• Michael Lynch

Sheik Fahad Al Thani of Qatar's ruling family could not have had a better introduction to Australian racing than winning the Melbourne Cup with Dunaden in 2011.

• Chris Roots

The Australian Turf Club already has several Melbourne trainers looking for stables at its tracks and the list is only going to grow with the prizemoney rise to be confirmed on Tuesday.

• Chris Roots

David Vandyke's worries have eased with Yankee Rose heading into Saturday's Golden Rose after a raceday gallop at Sunshine Coast.

• Chris Roots

Team Hawkes continued their great run with three-year-old and added another name to the watch list as Swear continued his unbeaten in the Ming Dynasty Quality at Randwick on Saturday.

• Chris Roots

Godolphin chief executive John Ferguson came out to Australia to check out the operation this week and was on hand for a winning double at Randwick on Saturday. 

• Michael Lynch

The  Moir Stakes has been the personal fiefdom of that great old sprinter Buffering for the past few years, but Mark Kavanagh is aiming to not just see off the Queensland hero but also Australia's star sprinter Chautauqua in this year's contest at the end of Septmeber.

• Michael Lynch

Awesome Rock blew away his rivals to guarantee himself a Cox Plate start with a storming two length win in the Group Two Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley, belying his $31 starting price and gaining a measure of compensation for his disqualification in the Australian Cup last season.

• Chris Roots

There was no Winx at Randwick on Saturday, Hartnell provided a star performance in the Chelmsford Stakes.

• Michael Lynch

It's not often Darren Weir goes into a Melbourne metropolitan race mob-handed and fails to land a winner, never mind a placed horse.

• Max Presnell

Her Majesty The Queen, the owner of Bold Sniper who is taking the low road to the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in Saturday's Signs Handicap at Moonee Valley, was a cog below royal reserve when Bob Hawke rode home a result with unabated enthusiasm at Canberra in 1988.

• James Hall

Queanbeyan trainer Joe Cleary was given one request by the owners of Chaquinta; win a country picnic.

• Chris Roots

The Cleaner has won the past two Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes and is unbeaten over the mile at Moonee Valley but it will prove his "defining race" for the spring when he steps out on Saturday.

• Chris Roots

James Cummings  had a couple of reasons to smile as the rain fell on Friday, it favours his three-year-old Prized Icon, which takes on the older horses in Saturday's Chelmsford Stakes and it may mean super mare Winx isn't at Randwick.

• Chris Roots

Racing NSW is set to take prizemoney into another stratosphere to the rest of the country as a result of a multi-million-dollar package fully-funded by increases to the race fields fees to be announced next week.

• Michael Lynch

Caulfield might have staged the first group 1 race of the season with last week's Memsie Stakes, but with spring officially getting under way on Thursday, Moonee Valley's Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes meeting on Saturday could be said to be the day on which the carnival action begins to really heat up.

• Melissa Singer

The campaign to promote this year's spring racing carnival is artistic, colourful and 'on-trend' but the nudity has upset a few people.

• Chris Roots

Chris Waller is once again preparing for the  longest couple of minutes of the week as Winx heads out for Saturday's Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick. That  is jockey Hugh Bowman's time with the star mare.

• Chris Roots

Kerrin McEvoy believes Orbec will find the 2100 metres of the Wyong Cup to his liking on Friday and if it is wet, all the better. The French import finished midfield with McEvoy in the saddle first-up in the Premiers Cup Prelude and follows the same path as last year, when he ran third in the Wyong Cup.

• John Holloway

Team Hawkes has experienced a sensational start to the 2016-17 season with definite contenders in next week's group 1 $1 million Golden Rose and the stable confidence must be high after Tuesday's Rosehill barrier trials where they exhibited a number of exciting black-type prospects.

• Tom Hackett

Racing preview of Chelmsford Stakes day at Randwick

• Chris Roots

My Country will always have the honour of being the first winner on the new Eagle Farm circuit and that trip away to Brisbane has her ready to take the next step in the spring.

• Tom Hackett

Preview of Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes day at Moonee Valley.

• Melissa Singer

Racing Victoria's official advertising campaign features topless models and jockeys body-painted with 'on-trend floral wallpaper prints'.

• Chris Roots

Tim Martin knows there are bigger targets in spring, so like a lot of trainers he is looking to the skies before committing Heavens Above to run in the Tranway Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

• Chris Roots

Barry Lockwood would have been forgiven for thinking he might not have seen Hidden Pearl at the races again after the last time she stepped into stakes grade.

• Chris Roots

It takes something very special to get Stuart Ramsey away from Turangga Farm in the foaling season but Glenall is that good, he came down from the Hunter Valley to Canterbury on Wednesday

• Michael Lynch

Irish raider Order of St George – part-owned by Victorian multiple Melbourne Cup winner Lloyd Williams – and the globetrotting Highland Reel head the Caulfield Cup weights that were revealed by Racing Victoria handicapper Greg Carpenter on Wednesday.

• Michael Lynch

Entries from nine countries are set to make this year's Melbourne Cup the most international of all, with candidates from Europe, Asia and North America lined up to clash in Australia's greatest race.

• Chris Roots

As Australian Turf Club launched its spring carnival on Tuesday, with the announcement the TAB will sponsor the Epsom Handicap, the spring path still remains unclear for one of the potential stars – three-year-old filly Omei Sword.