The powerful Te Akau racing team is gearing up for the challenges of the 2018-19 racing season, a season that will see young tyro Jamie Richards take over as head trainer at the Matamata based operation.

Coolmore have outlaid considerable investment on Australian bred mares that have been sent to stud in Ireland and one of those mares featured with a super impressive winner overnight in Anthony Van Dyck.

Kiwi bred Beauty Generation claimed the Hong Kong Horse of the Year award at a sparkling ceremony held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Friday with Australian bred rising star Ivictory crowned Champion Sprinter.

The impressive debut of the Dundeel filly The Closer in a two-year-old fillies handicap over 1350 metres at Geelong on Sunday provided a timely tonic to her trainer Ciaron Maher who is laid up with a broken leg.

The win of Kew Gardens in Saturday’s Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris (14f) at Longchamp credited Galileo with his 72nd winner at the highest level, just one short of his own sire Sadler’s Wells and inching closer to the total of 84 left by the dual hemisphere phenomenon Danehill.

Just ten days after breaking his maiden at Tipperary, Highland Reel’s brother Cape Of Good Hope (Galileo) was a fighting second in Saturday’s Group II Superlative Stakes (7f) at Newmarket to become the fourth stakes horse for Elvstroem’s Group 1 placed sister Hveger (Danehill).

Redkirk Warrior again failed to flatter in Saturday’s Group 1 Darley July Cup at Newmarket, but the news was not all bad for Australia.

Returning to Darley in the Hunter Valley this spring, Dawn Approach (IRE) sired an impressive winner in south African on Saturday with Shadwell homebred Alyaasaat scoring a dominant victory at Turffontein.

Brilliant Zoustar gelding Zoustyle made a huge impression when winning on debut at Doomben last month and was equally impressive at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday, but connections are not going to be tempted by the lure of spring racing.

Talented I Am Invincible gelding Voodoo Lad first rose to prominence when winning the Inglis Scone Challenge in May of 2014 as a two year-old and now at age six is still in top form winning the Group III MRC Sir John Monash Stakes for the powerful Darren Weir stable at Caulfield on Saturday.

Progressive Fastnet Rock gelding Dreamforce has been knocking on the door of a stakes success and it came at Rosehill on Saturday when he scored a tenacious victory in the Listed ATC Winter Stakes.

Promising Sizzling two year-old The Fire Trap ploughed through heavy ground to win at his last start at the Sunshine Coast and showed his talent and versatility when scoring even more easily on good ground at Rosehill on Saturday.

Keeping his 3,200-metre record at a perfect three for three following his win in Saturday’s $150,000 Group III Queen's Cup (Queensland Cup) at the Sunshine Coast, Plot Twist (IRE) continues to whittle down his €200,000 purchase price as a three-year-old in Ireland.

Ill-fated Novara Park stallion Jakkalberry was represented by a strong winner at Geelong on Friday when the Matt Cumani-trained Gelignite Jack saluted at his second race day start.

Beauty Generation claimed the Hong Kong Horse of the Year award on Friday night.

Making his career debut in Saturday’s Super Vobis 2-Y-O Hcp (1200m) at Caulfield, the Team Hawkes-trained Brutal routed a competitive field of juveniles by upwards of five lengths in a brilliant display of speed.

Former Windsor Park shuttler Mastercraftsman (IRE) is no stranger to Group I success as a sire but may have soared to new heights with star filly Alpha Centauri, who posted her third consecutive win at the highest level overnight when winning the Group I Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

Widden Stud quiet achiever Nicconi has been the subject of much interest in recent weeks thanks to his boom sprinting son Nature Strip, but it was another lightly raced son that put him in the news on Friday after bolting away to a seven length win at Geelong.

Allan Sharrock was feeling both sad and relieved in the wake of his decision to retire star galloper Kawi.

The breeder of the winner of this year’s Group I Tarzino Trophy (1400m) will receive a bonus.

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.

When French Emotion came with a barnstorming finish to win the Group II Queen of the South Stakes at Morphettville on May 5 to become Snitzel’s 26th stakes-winner of the season, it seemed just a matter of time before Arrowfield’s champion took sole ownership of the record for individual stakes-winners for a season, a title he currently shares with Danehill.

The German-trained DEGAS, victorious in a Group 3 on his most recent start and a late ‘wildcard’ entry to the sale, was the joint sale topper at 100,000 guineas on the second day of the Tattersalls July Sale.

