Damien Lane can’t wait to win a metropolitan race by a decent margin. The popular Wyong trainer has greeted the judge three times on city tracks in recent weeks, but on each occasion has had to sweat it out in nail biting photo finishes.

Theresa Bateup was just fifteen years old when she arrived at the Australian Jockey Club office at Randwick in late October 1994 to begin a week of work experience.

My thanks to Sean Driver who took the trouble to email me last week after having listened to our recent podcast with jockey Brad Pengelly. Sean was hoping Carael Boy would figure among Brad’s list of favourite horses, and he certainly wasn’t disappointed.

Almost fourteen years have passed since Jay Ford first thundered over the hallowed turf of Royal Ascot and Newmarket on the back of the celebrated sprinter Takeover Target - the first of his four trips to the UK.

Jim Lee didn’t go to Kembla Grange on Saturday, opting to stay home and watch his four stable runners on Sky Racing. The popular Randwick horseman has been staying home a lot these last seven months.

There’s something about Tejori that suggests it’s all ahead of the athletic three year old filly. We catch up with trainer Nick Olive who found her at the 2018 Inglis Classic Sale. He says it’s been a case of waiting for Tejori to get over a few growing pains.

Lancaster Bomber’s win in the last at Newcastle on Saturday rounded off a very pleasing few weeks for the Richard Litt stable. It was especially pleasing for the expatriate Kiwi horseman, because the Denman gelding is the very first horse he actually purchased and syndicated.

When Mitch Newman is around horses, the smile on his face tells you everything you need to know about the former jockey turned trainer. That smile was very evident when Diva Bella swamped the leaders to win the opening race at Gosford on Saturday.

It’s hard to believe Pierata has a greater fan than his popular part owner and trainer Greg Hickman, but there is one such devotee. “Give Tim Payne a ring. He’s clocked every gallop the horse has ever had,” said Hickman.

The evergreen Glen Boss stole most of the Australian riding limelight on Saturday when he dominated day 2 of The Championships at Royal Randwick. While all this was going on, Jeff Penza was minding his own business at the Newcastle meeting, where his book of seven rides brought a dazzling five win haul.

Racing needs the occasional fairy-tale story. At home and overseas it’s an accepted fact that most races at the elite level are won by horses from major stables. Those stables traditionally have the best bloodstock to work with and often increase their chances by having multiple runners.

The first time Adam Hyeronimus asked Gai Waterhouse to apprentice him the answer was an emphatic “no!”. It was 2011 and Adam was just beginning the final year of his indentureship to Grafton trainer John Shelton, who fully supported the young jockey’s wish to join a major Sydney stable.

Not even the eerie emptiness of the Rosehill Gardens racecourse could detract from David Pfieffer’s elation as I Am Excited gave him a maiden Group 1 win in Saturday’s Galaxy.

The further they got into Saturday’s Iron Jack Hcp (1900m) at Rosehill Gardens, the more trainer Joe Ible’s confidence grew. He and jockey Sam Clipperton had planned to go forward from a wide gate, in the hope Zoffany’s Lad could pop into a spot one horse off the fence.

It’s far too late for race callers and form analysts to change the pronunciation of the name of the big mare who staged a “Winx like” finish to win on Saturday. For commentators and listeners it shall remain as it appears - Nettoyer.

The Group 3 Liverpool City Cup couldn’t have been scripted better for the bold striding Quackerjack. The chestnut gelding with the symmetrically perfect white blaze dislikes the slightest interruption in his races.

Shane Nichols watched the Futurity Stakes from his usual spot in the Caulfield stand. With absolutely no disrespect towards Streets Of Avalon’s five owners and their friends and families, the trainer preferred to collect his thoughts and closely observe the running of the race on the big screen.

Gordon and Jacqui Richards were booked on a Sunday evening flight from Melbourne to Adelaide on February 26th 2017. This had been a deliberate ploy, just in case their promising three year old Benz happened to win the Zeditave Stakes at Caulfield the previous day.

Of the twenty eight fillies to win the Golden Slipper, none have gone into the great race with more miles on the clock than the 1965 winner Reisling.

“Choco” Cavallo’s dashing winning treble at Dubbo on Monday Feb 3rd, got friends and supporters talking about his longevity as a professional jockey.