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Panic continues Freedman’s winning roll

The in-form stable of Michael Freedman notched another stakes success during the Championships when Panic scored a narrow victory in the Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.Freedman sent out Manaal to win the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Ducasse to win the Gr.3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on Day One of the Championships and was quick to claim further stakes glory on Day Two.A three-year-old son of Time Test, Panic was always prominent throughout under jockey ...

Alice Wilkinson - Irish National Stud Blog 3

The first week of spring has finally arrived here in Ireland! However the temperatures stayed at an all time low when we all woke up to snow. It was a truly beautiful yet freezing day. This day was my final day in Sun Chariot (the foaling unit).Turning out the mares into the snow was so beautiful and a memory that will be treasured. The week following I was in Kildare and Strawhall yards. Kildare is the home for vaccinated mares and foals and Strawhall is where resident mares stay until they are...

Derby path continues for Antrim Coast

Antrim Coast continued his upward Derby trajectory on Saturday, despite having to settle for second in the Listed Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Caulfield.The Stephen Marsh-trained three-year-old finished second behind Orchestral in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) in March and franked that form with a tough victory in the Gr.3 Alistair Clark Stakes (2040m) over Kiwi filly Quintessa at The Valley.Antrim Coast lined-up on Saturday at much shorter odds, but came off second-best to fellow Kiwi-b...

Stellar month for Temperton

Manawatu horsewoman Gail Temperton has experienced a stellar month, which got even better on Saturday when her homebred mare Royal Flower attained black-type when placing in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m) at Trentham.While the outsider in the field for Saturday’s contest, Royal Flower’s result didn’t come as a surprise to Temperton, who was delighted to earn some black-type with her mare.“It is always good for a mare, especially as I am a breeder ...

Blandford family full of stakes success stories

An investment in an English mare more than 30 years ago is continuing to reward Blandford Lodge, with a homebred descendant successful on the opening day of The Championships at Randwick.The John O’Shea-trained Good Banter appreciated the step up in distance to claim the Gr.3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) and double her winning tally from a handful of appearances.“It was fantastic to get a win on that day, it was really good and being by Tavistock out of that family she was always going to be a...

Flying Handicap caps huge day for Pinn

Jockey Wiremu Pinn put the icing on the cake of his most successful day in the saddle when he guided Bradman to an upset victory in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) at Trentham on Saturday.The win came 35 minutes after Pinn won the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) aboard Move To Strike. That was Pinn’s second Group One win and came more than two years after his Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) win with Mascarpone.Pinn is forming a special...

Ormsby strikes again with Classic upset

Waikato horseman Chad Ormsby is making a habit of landing major prizes at Trentham with three-year-olds that he was unable to sell at the Ready to Run Sale.Ormsby scored an $18 upset victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic (2100m) with Outovstock, who he bought for $50,000 as a yearling at Karaka before passing him in with a $150,000 reserve at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale.A similar script produced Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) glory on March 16 with Pulchritudinous, who was...

Favourite prevails in Breeders’ Stakes

Fresh from an incredible interstate double in Australia last weekend with Orchestral and Mark Twain, the Roger James and Robert Wellwood stable picked up another black-type feature in New Zealand this time when race favourite Apostrophe ($3.50) claimed victory in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m) at Trentham.The lightly raced six-year-old mare enjoys the spacious surroundings at the venue having won and been placed twice in three starts there with those two ...

Nereus rises to Awapuni Gold Cup challenge

Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray continued an outstanding season with their stayers when up-and-coming star Nereus powered home to win the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) at Trentham on Saturday.The Cambridge-based training partnership completed a rare double in March with two-mile specialist Mahrajaan victorious in the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) and Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m), and look to have another staying star on their hands with four-year-old Nereus.The son of Savab...

Captain adds to envious record in Easter Cup

A ground saving ride by Thomas Stockdale paved the way for the Paul Preusker-trained Captain Envious to upset the applecart when he prevailed in a thrilling finish top the Gr.3 Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield.The son of Savabeel went into the race after two less than impressive efforts to open his autumn campaign with punters sending last year’s Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) winner out at odds of better than $32 on the tote.He looked to be travelling easily in midfield against the fence for Stoc...

Here To Shock adds a new string to his bow

Racing on or near the pace has been a hallmark through most of Here To Shock’s career, but the talented New Zealand-bred changed things up at Caulfield on Saturday and powered home from off the pace to win the Gr.3 Victoria Handicap (1400m).The accomplished six-year-old drew the outside gate in a field of 11 for Saturday’s A$200,000 feature, and rider Daniel Stackhouse elected to ease back and settle in the back half of the field as Edison set a solid pace in front.Here To Shock had only fou...

Gold Wolf heads Kiwi-bred quinella at Caulfield

Promising three-year-old staying prospect Gold Wolf showed he could be a contender for the Gr.1 South Australian Derby (2500m) next month when he produced a strong finish to tip out fellow kiwi-bred galloper Antrim Coast in a thrilling conclusion to the Listed Elvis Thurgood Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Caulfield.The David and Coral Feek-prepared son of Tivaci has come along in leaps and bounds of late after breaking his maiden status over 1600m at Moe in December. His continued development w...

Good Banter too tough in Adrian Knox

With a hard-fought victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 TAB Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) at Randwick, Good Banter completed a trans-Tasman feature double for three-year-old progeny of former Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock.Good Banter became Tavistock’s 50th individual stakes winner – a tally that had reached 48 less than two hours earlier when Outovstock won the Gr.3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic (2100m) at Trentham. In between times, six-year-old mare Apostrophe became the 49th black-type winn...

