Bren O'Brien

Switzerland minted his future as one of Australia’s most valuable stallions with an emphatic win in the Coolmore Stud Stakes as Chris Waller and James McDonald nabbed a Flemington Group 1 double, while it was a South Australian-flavoured Victoria Derby.

William Haggas took his extraordinary record to 10 wins from 22 starters in Australia with his four-year-old Lake Forest causing an upset win in a rough-and-tumble Golden Eagle at Rosehill.

The Golden Gift for two-year-olds and The Warra at Kembla Grange appear to have been handed Group 3 status with immediate effect for the first time, but the latest changes to the New South Wales Pattern are unlikely to be recognised by international authorities.

Matthew Sandblom’s focus will be split between Flemington and the Breeders’ Cup this weekend, as his homebred Stoli Bolli takes on the Coolmore Stud Stakes and Ramatuelle contests the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

A 2.5 percent stake in North American stallion Flightline sold for US$2.5 million at the inaugural Keeneland Championship Sale on Thursday (AEDT), while a share in Widden-bound speedster Cogburn also changed hands, days out from his racetrack farewell.

When Brian Siemsen saw “tension and fragmentation” when it came to sorting through equine insurance, the insurance mogul and thoroughbred investor was eager to utilise his industry experience to find a solution.

PointsBet has reported that more than two-thirds of its active customers now prefer betting on sports over racing as it recorded growth in almost every key metric over the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year.