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Gerald Shand

This week on Dunstan Horsefeeds’ Meet the Breeder, we spoke with Gerald Shand, the proud breeder of First Five, who claimed the Gr.3 J Swap Sprint at Te Rapa last weekend. The victory adds to a strong run of results for Shand, further highlighting his current success as a proud New Zealand breeder.Tell us the story of First FiveFirst Five is a son of Payette, a Volksraad mare that I bred and raced. She won six races and ran fourth in the Listed Newmarket Handicap at Ellerslie.I purchased ...

The remarkable rise of Zambardo

Exciting four-year-old Zambardo (Belardo) was one of the stories of the spring, progressing from relative obscurity to Group One company in a matter of months.Originally prepared in Ashburton in New Zealand’s South Island, the son of Belardo came from modest beginnings.Sold as a weanling for just $3100 via gavelhouse.com to trainer Emma Wyatt, Zambardo, who raced as Our Martian in New Zealand, was a trial winner and twice placed at Ashburton before he was identified by astute bloodstock a...

Experience gives Hawthorne winning hand

Thoroughbreds dominated Dean Hawthorne’s life from an early age and his subsequent multi-faceted involvement had him expertly placed to make his mark as a respected bloodstock agent.From working with stallions, pre-training and breaking-in to sales preparations, he had put together a deep and varied CV before launching Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock.His background also includes an international three-day eventing career that earned him New Zealand representation.Horses were in Hawthorne’s blood a...

Purton rates Ka Ying Rising in a league of his own

New Zealand-breds filled the first four placings in the HK$28 million Gr.1 Hong Kong Sprint, with superstar Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) extending his winning streak to 16 in a commanding display.The gelding secured his sixth Group One victory to match the mighty Golden Sixty’s feat of posting 16 straight wins to be now only one short of Hong Kong’s record of 17, held by Silent Witness, and enhanced his own record to 17 wins and two seconds from 19 starts with prize money of HK$122.5 mi...

Karaka Millions beckons Birchley’s Dream Roca

Trainer Liam Birchley has long earmarked the Listed TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) for highly promising juvenile Dream Roca, and the daughter of El Roca took another step in the direction of the Ellerslie feature with a dominant win at Eagle Farm on Saturday.Dream Roca finished runner-up on debut over 1000m in October and showed the benefit of raceday experience as she closed over the top of favourite Star Of Jamaica to score over the same course and distance by two lengths on Saturday.“The f...

Patience key to Graces’ success

Patience, a diminishing commodity in the modern environment, remains a key marker for Raumati couple Christopher and Susanna Grace, two of New Zealand racing’s longest serving and most successful participants.No better example is the latest star of the Graces’ home-bred racing string, the Andrew Forsman-trained Hinekaha (Savabeel), who completed a hat-trick with her all-the-way win in Saturday’s Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa.Midway through last season, the daughter of Savabeel w...

Dashing Dixie Karaka Millions bound

Wexford Stables’ exciting juvenile filly Dashing Dixie (Alabama Express) is TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) bound following her debut victory at Te Rapa on Saturday.The daughter of Alabama Express had placed in her two trials over 800m leading into her first raceday appearance, and trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott were hopeful of a bold showing.In a compact field of four, Dashing Dixie jumped away well and maintained her advantage on the rail to take up the pace making role. S...

First Five storms to home track victory

Underrated sprinter First Five (Almanzor) produced a barnstorming finish to capture his first stakes victory when he took out the Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) at Te RapaCarrying the familiar colours of well-known thoroughbred identity Gerald Shand, the David Greene-prepared five-year-old has been a model of consistency in his career so far although his task on Saturday looked a daunting one with a quality line-up carded for the Group Three feature.Allowed to start at odds of better than $26 i...

Sharp ‘N’ Smart takes Waikato Cup in thrilling finish

Former Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Sharp ‘N’ Smart (Redwood) returned to the scene of that 2023 triumph to take out the Gr.3 SKYCITY Hamilton Waikato Cup (2400m) in a thrilling three-way finish to the Te Rapa staying feature.A triple Group One winner as a three-year-old, the Team Rogerson-prepared son of Redwood hadn’t been seen in the winners’ enclosure since his Derby triumph as the now six-year-old took on the best Australasia had to offer on both sides of the Tasman wh...

