Straight Shorts is a rolling news update service on the biggest stories in racing, wagering and breeding. Our coverage includes the latest on overseas horses expected here for the Sydney autumn carnival.

Dubai Honour
Dubai Honour will return to Sydney in a bid to give trainer William Haggas more Australian success. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Haggas names team for Sydney autumn feature races

William Haggas has nominated three horses for key Sydney autumn races as the UK trainer prepares to plunder more Australian carnival riches.

Haggas’ squad for Sydney will be headlined by Dubai Honour, an established traveller who was last seen in Sydney in 2023 when successful in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Ranvet Stakes.

Dubai Honour missed a return trip in 2024 because of a minor training setback on the eve of a planned departure for Australia.

Haggas has enjoyed tremendous success in Australia with an exceptional Down Under strike-rate that includes 10 winners from 22 runners.

He has been especially potent with his autumn forays with Addeybb claiming back-to-back Queen Elizabeth wins in 2020 and 2021.

Dubai Honour will again target the $5 million Queen Elizabeth, while stablemate Desert Hero, owned by His Majesty King Charles III, has been nominated for the Queen Elizabeth and Sydney Cup.

A third Haggas runner in Al Mubhir has been entered for the Doncaster Mile and the Queen Elizabeth.

Three horses from Japan have been nominated head to Sydney - Geoglyph, who boasts a victory over retired Japanese star Equinox, for trainer Tetsuya Kimura (Doncaster Mile), Rousham Park for Hiroyasu Tanaka (Queen Elizabeth) and Tosen Jordan for Yukio Inagaki (Sydney Cup).

James Ferguson, who trains alongside Haggas at Newmarket in England, is expected to send Mrs Morrell, a mare by leading Australian sire Zoustar, to Sydney to target sprint races.

Yulong reprises Via Sistina blueprint for next racing imports

A strategy that delivered a Cox Plate triumph for Yulong will be replicated as the international breeding and racing juggernaut finalises its next shipment of high-priced racemares to Australia.

Yulong general manager Vin Cox revealed Moira is heading to trainer Chris Waller’s stable after she was purchased for $US4.3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in Lexington.

Forty-eight hours before she was sold at auction, Moira was one of the star turns during the Breeders’ Cup meeting after winning the Grade 1 Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar.

Bred in Canada, Moira is a daughter of Ghostzapper out of the multiple Listed stakes-winning Unbridled's Song mare Devine Aida.

She was Canada’s champion three-year-old filly in 2022, earning Canadian horse of the year honours.

Yulong imported Via Sistina to Australia last year after paying $A5.4 million for the winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes at Group 1 level in Ireland.

Via Sistina arrived at Waller’s stable via UK trainer James Ferguson and made an instant impact during a brief Sydney autumn campaign before her Cox Plate victory in the spring.

Cox said Moira would follow that template.

“She is currently in Newmarket with James Ferguson and is on exactly the same path as Via Sistina was,” Cox told RSN.

“Not in our wildest dreams did we think Via Sistina has ended up where she has.

“And I’m not suggesting for one minute Moira will end up on the same path … but at the end of the day she is a very valuable broodmare prospect.”

Listen to Vin Cox on RSN here.

Final figures reveal 5.47 per cent decline in year-on-year Karaka gross

Trade at the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale fell by almost $6 million year-on-year, the auction house has revealed.   

In releasing its final figures for this year’s five-day National Yearling Sale, which saw the Savabeel sister to Orchestral sold for a Karaka fillies record price of $2.4 million, NZB confirmed that the gross figure was $86,321,500.

This represented a decline of 5.47 per cent, after completing sales of passed-in horses over the past fortnight.

In total, 751 yearlings were sold at an average of $114,942 at a median of $80,000 across Books 1 and 2 of the annual sale. The clearance rate closed at 80 per cent.

International investment accounted for 54.5 per cent of the spend, but the Kiwis outspent the Australians at Karaka for the first time, acquiring 435 horses for a combined $39,242,500.

“The figures don’t disguise the fact that there has been a softening in the market. The positive to come out of this sale is the good increase in clearance rate,” NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook said.

 “We have seen a reduction in the average and median, compared with last year’s record sale, which I think can be directly attributed to the state of the economy.” 

Racing Victoria adds to thoroughbred welfare program

Racing Victoria will provide financial incentives to enhance its equine welfare program.

In announcing a new initiative, the regulator said increasing the visibility of thoroughbreds moving into post-racing careers was vital.

With that in mind, RV says the new Acknowledged Rehomer Program (ARP) will come with a payment for people who rehome more than two Off The Track thoroughbreds a year.

A one-off $150 subsidy will be available for each thoroughbred reported to RV via the Off The Track Community (OTTC).

The OTTC launched in 2021 and since then close to 6000 thoroughbreds have been claimed and more than 3000 Full Circle emergency contacts registered on the platform.

The ARPcis open to those who meet the minimum standards set out in the program's terms and conditions.

This includes the appropriate screening of prospective owners, including their previous horse experience, retraining experience and where the horse will be kept.

Current Acknowledged Retrainers will also be able to hold both titles simultaneously.

SA Racing Minister Bourke gets down to business

New South Australian Racing Minister Emily Bourke says she is looking forward to continuing the Labor government’s strong relationship with the thoroughbred industry.

Bourke took over the racing portfolio two weeks ago and was trackside at Morphettville last Saturday to present the trophy for the Listed Premier’s Plate.

“It’s been great getting an insight into how many people are involved in the sport and the team effort and energy behind each horse,” she told Racing SA’s media unit.

“The significant role racing plays in our communities and the state’s economy is clear, helping to create a ripple effect which supports jobs.

“I want to meet and learn from as many people in the racing community as possible and look forward to building on the work underway,” she said.

The Debate  - get up to speed on the latest industry issues

SEN Track’s Giddy Up host Gareth Hall caught up with The Straight founder Bren O’Brien for their weekly segment The Debate on Wednesday morning.

Topics included the long-term plans in Australia for global powerhouses Godolphin and Yulong and the likely overseas raiders heading to Sydney for the autumn carnival plus a review of the Classic Sale.

Click here for the latest episode.

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