Verry Elleegant is rightfully the leading contender for Australia’s Horse of the Year for the 2020-21 season, an award that will be announced in October. Verry Elleegant begins her 2021-22 campaign in Saturday’s Group 1 Winx Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, a race she won in 2020.
A consistent campaign at minor tracks in Australia since early July has left the 6-year-old mare Willo Titto the favorite, and 136.6-pound topweight, in Friday’s Murwillumbah Cup at Murwillumbah Racecourse.
Wesley Ward has been saying all season that Golden Pal might turn out to be the best horse he’s ever trained, but Golden Pal as of Wednesday wasn’t even the antepost favorite for Friday’s Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes over five furlongs at York.
Wednesday at York, Mishriff put on a show in the Group 1 Juddmonte International, storming to the lead with more than a quarter-mile to race and coming home a six-length winner. After the race, trainer John Gosden raised the possibility that Mishriff could be considered for the Breeders' Cup.
As amazing as Love looked as a 3-year-old filly of 2020 for trainer Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore, Snowfall, the 2021 model, might have been better.
Kukeracha ended an early 2021 campaign with a win in the Group 1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane, Australia, on May 29, a first stakes win and a career milestone by any measure. For his first start in the second half of the year, the New Zealand-bred Kukeracha will be favored to win Thursday’s Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury Racecourse.
Hardly a week after his first win of the season, Dream Runner is back at Randwick for an appearance in another handicap at 1 1/8 miles on the infield Kensington course.
Mishriff and Love are the heavyweights in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes on Wednesday at York Racecourse in England, but there is more to this important 1 1/4 -mile fixture than just those two horses.
Tara Jasmine, a 4-year-old filly, has been placed in an ideal spot for her first start in four months at Grafton Racecourse in Australia on Monday.
From the Bush may have a name reflective of the Australian countryside, but the gelding is doing just fine in high-profile races in recent starts.