Submit Your Mare Through Horseco Exchange for a 2018 Stallion Nomination, Accept a Proposal and Become Eligible to Win $5,000 Towards Your Fee!.

Magic Millions is delighted to announce entries are now open for the 2019 Yearling Sales Series around Australia.

Twin Hills Stud’s new addition Smart Missile has had a great season on every front and clocked up 11 two year-old winners with a pair of first starters adding to the tally on Thursday.

Group I jockey and now successful trainer Chris Munce had won the Grafton Cup twice before as a jockey and won it for a third time on Thursday as a trainer when First Crush scored a determined victory in the $160,000 Listed staying test.

Quality four year old Group 1 winning mare Foxplay has been sold by her original ownership group to the international racing and breeding operation, Yulong Investments.

Until now, Victorian breeders looking to utilize the blood of reigning champion sire Snitzel had to look outside their home state to find a quality option, but that has all changed with the arrival of top class sprinter Thronum to Sun Stud.

The opening session of the Tattersalls July Sale saw great demand for well-bred fillies including a Galileo filly from Australian bred mare Milanova, with 11 lots selling for 100,000 guineas or more.

The arrival of dual Champion European miler Ribchester at Darley’s Kelvinside farm in NSW this season not only offers breeders the opportunity to send their mares to a hugely exciting young stallion, but also one that possesses a rare set of Stakes-winning qualities.

Leading Queensland nursery Glenlogan Park no longer stands stallions, but two of their former favourites Rothesay and Show a Heart combined to produce Havasay, winner of the Listed Ramornie Handicap at Grafton on Wednesday.

Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible has skipped to a clear lead on the Australian 2YO Sires List by winners after posting his 23rd Australian juvenile winner at Ipswich on Wednesday with an impressive debut win for Asharani.

Darley have announced the sad passing of Group I winning sprinter and successful sire Strategic, who has succumbed to the infirmities of old age at Godolphin’s Woodlands Stud, where he was born almost 26 years ago.

Switched to Darley Victoria this spring, Golden Slipper winner Sepoy had a smart winner at Warwick Farm on Wednesday with promising filly Sweet Scandal confirming her potential with a tenacious win.

Champion New Zealand sire Savabeel gave us the 'One to Watch' on Wednesday with a sensational win for the three-quarter brother in-blood to triple Group I winner Sangster.

New Zealand-bred galloper Shock Alert recorded his fifth career win when successful over a mile on his home-track on Wednesday and in the process provided Warwick Farm trainer Bjorn Baker with his 100th winner in New South Wales for the season.

Two of Australia’s premier racing brands, Inglis and Tabcorp have extended their successful partnership for a further two years.

With progeny earnings for the current season approaching $1,5 million and taking his total progeny earnings worldwide to $9,89 million, Host continues to supply a steady stream of winners at an impressive rate.

Based on recent trends of winners in Melbourne, Niconoise may be the Victorian stallion roster’s best-kept secret.

With the 2018 yearling sales season in the rear vision mirror, the attention of breeders and sales company Inglis has turned to next year’s sales.

Sleeping Beauty is in the right form to rise to the challenge of stakes racing.

You would have to have been living under a stone to have missed the burgeoning success of exciting young ‘classic’ type sire Camelot (GB) in recent weeks, which got us thinking about his rising three year-olds in Australia and one in particular that stood out at the Rosehill trials on Monday morning.

While the foal session was down, the 2018 JRHA Select Sale registered across the board gains due to a solid yearling session.

Halfway through the foal session and the legendary Deep Impact is really making his mark with several $2,000,000 plus lots but this one blew them all out of the water.

Nominations for the 2019 Group I ATC Golden Slipper Stakes represent a considerable slice of the commercially bred rising two year-olds of 2018/2019 so we thought a Sale Mail and analysis might prove interesting.

Your Song colt The Tenor was an eye-catcher at the 2017 Magic Millions Yearling Sale where he made $400,000 to be the highest priced yearling by his sire ever sold and he proved equally eye-catching at Newcastle on Tuesday when racing to an easy debut win.

Thirty lots into the JRHA Foal Sale, we have a new leader a colt from the first crop of ‘The Beast From The East,' Maurice.

