Juvenile racing kicks off at Randwick this Saturday

Proven sires Fastnet Rock (with Goddess and War Memorial), Exceed and Excel (In Flanders), More Than Ready (Global Quest), I Am Invincible (Barbaric), Lonhro (Beyliks), Choisir (Every Rose) Zoustar (Belieber and Fall On A Star), and Deep Field (Nitrous) were represented with trial winners.

Also tasting success was first crop sire Vancouver, when his daughter Ticket To Ride won heat four.

Trained by Michael and Richard Freedman at Randwick, Ticket To Ride ran the fastest of the 852 metre trials in 50.17 seconds. Ticket To Ride is a home-bred filly for Sydney's Fairway Thoroughbreds, who also bred and sold her Medaglia d'Oro sire Vancouver.

In Brisbane, another first crop two-year-old sire Spill The Beans (by Snitzel) had an Eagle Farm trial winner, with colt Tumbler Ridge.

In Melbourne, juvenile Mildred won Victoria's first two-year-old race of the season when the filly won the Darley Spring Preview at Flemington last week.

While the highest priced winning youngster at Sydney's trials was $900,000 (for Barbaric), Mildred sold for $45,000 via Middlebrook Valley Lodge, Scone, at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

Mildred belongs to the last crop of the prematurely deceased Fastnet Rock sire Hinchinbrook.

In Brisbane, Dark Son (by Lyndhurst Stud's Better Than Ready) won Queensland's first juvenile race at Toowoomba on Saturday, while in New Zealand, Platinum Dubai became the first winner for Pride Of Dubai.

Congratulations goes to David Merrick, who was honoured with the Thoroughbred Excellence Supreme Award at the 2019 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards (GSSSA) at Randwick last month.

Also collecting the Dedication to Breeding Award, David has spent the past 26 years at Widden Stud.

David was one of seven award winners chosen from 150 nominated people from around Australia, representing every area in the breeding and racing industry.

Devised by Godolphin's founder Sheikh Mohammed, the GSSSA recognises stud and stable staff and is sponsored by Godolphin and partners throughout the industry and convened by Racing Australia and Thoroughbred Breeders Australia.

Other recipients include Vinery Stud's David White, the Leadership Award, and Cecelia O'Gorman (of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia), the Administration Award.

Harry "Matey" Molloy, 88, a former leading jockey and trainer, has passed away after a long illness earlier this month.

The Orange based Molloy enjoyed a long career in the saddle, including wins aboard River Seine in the 1963 Hotham Handicap at Flemington (now the Lexus Stakes) and riding Persian Puzzle in the 1964 Doncaster Handicap at Randwick.

He also rode memorable juvenile filly Birthday Card in her debut win and who later won the 1962 Golden Slipper Stakes.

From his Orange base, Matey went into training horses and had plenty of success with winners around the state, and was only recently inducted into the Orange Hall of Fame.

Coolmore Stud would be chuffed to learn of a youngster by their sought after sire American Pharoah, which fetched a mammoth $US8.2 million at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Kentucky last month.

Not only is the youngster by the US Triple Crown winner, but the filly is a half-sister to multiple US champion race mare Beholder, leading US sire Into Mischief, and US Group 1 winner Mendelssohn.

The filly's price equals the fourth highest paid for a yearling sold at public auction.

A total of 20 yearlings sold for seven figures, including seven that fetched $2m or more over the three days of the Book 1 select sessions.

A colt by US Horse Of The Year Curlin (by Smart Strike) topped the first session at a massive $4.1m.

The colt was produced from Australian bred Group 1 winner Bounding, who was a champion sprinter in NZ.