General takes command at cranbourne

12 October 2015

General James has continued his march through the grades in Victoria with further success at Cranbourne. Prepared by Danny O’Brien, the son of Savabeel has now won three times from 10 appearances for the Flemington trainer.

The patiently-handled four-year-old was unplaced when resuming at Bendigo last month, but showed the benefit of that run yesterday. He also appreciated the step up to a mile with a performance that suggested he can make his mark in better company.

General James was bought by O’Brien, a long-time WS friend and supporter, at Karaka in 2013 for $130,000. He is the first foal of the O’Reilly mare Splendid, who is a half-sister to the Gr 2 Hong Kong Derby Trial winner Unique Jewellery.

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The Corner with Garry Chittick

It would appear I now have to continue my weekly Corner with the amount of rumblings at the start of our new racing season. I have been around long enough to know we can never please all; my tenure as Chairman of the Racing Board was subjected to as much vitriol as subsequent Boards have had to bear, so what’s different this time, or is it different.

5 August 2026

First foal for Waikato’s Group 1 winner Skew Wiff

Group 1-winning Savabeel mare Skew Wiff (ex Starvoia), known affectionately as ‘Wiffy’, foaled a filly by Super Seth in the early hours of Wednesday, 5 August.