his third successive win on Friday with a dazzling six length victory at Geelong.

A homebred for Fairway Thoroughbreds, this Exceed and Excel filly was a red hot favourite for the 1200 metre maiden at Geelong on Friday and won as her price suggested.

Zoustar is making a fast start to the new season and gave us a ‘One to Watch’ on Friday when the half-sister to Group I ATC Australian Derby runner up Harper,s Choice saluted at Goulburn.

Trainer Lee Curtis has announced the retirement of his former star filly Lasqueti Spirit, who will always be remembered for her unforgettable VRC Oaks win in 2016 as a $101 chance.

Already a stakes-winner, talented colt Land Force became the first Group winner for his sire No Nay Never (USA) when scoring a stylish victory in the Group II Richmond Stakes overnight at Goodwood.

A half-brother to Oh Susanna, the best three year-old in South Africa last season, this Exceed and Excel colt was an obvious pick as a ‘One to Watch’ following his brilliant return at Hawkesbury on Thursday after a spell.

Fifteen trainees will start new careers on stud farms across the country next week, thanks to Thoroughbred Breeders Australia’s new Fast Track training program.

While scrolling through the Stud Book website recently I noticed, with some sadness, that a favourite mare to many, Special Harmony, had died a few weeks back.

Not many three year-old fillies can win two Oaks and two Derbies, but the Bob and Sandra Peters homebred Delicacy did just that which is why the arrival of her first foal has been making mainstream news in Western Australia this week where she did much of her racing.

Keeneland have announced that 4,538 yearlings have been cataloged for the 75th annual Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the world’s most important sale of Thoroughbreds, to be held September 10-23.

Glen Eden Stud is excited to announce that proven Redoute’s Choice sire Al Samer will continue his stud career at their Moranding based property this spring.

The burgundy colours of Qatar Bloodstock were in the winner’s circle at Warwick Farm on Wednesday aboard Zoustar colt Charge and featured overnight at Glorious Goodwood in the UK, carried to victory in the Group I Sussex Stakes by seven year-old Pivotal stallion Lightning Spear.

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Outside of the freakish one Winx, one of the most popular mares to race in the last few years has been tough as teak $2million earner Single Gaze, whose half-brother won so well on Wednesday we just had to make him the ‘One to Watch’.

Zoustar was not the only son of Northern Meteor to post a winner on Wednesday with Newgate Farm’s Eurozone getting in on the act with an impressive debut winner at Morphettville for the Lloyd Kennewell stable.

Young Redoute’s Choice stallion Albrecht is a bargain priced option on the Darley NSW roster this year and featured on Wednesday when the most expensive yearling from his first crop opened his account at Ipswich in the Aquis Farm colours.

It’s official, Widden Stud’s Zoustar is the reigning Champion Australian First Season Sire for 2017/2018 and he was quickly back in a winning vein at Warwick Farm on Wednesday with three runners for an impressive winner in Charge and two second place-getters, all of them entered for the Golden Rose.

High class Snitzel entire Menari is out of contention for The Everest and the entire spring carnival after suffering a tendon injury.

The 2017/18 Australian Racing season has concluded and Reward for Effort has again provided a model of consistency for Victorian Breeders.

A powerhouse son of Written Tycoon, dazzling sprinter Winning Rupert has his first foals arriving this spring with Daandine Stud in Queensland delighted with their stunning colt from well related mare Tears.

It took some fancy footwork and determined late lunge for Sir Dancealot (by Sir Prancealot) to take out a stunning renewal of the Group II Qatar Lennox Stakes at Goodwood.

Zabeel stallion Zed has undertaken a dramatic turnaround in the last five years, going from serving Clydesdales in the South Island of New Zealand to Group One sire and prolific staying influence.

The Group II Vintage Stakes for two year-olds at Goodwood overnight was won in sensational style by undefeated colt Dark Vision, a son of Aquis shuttler Dream Ahead (USA).

Well bred Fastnet Rock filly Quick Glimpse scored her second win in South Africa on Tuesday when setting a class record to win at Fairview.

Happy birthday to our all our four legged friends, especially to those 10 Sun Stud stallions that are, yes, eagerly lining up for another busy season.

The last week of the season with plenty of interesting two-year-old trials around the country so here are all the placegetters with their breeding and sale information.

With over 150 in attendance the sun came out right on cue on Sunday as Ambidexter walked into the parade ring for Cornerstone Stud’s Open Day.

The team at Newgate Farm are delighted with the arrival of the first foal for Not a Single Doubt’s dual Group I winning son Extreme Choice.

Arrowfield’s all-conquering Champion Sire Snitzel has made breaking records his dedicated profession.

August 1 brings a new season of racing in Australia and a brand new crop of first season sires with Crownbet publishing a market for those looking to place a bet on just which young stallion will sire the most winners in 2018/2019.

The leading European first crop sire by winners and earnings, Coolmore shuttler No Nay Never (USA) added a 15th winner to his tally overnight with a Lingfield victory for No Way Jose.

One of world racing’s biggest thoroughbred breeding organisations Darley has partnered with the Australian Turf Club’s premier Spring Carnival feature series for three-year-old fillies, giving breeders, owners and trainers extra incentive to target four Group races.

A superstar son of High Chaparral (IRE), Dundeel might be expected to get better three year-olds ,but his first crop of two year-olds have still shown good promise this season with a sixth winner emerging at Kempsey on Monday for the powerful Kris Lees stable.

Golden Slipper winner Sebring was the equal leading sire of two year-old stakes-winners for 2017/2018 with five to his credit and one of those stakes-winners made a huge impression at the Randwick trials on Monday morning.

It might seem like business as usual but closer examination of champion stallion Savabeel's achievements from the past 12 months reveals just how good his season has been.

Lance O’Sullivan got a Melbourne Cup reminder on Saturday morning when a delegation representing Victoria Racing Club stopped off at his Matamata stable.

National Yearling Sales Series graduate Atenartin (NZ) (Showcasing) proved too good for his age group compatriots when he led all the way to take out the final black-type feature of the season, the Listed Courtesy Ford Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Awapuni.

As Coolmore prepare to launch the stud career of this year’s Royal Ascot hero Merchant Navy it’s a good time to reflect on the deeds of the horse who blazed the trail to international sprinting glory for Australia - Choisir.

Newgate Farm’s Sizzling continued his hot run at the back end of the season when the Robert Heathcote-trained Hot Sock gained the verdict, courtesy of the stewards, in Sunday’s Maps Advertising Agency Hcp (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast.