Williams Reunites With Creedence In Cup
Matt Cumani has decided to change things around with his durable stayer Creedence in a bid to win the Pakenham Cup.
Read More
Lord Belvedere To Bounce Back At Sandown
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace dominated the staying races at Sandown last year and they are hoping they can again with Lord Belvedere and Etah James.
Read More
Second Cup win for breeder would be nice surprise
Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson knows what it takes to breed a Melbourne Cup winner. In 2015, the Walton nursery, near Matamata, was represented by outsider Prince Of Penzance, who famously combined with Michelle Payne to triumph in the great race. On Tuesday, the stud will be represented by another feel-good Cup runner in Surprise[...]
Read More
Famous name back at Flemington for shot at Cup glory
At this time of the year the name Lupton takes on a special meaning at Flemington through the deeds of the legendary Waverley wonder Kiwi and his win in the 1983 Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m). On Tuesday, another branch of the Lupton family will try to write their own chapter into Cup folklore when[...]
Read More
Persan Grabs Melbourne Cup Berth With Win
Persan's campaign started in March and he underlined his toughness and class with a win in The Bart Cummings, securing a golden ticket into the Melbourne Cup.
Read More
Melbourne Cup an option for Kiwi mare Etah James
Semi-retired horseman Mark Lupton is encouraged by reports on his top-class staying mare Etah James, as the eight-year-old daughter of Raise The Flag gets ready for a spring campaign. The winner of the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) in autumn, Etah James has remained in the care of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace at their[...]
Read More
Hot streak continues for Raise The Flag
The progeny of regally-bred stallion Raise The Flag continue to make an impact on staying and jumping features in Australia. The White Robe Lodge stallion is the sire of Tuesday’s dominant Warrnambool Grand Annual Steeplechase (5500m) winner Ablaze. The win comes less than a month after Raise The Flag’s daughter Etah James took out the[...]
Read More
Etah James Scores Upset Group 1 Sydney Cup Win
Glen Boss considered her his best long-shot ride in a Group One race and Etah James has proven him right, upsetting her more fancied rivals to win the Sydney Cup at Randwick. Making her debut for co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the well-travelled mare has spent most of her career in Victoria with Matt[...]
Read More
Brothers In Opposing Sydney Cup Corners
There will be a hint of sibling rivalry in the Sydney Cup with English brothers David and Harry Eustace both having chances to win the time-honoured Group One race at Randwick. David Eustace trains in partnership with Ciaron Maher in Australia and they operate one of the largest stables in the country with bases in[...]
Read More
Etah James thriving ahead of Sydney Cup
Kiwi mare Etah James is in fine fettle heading into Saturday’s Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) and has thrived since joining the Sydney stable of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace according to the seven-year-old mare’s former trainer and part-owner Mark Lupton. The Matamata horseman receives regular updates from Annabel Neasham, the Warwick Farm stable foreperson[...]
Read More
Etah James transferred to Australian base
Group 3 winning mare Etah James will join the stable of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace after a brave performance when fourth in last Saturday’s Group 1 Auckland Cup (3200m) behind Roger That. The seven-year-old mare is in the twilight of her career and will be set for a tilt at the Group 1 Sydney[...]
Read More
Queensland a likely target for Tiptronic
Graham Richardson experienced one of his biggest moments in racing when Tiptronic won the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa last month and the Matamata trainer is hoping for a repeat performance at Ellerslie on Saturday. “It was awesome, it was a well-deserved win by him, especially since he ran second in[...]
Read More
Lupton’s last hurrah in Auckland Cup
Mark Lupton’s New Zealand training career could end in a blaze of glory at Ellerslie on Saturday. The Matamata-based horseman will saddle up Etah James, a Raise The Flag seven-year-old mare he co-bred and part-owns, in the Group 1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m), hoping for his first stakes win as a trainer to[...]
Read More
Auckland Cup target for Etah James
Handy staying mare Etah James has returned to New Zealand and will be set for a tilt at the Group 1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie on March 7. The seven-year-old has re-joined Matamata horseman Mark Lupton, who part-owns the mare with his wife Cath and fellow breeders Terry Reid and Gary[...]
Read More
Luptons savour stakes successes
Matamata owners Mark and Cath Lupton are hoping their dream run will continue in Saturday’s Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa. The Luptons’ quality mare Yearn will chase back-to-back stakes wins in the fillies and mares’ feature, having claimed a career-best victory in the Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at[...]
Read More
Long Shot Lands Fred Kersley Pakenham Cup
Fred Kersley went out with a plan to make the Pakenham Cup a strong staying test on Etah James. And it worked to perfection as the apprentice jockey his biggest race win. In an upset on the Matt Cumani-trained mare, Kersley stood high in the irons as he crossed the line a comfortable winner. But[...]
Read More
Matt Cumani Settles On Pakenham Cup Option
Trainer Matt Cumani has opted for the longer of two options with staying mare Etah James, who will take her place in the Pakenham Cup. Besides Saturday’s Listed race over 2500m, Cumani also has the mare nominated in the 2000m Werribee Cup on Sunday. After finishing sixth over 2800m at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day,[...]
Read More