It will be patience rewarded on Saturday when Will Clarken-trained filly Nikolsky takes to the track in South Australia. Owners have been waiting a long time for her to reach the track and can now finally watch her perform on track.

Elsewhere the Kingsford-Smith Cup has drawn together one of the strongest fields of the year with an Everest start practically guaranteed for the winner.

Nikolsky To Launch At Morphetville

Smart Missile sired filly Nikolsky is headed to the races for her debut run this Saturday at Morphetville. The speedy filly has shown promise as a sprinter in trials and jumpouts both this preparation and last, but the team has erred on the side of caution before taking her to the races. A slow-maturing filly, Nikolsky is now ready to take to the track. Trainer Will Clarken and stable jockey Kayla Crowther were both extremely pleased with her last jumpout, giving the team the confidence she is ready to race. Crowther stated, “really happy with her, she travelled pretty strongly, but really happy with how she’s going”. While the team are confident that she is ready to race, they are aware that she will be better off at her second run, her first run being used to educate her so that she can challenge for wins in races 2, 3 and potentially 4 of the preparation. Clarken explained, “There are no official trials and race day experience will be good for her, we will give her the best education possible then find a solid target second up”.

Everyone at BTX Racing is extremely excited to see her run this weekend and we can’t wait to cheer her on.

Until Valhalla Running Saturday At Rosehill 

Until Valhalla has continued to progress this preparation and is faced with her best chance of the year to secure her second race win when she runs at Rosehill on Saturday. Assistant trainer in  Sydney Joh Gerard-Dubord has reported that “She’s done very well since returning from Bong Bong Farm and is eating very well. She had a 1000m gallop and was very strong on the line. The way she has been over the last few days we thought we were going to be patient but now we think she will race. If she continues how she was during her gallop on Tuesday she has a very good chance.” The race the team has chosen a $160,000 benchmark 72 over 1500m is undoubtedly one of the toughest assignments the filly has faced, but despite being an outsider in the market, she should give a competitive showing if the team confirm her start on Friday.

Diamondiferous and Jiffy Reflecting Joffrey’s Progression

Stayer’s Pack members Jiffy and Diamondiferous have continued to progress in their racing journey with last week’s race at Geelong proving a stepping stone in a preparation that will hopefully reward honours in a few week’s time. Both Ciaron Maher trained horses ran on the 24th of May in a 1760m contest at Geelong, with both expected to improve. Diamondiferous showed her inexperience, pulling the full way around and running upside down. She is expected to improve dramatically next start. Meanwhile, Jiffy jumped well and travelled sweetly, again showing inexperience in trying to lean left and right when sprinting. The runs from both pack members highlight their inexperience and with steps up in distance, the plan is that they will improve the same way Joffrey has done.

Zoustar Filly Continues Education

Our very own Zoustar filly out of Snitzel mare Spot The Diff is continuing to progress quickly through her pre-training, with initial galloping and barrier education proving natural to one of the most progressive 2YOs BTX Racing has been involved with. The filly will continue to be educated at Pakenham throughout the winter with the team continually giving her breaks in between to let her progress mentally and physically. This structured development allows the team to have her ready for pre-Christmas 2YO races should she prove ready. As with any horse, as she continues to progress, she will tell the team through physical cues whether or not she is ready to be pushed further, or if she needs more time to mature.

Josh’s Saturday Preview

I’m making a call that this year’s Kingsford-Smith Cup is in the top 3 strongest races that have been held this season. The Group 1 contest to be run at Eagle Farm on Saturday is the definition of quality

Kingsford-Smith Cup In The Top 3 Races Of The Year

This years Kingsford Smith Cup has become an Everest preview with the winner all but guaranteed a spot in the famous 1200m sprint in October. The race has brought together Group 1 winners and key chances I Wish I Win, In Secret, Tuvalu, Uncommon James, Bella Nipotina and Magic Time. The race has also attracted last year’s victor and reigning Everest champion Think About It. The son of So You Think was tried three times over middle-distance trips in the autumn, all unsuccessfully. So the Joe Pride team has reverted back to his ideal trip of 1300m, with the goal to go back to back and secure a place in The Everest, before defending his title in the Spring. The other storylines are the quality of I Wish I Win, the return of dual Group 1 winning mare In Secret and fellow mares Magic Time and Bella Nipotina both racing for the first time since their last Group 1 wins.

The Biggest Race In History – The Derby

The Derby is arguably the biggest race in the world, it definitely is the nucleus of the European racing and breeding world. This field this year is absolute chaos. The favourite, City Of Troy, trained by 9x winning trainer Aiden O’Brien and Coolmore was guaranteed favouritism before the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. The previously unbeaten son of Justify who was touted as the best since Frankel trailed off disappointingly to only beat 2 runners home. Meanwhile, Godolphin had two potential runners Hidden Law (Chester Vase) and Arabian Crown (Sandown Derby Trial) both win impressively and launch to the top of the market before being withdrawn due to injury. This was then followed by the Dante throwing up an impressive yet surprising winner Economics choosing not to head to the Derby after being forced to pay a late entry fee. This leaves City Of Troy as the sole favourite of the race despite his 3YO form being uncertain. The Coolmore team had the same situation last year when star 3YO Auguste Rodin failed in the Guineas before triumphing in the Derby.