The second, and arguably the most important, day of the Pinnacles carnival arrives on Saturday at Ascot with a smorgasbord of racing headlined by the Group 1 $1.5 million Swan Draught Railway Stakes (1600m).
Hayden King
Last year’s triumphant trainer Neville Parnham was pleased with what he was dealt at Tuesday’s Group 1 $1.5 million Swan Draught Railway Stakes (1600m) barrier draw at Ascot, with key hopes Zipaway and Bustler.
$1.5 million MCA Polytack Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) hopeful Bravo Centurion warmed up for his Group 1 target in less than two weeks with a workmanlike win at Monday’s Lark Hill trials.
Albany trainer Rebecca Bayliss said booking a spot in the regional championship final at Ascot with newly acquired galloper Invincible Power was all part of the plan after storming to victory on Saturday.
Harry Grigson
Brilliant Albany sprinter Rope Them In strengthened his prospects for the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes after a superb victory in the $200,000 Colonel Reeves Stakes (1100m) on Saturday.
Cameron Newbold and Hayden King
Albany jockey Tash Faithfull and leading local trainer Steve Wolfe each scored winning trebles at Albany Racing Club’s opening meeting of the season on Saturday.
Long-time Listed $500,000 TABtouch Placid Ark Stakes (1200m) favourite Wind And The Lion justified months of lofty wraps by landing the big feature on day one of the Pinnacles carnival.
Grant and Alana Williams yet again showed why they are the best in the West, presenting Storyville for a scintillating success in the Champion Fillies Stakes (1600m), securing a record seventh win in the race.
Australia’s leading trainer Ciaron Maher landed yet another Group 1 success this year by causing a boilover in the $1.5 million Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) with Another Prophet.
Top trainer Simon Miller will have a team of three live chances in the Listed $500,000 TABtouch Placid Ark Stakes (1200m) as he seeks a record sixth win in Ascot’s prized event on day one of the Pinnacles.
With charming small towns, breathtaking national parks, and exciting events like the Geraldton Cup, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy.
Racing WA
The first day of the Pinnacles carnival has arrived and provides a chance for some of the best to rise to the top, headed by the Listed $500,000 TABtouch Placid Ark Stakes favourite Wind And The Lion.
Whether they are on or off the track, getting their hands dirty or dressing to the nines — the next five Saturdays will be the pinnacle of the WA racing calendar for every single person in this picture.
The Albany Racing Club has stood by its decision to postpone the season’s opening fixture a fortnight ago, with the track raring to go for Saturday’s first meeting of the Great Southern calendar.
A retiring Labor MP has made a greyhound racing ban one of her last wishes, using her valedictory speech in State Parliament on Wednesday evening to issue a plea for animal welfare to be prioritised.
Jessica Page
Consistency and stability is on the mind of Albany Racing Club’s new president who comes with more than 30 years of racing administration experience.
In a major shift to the Great Southern racing calendar, Mt Barker Turf Club will hold just two meetings in the 2024-25 season.
Cameron Newbold
Co-trainer Sean Casey has all angles covered in pursuit of rich glory in Saturday’s Listed $500,000 TABtouch Placid Ark Stakes (1200m) at Ascot with top fancies Wind And The Lion and Siren Assault.
Some of WA’s best were on show at Ascot on the weekend, but their job to defend the local spoils has been made harder with 10 eastern states-trained horses booked for the Pinnacles carnival.
The race that stops the nation may be done and dusted for another year, but racing in Perth is just getting started.
This year’s Perth Cup champion Casino Seventeen produced a freakish first-up flurry, flying to victory over several highly touted middle-distance horses to claim the $300,000 Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m).
Via Sistina has sustained her claim to being Australia’s best racehorse with victory in Saturday’s Group 1 TAB Champion Stakes (2000m) at Flemington, relieving the decision not to run in the Melbourne Cup.
Via Sistina, Australia's best racehorse, has produced another dominant performance under James McDonald in the Group 1 Champions Stakes at Flemington.
Shayne Hope
