The Straight

Ciaron Maher Racing has undertaken a restructure of its giant dual-state operation, making a ‘small number’ of staff redundant.

🔗 Read now:https://thestraight.com.au/maher-cuts-jobs-sharpens-focus-on-nsw/

Patience isn’t in Zhang Yuesheng’s vernacular, so it will be of little surprise that negotiations for Yulong to buy three-year-old colt Angel Capital, the $4 favourite for Saturday week’s Australian Guineas, took no more than a week.

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/it-happens-h...

Bar raised - Hong Kong rebuff a pointer to Kooringal’s expectations for first-season sire Angus Lamont is putting his faith in unbeaten two-year-old Shaggy continuing to be a poster boy for Kooringal Stud sire Sandbar.

And that makes it three from three for Shaggy.

Shaggy has been Sandbar’s only runner from a first-season crop after covering 60 mares at an $8800 advertised service fee.

Could he be favourite for the Golden Slipper?

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/bar-raised-h...

Friday5 🖐️

📍 RV’s media pivot
📍Has the number of yearlings offered at auction in Australia reached its tipping point?
📍 Blake Shinn getting busy with 100 winners
📍 Edward Cummings promises to step in at Leilani Lodge
📍Bar raised for Shaggy ahead of Pierro Plate

🔗 Read more: www.thestraight.com.au

🚨Anthony Cummings appeals licence suspension

Anthony Cummings has appealed a decision from Racing NSW to suspend his licence, after being given seven days to vacate his Randwick stables.

🔗 READ MORE: thestraight.com.au/straight-sho...

Blake Shinn has never been busier in his 20-year career in the saddle. Having become the first Australian jockey to reach 100 winners this season, he tells The Straight that he has no plans to slow down.

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/train-today-...

Inglis Classic Sale, Buyer location - change in investment from 2024:

NSW: ⬇️$4,728,000
VIC: ⬆️ $1,240,500
HK: ⬇️$480,000
NZ: ⬇️$849,000
Qld: ⬆️ $470,000
WA: ⬆️ $234,000
SA: ⬆️$134,000
Japan: ⬆️$1,080,000

RUN THE NUMBERS 📈
Sponsored by Ingis

It has been a long time since the Melbourne Cup has been considered a stallion-making race.

🔗 Read now: thestraight.com.au/run-the-numb...

Run The Numbers – A Shocking feat that even Zabeel and Sir Tristram can’t match Shocking has become just the second stallion this century to secure a New Zealand Group 1 double on the same day. Run The Numbers looks at the Rich Hill resident’s record and where he sits in comparis...

That double of Melbourne Cup winner and champion stallion has only happened four times, with Comedy King (1910), Grand Flaneur (1880) and Chester (1877) also members of an exclusive club.

🔗 thestraight.com.au/run-the-numb...

Racing NSW assumed the role of Crown land manager of five NSW racecourses in 2024, as the NSW Lands and Property Minister confirmed that 95 of the state’s 115 tracks are on Crown land.

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/crown-plans-...

The similarities between a Dundeel colt and Group 1 winner Super Seth went beyond their sire and were too hard to ignore, well-known bloodstock agent Dean Hawthorne says.

🔗 Read now: thestraight.com.au/i-rang-the-b...

A worldly John Fung has embraced the thoroughbred ambitions of his father Tony, living on the family’s Aquis Farm and working hands-on in the stables in the Gold Coast hinterland.

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/like-father-...

Racing SA’s recent acquisition of a small piece of land that sits alongside the Strathalbyn Racing Club marks a big-picture approach for what lies ahead for racing in the state, as new CEO Nick Bawden begins his tenure.

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/regional-res...

ROWE ON MONDAY ☀️
Sponsored by ArrowfieldStud

📍The unheralded influence at stud of Melbourne Cup winner Shocking
📍Spotlight on the South Australian breeding industry
📍Two possible Bjorn Baker-trained contenders for the NZB $3.5 million Kiwi

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/rowe-on-mond...

🚨 Familiar names attached to Private Harry sibling purchase

Read more 👇👇👇

Straight Shorts - Monday February 10 - Kurrinda, Doyle maintain Private Harry connection, All-Star Mile ambassador competition revealed Straight Shorts is a rolling news update service on the biggest stories in racing, wagering and breeding. Our coverage today will include all the latest from the second day of the Inglis Classic Sale ...

🗞️STRAIGHT SHORTS

The Straights rolling feed of all the days racing, wagering and breeding news.

🔗 thestraight.com.au/straight-sho...

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With Inglis Classic Sale kicking off on Sunday, Inglis CEO Sebastian Hutch spoke to Bren and Tim on Straight Talk this week to discuss all things sale.

🎧 Listen to the full podcast this week on your favourite streaming platform.

📹 youtu.be/8y4ghcbVkUs
🔗 thestraight.com.au/straight-tal...

📍Australian wagering technology, data and service company BetMakers Technology Group (ASX:BET) has acquired the intellectual property and software of Indian-based ProtocolZone Private Limited in a deal worth $1.6 million.

📍British-based RPM Gaming has entered the Australian market, investing in a new venture, PKB Digital, and launching PickABookie.com.au, a new affiliate site dedicated to promoting Australian-based online wagering companies and racing bodies.

📍South African Brett Crawford will train in Hong Kong from the start of the 2025/26 racing season.

📍Trainer Ciaron Maher says a return to racing for triple Group 1-winning mare Pride Of Jenni remains a possibility.

🗞️ STRAIGHT SHORTS

The Straights rolling feed of all the days racing, wagering and breeding news.

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/straight-sho...

🚨 Festival of Racing launched as Group 1 action returns at Caulfield

Read more 👇👇👇

🚨 Entain Australia boss Dean Shannon has blamed an increase in taxes and fees paid by Australian bookmakers as the primary reason for a decision to close the Ladbrokes Racing Club.

Read more 👇👇👇

🗞️STRAIGHT SHORTS

The Straights rolling feed of all the days racing, wagering and breeding news.

🔗 LINK: thestraight.com.au/straight-sho...

The acquisition of TopSport by Betr parent company BlueBet Holdings was confirmed on Wednesday, with $10 million, 70 per cent in cash and 30 per cent in scrip, plus earn-outs etc, to change hands.

🔗 Read more: thestraight.com.au/from-showy-t...

🚨 Matt Ballesty, a senior executive with more than three decades of experience across the gaming and hospitality industries, has been appointed as New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s (NZTR) chief executive.

READ MORE 👇👇👇

🚨 Racing Queensland announces winter carnival dates with $30 million in stakes on offer

Queensland’s winter carnival schedule has been unveiled with nine $1 million races and eight Group 1 events to be decided across 11 meetings.

Read more 👇👇👇

🚨 BlueBet snaps up TopSport in $10 million deal

BlueBet Holdings, the parent company of betting brand betr, has confirmed a $10 million acquisition of rival TopSport in its bid to capture more than 10 per cent of the corporate booking market share in Australia.

READ MORE 👇👇👇