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Sun to shine on Hawke’s Bay Racing

A largely fine weather week in Hastings ahead of day one of the Bostock New Zealand Spring Carnival is expected to provide perfect footing for all runners on Saturday, which marks the return to Group One racing with a strong field to be assembled for the Tarzino Trophy (1400m). “Richard Fenwick (Racecourse Manager) did a reading on the track this morning and it came up a Dead5,” Hawke’s Bay Racing General Manager Andrew Castles said. “There might be a shower on Tuesday and the possibilit...

Career highlight for Kuru

Last season’s premiership winning jumps jockey Aaron Kuru secured the biggest scalp of his riding career when taking out the Grand National Steeplechase (4500m) at Ballarat on Sunday aboard the Patrick Payne-trained Tallyho Twinkletoe. The duo have formed a formidable partnership, retaining their 100 percent strike-rate after combining to win the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown earlier this month. Kuru was delighted with the win although he said the nine-year-old gelding was overly ea...

James McDonald to ride Te Akau Shark

James McDonald will ride Epsom Handicap favourite Te Akau Shark when he makes his Australian debut in the Tramway Stakes. Now Sydney's premier jockey, McDonald was formerly the stable rider for the powerful Te Akau operation in New Zealand. Te Akau Shark is the TAB's $6 favourite for the Epsom (1600m) at Randwick on October 5 and will have his lead-up in the Group Two Tramway (1400m) on September 7. McDonald will also be aboard Te Akau's Probabeel who who will take on Libertini in the Furious St...

Hickman’s gold army strengthening in South Island

Kevin Hickman is already increasing his South Island-based firepower leading into this year’s New Zealand Cup carnival. A group of horses owned by the Valachi Downs principal were transported from Waikato on Monday morning bound for Riccarton, where they will continue their preparations for their respective trainers Stephen Autridge and Stephen Marsh. “Kevin likes to get to see them race and we’ve got five on this trip and there could be more later, including a two-year-old or two,” Autr...

Count bounces back in Merlion Trophy for Clements quinella

After 713 days without finding the line, classy galloper Countofmontecristo (NZ) (Echoes Of Heaven) finally returned to the winner’s circle on Sunday – and in a feature race for good measure, the $400,000 Merlion Trophy (1200m).No doubt, the 2017 Singapore champion three-year-old had to muscle his way in to score by a slender margin. But given that success had eluded him since the Jumbo Jet Trophy (1400m) on September 10, 2017, the narrowness of the win mattered little, connections were just...

NZ Racing and Breeding News – 26 August 2019

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Maher has Grand Annual thoughts for Ablaze

A boozy night in a pub in the South Island of New Zealand has resulted in Ablaze making his way to the stable of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and two hurdle victories. Making a winning jumps debut at Coleraine a week ago, Ablaze backed that up with success in the J J Houlahan Hurdle at Ballarat on Sunday. Part-owner Rod Lyons, who has a share in Group One-winning sprinter Nature Strip, said a trip to May's Warrnambool carnival sparked an interest in securing a jumper. "A couple of the owners o...

Tallyho Twinkletoe jumps to National glory

New Zealand jumper Tallyho Twinkletoe has equalled the feats of a champion jumper of yesteryear with his dominant victory in the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat. Tallyho Twinkletoe became the first horse since Mosstrooper in 1930 to complete the Grand National Hurdle/Steeplechase double in the same year. Patrick Payne calls himself the "puppet trainer", having taken over from Kevin Myers just days before the gelding's Grand National hurdle victory at Sandown on August 4. Sent off favouri...

Wigley looking for two-pronged attack on filly features

Rangiora based trainer Nick Wigley could have a two-pronged attack on some of the three-year-old filly features in the South Island this spring if all goes to plan at Tuesday’s Rangiora trials. Wigley and new training partner Kayla Milnes will line-up Charm Spirit filly Intimidate, who impressed when winning over 1000m at Riccarton in July to round-out her two-year-old campaign, along with a Sacred Falls half-sister to Gr.1 New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) winner Ugo Foscolo, who they ...

Plans up in the air for talented mare

A barnstorming finish for third in the Gr.3 Toy Show Quality (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday has forced the connections of talented New Zealand mare Xpression into a rethink about her future plans. The former Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) placegetter, who races as My Xpression in Australia, joined the Sydney stable of Chris Waller at the start of the year after winning three of her seven starts in New Zealand for trainers Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen. She failed to fire in her first two st...

Pike team ready for Hastings challenge

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike will head into the first day of the Bostock New Zealand Spring Racing Carnival at Hastings this Saturday with some added firepower thanks to the circumstances created by the abandonment of racing at Taupo last Wednesday. With the Taupo meeting called off after four races, Pike’s promising filly Kali missed out on making her spring debut in the 1100m three-year-old fillies race scheduled on the day. That race has now been added to the Hastings programme with Pike con...

NZ Racing and Breeding News – 25 August 2019

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Tavisan lands betting move at The Valley

Taking advantage of a track suiting horses racing on the pace, Tavisan landed a betting plunge with an all-the-way win at The Valley. Tavisan was backed from $3.30 into $2.35 favouritism before taking out the Ranvet Handicap under a well-judged ride from Ben Melham. Melham had no hesitation in taking Tavisan to the front before kicking clear on the home turn in recording a two-length victory Epic Grey ($11). "It was a race that was always going to map well for him," Melham said. "He was controll...

