In today's Straight Shorts, we have the latest broodmare offerings for Inglis and Magic Millions sales, Stella David takes the reins at Entain, racing's connection to key AFL club appointment, Tom Waterhouse finds a new investment opportunity and all the action from Warrnambool.
Skirt The Law, Lady Laguna to be sold at Magic Millions
Group 1-winning mare Lady Laguna and Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Skirt The Law will be offered for sale on the Gold Coast next month.
The addition of the talented pair strengthens the catalogue for the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, with 11 Group 1 winners to go under the hammer on May 27 and 28.
Trained by Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald, the Overshare five-year-old mare Lady Laguna reached the pinnacle by winning last year’s Canterbury Stakes, her most valuable of seven wins in a 33-start career to date.
She is being offered as a breeding and racing proposition.
"Lady Laguna has been a dream for us to be involved with," OTI director Gus Boyd said.
"She's been such a high-class, tough and honest filly throughout her career. While her Group 1 Canterbury Stakes was the pinnacle, we're extremely proud of her consistency - having finished in the top three of black type and feature races on 17 occasions.
"I'm not sure we've ever had another horse in our colours with an attitude as good as hers.”
At her most recent start, at Randwick on April 12, Lady Laguna ran third in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes and she remains in training at Archibald and Neasham’s Warwick Farm stable.
OTI will also offer Listed-winning Dundeel filly Femminile, who ran seventh in Saturday’s Group 1 Australasian Oaks for trainer Phillip Stokes and is entered for this Saturday’s South Australian Derby.
Both will be consigned by Newgate while Eureka Stud will offer the Tony Gollan-trained Skirt The Law, a four-year-old daughter of Better Than Ready who won the 2023 edition of the Magic Millions.
Makarena a late entry for Chairman’s
Group 2-winning Snitzel mare Makarena, a lightly raced rising five-year-old, has been added to the supplementary list for next week’s Chairman’s Sale in Sydney.
Inglis confirmed eight late entries for the select Chairman’s catalogue on May 8, which also includes Group 1-winning mare Amelia’s Jewel, with the Hawkes Racing-trained Makarena the latest addition.
A $250,000 Inglis Easter yearling purchase, Makarena is a half-sister to the Group 3-winning, Group 1-placed mare Missile Mantra and the stakes-placed Maximak.
A share in Yulong-based stallion Alabama Express, the sire of top-class three-year-old filly Treasurethe Moment, will also be auctioned at the Chairman’s Sale.
Alabama Express’s fee was confirmed earlier this week at an increased $66,000 (inc GST).
“Chairman’s this year is without peer the strongest breeding stock sale anywhere in the southern hemisphere with many exquisite offerings,” Inglis Bloodstock sales manager Harry Bailey said.
“But aside from that, it’s a really fun night, we have some great entertainment planned for the evening and it’s going to be a memorable occasion as we celebrate the careers of some of the best race fillies and mares Australia has seen in recent years.’’
Entain appoints David as permanent CEO
Entain, the publicly listed global wagering giant which owns the Ladbrokes and Neds brands in Australia as well as holding the long-term rights to operate TAB NZ, has confirmed Stella David will assume the role of CEO on an ongoing basis.
David has been acting as interim CEO since Australian-born Gavin Isaacs left the role suddenly after just five months. She was also in the role prior to Isaacs’ appointment, bridging a gap left when Jette Nygaard-Andersen stepped down in late 2023
“The Board is delighted to have appointed Stella as CEO. She is an accomplished and commercial business leader with a long track record of success across multiple industries,” Pierre Bouchut, Interim Chair of Entain, said.
“Stella has played a pivotal role in shaping, implementing and executing the ongoing delivery of Entain’s strategy to drive value for our shareholders.
“She is highly regarded by our stakeholders, and her appointment provides consistency and stability as the business pursues its many growth opportunities.”
David had briefly been chair of Entain when Isaacs was in the CEO role but stepped back into the executive on his departure in February.
“Entain has a clear strategy and we are making great strides in strengthening our operational capabilities,” David said.
“Having taken the time to reflect, I am hugely excited to be leading the business going forward as Entain’s CEO as we accelerate our journey of improvement. Entain is a great business with significant potential and I am confident in its ability to deliver further success in the future.”
Entain also announced better than expected first quarter results with group net gaming revenue outside of the US growing eight per cent on the same time last year, while growth in the BetMGM business in the US was up 34 per cent.
However, Australian net gaming revenue fell 8 per cent on the same time last year, which Entain attributed to "customer-friendly sports results".
Racing Victoria director named as Melbourne Football Club boss
Racing Victoria board member Paul Guerra has been appointed chief executive of AFL club Melbourne.
Guerra, who is the CEO of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has sat on the Racing Victoria board since 2022.
The announcement ends a protracted search for the Demons after the departure of Gary Pert.