A Deep Impact filly out of the Group 1 AJC Australian Derby and Group 1 VRC Australian Guineas heroine Shamrocker has been purchased by Hirotsugu Inokuma for 88 million yen ($A1,008,000) at the JRHA Select Foal Sale.

After covering an outstanding book of mares at the Irish National Stud, Champion 2YO, NATIONAL DEFENSE, is currently in quarantine and preparing to head to Sun Stud.

Breeders that supported Arrowfield Stud’s Japanese shuttlers Maurice (JPN) and Mikki Isle (JPN) will look on with interest as their first foals go under the hammer in Tuesday’s foal session of the JHRA Select Sale.

The juvenile fillies maiden over 1200 metres at Pakenham on Tuesday features the most expensive yearling from the last crop of outstanding sire High Chaparral (IRE).

A Deep Impact colt out of the Champion NZ 3yo filly King’s Rose topped the yearling session of the JRHA Select Sale.

Charm Spirit (Invincible Spirit) sired his ninth European first crop 2YO winner and second in Ireland, when Chicago May provided her hot young sire with another impressive debutante winner on Sunday.

Sweet Orange (USA) has returned to New Zealand to resume his stallion career at Highview.

The only two-year-old in the field, the Darren Weir-trained Invincible Fille justified her short quote and looks to be a filly with a future after dispatching 10 of her elders with the minimum of fuss in a maiden over 1009 metres at Mildura on Monday.

Bon Aurum will commence stud duties in the 2018 season standing at Glen Eden, Kilmore VIC alongside Al Samer, Illustrious Blue and Scintillo.

Foxwedge featured in South Africa on the weekend when his progressive Aussie bred three year-old son Infamous Fox won the Listed Greyville Convention Centre Handicap.

The first entries have been accepted for the inaugural Goffs UK Goodwood Sale, which will be held after racing at the ‘Glorious’ Qatar Goodwood Festival on Wednesday 1 August.

Making her third trip to the races in a 1400 metre maiden on the synthetic at Pakenham on Sunday, She’s Sensational had all but one of the 10 starters behind her with 200 metres left to run but she charged home in the closing stages to credit her sire The Factor (USA) with his third winner in Australia.

We have been afforded plenty of times of late to revel in the success of that wonderful Vinery veteran More Than Ready (USA).

Just a week after the Joseph O’Brien-trained colt Latrobe earned the distinction of becoming the first Group 1 winner for Camelot, the one season Coolmore shuttler chalked up a second winner at the highest when the Aidan O’Brien-trained filly Athena romped to a two and a half-length win in the Belmont Oaks.

Heavily backed favourite Military Zone defeated his $1,000,000 stablemate Lion’s Head in a 1200 metre maiden at Newcastle on Saturday to credit his sire Epaulette with his sixth first-crop winner.

Tony Pike is keeping his stakes options open with Shamexpress two year-old Cyber Attack, an impressive winner at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Saturday’s Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes (10f) at Sandown delivered another thrilling battle between the old foes Roaring Lion and Saxon Warrior.

Waratah Thoroughbreds import Camdus (IRE) provided Craig Williams with a 6-timer at Flemington on Saturday in the Listed VRC Sprint Final (1200m) with a ride described by Darren Weir as ‘centimetre perfect’.

Just a few weeks shy of his ninth birthday the Paul Preusker-trained Magic Consol scored a career highlight win in Saturday’s $150,000 Listed VRC Winter Championship Final (1600m) at Flemington.

Few horses have garnered more press in recent weeks that Nature Strip who staked his claim for a slot in the $13,000,000 The Everest following his dominant win in Saturday’s Listed A.

With a roll-call of winners that includes Apache Cat and Royal Symphony, the Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final (Gibson Carmichael Stakes) has proven to be a valuable late season guide for the upcoming three-year season and Saturday’s winner Good ‘n’ Fast looks likely to add to the record.

Aquis Farm has struck gold with the purchase of the General Nediym mare Marechal for $2650,000 from the Lime County Thoroughbreds draft at the 2017 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

The Daily Debutants list shows a well fancied million dollar cot set to make his debut at Newcastle this afternoon.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Pinot has been sold to international interests and it’s doubtful she will race again in Australia.

Following a record 2018 season both in and out of the sale ring, Inglis’ yearling attention has switched to next year when more horses will be sold on more days of auction as demand for top-quality yearlings continues to increase.

