Ambitious Colac jockey Ryan Maloney says he wants a piece of the big time.The 23-year-old has outlined plans to test his skills overseas in the higher-earning markets of Canada, United States, Singapore and, of course, the ultimate challenge Hong Kong.Standing alongside country racing legend Neville “Nifty” Wilson in Colac on Monday, Maloney dared to dream [...]

Colac brothers Bill and Jim Cerchi will go head-to-head at Colac Turf Club’s first meeting of the season.The sibling trainers will both use race four on today’s card, a 1200-metre maiden plate, to discover whether two of their young geldings are capable of challenging for serious prize money in the next few years.Bill Cerchi’s four-year-old [...]

Promising Colac district jockey Max McKay is determined to return to the saddle despite an accident which could have left him a quadriplegic.Max was lucky to avoid spinal cord damage after breaking the T5 vertebrae in his back during a track session for Ballarat trainer Darren Weir.The 17-year-old Irrewarra apprentice will spend six weeks in [...]

The generosity of a Colac woman has enabled the district to showcase a rare piece of its history. Colac’s Irene Pearce, 93, has donated the 1929 Colac Cup back to the Colac Turf Club.The cup, won by a horse called Harbinger on February 16, 1929, is the only piece of memorabilia of its kind in [...]

A former Colac man has received a birthday present he will never forget.Brendan Kane, who worked for Colac Otway Shire for 20 years, celebrated his 50th birthday last Friday by having a race at Geelong racecourse named after him.The $16,500 race, called the B Kane Big 50 Celebration Handicap, was the main race on the [...]

Colac trainer Mark Young hopes four-year-old mare Mystic Fire can put consecutive wins together for the first time in her short career.Young wasted no time finding a race for Mystic Fire to back-up her maiden success in Pakenham two weeks ago, entering the mare into a $10,000 handicap at Ballarat tomorrow.Mystic Fire, one win from [...]

Award-winning Colac horse trainer Bill Cerchi believes it could be only a matter of time before he has another country racehorse of the year nominee.Just days after ill-fated champion Diamonds at Dawn became the first Colac district horse to win Victorian country racing’s highest honour, Cerchi has made a bold claim.The Colac trainer has another [...]

Colac horse trainer Mark Young has already opened his account just four days into the new racing season.Young, who collected 11 winners last year, got his 2008-09 campaign off to a flyer when four-year-old mare Mystic Fire broke his maiden in a $10,000 race at Pakenham on Monday.  The Colac trainer had pinpointed the wet [...]

Colac Turf Club president Jim Ryan has added his voice to a chorus of concerns about prizemoney for country clubs. Mr Ryan echoed opposition racing spokesman Denis Napthine, saying his turf club was also disappointed country racecourses did not receive more money.The State Government announced a stage two increase for country prizemoney on Monday, taking [...]

Two Colac-trained horses will square off at Sandown Hillside today.Daryl Cannon’s five-year-old gelding Bourbonstreetblues and Len Porter’s six-year-old mare Inchcape will go head-to-head in race five on the card, a 2400-metre handicap. The two horses are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of weight, form and barrier draw but both Colac trainers will [...]