News updates from Gold Coast, Caulfield and the Magic Millions

Tracks made unraceable, grandstands burnt down, millions spent at the sales and a multiple Group 1 placed runner moving stables. It is anything but a quiet week for news across the Australian horse racing industry.
Weed killer component on Gold Coast track.

Test results on the turf taken from the affected Gold Coast track have found traces of Glyphosate, a component of weed killer. Police are still looking into the matter with no firm decision yet on whether the damage was deliberately malicious, a mistake from one of the ground crew or some faulty equipment.

Mornington and Sandown to host Caulfield cards

After the recent fire that took out a large portion of the Norman Robinson Stand, it is no surprise that the next couple of meetings at Caulfield have been moved. The track needs to ensure that it is safe for the public to return to the track before they consider racing there.

Mornington will host the Caulfield Heath card that is scheduled for January 22 while Sandown will take on the Blue Diamond Preview card on January 25. Sandown will require a couple of distance changes compared to Caulfield while the 1000m races will be run on the Lakeside track.

Maher to campaign Buenos Noches

The solid sprinter has moved from the stable of Matthew Smith to that of Ciaron Maher. He is yet to get his head in front in Group 1 company yet but he is a multiple place getter at the highest level.

The 2022 Coolmore Stud Stakes and the 2023 Champions Sprint saw him in the frame at Flemington over 1200m. That does seem to be the pick of his form at present, with one of his three career wins also coming there.

Plans for an autumn campaign are said to be built around raids on the Galaxy and TJ Smith, races that he was 10th and 9th in respectively in 2024. It will be interesting to see if he can be coaxed back to form by a new yard.

It is the spring that has seen him to best effect so far in his career so it was disappointing that he was only able to manage a single start in his spring prep when third in the Bobbie Lewis. Perhaps from a betting point of view, a wait for that time of year might be wise.

Magic Millions sees serious money spent

The next generation going through the ring at Magic Millions is always a wonderful way to start the year. It is a place where the punters and betting sites make notes in their black books that might not be seen for a year or more but those scribbles on what they see can be invaluable.

Gai Waterhouse was busy as she so often is at the sales with more than $17 million spent on yearlings during book one. That total came from 38 purchases, two more than Ciaron Maher made as he splashed $12.6 million.

Other trainers who dug deep into their pockets this week include Chris Waller who bought 18 at the cost of $8 million as well as the Te Akau team who took home 18 which cost a grand total of $5.1 million.

With some of the big autumn races only just around the corner, there is a lot going on at the moment. Trouble at tracks to millions spent, there is rarely a dull day in the horse racing world and this week has seen plenty going on.