Coolmore’s No Nay Never extended his lead on the GB/Ire first season sires table when the Aidan O’Brien-trained Land Force earned a well-deserved maiden stakes success in the Listed Coolmore Pride Of Dubai Tipperary Stakes over 5-furlongs.

Charm Spirit (Invincible Spirit) sired his eighth European first crop 2YO winner and first in Ireland, when Bailly won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden impressively overnight.

The Group One wrap up for the season for the jockeys with 30 riders represented, headed by Hugh Bowman’s nine wins followed by five riders who each had five wins.

David Hayes has won the Blue Diamond Stakes on a record six occasions and at this early stage he has 143 hopefuls trying to make a claim for February’s Group I sprint at Caulfield.

The Australian Turf Club (ATC) has received a record amount of initial nominations for the 2019 Golden Slipper.

Successful Cambridge horseman Roger James is continuing to give the new generation opportunities to make their mark in New Zealand racing.

Long time bloodstock agent Anton Koolman has had a very successful start to the year having an involvement in Group I winners The Autumn Sun, Youngstar and Egg Tart, that success carried over to a two year-old maiden winner by Zoustar at Hawkesbury on Thursday.

The Group One wrap up for the season for the trainers with 27 stables represented, headed by Chris Waller’s 13 wins and Darren Weir’s nine.

Each year much thought goes into deciding what stallion to send your mare to, but when that mare is the dam of a Cox Plate winner and is in her twilight years then the decision becomes all the more important.

New Zealand’s leading stables dominate the first batch of finalists for the 2018 New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards.

The racing spotlight returns to Melbourne on Saturday with four stakes races.

The Group One wrap up for the season for damsires with all the successful stallions and the winners through the past year headed by Zabeel, Redoute’s Choice, Encosta De Lago and Galileo.

Outstanding mare Bonneval is making good progress during the early stages of a new preparation that is hoped to see her cross the Tasman again.

Classy four year-old Sepoy mare Indian Blessing was a stakes-winner in France at the end of last season and hit top form in Germany on Wednesday with a stylish win in the Group III Sparkasse Holstein Cup at Hamburg.

Eureka Stud’s young sire sensation Spirit of Boom posted an 18th first crop winner at Ipswich on Wednesday with a tenacious win for Bold Warrior.

It always looked a strong maiden event at Canterbury on Wednesday for juvenile colts and geldings and the winner emerged as Sebring colt Master Ash, who carried the colours of Teeley Assets to victory.

The Group One wrap up for the season for sires with all the successful stallions and the winners through the past year, headed by three stallions topping the list with four winners each..

With the Group One racing all done for the season and plenty of interest in our recent articles on those that excelled at the top level we thought we’d run through the lists of all the winners, starting with the horses where 73 races were shared among 55 horses with Winx’s six wins obviously the top of the pile followed by four horses with three wins apiece.

$1million Inglis Easter purchase Oceanity made a pleasing debut at Sandown on Wednesday, but will have to wait for another day to break maiden status after finishing second to I Am Invincible colt Ben Hercules.

Denman is not the highest profile son of Lonhro standing in the Hunter Valley this spring, but he is the most successful in terms of two year-old winners siring his tenth juvenile winner on Wednesday with a Sandown victory for promising filly Humma Humma.

The end of the season is fast approaching and there are some well bred two year-olds stepping out on Wednesday looking to put a win on the board in preparation for spring campaigns including the record priced Dundeel colt from champion filly Miss Finland.

Having sired a metropolitan winning two year-old for the past three Saturdays running, Goldin Farms' Akeed Mofeed (GB) is emerging as a serious young sire to watch and given his profile as a high class middle distance older horse it is safe to say the best is yet to come.

A full sister to smart Group II placed filly Serena Bay, this Sebring filly was a stylish debut winner at Gosford on Tuesday for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable.

New Zealand-breds have had a great season in Hong Kong, recording victories in six of the 24 stakes races, and have been rewarded with nominations in every category in the Hong Kong Champion awards.

Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible clocked his 20th Australian two year-old winner of the season at Geelong on Tuesday with an easy front running win for Yulong Wain.

She will never be as good as her $4million earning older half-sister Lucia Valentina, but three year-old filly Triscilla will be able to go to stud as a winner after an easy victory at Geelong on Tuesday.

The former Stephen Marsh-trained duo Pierrocity and I Am Queen have joined Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young’s Cranbourne stable in the hope of gaining black type.