Zahra eyeing Newmarket
Top jockey Mark Zahra believes he is ahead of schedule in his return from a fractured leg.
The 39-time Group 1 winner hurt himself in a barrier incident at Sandown in January.
”I’m tracking really well, I think I am definitely ahead of schedule,” he told Betsy.
”[It’s] only been 2 and a half weeks but have full weight bearing now so just need the fracture to heal. Aiming for a return to race riding first week of March.”
The big race rider confirmed he is aiming for a return in the Newmarket Handicap on March 7, which would see him partner with star colt Tentyris.
Battle of the Tasman
Race clubs [and on occasion states too] are well known to subsidise horses travelling to their jurisdictions.
Having the best horses compete has turned into a competition for some, especially as trainers have multiple rich options in New South Wales and Victoria.
The Victoria Racing Club pay to attract runners for the Melbourne Cup, Moonee Valley do the same for international horses to start in the Cox Plate.
Racing Victoria also changed the way they pay their prize money in the Melbourne Cup, paying down to last (which could be seen as a travel incentive), so even if you make the trip south and finish last you pick up at least $100,000.
It’s all worth it too.
While it serves to add a sense of intrigue and international glamour to our best races, it often turns into a huge boom for wagering. Punters having a wager either interstate or internationally are more likely to engage if they recognise the jockey or trainer.
The addition of World Pool across Australasia helps this significantly.
Of course this is the same wagering the keeps the industry afloat.
Respected New Zealand journalist Michael Guerin wrote in the New Zealand Herald on Wednesday about local trainers cutting up rough about Australian trainers getting a $10,000 subsidy to send runners over the ditch.
New Zealand racing continues to grow and experience a resurgence of sorts thanks to better racing, wagering opportunities, investment by Entain and exposure into international markets. Entain reported a ridiculous 72% increase in turnover at the recent Karaka Millions Day, a day that had significant Aussie flavour: horse, trainer and jockey.
Australia also accounts for a significant amount of NZ’s wagering turnover and represents a fantastic growth opportunity.
According to Guerin, trainers are upset that Australian’s are being subsidised to trave, then keep the $10,000 if they pick up first place.
‘’The best example is Victorian-trained weight-for-age galloper Kingswood, the favourite for Saturday’s $700,000 Herbie Dyke Stakes at Te Rapa,’’ Guerin wrote. It’s a decent yarn.
But of course, Kingswood is trained by Gavin Bedggood, who took exception to the complaints from the New Zealanders.
‘’Would this be a thing had he not won? Myself & my owner have rented accom & a car for the 12 weeks of Kingswood’s time in NZ for my staff I’ve personally flew my staff in and out on a weekly basis out of my own pocket 12 weeks of meals 10k wouldn’t even scratch the surface.’’
Appeal lodged over social media spray
Will Hulbert confirmed to Betsy he has lodged an appeal over the $2000 fine he received from Racing Victoria Stewards for comments he posted to social media.
Lady of Five, trained by Will and his dad Peter, was scratched from the fillies Blue Diamond Preview in early January because they couldn’t get the horse to the course on time because of traffic.
“Lady Of Five is fine guys. We allowed 2 hours for a 50 minute trip to Caulfield and some retard crashed on the highway and stuffed everything. She will have a jump out Tuesday at Pakenham and race next weekend at Caulfield in the 1000m group 3 Chairman’s”.
Will said the appeal has been lodged and now they are waiting for a date to be heard. Hulbert had previously noted how he has plenty of sharp legal minds in ownership groups who will lend him a hand.
Less than meets the eye
We all took a step back in awe to watch that remarkable Tsarevich win at Kembla Grange last week.
There were a few that rightly pointed out that perhaps it was not as good as it looks.
The Foxcatcher crew’s take is worth watching – it’s good analysis.
Has Tsarevich been OVERHYPED? pic.twitter.com/NX9jnGEsco
— Foxcatcher Intel (@foxcatcherintel) February 2, 2026
Need to harness Leap to Fame’s heroics
Please don’t take this as a pot-shot at Harness Racing – but the emergence of the champion Leap to Fame perhaps sadly indicates the struggles the sport faces.
A generational talent, Leap to Fame should be the horse that makes the sport relevant across mainstream media. If it has, I’ve sure missed it.
Rumours persist in Victoria that the State Government are still watching the sport closely. Melton keeps getting mentioned as the perfect place for three-bedroom townhouses, rather than racing, which could help with the code’s finances.
Super Bowl without the glitz
There will be no repeat of any USA sporting star gracing the racetracks this autumn. Sportsbet have rolled out the red carpet for some deadset global icons. First it was NBA legend Scottie Pippen, then NFL star Rob Gronkowski made his way to Australia in 2025 for the Blue Diamond.
The MRC’s biggest sponsor of course is Sportsbet, and the Gronk was terrific talent for both, drawing engagement for both the club and racing as a whole. Pippen did too despite some in racing saying it was a waste of money [it definitely wasn’t]. The MRC of course has racing on Monday to coincide with the Super Bowl.
While the club is again putting on big screens, pyrotechnics and American style entertainment, Sportsbet confirmed they’ll be no big names making an appearance.
Probably the most surprising aspect is the club charging punters $25 to get in.
Sure, it covers an American breakfast roll and a beer and the races after, but given the plethora of other parties and options on the day – why not just let people in for free as a way of attracting more punters to the sport?
The other challenge in 2025 was keeping punters on track once the game ended. The gap between the game ending and race 1 was too long, many simply made their way home instead of sticking around for the racing. In defence of those organising, the NFL is known for overtime, meaning it can be quite difficult to predict when to kick off the racing – and you can’t have pyrotechnics after a touchdown as the field is running down the straight.
Heath in rude health
Damien Oliver once called it a dog track, but punters don’t mind the Caulfield Heath.
Despite the Australian Trainers’ Association famously opposing the idea of an inner-track at Caulfield, the jockeys too not loving it [not to mention some powerful powerbrokers who added their disapproval], punters seem to like it.
Betsy has been told that wagering levels are at similar or at times greater than Sandown.
If only lights were installed, it could have added the industry with another option while Moonee Valley is developed. Instead, administrators fought, time was wasted and it ain’t going to happen anytime soon.
Season for it
It’s officially junket season. A few lucky crew have travelled lately, in comfort of course, around some beautiful parts of the world thanks to some generous sponsors.
One of the greatest junkets, sorry work trips, is the Asian Racing Conference [I should know, I had the privilege of covering the last one, held in Japan in 2024].
Tragically, I had to actually work.
On a serious note, a lot of the content at the conference in Japan was actually first-rate. It is on again next week in Saudi Arabia, with the Victoria Racing Club CEO Kylie Rogers one of the main speakers.
But back to the junket part – my favourite story from 2024 Asian Racing Conference was a few of the well-fed committee of one Australian club who boasted they didn’t attend a single session while in Japan, instead sight-seeing Sapporo during the day, and sinking the beer of the same name by night.
Would almost be funny if it wasn’t the club members cash being pissed away to pay for their shameless junket.
