Crack Me Up and Wu Gok are equal topweights with 59kg for the Carrington Stakes at Randwick with both also in the mix for the Sunshine Coast Cup in Queensland.

The Toby and Trent Edmonds-trained Crack Me Up is also equal topweight in the Sunshine Coast Cup with 60kg.

Both Listed races on Saturday are over 1400 metres with track conditions to play a part.

Randwick was rated soft on Tuesday with rain forecast later in the week while some rain could fall up north.

Niccanova also has 60kg in the Queensland race while the Chris Waller-trained Wu Gok has 59kg.

Several other horses are entered in both races with acceptances taken on Wednesday morning.

Crack Me Up is no stranger to Randwick having won the 2017 Group Two Villiers Stakes and 2018 Group Three Liverpool City Cup when trained by Liam Birchley.

Sambro, Chapter And Verse and Intuition are also entered in both races.

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Yulong January, winner of his past four starts, is entered for both the Carrington and the Listed John Dillon Stakes at Caulfield.

Trainer Joe Pride has confirmed his intention to run Superium in a benchmark race over 1400m after the three-year-old missed a start in the $2 million Magic Millions at the Gold Coast.

Superium was withdrawn because Queensland veterinary stewards believed his action was not satisfactory.

He was given an easy time in a trial at Warwick Farm on Tuesday morning.

“I have done this before – trial horses the week of a race – and it suits a lot of them,” Pride said.

– Caryl Williamson – AAP

Asmara pictured here with her foal Azmiyna. Credit: Aga Khan Studs

Asmara, one of the most influential members of the Aga Khan Studs broodmare band, has died peacefully at the age of 27.

The daughter of Lear Fan was bred by the Aga Khan by sending his Listed-winning Darshaan mare Anaza, also the dam of Prix Ganay scorer and sire Astarabad, to Lear Fan.

Asmara upheld her brilliant breeding in her racing career with John Oxx, taking the Listed Trigo Stakes and running second in the Diamond Stakes and third in the Athasi Stakes.

The mare also passed on her talent once retired to paddocks, producing eight winners from 11 live foals.

Her most notable offspring was her fourth produce, Azamour. The son of Night Shift was sent out by Oxx to win the St James’s Palace Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes at three and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at four.

Azamour also finished second in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and third in the 2,000 Guineas, Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf, while at the Aga’s Gilltown Stud he sired Classic winners Covert Love and Valyra and other Group 1 winners including Best Of Days and Dolniya.

Asmara also produced the Futurity Stakes winner and National Stakes third Arazan to Anabaa and the Desmond Stakes third Ahsanabad, later known as Surveyor in Hong Kong, to Muhtarram.

The mare’s name was back in lights in recent seasons as her unraced Galileo daughter Azmiyna, sent to be bred from in Australia in a joint-venture by the Aga Khan Studs and Arrowfield Stud, produced five-time Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun after a mating with Redoute’s Choice.

The Autumn Sun is now an in-demand young stallion at Arrowfield Stud.

Asmara produced her last foal, an unraced filly by Sea The Stars named Azama, in 2011, after which she was retired from breeding.

– racingpost.com

After another stellar year as Australia’s leading Group One trainer, Chris Waller is well underway with plans for more at home and abroad.

Well into the post-Winx era, Waller will ramp up the preparations of several top class performers in coming weeks including Everest winner Yes Yes Yes and triple Group One-winning sprinter Nature Strip.

Both have Group One autumn targets before being aimed at the major sprints in June at Royal Ascot where the Waller-trained Brazen Beau ran second in the 2015 Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

“Yes Yes Yes is going very well. He’s come back a stronger, more mature three-year-old,” Waller said.

“He is due to trial on the 21st and will resume either in the Eskimo Prince or the Lightning, I haven’t decided yet

“I have to work out what weight he is likely to get in the Newmarket but the TJ Smith Stakes is a definite target.

“The TJ seems the logical last run in Australia before I prepare him for Ascot.

“Nature Strip is also due to trial in Sydney on the 21st then he will be first-up in the Lightning

“He is likely to run in the King’s Stand and Yes Yes Yes will be set for the Diamond Jubilee.”

More immediately the trainer will roll out Kolding, King’s Will Dream, Danzdanzdance, Night;s Watch, Youngstar and Wu Gok in barrier trials next week.

Kolding emerged as a genuine star in the spring with his wins in the Epsom Handicap and the inaugural $7.5 million Golden Eagle.

Waller would like to run him in the All Star Mile but needs some guarantee of a start.

The majority of the field is decided by public vote with the winners of the Futurity and Blamey Stakes getting automatic entry and two or three wild cards available.

“I’ve got a slight leaning to the All Star Mile but how do you set a horse for the race if you don’t know he will get a start?” Waller said.

“I think they probably need to give people an indication what wild cards they are going to use.

“So, unless I have a good indication he is going to get a start in the race we can stay home and target the Apollo Stakes, Chipping Norton Stakes and George Ryder Stakes, which I don’t mind.

“If he was to go to the All Star Mile, I would run him in the Orr Stakes as the All Star Mile is at Caulfield this year.

– Caryl Williamson, AAP