Desperado gets Caulfield victory in driving finish

Former Kiwi galloper Desperado lived up to his name when he produced a desperate finish to take out the Robert Taranto Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.Initially prepared in New Zealand by Brian and Shane Anderton where he was successful in his fourth of five starts, the now six-year-old son of Ghibellines was purchased by a group of Australian and Kiwi owners that includes many of the same names who were involved in another former Anderton runner in Ablaze who numbered the 2019 Jericho...

Super Seth two-year-old maintains perfect record

An outstanding few weeks for Waikato Stud’s freshman sire Super Seth continued at Caulfield on Saturday with the unbeaten Feroce winning the A$150,000 Vale John Russell (1200m).Feroce now boasts a two-from-two record and is one of two first-crop winners in Australia so far this season for Super Seth. His other Australian winner is the exciting Linebacker, who has also been successful in both of his starts including last Saturday’s Gr.3 Baillieu Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill. Linebacker is being...

2024 Online Yearling Sale Live on Gavelhouse Plus

NZB's 2024 National Online Yearling Sale is now live, with the quality 100-lot catalogue available to view on Gavelhouse Plus.For the fourth year, the digital edition to NZB’s National Yearling Sales Series is set to be conducted on the premium online platform Gavelhouse Plus with bidding closing on Wednesday 17 April from 6pm (NZT).  All unbroken yearlings purchased from the National Online Yearling Sale are eligible to be nominated for NZB’s lucrative Karaka Millions Se...

Emotions high as Belclare brings down the curtain with repeat Breeders’ Stakes

Emotions were running high at Ellerslie last Saturday as the classy racemare Belclare brought the curtain down on her domestic career with a second consecutive victory in the Gr. 1 NZEA New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes.Immediately after the Lisa Latta-trained six-year-old had repeated her 2023 win in our only Group One race for fillies and mares, it was announced she will be sold at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast next month.According to the Per Incanto mare’s ma...

Meet The Breeder - Gail Temperton

In this week's edition of Dunstan HorseFeeds Meet the Breeder, we chat with Gail Temperton, who along with partner Stan Alexander under the banner of Taikorea Thoughbreds bred Mark Twain the recent winner of the Listed VRC Lexus Roy Higgins Handicap.Tell us the story of Mark Twain?Taikorea Thoroughbreds is a small breeding farm owned by myself and partner Stan Alexander.Although I am hands on operator Stan supports me and enjoys all results of our efforts.We purchased his dam Pinders Prize ...

Belclare off to the Gold Coast

Last start Group One winner Belclare looks to have run her last race, with the Lisa Latta-trained mare entered for next month’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Broodmare sale.The daughter of Per Incanto was bred by David Woodhouse, who races the mare in partnership with John Clark and the Rusties Syndicate, for whom she has won 11 of her 36 starts and nearly $1 million in prizemoney.Belclare had a fitting send-off at Ellerslie last Saturday when defending her crown in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbr...

Belclare goes back-to-back in Breeders’ Stakes

Perennially under-rated mare Belclare had a richly deserved day in the Ellerslie sun on Saturday, bringing her high-class New Zealand racing career to a close with a successful defence of her title in the Gr.1 NZEA New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m).The Lisa Latta-trained mare has spent most of her career under the radar and has defied double-digit odds for many of her previous successes – including a $22 upset in last year’s Breeders’ Stakes at Pukekohe and a $21 boilover...

Super Seth colt stars in Baillieu

Linebacker became the first stakes winner for freshman Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth with a classy and tenacious victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Hyland Race Colours Baillieu (1400m) at Rosehill – a performance that also earned him a shot at next month’s Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.Held in high regard by trainer John O’Shea, Linebacker made a perfect start to his career with a four-length win on debut at Hawkesbury in late February. The Bailleu was a big step up for his second...

Wymark stakes Derby claim in Tulloch

Wymark’s connections are likely to pay a late nomination fee for next week’s Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) after the rapidly improving three-year-old collected his fourth win in a row in Saturday’s Gr.2 Toyota Forklifts Tulloch Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill.The Randwick classic was not originally on the radar for the Savabeel gelding, who began his career with six consecutive top-four finishes over distances ranging from 1200m to 1500m.But the step up over ground has lifted the talented New Z...

Orchestral outstanding in Australian debut

A year after winning the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) with Prowess, Cambridge trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood returned to Rosehill on Saturday and achieved a repeat result with another special filly.Orchestral headed across the Tasman as one of the most-hyped New Zealand three-year-olds in recent memory. She had won all of her four previous starts in succession, including the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and a runaway victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand ...

Mark Twain rockets home in Roy Higgins

Emerging stayer Mark Twain capped a dream day for Cambridge trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood when he won Saturday’s Listed Lexus Roy Higgins (2600m) at Flemington and secured himself a ballot-free entry into the Melbourne Cup (Gr.1, 3200m).Mark Twain’s heroics in the A$500,000 staying feature came less than an hour after his superstar stablemate Orchestral won the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) in Sydney. That Savabeel filly will deservedly dominate headlines for her blockbuster per...

Group One performer Hilal to Grangewilliam Stud

Australian Group Two winner and multiple Group One performer Hilal will commence stud duties at Mark and Jane Corcoran’s Grangewilliam Stud at Waitotora this spring.The impeccably bred son of Fastnet Rock was prepared predominantly by Team Hawkes in a career that spanned three seasons.Bred and raced by Emirates Park, Hilal boasts victories in the Gr.2 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) and A$1 million Bondi Stakes (1600m) at three, but his elite talent was noticeable from the outset.Hilal debuted with a ...