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Turfling
Australasia
Saturday 17 October 2026
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The lead
The Everest and the 150th Caulfield Cup share a Saturday
Ka Ying Rising goes for a second Everest at Royal Randwick today, bidding for a 22nd consecutive win from barrier 11, a gate that has not produced a winner in nine runnings of the A$20 million sprint. About 64 millimetres of rain fell overnight into Wednesday. David Hayes said he would not have wanted barrier one, and that he can tolerate a soft track but would worry at a heavy 8 (Idol Horse)
Half Yours defends the Caulfield Cup under 57.5 kilograms from barrier 7, with Mark Zahra riding for Tony and Calvin McEvoy in place of Jamie Melham, who stays in Sydney. The 150th running carries $6,545,000 and 18 acceptors, among them three European raiders in Enfjaar, Wine Dark Sea and Starford. Only Poseidon and Rising Fast have won it back to back (Breednet, SEN) Key runners only. Racing Australia field content is not reproduced here.
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Things to know today
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Platinum Pantheon takes on the A$1 million Listed Silver Eagle over 1300 metres at Randwick today from barrier 12, with Zac Lloyd riding him again after partnering him there a fortnight ago. The Lisa Latta gelding has been runner-up at each of his past four starts, all of them in Australia. Latta said the rain had left the track soft and that she hoped he had drawn in the right place (LOVERACING.NZ, Breednet) |
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Regal Ambition runs in the $1.5 million Group 1 MRC Thousand Guineas over 1600 metres at Caulfield today, a Palace Pier filly from Lindsay Park with two wins from three starts and the Listed MRC Jim Moloney Stakes last month behind her. She is a granddaughter of the champion filly Alinghi, through the unraced Snitzel mare Dame Pattie, and Alinghi won the Thousand Guineas herself (Breednet) |
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Splendacious beat Strike Package in a 1000 metre maiden at Cranbourne on Friday night, running 0:57.55 on a Good 4 for the Flemington trainer Scott Cameron and Damian Lane. The Home Affairs gelding cost $100,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, while the runner-up made $1.7 million at Magic Millions Gold Coast. Cameron dedicated the win to the late Steve Richards, saying “this was his horse” (Breednet) |
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Trav goes to the Steelform Roofing Group Waverley Cup over 2200 metres on Sunday for Raymond Connors, with Sarah Macnab riding from barrier two. The seven-year-old Almanzor gelding won last year’s Group 2 Auckland Cup and went on to the Melbourne Cup, and was third in the Egmont Cup at Hawera on a Heavy 8 a fortnight ago. Connors will skip the Listed Metropolitan Trophy because a week’s back-up does not suit him (LOVERACING.NZ) |
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Janelle Millar has Final Return set for an open mile in Auckland next Saturday and then the Group 3 Balmerino Stakes over 2000 metres on Melbourne Cup day, after Group 3 wins in the Avondale Cup and the Counties Cup and a fourth in the Group 2 Auckland Cup. Skattebo will not race until the autumn after a sale fell through. “We’ll have to put up with all the travelling, but that’s where the money is,” the New Plymouth trainer said (LOVERACING.NZ) |
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Inglis Digital opened its October Late online sale for bidding on Friday with 266 lots, among them 139 racehorses, 72 racehorse shares and 28 broodmares. The Chris Waller trained Wootton Bassett colt Confederation, a $650,000 yearling placed in the Group 3 Canonbury and Vain Stakes from five starts, is catalogued alongside a share in Ole Kirk, the 2024/25 champion first season sire (Breednet) |
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New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale returns to Karaka on 18 and 19 November, and Taui Johnson’s Apex Bloodstock takes a third draft of seven horses there with a full clearance behind it. Johnson sold five for $125,000 in 2024 and five for $427,500 in 2025. His $20,000 graduate Alottago has won two of 11 starts for $110,610 and has since gone to Hong Kong (New Zealand Bloodstock) |
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International
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Europe
Godolphin goes to 350,000 guineas for a Paddington colt
Godolphin bought a Paddington colt out of Forest Crown for 350,000 guineas, about NZ$827,000, at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, and will race him in the royal blue. Four Paddington yearlings sold at the sale for an average of about NZ$427,000. Paddington, a son of Siyouni, won the Irish 2000 Guineas, the St James’s Palace Stakes, the Eclipse Stakes and the Sussex Stakes inside 68 days for Aidan O’Brien. His first southern hemisphere crop reaches Australasian sales this season, and the Windsor Park Stud studmaster Rodney Schick said “we are really excited about what Paddington offers breeders and buyers here” (Breednet)
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The week ahead
| 21 October |
Breeders’ Cup pre-entries announced at noon Eastern |
| 24 October |
Group 1 Cox Plate at Flemington |
| 30 and 31 October |
Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland |
| 31 October |
Group 1 Golden Eagle at Royal Randwick |
| 3 November |
Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington |
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Turfling
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. Not affiliated with any track, tote board, regulator or wagering product.
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