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Great Northern likely for Trisha Lea

Trisha Lea kept her unbeaten hurdles record in tact at Te Aroha on Sunday when taking out the John Wheeler Racing Stables Hurdle (3100m). It was her second win from as many starts and trainer Kylie Little is now eyeing a Boutique Body Corporates Great Norther Hurdle (4190m) tilt with the daughter of Zed at Ellerslie on Saturday. “She pulled up after the race really well and licked the bowl clean last (Sunday) night,” Little said. “I’m toying with the idea of maybe starting in the Norther...

Vale Barbara Blackie

Centenarian Barbara Blackie, widely recognised as the oldest racehorse trainer in the world, passed away at home in Christchurch on Friday. The Canterbury horsewoman celebrated her 100th birthday in July with family and friends and continued to enjoy training Diplomat, her sole horse in work. Blackie enlisted jockey Terry Moseley to ride the majority of her horses and he said she was a well-respected horsewoman who was quite active right up until her passing. “She was very fortunate in the fac...

Late Windsor Park Plate entry for Helena Baby

Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) placegetter Helena Baby will get his shot at redemption against victor Melody Belle later this month. Helena Baby wasn’t among the initial nominations for the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) on September 21 as he was originally set to be flown to Hong Kong after contesting last Saturday’s Tarzino Trophy, in which he finished a game third to Melody Belle. “He was to be vetted this morning (Monday) and go into quarantine tomorrow, but I sent an email to his owner...

Trans-Tasman features on the cards for stablemates

The connections of Danzdanzdance have a couple of Australian options to consider in a team talk later this week as stablemate Hello It’s Me prepares to represent the Ruakaka stable in the second leg of the Hawke’s Bay Group One Triple Crown. Both horses have been nominated for the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) at Hastings on September 21, but trainers Chris Gibbs and Michelle Bradley never intended running Danzdanzdance in the feature. “The only reason she was nominated was in case the w...

NZ Racing and Breeding News – 2 September 2019

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Bullard off the mark in new role

Former top jockey Jamie Bullard made a successful transition to the training ranks when he prepared his first winner with the victory of All Or Nothing over 1250m at Ashburton on Friday. Bullard, who rode over 1000 winners during a twenty two-year career in the saddle, has just four horses in work from his Riccarton Park base and broke through for his maiden success courtesy of just his second runner to the races this season. He didn’t have high hopes of a victory for the Rusty Spur four-year-...

Ritchie puts positive spin on day of frustration

Cambridge trainer Shaune Ritchie is taking a positive attitude about his day at the office on Saturday despite suffering the frustration of having all four of his stable runners finish in the money without actually winning a race on the day. At Hastings promising three-year-old filly Jennifer Eccles looked to have scored a superb victory against her age-group rivals over 1100m before having the race taken off her in the inquiry room after causing interference to race favourite Kali in the home s...

Red letter day for The Oaks Stud

The Oaks Stud General Manager, Rick Williams was quietly confident leading into the weekend that owner Dick Karreman and resident stallion Darci Brahma could be in for plenty of thrills from their racing representatives engaged at both Hastings and Ruakaka on Saturday. However, even he couldn’t predict the level of success they would enjoy with Karreman represented by four individual winners, all sired by Darci Brahma, who also added two further victories to rack up a sensational six successes...

NZ Racing and Breeding News – 1 September 2019

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Age of Chivalry continues winning run

Age of Chivalry delivered a brave front running performance at Caulfield on Saturday notching up two wins from as many starts on the Melbourne track. The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained four-year-old was backing up from his last-start win a fortnight ago and had undergone an interrupted preparation due to an injury after being kicked by the interview pony after his last success. “He hasn’t had a plain-sailing fortnight coming into today either courtesy of the pony here two weeks ago...

Quick Thinker wins Ming Dynasty Quality

Nine years after combining to win the Gr.3 Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m) with Lion Tamer, jockey Hugh Bowman and master Kiwi trainer Murray Baker were at it again with Quick Thinker, who has surprised the stable to win his Australian debut. Andrew Forsman, who now trains in partnership with Baker, said he expected Saturday's heavy Rosehill track to be against the three-year-old who was a betting ring drifter from $7.50 to $11. But the son of So You Think showed his quality, digging deep to round ...

Melody Belle reigns supreme at Hastings

New Zealand’s best mare, Melody Belle, provided racegoers with another display of her undoubted class when she defended her Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) crown with an amazing performance to win on Saturday. The five-year-old Commands mare, who kicked off a stunning haul of five Group One victories in the 2018/19 racing season with her win in the race twelve months ago, showed she would be just as competitive at the highest level again this year with another sparkling effort. An indifferent run ...

Class rise for Pendant after Caulfield win

Danny O'Brien will test My Pendant at stakes level after the mare staged a last-to-first victory at Caulfield. Under a cool ride by Damien Oliver, My Pendant was last on the home turn before overpowering her rivals to win Saturday's Clanbrooke Racing Handicap (1400m). Sent off the $2.30 favourite, My Pendant scored by a length victory from $101 shot Camelle. Punters had a good lead into the prospects of My Pendant with Oliver wasting to ride the mare at 54kg. "Ollie was keen to ride her," O'Brie...

