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1 week ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
Australia’s premier trainer Ciaron Maher will move into Randwick’s Leilani Lodge, officially ending the Cummings family’s near 50-year association with the stables. The Australian Turf Club confirmed on Thursday morning that the board had granted Maher access to the 59-box on-course stable complex on High Street adjacent to Sydney’s best-known racecourse, Royal Randwick.
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1 week ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
Australian Olly Tait has been instrumental in the emergence of Qatari outfit Wathnan Racing which could have more than 50 runners at this week’s prestigious Royal Ascot meeting. Observers of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing suggest its rapid rise to prominence has been because it has acquired elite horses that normally can’t be bought from people who don’t sell.
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1 week ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
In today's Rowe on Monday, Jen Fowler reveals a remarkable backstory to a well-received Great Southern Sale result, high-priced Yulong filly makes an immediate impact and Australian racing's heavy-hitters will be out in force at Royal Ascot. It was at the peak breeding season, in October 2021, when Jen Fowler suffered an injury in a fall at her farm Merrivale at Gooram in country Victoria.
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2 weeks ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
The Victoria Racing Club has moved quickly to distance itself from a proposed merger with the Melbourne Racing Club. In an email to members on Thursday, VRC chief executive Kylie Rogers and chair Neil Wilson were steadfast that the club, which oversees Flemington and the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival, would not be investigating any merger with the MRC.
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2 weeks ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
In a worrying sign for Australia’s racing authorities, one of the country’s highest turnover punters is switching more of his focus - and his investment - to overseas markets. Australia’s biggest fixed odds punter is becoming increasingly concerned about the future of the country’s racing industry, prompting him to direct more of his resources into international betting markets.
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2 weeks ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
The art of pinhooking is not for the faint hearted, but while increasing costs have made margins for investors even finer, there was still profit to be had in returning horses to the Australasian market in 2025. Australasia’s pinhookers turned a collective profit of more than $700,000 across 329 horses at the yearling sales in 2025, with the boom and bust nature of the challenging pursuit of trading young stock on full display.
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2 weeks ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
In this week’s Rowe On Monday, Riversdale celebrates You Wahng’s Queensland Oaks win, Inglis James Price on the declining foal crop, why Hellbent is tracking a champion’s stats and an American success in the Yulong colours. For the Hunter Valley’s Riversdale Farm, Saturday’s Queensland Oaks win by You Wahng was extra special. The Hodges family has been breeding thoroughbreds for decades, with Riversdale credited in more recent times with selling Group 1 winners Nettoyer, Samadoubt and Behemoth.
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3 weeks ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
Technical issues besetting the low latency Sky Racing vision have forced Tabcorp to revert to a delayed stream on the company’s wagering website while they investigate the problem. However, the glitch is not affecting the fast broadcast of the Sky 1 and 2 channels on the TAB app, which is streaming the quickest available vision of thoroughbred, greyhound and harness meetings to its account holders, mirroring the low latency feed shown in pubs and clubs.
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3 weeks ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
Among the top 200 wealthiest Australian people profiled in the recent Australian Financial Review Rich List is a host of racing identities who share a passion for the thoroughbred industry. Eddie Hirsch bought four mares at last week’s Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast, but his investment easily flew under the radar. With 24 million-dollar lots and Zougotcha selling for $5.25 million, Hirsch’s quartet cost a relatively modest combined price of $435,000.
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3 weeks ago | 
thestraight.com.au | Tim Rowe
In today's Rowe On Monday, Tim Rowe examines the emergence of Brisbane two-year-old Cool Archie, a $100,000 yearling by Newhaven Park's Cool Aza Beel while an era in Malaysian racing has come to an end. In the sales arena, perception can often overrule reality and it’s easy to get caught up in the hype, particularly when the buyer such as a trainer or syndicator has taken on the risk of being able to on-sell the horse to owners.