Nik's Horse Racing Blog

Welcome to my Racing Blog. I will bring readers the latest news, tips and betting related content on Australian and some New Zealand races.

My focus will be on the feature races across Australia with most of my articles being opinion or news pieces.

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Please comment on the articles and give your feedback on my opinions, always open for a discussion or two.

Thanks,

Nik

Fresh from celebrating his first Flemington winner with Akari during Melbourne Cup week, Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup is hoping last-start winner Sandbar can force his way into the field for The Hunter. Akari won the Listed Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) on the Melbourne Cup program on Tuesday. Widdup’s attention is now closer to […]

After an absence of more than 18 months from the racetrack, Australian Derby winner Levendi is on the verge of a return. The Peter Gelagotis-trained horse is among 18 nominations for the Group Three Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1300m) at Sandown on Saturday. Levendi has not raced since winning the 2018 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick. […]

Peter and Paul Snowden have thrown their support behind the inaugural $1 million The Hunter meeting at Newcastle with the stable likely to have two runners in the main race. Peter Snowden says the concept of stand-alone Saturday provincial meetings, held on the heels of the major carnivals in Sydney and Melbourne, is a great […]

The $5 million All-Star Mile in Melbourne features in the proposed autumn plans for star New Zealand mare Melody Belle. The five-year-old won her 10th Group One race, and first in Australia, in the Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup carnival before backing up seven days later for […]

Juvenile Dame Giselle has all but booked her spot in the Golden Slipper with an explosive performance in the $1 million Golden Gift at Rosehill under comeback jockey Andrew Adkins. One of four Golden Gift runners for Peter and Paul Snowden, Dame Giselle ($13) turned the stables on Kirkham Plate conqueror See You Soon ($7), […]

The most popular horse Godolphin has imported to Australia will fittingly make his final racetrack appearance at Group One level. Hartnell bows out in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday after a career that has taken in the country’s best races. Among all the high quality horses at Godolphin, Hartnell stands supreme. The […]

Co-trainer Simon Zahra hopes Zoutori will not strike similar conditions to Derby Day when the sprinter faces his first Group One test in the Darley Sprint Classic. Zoutori was favourite in last Saturday’s Group Two Linlithgow Stakes (1200m) at Flemington which was run on a soft track and the gelding failed to run up to […]

The curtain is drawing to a close on the career of grand Godolphin galloper Hartnell who will attempt to add to his Group One record one final time in the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington. Saturday’s weight-for-age Mackinnon Stakes over 2000m is expected to be the last time Hartnell is seen at Flemington as the Godolphin […]

Connections of Santa Ana Lane are confident the star sprinter is in a similar vein of form to 12 months ago as he prepares for a defence of the Group One VRC Sprint Classic at Flemington. The Anthony Freedman-trained Santa Ana Lane won last year’s feature sprint during the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington coming […]

After a memorable Melbourne Cup win with Vow And Declare, Danny O’Brien feels greedy even hoping to add the VRC Oaks with Miami Bound. But the trainer is convinced Miami Bound has a great chance in Thursday’s $1 million VRC Oaks for three-year-old fillies after taking out one of the main lead-up races last Saturday. […]