“Paul is a highly respected CEO with a proven track record of results in member organisations,” Melbourne president Brad Green said.
“His vast experience and deep business connections, people-first approach and alignment with our values make him the standout choice.”
Guerra has previously led the Victorian Royal Agricultural Society and held a senior role with Optum International, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group.
Tom Waterhouse taps into iGaming sector
Gambling investment fund business Waterhouse VC has secured an option in an online platform it claims is capable of launching betting websites in less than 30 minutes.
Waterhouse VC says e-commerce venture Maincard can be likened to a “Shopify for betting”, especially in the iGaming sector.
"iGaming still suffers from high start-up costs and significant technical and regulatory friction," Waterhouse VC chief investment officer Tom Waterhouse said.
"We're seeing strong potential in platforms that can streamline development, similar to how Shopify revolutionised e-commerce.
“The sector is ripe for innovation that allows new entrants to focus on player acquisition and retention rather than backend development."
Maincard targets the $1 trillion iGaming market by replacing months of development work, licensing and integrations with a subscription-style workflow.
According to Waterhouse, crypto-native founders, influencers and digital communities can spin up branded betting sites, monetise their audiences and retain full ownership from day one.
“Waterhouse VC’s deep domain knowledge and network will accelerate our go-to-market,” said Valerii Makovetskii, founder and chief executive of Maincard.
The investment aligns with Waterhouse VC's approach of identifying B2B technology companies serving the wagering industry and negotiating options to acquire stakes in these businesses.
Duke Of Bedford takes out Brierly Steeplechase
Comeback jumps jockey Willie McCarthy channelled his 2024 winning ride to partner Duke Of Bedford to win the $150,000 Brierly Steeplechase at Warrnambool.
Off the scene for seven months because of injury, McCarthy made an immediate impact on his return during the opening day of the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival.
He won the first race on the Ciaron Maher-trained Through Irish Eyes before leading all the way on Duke Of Bedford in the day’s feature.
It's all Duke Of Bedford in the Scotty Stewart Brierly Steeplechase 😍@andrewbobbin @McCarthyWillie pic.twitter.com/GaIAMEzwrF
— Racing.com (@Racing) April 29, 2025
McCarthy produced the same ride on Stern Idol last year, a victory that was uppermost in his thoughts as Duke Of Bedford defied every challenge.
"I elected to try and do what we did on Stern Idol last year and make every post a winning post," McCarthy said.
"He gave me a super ride, the horse, he was just so beautiful. I've never sat on him before and his jumping was just impeccable.”
Duke Of Bedford’s win leaves trainer Andrew Bobbin with a decision to make - one that he says he will leave as late as possible.
The jumper is an acceptor for the $350,000 Grand Annual Steeplechase on Thursday and Bobbin isn’t ruling out an attempt on the prestigious double.
"We'll just see how that field holds up and at about 7.28 on Thursday morning, I'll probably still be scratching my head, I might even toss a coin," Bobbin said.
Late Cambridge Stud sire Tavistock sired three of the four jumps winners on the opening day of the Warrnambool carnival.
Golden result for Lindsay Park filly at Warrnambool
A ground-saving ride has delivered the major end of the spoils in a quinella result for Lindsay Park to the $125,000 VOBIS Gold Strike at Warrnambool.
The lesser fancied of two stable runners in the two-year-old feature, Mrs Iglesia produced a late surge between horses under jockey Ben Allen.
She edged out her barn mare Killiana, the $2.70 favourite who looked to have the race in her keeping until Mrs Iglesia arrived on the scene.
It's a @lindsayparkrace quinella in the VOBIS Gold Strike ✌🏻
— Racing.com (@Racing) April 29, 2025
Mrs Iglesia runs down Killiana over the concluding stages.@bennallen44 pic.twitter.com/5AtcXL7HKJ
"It was quite a nice watch," winning co-trainer Ben Hayes said.
"I think Mrs Iglesia just had a nice, easy run, beautiful ride by Ben, the gaps came at the right time and I don't think that Killiana lost any admirers either.”
Mrs Iglesia, successful when resuming at Cranbourne in early April, is one of three winners for first-season sire Dirty Work.
A resident at Widden Stud’s Victoria operation, Dirty Work’s progeny also includes Do I Feel Lucky, winner of the Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic.
New Chair for MRC Foundation
The MRC Foundation, the charitable arm of the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC), has appointed Caitrin Kelly as its new Chair.
Kelly has served on the Mornington Advisory Group since 2020 and was appointed to the MRC committee in 2023. She was also Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Sub-Committee and a member of the Nomination, Remuneration and Governance Sub-Committee.
She is also president of the Victorian Wakeful Club.
“I am incredibly honoured to take on the role of Chair of the MRC Foundation,” she said.
“With the MRC Foundation Gala supporting our charity partner Down Syndrome Victoria and our continued efforts in equine welfare, there’s so much meaningful work ahead.”
