Enver Jusufovic Racing

Trainer Enver Jusufovic has decided on a warm-up sprint race for Pinstriped leading into his usual early spring campaign that includes the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield late in August, a race he won in 2024. EJ plans to kick off Pinstriped's campaign in the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Final (1200m) at Flemington on July 4. The big chestnut, who will be eight on August 1, impressed EJ with his first-up fourth – behind stablemate New York Lustre – in a jump-out at Cranbourne (800m) on a heavy 10 track on June 15. Pinstriped, ridden by Zac Spain, travelled strongly throughout the trial and held his ground with plenty in hand. Pinstriped hasn't raced since finishing fifth in the Supernova (1400m) at Pakenham in December. In the previous three spring campaigns, Pinstriped has kicked off in the Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield (second in 2022 and 2023), before winning second-up the G2 Feehan Stakes in 2023 and the Memsie in '24. Last year he was unplaced in the Lawrence and the Memsie. "He's had a longer break after we decided to miss the autumn with him, so he will likely need a run before he takes on the weight-for-age horses," EJ said. "I can't be happier with how he's going. Linda (Williams) has been giving him his usual dressage work, so he's strong and keen."

Pinstriped to resume at Flemington

Enver Jusufovic

Lots Of Time, a horse with a famous name, lived up to it when she won gamely under a clever ride from Craig Williams at Sale on June 10. For those who are a bit long in the tooth, Lots Of Time bought back memories of the famous hurdler of the same name of the late 1960s, Lots Of Time, who won his first nine starts over jumps before being controversially beaten by Brother Bart in the 1969 Grand National Hurdle. Lots Of Time, the jumper, cost only $900 but went on to win more than $130,000. He was famous on and off the track, mainly because he was part-owned by the toothy TV host and singer Jimmy Hannan and a vivacious call girl named Sally Anne Wood, who during that time was the girlfriend of footy star Sam Kekovich. Lots Of Time, the EJ resident, is a result of the keen eye of EJ's former accounts manager, Jane Kauffman, who paid only $4250 for the rich dark brown filly as a weanling online at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://InglisDigital.com">InglisDigital.com</a> in 2022. She is a 4YO mare by the promising sire Alabama Express from the Zabeel mare Genealogy, who has also produced the Listed Gore Guineas winner Goldie's Chance, who wasn't in the pedigree when Jane placed her bid on the weanling filly. So Jane and her partners might have struck gold with a potentially valuable broodmare. EJ believes Lots Of Time is on the improve, and he expects her to win her way through her classes. Caption: Lots Of Time (Craig Williams) winning at Sale.

Good Time at Sale

New York Lustre almost pulled off a Group 1 win when she was narrowly beaten into fourth place in the $1m The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 9.&nbsp;New York Lustre, owned by her breeder Mike Howard, hit the front with 100m to go, but she was swamped late by horses in the better going out wide. She was beaten by a long neck. The race was won by Desert Lightning.&nbsp;Her jockey, Kayla Crowther, said New York Lustre was brave, but the inferior ground near the rail cost her the win.&nbsp;It would have been a second Group 1 win for Enver Jusufovic, following Pinstriped’s Memsie Stakes success in the 2024 spring carnival.&nbsp;Enver said the mare, who won the Group 3 Begonia Belle Stakes at Caulfield in the spring, will have a late winter campaign of two starts before she is retired to be a broodmare. “There are two suitable Stakes races for her, the (Group 3) Monash Stakes (1100m, at Caulfield on July 11) and the (Group 3) Bletchingly Stakes (1200m, at Caulfield on July 25). She will be seven next season, and she’s done a wonderful job for Mike and the stable. Hopefully, she can breed Mike a Group 1 horse,” Enver said. New York Lustre is booked to be served by Tentyris at Darley Aberdeen in the spring. Caption: New York Lustre (Jame Melham) pictured winning at Flemington in January 2025.

Lustre dimmed in The Goodwood

A niggling injury has halted Astral Flame’s impressive autumn campaign when she was on the verge of a Stakes win.&nbsp;Astral Flame developed a splint (bone growth) on the outside of a foreleg after galloping brilliantly at Cranbourne as she prepared for the Group 2 Queen Of The South Stakes (1600m) at Morphettville in Adelaide.&nbsp;The split, which was tender to touch but won’t have any long-term ramifications, had to be treated and caused her Adelaide trip to be aborted. Instead, the big 4YO mare will have an eight-week spell before she is prepared for some of the Group races for mares in the spring.&nbsp;Astral Flame showed she was up to the grade when she finished second behind star mare Treasurethe Moment in the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) at Caulfield on March 21. Before that, she smashed the clock when she won a Benchmark 84 (1600m) mares’ race at Flemington on February 28.&nbsp;She finished her preparation with a game fourth in the Listed Anniversary Vase (1600m, Caulfield), which was run in extremely wet conditions.&nbsp;On her way to the paddock, Astral Flame “passed the baton” to her younger brother – 2YO bay gelding by Overshare from Antares – who returned to the Cranbourne stable for a preparation that, hopefully, will take him to the trials and the races. Astral Flame finished her first 12 months of racing with the impressive figures of 13 starts, four wins, six placings and $334,225 in prize money. Caption: Astral Flame with Linda Williams and a happy group of owners after she won on Geelong Cup day in October.

Runners & Results

Good Time at Sale