Racing Australia has tidied up what Greg Carpenter described an 'anomaly', which will result in the dominant age group in the past two Melbourne Cups being asked to carry more weight this spring.

Five-year-old Bedford has snapped a lengthy absence from the winner's circle with a dominant display on a heavy track at Sandown.

History will be against topweight Big Duke when the rising eight-year-old spearheads Newcastle trainer Kris Lees’ two-pronged attack in the Listed Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

Champion mare Winx is to be mated with Australian stallion I Am Invincible in her first season at stud later this year.

Punters landed a blow before lunchtime on Monday as yet another Anthony Freedman-trained two-year-old impressed on debut over 1170 metres at Wangaratta.

Ex-pat Kiwi jockey Jason Collett put some narrow defeats at the highest level well behind him on Saturday when he captured his first Group One victory in the saddle when successful on the Chris Waller-trained Invincibella in the Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm.

Victorian-trained mare Our Libretto is yet to net a win on her interstate travels but will get another chance when she steps out in the Tattersall's Cup at Eagle Farm.

Late-season two-year-old Pontivy has marked herself as a potential Oaks filly following a strong win over 1600m at Pakenham on Monday.

Toowoomba trainer Steve Tregea with Bergerac (57.5kg) under Michael Murphy won the $175,000 listed Channel Seven Ipswich Cup (2150m) at Ipswich on Saturday returning to the form that won the five-year-old Drumbeats gelding the listed Bernborough over 1600m at Doomben in December

Ten listed wins is the remarkable record of the Joe Pride trained ten-year-old gelding Destiny’s Kiss after he won the $150,000, listed Winter Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday under Sam Clipperton who remembers the veteran racing from when he was an apprentice.

Paul Preusker is still ruing the nose defeat of Surprise Baby in The Andrew Ramsden Stakes which cost the stayer a guaranteed start in the Melbourne Cup.

There will be higher grade assignments for Joe Pride’s Passage Of Time after the Gooree Stud home-bred five-year-old gelding dominated the $125,000, Events By ATC Bm 94 Handicap (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday for his third win from four starts.

Tony McEvoy continues to tick off the achievements for the season after Shrouded In Mist landed the prize in the second race for fillies and mares over 1600 metres at Sandown Lakeside on Saturday.

Tough Toowoomba mare Ruby Guru will get her chance in the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) after trainer Michael Nolan decided she had too much weight in a restricted class race.

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Yogi will begin his winter campaign at Rosehill on Saturday when he contests the Listed Winter Cup (2400m) at Rosehill.

The Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) has received a funding injection and will be run for a record A$8million on November 5 this year.

The Chris Waller-trained Star Of The Seas failed to make the field for the Stradbroke and stayed at home in Sydney with a winning result in the Racing to Win Handicap (1600m).

Tony Pike is daring to dream of history being written on Saturday, when he saddles The Bostonian in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm.

In a challenge to Melbourne spring racing, Sydney will host an expanded Everest carnival over six weeks with a race worth at least $1 million every week.

Randwick’s meeting on Saturday has received 179 nominations with 16 for the feature $150,000, listed June Stakes (1100m) with the track likely to be rain impacted for the first time in weeks with heavy rain forecast on Tuesday.

Trainer Tony Gollan has announced unbeaten three-year-old Zoustyle will take no further part in the 2019 TAB Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. 

One TAB punter is extremely confident that The Bostonian (NZ) will capture the TAB Queensland Winter Racing Carnival Group 1 sprint treble in the $1.5m, Group 1 TAB Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.