5 publishers · first seen Fri, 30 Oct 2026 20:37 UTC · updated Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:19 UTC
James McDonald and Chris Waller secured two Group 1 victories on Victoria Derby day at Flemington, with McDonald riding Stormy Marco to win the $3 million feature and Lady Shenandoah in the Empire Rose Stakes. Despite their success, they narrowly missed a clean sweep of the Derby Day Group 1 races, as The Next Episode, trained by Ciaron Maher, won the Coolmore Stud Stakes. The day also saw a dramatic incident when Pondalowie fell in the straight, causing jockey Harry Coffey to be taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone. Meanwhile, Flemington trainer Nick Ryan faced charges from Racing Victoria stewards for alleged possession of a prohibited substance, leading to the withdrawal of two of his horses from the meeting.
Stormy Marco, bred by Rathmore Lodge and sourced by Tasman Bloodstock, was sold for A$300,000 at the Inglis Easter Sale. The Australian-bred colt, a half-sister to Group 2 Prix Noailles scorer Hard Dream, is the second southern hemisphere Group 1 winner for his sire, Wootton Bassett, who died last September.
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