Bren O'Brien

Yulong has forged a reputation as the biggest investor in Australian thoroughbred racing over the past five years, but while Zhang Yuesheng largely kept his bidding hand down on the first day of the Magic Millions Yearling Sale, his huge breeding operation still made headlines.

A 51-year-old man has been arrested over a major fire that broke out in the Norman Robinson Stand at Caulfield racecourse.

With the rich two-year-old feature sales races on the Gold Coast and in Sydney fast approaching, this week’s Run The Numbers examines looks at the emerging success of the yearling sales graduates from 2024 as well as the decline in two-year-old participation across Australia.

The age profile of Australia’s elite stallion ranks has been a discussion point for several years. New data reveals that Australia has by far the oldest average age of all major global jurisdictions amongst its top 10 stallions.

New Racing Victoria CEO Aaron Morrison knew he needed everyone pulling the same way to battle the headwinds the Victorian industry is confronting. He sat down with The Straight’s Bren O’Brien in September for an extensive interview.

Depending on who you ask, sports betting is either the biggest threat to wagering on racing or it can prove an unlikely saviour to a stumbling commercial model. Bren O’Brien examines how the growth of sports betting has a range of complex implications for the racing industry.

The last two champion first-season sires in Australia have been shuttle stallions. With Wootton Bassett and Lucky Vega posting early two-year-old winners, could this season represent a hat-trick? Is Australia in the midst of a shuttle stallion revival?