Makdanife produces huge form turnaround

New Zealand-bred stayer Makdanife had his connections scratching their heads after he went from a dismal last seven days ago on the Gold Coast, to a tough win at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The Chris Waller trained Makdanife won a slogging battle with fellow kiwi-bred Ocean Addict to score by a short neck in the Country Music Raceday Handicap (2400m). Waller's Gold Coast manager Paul Shailer said he was at a loss to explain Makdanife's poor run at the Gold Coast. "We had the vets go right over him a...

Catalyst all class at Hastings

Flashy three-year-old Catalyst contributed to a huge day for The Oaks Stud owner Dick Karreman and his resident sire Darci Brahma, when he captured the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) at Hastings in emphatic fashion. The Oaks Stud bred and raced three-year-old gelding Double Impact had opened his account in style with a dashing debut performance to win over 1000m at Ruakaka less than thirty minutes before Catalyst destroyed his three-year-old opposition at his first attempt at stak...

Kali remains unbeaten at Hastings

Progressive three-year-old Kali maintained her unbeaten record at Hastings on Saturday but not without high drama as the Tony Pike-trained filly secured her second victory courtesy of a successful protest against fellow Cambridge visitor Jennifer Eccles in the Taupo Pak’nSave Fillies 1100. The Shaune Ritchie-trained Jennifer Eccles was first past the post after producing a barnstorming late run from near last in the eight-horse field to down Kali and local runner On Show in a blanket finish to...

Lord Of Light first, daylight behind at maiden win

Favourite Lord Of Light ran his rivals ragged in the S$20,000 Open Maiden race over 1200m on Friday night. The five-year-old son of Power was previously placed three times over 1200m in seven starts, including a close second to Mr Coppola in a Maiden race at his second-last start three weeks ago. But how he came into his own at his very first success, an emphatic win that even took his trainer Mark Walker a little off-guard.Upon despatch, Make U Famous, Kadima, Sun Order (Daniel Moor) and Orien...

Beauty Generation is in robust health one month out from his return

Beauty Generation has enjoyed his summer downtime judging by the sheen of his coat and the barreling depth to his girth. “I don't think I’ve ever seen him look this fat, to be honest. He’s a big boy, he’s carrying a lot of condition,” jockey Zac Purton said of Hong Kong’s current supreme champion. The Patrick Kwok-owned seven-year-old has not raced since an impressive victory in the G1 FWD Champions Mile on 28 April. That was his eighth win of an incredible season, a record haul for ...

Sorceress scores on debut

Three-year-old filly Sorceress made an eye-catching winning debut at Ashburton on Friday in the Barneswood Farm Stakes Day 19th October (1250m). Despite greenness the three-year-old daughter of showcasing showed a good turn of foot to distance her rivals by in excess of five-lengths, at odds of $63.60. “She’s always been a work in progress, she went through a Ready To Run Sale prep and she tends to get a bit fired up so we gave her two quiet trials before coming to the races,” trainer Andr...

Group One goals for Quick Thinker

Prominent syndication company OTI Racing is enjoying a good run of form with horses from New Zealand and they are hoping to see a positive start to an Australian campaign from the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Quick Thinker when he steps out in the Gr.3 Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m) on what looms as a heavy track at Rosehill on Saturday. The So You Think colt won the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie as a juvenile and is one of two-runners in the field for the visiting Cambr...

Mansour pleased with Helena Baby

Helena Baby’s winning streak may have come to an end last start when finishing fifth in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m), but jockey Donavan Mansour believes he has improved since that run. The John Bell-trained gelding had won his previous five starts and Mansour’s only concern heading into Saturday’s Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings is the Dead5 track. “I honestly feel that he is better and has turned the right way this week and Mr Bell has done a fantastic job with him. We are ...

Sink or swim for Sardine in Australia

Riverton trainer Kelvin Tyler has sent seven-year-old mare Flying Sardine across the Tasman and the 11-time winner will make her Australian debut for ex-pat Kiwi trainer Rachael Frost when she contests the Clanbrooke Racing Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday. The dual Group Three-placegetter has settled in well to Frost’s Mornington base after finishing third to Dez in the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton earlier in the month.  “I know Rachael a little bit from back here and...

Brennan ready to toast Magnum

Cambridge trainer Lauren Brennan has Magnum right where she wants him ahead of his first-up run in Saturday's Harcourts Whangarei 1200 at Ruakaka. Brennan produced the Per Incanto gelding for a fresh-up win in the same race last year as a leadup to his third placing to Te Akau Shark and Love Affair in the Gr.3 Red Badge Sprint (1400m) at Hastings five weeks later. "It's a race he won last year first-up and we've decided we'd follow the same sort of path - the first few races anyway - as last yea...

NZ Racing and Breeding News – 30 August 2019

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RITA RACING REFORM PROGRAMME UPDATE

Good evening, It’s been just sixty days since the establishment of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) and a timely opportunity to update you on progress against the Reform Programme the Board are advancing on behalf of the Minister for Racing.  Our strategic focus is set out very clearly in the letter of expectation from the Minister for Racing -  we must work to secure the long-term success of the New Zealand racing industry. We must reform the industry into a more sustain...