Houtzen to run again

Houtzen (I Am Invincible) will run in England in the G2 King George S. at Goodwood for a new trainer.

She finished eighth in the G1 King's Stand at Royal Ascot last week after slipping at the start and trainer Toby Edmonds has announced she will contest the five-furlong sprint on August 2 for Martyn Meade before being served by Lope De Vega (Ire) to Southern Hemisphere time.

Another Australian mare, the Paul Messara-trained Ortensia (Testa Rossa), won the 2012 King George.

No.5 for Beau

Darley's Brazen Beau has secured his fifth winner from his first Australian crop with Iconic Star victorious at Scone.

The filly, an $80,000 buy for trainer Kris Lees at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast, prevailed in a 900m maiden at start number three leading all the way for Andrew Gibbons.

Brazen Beau sits third in the Champion 2YO Sires standings thanks largely to Accession, his lone stakes winner to date in Australia. He has also had a stakes winner in Italy from six winners in his first Northern Hemisphere crop.

Cox Plate a possibility for Lys Gracieux

G1 Takarazuka Kinen winner Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) could be targeted at the G1 Cox Plate in October.

Australian jockey Damian Lane piloted the 5-year-old to victory at Hanshin on Sunday and could re-unite with him at Moonee Valley with trainer Yoshito Yahagi indicating he would consider an invitation to the Group 1 weight for age feature.

Yahagi said the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf was another option for the mare, who is a dual Group 1 winner in Japan and has been placed in her two trips away to compete in Group 1 races in Hong Kong.

Warrior on exciting Voyage

Young sprinting sensation Voyage Warrior (Declaration Of War {USA}) has furthered his record in Hong Kong to three wins from four appearances for trainer Ricky Yui.

“He had to carry top-weight and Look Eras really served it up to him through the mid stages, so he had to absorb all that pressure as well. I thought he did a good job,” rider Zac Purton said.

Bred by Waikato identity Bob Emery, Voyage Warrior is a son of Stravinsky (USA) mare Chaleur (NZ).

He was initially sold from the Henley Park draft during the Select session of the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for NZ$55,000 and returned for the Ready to Run Sale, where he was knocked down to Yiu for NZ$280,000 from the JK Farm draft.

The win took Australian jockey Zac Purton to 151 winners for the season.

More Ballarat transfers

Ongoing issues at Ballarat have forced Racing Victoria to announce several programming changes which include the transfer of two meetings from the turf track and the addition of a new turf meeting at Bairnsdale this Sunday.

The meeting scheduled at Ballarat on Sunday has been transferred to the synthetic track, while the turf meeting programmed on Sunday July 14 has been moved from Ballarat to Bendigo.

With heavy balloting occurring in recent Victorian racing, an additional turf meeting has been programmed at Bairnsdale to provide further racing opportunities for owners and trainers.

G1 ambition for Aalaalune

Matamata trainer Jacob McKay has bold ambitions for Aalaalune (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) this spring, with the G1 NZ 1000 Guineas on her agenda.

A $230,000 yearling out of Westbury Stud’s 2018 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Sale draft, Aalaalune showed enough promise in her 2-year-old season with three placings in six starts including a second in the G1 Sistema S.

“She has had a good few months off and been back in work in the last few weeks now, so I am looking forward to the spring with her,” McKay said.

"Like everyone we will be trying to get to Hawke’s Bay. There are a couple of options for her there, the G3 Gold Trail Stakes and the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas."

“Whether I try and go fresh down there or look at Taupo or a trial on the way up. This season she was a very clean-winded filly, so she will let me know as she comes along what she wants to do, but I definitely wouldn’t be scared to have a crack at some of those big races early on with her. On her form she is good enough."

“The 1000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m) is going to be one of our early targets. If we can run in the first two or three there then I will be pretty rapt with her.”

Memories rekindled

Balcairn trainers John and Karen Parsons stretched their memories back 30 years when Pippi Rea (NZ) (Pins) extended his winning streak to five at Riccarton.

“We have to go back to Seamist to remember another horse we’ve had who has won as many in a row,” Karen Parsons said after Pippi Rae’s last-stride victory on Saturday.

Seamist (NZ) (Beaufort Sea {USA}) was a stable star for John Parsons winning 12 races, highlighted by the G1 Auckland S.

“It’s hard to win a few in a row, let alone five, and really the last few wins have been a bonus because we have been meaning to turn Pippi Rea out for a spell,” Karen Parsons said. “He prefers better tracks. He can go out for a well-deserved spell now.”