Sun’s out, guns out
After a winter rain affected tracks, and frankly some pretty poor surfaces, Flemington shook off the mud and served up a genuine dry surface on Saturday.
The clock read Good 3 from race one, and with the sun came the cavalry: Australia’s biggest names, back in the saddle and ready to remind everyone who’s boss.
Nobody made a louder entrance than Blake Shinn.
Riding for the first time since his Melbourne Cup Day fall, Shinn didn’t ease back in, he strutted in.
Aboard Nearco Frod in the opener, he delivered a vintage “Shinn special”: rolling forward to sit outside the leader through a genuine crawl (around 16 lengths slower than standard to the 800m – courtesy of Daily Sectionals). Despite not leading, Shinn was in total control of the race. By the time the field straightened, it was already over, just a formality dressed up as a race.
Flemington Race 1 | Nearco Frod
“Welcome back, Blake Shinn.” Back like he never left, the champ, guiding Nearco Frod to an easy win 👏
📺 Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/I71GQOO9rU— Racing.com (@Racing) August 1, 2026
This is exactly why there’s an army of punters that follow Shinn with such confidence. Give him a sniff of an opportunity to press forward and seize control early, and he will not think twice.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Shinn had five rides on the card, well, four and a half. War Machine had other ideas, dumping him in the barriers before setting off on an impromptu victory lap of Flemington solo. The heavily-backed favourite ultimately scratched.
Not that Shinn had time to dwell on it. Sandown Sunday, Pakenham Monday, the man’s already sprinting into spring like there’s no time to lose.
Mark Zahra also made his return, though in considerably lower key fashion. Fresh off a European summer, he kept things simple with just two rides.
It’s been a golden stretch for the apprentices, as it always is when the senior stars head overseas or sit out the cold. But make no mistake, with the big guns rolling back into town, that window is closing fast.
Spring is coming. And so are the stars of the show.
But, young Jabez will have no problems going toe-to-to with the very best
While many apprentices who flourished over winter will find metro opportunities harder to come by as the senior jockeys return, one rider the big guns will need to keep an eye on is Jabez Johnstone.
I’ve written plenty about the emerging Tasmanian over the past few months, and with good reason: the kid can seriously ride.
Saturday-only punters may have missed the clinic he put on at Sandown on Wednesday. On a testing track where riders quickly realised the inside half of the track was a no-go zone, Johnstone had seven rides for four winners and three placings. He consistently found the right lanes, but it was his horsemanship that stood out most.
His win aboard Foire De Trone was a beauty. Effortlessly switching the whip into his left hand, he lifted the mare off the canvas to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
WATCH: Strewards’ vision showing Jabez’ switching whip hands
The return of the heavyweight jockeys at Flemington didn’t faze him either.
Johnstone produced another polished ride aboard Just Like Gaby in the final event, perfectly rating a mare that had legitimate queries at 1100 metres. When Ethan Brown loomed alongside aboard Naval Academy looking every bit the winner, Johnstone found another effort from his mount to prevail right on the line.
Johnstone has an old-school will to win. He’s aggressive in the finish, relentless in a driving battle and refuses to concede an inch. That approach might occasionally attract the attention of the stewards, but it’s also exactly what punters and connections want from the person steering their horse.
Favourite backers cheer as Just Like Gaby takes the last 🥳
Jabez Johnstone and Ciaron Maher combine again 🤝@cmaherracing pic.twitter.com/cCaVN7KDko
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) August 1, 2026
Looking back through his five rides at Flemington, the only possible criticism might be that he was a touch aggressive aboard Smokin’ Romans. Even then, the 10-year-old was well beaten a long way from home, so it’s difficult to mount much of a case against the ride.
His 3kg claim has undoubtedly been a significant weapon over winter. That allowance is now down to 2kg, but don’t expect his momentum to slow.
Supported by the powerhouse Maher stable – a position every apprentice would envy – Johnstone looks more than capable of matching it with the stars throughout the spring carnival.
Don’t want to sound like a broken record, but….
Here we go again.
The Aurie’s Star produced yet another post-race whip protest after Royal Insignia’s connections objected to Daniel Moor’s ride aboard Boomtown Boss, alleging excessive whip use in the closing stages. Stewards ultimately dismissed the protest, allowing the result to stand, but Moor was suspended for 10 meetings and fined $3,500 for breaching the whip rules.
It’s another example of a system that simply isn’t working.
I’ve outlined previously why the current rule creates unnecessary ambiguity and why a simple rewrite would give jockeys, stewards, connections and punters far greater certainty. You can read that analysis here:
READ: Racing’s whip rule protects optics, not clarity here
READ: Wafer-thin margin, Big Whip Question
In fact, expect to see more protests, not fewer. Every objection lodged encourages more owners and trainers to have a look, particularly in black-type races where prizemoney, stallion value and broodmare value are on the line.
