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Turfling
Australasia
Wednesday 30 September 2026
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The lead
Graeme Hinton gets the Racing NSW job four days after V’landys resigns
Graeme Hinton will become chief executive of Racing NSW on 1 December, appointed unanimously by the board four days after Peter V’landys confirmed he leaves when his contract expires on 30 November, ending 22 years in the job. Hinton joined Racing NSW in 2012, became chief operating officer in 2016 and has been acting chief executive since July. No external executive search was conducted (The Straight, TTR AusNZ).
Chair Saranne Cooke said the board had held a succession plan for a number of years and that stakeholder support for Hinton was resounding. The appointment lands before the release of Brad Hazzard’s review of racing’s governance, submitted in late July and still with state cabinet. Thoroughbred Breeders NSW president Hamish Esplin called it unfair that Hinton takes the role “with that report hiding in some red box in a politician’s office” (TTR AusNZ, The Straight).
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Things to know today
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Cambridge Stud has lifted Sword Of State’s service fee from NZ$20,000 to NZ$50,000 plus GST for the 2026 breeding season, after Warwoven gave the stallion his first Group One winner in Saturday’s Group 1 Golden Rose over 1400 metres. Warwoven has five wins and more than A$1.16 million, and is one of four stakes performers in the stallion’s first crop with the Listed Debutant Stakes winner Torture, the Group 1 Sistema Stakes third State Of Valour and Sword Of Stars. Chief executive Henry Plumptre called it “the ultimate goal for any stallion to get a Group One winner in the spring with their first three-year-old crop” (Breednet, LOVERACING.NZ, TTR AusNZ) |
| 2 |
Racing WA stewards disqualified the Perth co-trainers Grant and Alana Williams for 12 months on Tuesday over the prohibited substance ritalinic acid, detected in a post-mortem sample taken from Starry Heights, who died of catastrophic injuries last October after running in the 2025 Kalgoorlie Cup. The pair pleaded guilty and are appealing the severity of the penalty and seeking a stay. That appeal has not been heard and no appeal finding has been handed down. Stewards said they were “not satisfied that there was sufficient basis” to accept contamination submissions (The Straight) |
| 3 |
Racing Queensland has reported a profit of $8.2 million for 2025/26 in an annual report tabled in parliament on 25 September, with revenue excluding grants up 6.4 per cent to $431.9 million and total prizemoney up almost 2 per cent to $260.1 million. Wagering turnover rose from $5.6 billion to $5.9 billion, which the body put in part down to an 8.1 per cent increase for the thoroughbred code. Chair Matt McGrath said the result showed “RQ’s financial performance moving in the right direction” (Racing Queensland) |
| 4 |
Craig Baker will join New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing as head of racing development on 27 October, after 11 years with the Auckland club, latterly as its executive general manager of racing and operations. Charlotte Mills’ 12 month contract as NZTR racing advisor ends around the time he starts. The body’s 2027 to 2029 business plan targets 16,200 registered owners, against 15,106 in 2024/25, and wagering income of $500 million against $475 million. TAB New Zealand’s minimum guaranteed funding, still NZTR’s principal revenue, runs out after FY28 (The Straight) |
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She’s A Dealer goes to the Group 1 Livamol Classic over 2040 metres at Hastings on Saturday week, after running third in the Group 1 Howden Insurance Mile over 1600 metres there last Saturday, beaten the barest of margins by Waitak and Tuxedo. The Ace High mare, bred and owned by Rich Hill Thoroughbreds, has had only three starts beyond a mile. Roger James, who trains her with Robert Wellwood, said she “was very brave and it will be interesting to see her go 2000m next start” (Breednet, LOVERACING.NZ) |
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Pride Of Jenni won a third successive Group 2 John F Feehan Stakes by a length and a half at Caulfield on Sunday, the nine-year-old mare taking her record to 14 wins from 49 starts and more than $12 million for Ciaron Maher. Treasurethe Moment was second and Pounding third. The race was run at Caulfield this year while Moonee Valley is restored. Declan Bates said she was “just made of different stuff” and that he did not go for the whip (TTR AusNZ) |
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Hurry Curry gave Ocean Park a 27th individual stakes winner in the Listed Ansett Classic over 2400 metres at Mornington, a first black type win for the five-year-old mare bred and part owned by Waikato Stud and trained by Danny O’Brien. She failed to reach a A$150,000 reserve as a yearling at Magic Millions. Farm principal Mark Chittick, who races her with Craig Duncan, put the turnaround plainly: “I sold half of this one for $50,000 and she’s now probably worth $500,000” (LOVERACING.NZ) |
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International
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Germany
Goliath leads throughout for a third win at the top level at Cologne
Goliath led throughout to win Sunday’s Group 1 Preis von Europa at Cologne by a length and three quarters from Dubai Honour, by the Australian bred Pride Of Dubai and trained by William Haggas, with last year’s German Derby winner Hochkonig half a length away third. It was a third Group 1 and a seventh Group win for the Adlerflug horse, who took the 2024 King George and last year’s Grosser Preis von Baden. Christophe Soumillon rode for Francis Graffard, who said his charge “has lots of options around the world and will travel either East or West” and noted he had done well in Hong Kong last year (TTR AusNZ)
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Japan
Puro Magic comes from the widest gate to win the Sprinters Stakes
Puro Magic broke from gate 16, the widest of all, and led throughout to win Sunday’s Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama by a neck from World’s End, with Sound Moryana a nose back in third. The five-year-old mare is the first top level winner for her sire Asia Express and the first black type horse out of the Deep Impact mare Medjerda. Mirai Iwata rode for Shogo Yasuda, a second win at the level for each of them. Australian Group 1 winning mares are showing there too: Yankee Rose has a winner in the three-year-old filly Coney Island, and Pinot’s three-year-old colt Black Olympia has won over 2400 metres (TTR AusNZ)
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The week ahead
| 3 October |
Epsom Handicap Day at Royal Randwick |
| 17 October |
The Everest at Royal Randwick |
| 7 November |
New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton Park |
| 14 November |
New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton Park |
| 18 and 19 November |
New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale at Karaka |
| 1 December |
Graeme Hinton becomes chief executive of Racing NSW |
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Reported from official race-day materials, racecourse and regulator publications, and sales results, verified against trade press. Where a fact originates elsewhere, we say so. Drafted with AI assistance. Picks are percentages, never odds. Not affiliated with any track, tote board, regulator or wagering product.
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