TRACKSIDE WORLDWIDE

SARATOGA GLORY AND SHA TIN SUCCESS FOR RACING'S ELITE TRAINERS International racing expert Joe Bell looks back at the biggest racing results from around the world. Few trainers can consistently produce contenders for the same Grade One race year after year, especially one with a hefty $485,000 purse, and come away victorious nine times out of ten. But that’s exactly what Chad Brown has accomplished, most recently with Excellent Truth, whom he expertly prepared for the conditions at Saratoga on Saturday, July 12. Brown’s record in the Diana Stakes is nothing short of remarkable. He has now claimed ten victories in this race overall, including a current streak of four consecutive wins, building on an earlier run of five wins in six years.

Leading into Saturday, Brown was hoping for a touch of rain to enhance the chances of his five-year-old mare, who has spent the majority of her racing career in Europe. Excellent Truth excels on softer ground, whereas race favourite She Feels Pretty is more effective on firmer footing. Still, track condition wasn’t the only factor shaping this contest. In her two previous outings under Brown’s care, Excellent Truth had not been asked to go forward early, as the trainer had expected her turn of foot to be more explosive in the stretch than it ultimately was.

Determined not to repeat that tactical error, Brown ensured jockey Flavien Prat adopted a more prominent approach. In a field of just five, it was crucial to be well-positioned from the outset. Prat settled Excellent Truth just behind the early pacesetter Choisya and kept her there for most of the race before engaging stride for stride with She Feels Pretty in the final straight. It was a courageous effort by Excellent Truth, one that affirmed Resolute Racing’s John Stewart made the right call bringing her to the U.S.

Elsewhere, the final meeting of the 2024/25 racing season at Sha Tin concluded with a familiar scene: Hong Kong’s leading trainer and jockey doing what they do best - winning. John Size entered the final meeting on Sunday, July 13, with a comfortable margin atop the trainers’ standings. Although David Hayes remained a mathematical chance to snatch the title, he failed to register a win on the day. Size, however, added three more victories, including Bundle Award’s success in the season’s final Group One. Zac Purton, Hong Kong’s most prolific jockey, also wrapped up the campaign in style with a treble of his own.

In Australia, the close of the Queensland Winter Carnival marks a slower period on the flat racing calendar, but the action doesn’t grind to a halt entirely. Group racing remains on offer in New South Wales and Victoria over the coming months. The feature event in Melbourne on Saturday, July 13, delivered a stirring finish courtesy of a visitor from Sydney. In Flight, trained by Joe Pride, produced a barnstorming run from near the rear of the field to claim the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes. She surged past the leaders in the final 50 metres, likely earning herself a shot at Group One competition later in the year. written by Joe Bell