Local scores in New Plymouth feature

Taranaki representative Irish Flame scored provincial bragging rights when he took out the day’s feature race at New Plymouth, the New Plymouth ITM Interprovincial Challenge (1600m). The John Wheeler-trained Zed gelding defied the determined challenge of Scaglioni to score by a neck with gallant pacemaker Centre Attention fighting on doggedly to hold third. The capable five-year-old, who holds a nomination for all three of the Group One features at the upcoming Bostock New Zealand Spring Racin...

Lacustre takes out Pakuranga Hunt Cup

The Samantha Logan-trained Lacustre laid down the gauntlet to his steeplechasing rivals heading to the prestigious Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m) in a fortnight with a comprehensive victory in Saturday’s major dress rehearsal, the CLC Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4900m) at Ellerslie. Logan has bided her time with Lacustre who hadn’t been sighted in the winner’s enclosure since winning a maiden steeplechase at the venue on Great Northern day in 2017. The Postponed eight-year-old has been therea...

Ryan Maloney gets credit for Alward's win

In-form jockey Ryan Maloney got plenty of credit when much travelled Alward broke through for his first win in nearly two years at the Gold Coast. The Chris Waller-trained Alward ($6.50) got upon the fence to beat his stablemate Vaucluse Bay ($3.20) by a nose in the William and Elsie Morgan Open Handicap (1800m). Alward did his early racing in France before being sold to Australian interests as a possible Cups-type horse. He showed plenty of promise making it four wins from five starts when he w...

Back In A Flash all class at Ellerslie

Progressive mare Back In A Flash provided owner Grant Kingsford with the perfect birthday present when she underlined her wet track credentials in emphatic fashion at Ellerslie on Saturday. Having her first run back from a short mid-winter break, the Keith and Gavin Opie-trained five-year-old treated her rating 82 rivals with contempt as she breezed on by in the home straight to score by a comfortable three and a half length margin in the 1200m opening event. The victory took the mare’s career...

Roaring Lion loses battle with colic

Cambridge Stud and staff are devastated to report the loss of stallion Roaring Lion overnight from further complications, following two major colic surgeries three weeks ago. Last year's Champion European three-year-old Roaring Lion won four Group One races from 1600m to 2000m, earning a Timeform rating of 130. Roaring Lion won eight of his 13 starts for trainer John Gosden and strung together four successive Group One wins last year, usurping the Eclipse Stakes (2000m), Juddmonte International ...

The 24th Annual South Island Thoroughbred Racing Awards 2018/19 SEASON FINALISTS

Here are the finalist for the South Island Annual Thoroughbred Racing Awards for 2018/2019 1. Two-Year-Old - All About Magic, Live Drama, Miss Federer 2. Three-Year-Old -  Air Max, Emily Margaret, Exemplar Upscale  3. Sprinter -  Enzo’s Lad, Prince Oz, Sensei  4. Miler -  Boots ‘N’ All, Gallant Boy, Residential, Who Dares Wins  5. Stayer - Dee And Gee, Orepuki Lad, Savvy Coup, Who Dares Wins  6. Jumper NOTE: The 2019 Grand Nationa...

NEW SEASON SIRES

This season 10 new stallions will commence stud duties in New Zealand offering breeders a wide range of exciting proven bloodlines. With a European Champion Sprinter, three Derby winners,  a  New Zealand Champion Three-Year-Old and TwoYear-Old, in the mix, there is plenty of variety on offer and with only one stud fee in excess of $10,000 and a couple of incentives available there is something for every breeder in the country. We contacted each stud master and asked them about why they...

Tavisan set for small steps at The Valley

While most trainers are eyeing off big spring purses, Mick Price is prepared to pick off a few of the minor ones with Tavisan. As a three-year-old last year, Tavisan was placed three times in stakes company before running last in the Caulfield Guineas. Tavisan returned in the autumn but after one run, when last at Caulfield, he was spelled and gelded. With no concerns about Tavison's future as a stallion, Price is looking to maximise his earning capabilities. Tavisan, who has a handicap rating o...

Setback forces Brutal rethink

Doncaster Mile winner Brutal's spring campaign might be shortened to just two runs with the budding stallion's preparation delayed by a virus. Part-owner Rupert Legh said the new $7.5 million Golden Eagle in Sydney on November 2 now loomed as the major target for the horse following the setback, which he described as minor but enough to force a spring rethink. "He came back in really good form and he had just a minor hiccup - in that I mean he had one of little colds that so many horses are havi...

Avdulla says don't forget Unforgotten

Brenton Avdulla is rapt to be aboard Unforgotten in the first major race of the season, believing she can be the horse to emerge from the shadow of former stablemate Winx. Any number of horses are bidding to fill the void left by the retirement of the champion although Winx's incredible career statistics, including a world record 25 Group One wins, are not likely to be bettered any time soon. Unforgotten was one of the best staying fillies of her generation during her Classic season, winning the...

Raise You Five clears maidens

The Brian and Shane Anderton-trained Raise You Five cleared maiden company at Wingatui on Friday when taking out the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour 31st August (1600m). The full-brother to stakes winner Raise You Ten settled towards the rear of the field after jumping away slowly from barrier seven. Jockey Jacob Lowry was able to pick an economical path through the field to present Raise You Five at the head of the field at the turn of the straight and the gelding was able to kick clear of his rivals ...

Bay Rocker sidelined

The Craig and Shaun Phelan-trained Bay Rocker has been withdrawn from Saturday’s Corson Maize Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle (3350m) at Elleslie after sustaining an injury. The in-form hurdler was a $4.60 second favourite for the event after winning at Te Aroha last start. “It is very disappointing for the team and connections,” co-trainer and rider Shaun Phelan said. “He has come up with a suspensory injury but hopefully he will be back again next season.”...