The current situation is unfair on everyone.
Jockeys are forced to make split-second decisions under immense pressure. Connections are left wondering whether a Group race result will stand. Punters are left waiting after the post.
And the frustrating part is that this isn’t a difficult problem to fix.
Racing needs a clear, objective rule with consequences everyone understands before the gates open. Remove the ambiguity, and these post-race controversies largely disappear.
Until then, don’t be surprised if we’re having this exact same conversation again in a month’s time.
What’s 3kg Worth?
This isn’t a whinge. Yes, I backed the horse, but I’m not someone who usually obsesses over weights.
Most Saturday punters would probably be surprised to learn that Emily Pozman claimed none of her 3kg allowance aboard Santa Barbara (race two), meaning the filly carried 54kg rather than the 51kg shown in most form guides.
This isn’t a knock on Pozman, who I thought gave the filly every chance. And for the record, I think another 20 metres would’ve been more valuable than 3kg less.
Almontego breaks the maiden in style at start 2 👏@gavinbedggood pic.twitter.com/oUrI5RWgma
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) August 1, 2026
Racing Australia updates the official weight, and stewards notify punters through the usual channels when rider weights are altered ahead of a meeting. But I’d wager the vast majority never see those changes.
Unless I’ve missed it, even the industry-owned Racing.com form guide doesn’t display updated riding weights for individual meetings.
Weight changes – whether they’re apprentices unable to claim their full allowance or senior jockeys riding overweight – are completely understandable given the enormous physical and mental demands riders endure to compete at an elite level. Maybe there isn’t an easy answer, but it’s worth asking whether there’s a clearer way to communicate those late changes to everyday punters before the race.
Can they re-geld Eurocanto?
The market expected a different version of Eurocanto in Saturday’s three-year-old feature.
As a colt, he defeated subsequent Blue Diamond winner Streisand in the spring, but he proved a handful when failing to measure up during the autumn.
There were encouraging signs before the race. The newly gelded Eurocanto appeared much calmer in the preliminaries and the market continued to warm to him.
But by the time the field reached the Clock Tower, it was obvious he wasn’t going to be there when the whips were cracking, fading to finish a well-beaten ninth.
Gelding is often described as the ultimate gear change and can spark dramatic improvement in a horse’s performance.
At least for now, though, it doesn’t appear to have had that effect on Eurocanto.
O’Brien’s stable catches fire
What about the return of Politely Dun?
Granted, the lane hard against the rail was as good as anywhere on the track, but even allowing for that, he made a terrific return. Taken back to last from a wide draw, he hugged the inside in the straight before running out of room for several strides at the 100-metre mark.
Does he win with clear air? Only his backers will be lamenting that one. I doubt it.
Either way, it was an eye-catching first-up run.
Danny O’Brien also kicked off the campaign of Sass Appeal in style. His talented front-running mare was gifted an uncontested lead, turning the race into little more than a barrier trial before sprinting clear over the final couple of furlongs.
She’ll need to produce a bit more as she rises through the grades, but her tactical speed is a weapon that will continue to take her a long way.
More broadly, O’Brien’s stable looks to have found its groove at exactly the right time. Five winners from his past 11 runners suggests the team is humming just as the spring carnival begins to loom.
Flemington Race 8 | Sass Appeal
She’s too good, the mare! Sass Appeal, the odds-on favourite, was never in doubt, leading and winning comfortably 🤝
📺 Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/MpBTsiWleN— Racing.com (@Racing) August 1, 2026
And an out wide plunge…
Well done to those who pulled off the Vision Thing plunge at Hamilton.
The Renee Pola-trained grey was backed off the map on Saturday (well, at least relative to how much you can get on at Hamilton). TAB put her up at $18 after scratchings on race morning, but the money never stopped, with Vision Thing eventually jumping $3.40.
It was a comfortable watch for those on board.
Settling outside the leader, she travelled sweetly throughout before putting the race away as they straightened.
Pola only has a small team in work at Pakenham, but she’s enjoying a purple patch. John In English won for the stable recently, and Vision Thing made it two winners from her handful of gallopers.
A couple for the Blackbook
We’ll finish with a couple to follow.
Firstly, Mitch Freedman’s stable is absolutely airborne. The Ballarat trainer landed a four-timer at Swan Hill on Tuesday and has now saddled 11 winners from his past 40 runners at a tidy 27.5% strike rate.
One from off-Broadway: Mr Sioux from Bendigo on Thursday (race 2).
It looked a strong maiden won by Angland Lass, who appears to have plenty of ability herself. But blackbook Mr Sioux. Well-backed at odds, he played up in the barriers, was vetted before the start, then settled a mile off them before charging home into second.
He had excuses, he hit the line with purpose, and he won’t remain a maiden for much longer.
