Hera strikes in Australia

6 November 2014

New Zealand mare Hera is on the board in Australia following her success at Rosehill on Saturday. The O’Reilly mare showed significant improvement on her resuming effort last month when she opened her account for Broadmeadow trainer Kris Lees.

The four-year-old began her career with Roger James at Cambridge and was the winner of the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes at two. She bloomed in her classic season to add the Group Two victories in the Eight Carat Classic and the Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic to her record. She was subsequently sold to Australian interests and a fourth placing in the Gr.3 Carr Stakes had been her previous best effort across the Tasman.

Purchased by James for $28,000 from WS’s Select Sale team in 2012, Hera is out of the unraced Centaine mare Corsica. She is from the family of the former champion juvenile and multiple Group One winner Ballroom Babe.

Pure Alpha delivers again as Ardrossan continues to rise

Ardrossan gelding Pure Alpha led throughout to win by 1.29 lengths at Eagle Farm for owner Ozzie Kheir, taking his earnings past $300,000. The result caps a stellar run for sire Ardrossan, whose yearlings fetched up to $450,000 this year on strong Hong Kong form.

28 August 2026

The Corner with Garry Chittick

It is difficult to maintain momentum when sitting in judgment of racing’s governance. After all, I get no pleasure in searching for non-credible decisions, but one is perpetually bewildered by the rationale behind many of the positions that make little sense.