Surprise tactics see Hinekaha dominate from the front at Te Rapa

A change of tactics that saw promising mare Hinekaha (Savabeel) go straight to the front from barrier rise paved the way for her biggest success when she scored a game win in the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa.The lightly-raced four-year-old daughter of Savabeel had never lead in any of her previous eight starts, however trainer Andrew Forsman was keen to see rider Craig Grylls take the initiative from the start in the seven-horse line-up.“I spoke to Craig and we thought the log...

Iconic stallion makes his mark on agent

Sir Tristram could be a mean and unpredictable character, but a forgiving John White will always be in debt to the superstar stallion.The multiple champion sire possessed a notoriously nasty streak and always required vigilance and careful handling.“I went to Cambridge Stud when it first opened and I was Sir Tristram’s groom for five of the six years I was there and he was a bastard, but he made me a horseman,” White said.“I was very happy go lucky, but you had to be on your toes. He was...

Busuttin and Young look to homeland for top-up talent

Cranbourne trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young have swooped on a pair of progressive three-year-olds from their native New Zealand.Two-win filly Rising Star (Complacent) and last-start Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) third-placegetter Shoma are welcome additions to the stable.The Tim and Margaret Carter-trained Rising Star was an impressive winner at Tauranga in mid-November and will sport the colours of Seymour Bloodstock, with the filly’s original trainers also remaining in ...

La Dorada to make NZ return

Group One winner La Dorada (Super Seth) will make her New Zealand return at Te Rapa this weekend following a frustrating spring in Melbourne.The daughter of Super Seth was a standout juvenile last term for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, winning four of her five starts, including the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and was runner-up in the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m), on her way to being crowned New Zea...

Cooper’s Social Syndicates celebrates another big weekend

Brent Cooper’s band of syndication supporters enjoyed a weekend to remember with a winning double headed by star racemare Provence (Savabeel) in the Gr. 1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m).More than a decade and half since dipping his toe in the water by establishing the Auckland Racing Club’s Winners Circle Syndicate, Cooper takes special pleasure that the same group of enthusiasts is still in the winning groove.“When I was a director of the Auckland Racing Club, I came up with the idea of prov...

Cosmic Crusader heads big Kiwi-bred result in Northerly

New Zealand-breds filled three of the first four placings in Saturday’s A$1.5 million Tabtouch Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot, headed by tenacious and impressive winner Cosmic Crusader (Maurice).Carrying on from highly successful spring carnivals in Sydney and Melbourne, where Group One victories were recorded by Kiwi-breds Mr Brightside, Globe, Ka Ying Rising, Ceolwulf (two) and Jimmysstar, Cosmic Crusader brought up the seventh Group One win for the (NZ) suffix in Australia this season an...

Orchestral retired

Dual Group One winner Orchestral (Savabel) has been retired.The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained mare suffered an atrial fibrillation when running 10th in last month’s Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and the decision was made to bring the curtain down on her racing career.“Unfortunately, she had an atrial fibrillation in the race and her heart hasn’t come back to a normal rhythm,” Wellwood said. “That counts her out as being a racing prospect, so she has b...

The Scunner upsets in Spring Sprint

Lightly raced six-year-old The Scunner (Shamexpress) showed his last start runner-up finish at Group Three level was no fluke as he backed that effort up with another professional display to capture the Gr.3 Taylor Property Plus Spring Sprint (1400m) at Trentham.The Ashley Meadows-prepared son of Shamexpress was having just his 15th career start on Saturday but showed he has now hit his straps with a vengeance as he downed the top two favoured runners in the contest, Riccarton visitor Mysti...

Provence clinches close finish in Trentham Group One

It was an anxious few moments for the connections of Provence (Savabeel) as they waited to hear the judge’s call following the Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday, and they erupted when their mare’s name was called out first.In shades of the photo finish between Enzo’s Lad and Ferrando in the 2019 Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at the Upper Hutt track, there was a significant delay to the judge’s call as they studied the tight photo finish between Provence, Waitak and L...

Midnight Edition claims Concorde Stakes

Midnight Edition (Wrote), who has genuine claims to the title of most improved galloper in the North Island this season, stepped up to a new level at Pukekohe when he claimed the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes (1200m) in emphatic fashion.The Bruce Wallbank-trained four-year-old had shown plenty of promise during his three-year-old campaign, including a dead-heat for first with Yaldi in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) only to be relegated to second in a post-race protest.He finished that season off with ...

Stud stalwart revelling in Te Akau role

The Bloodstock Agents’ Federation of New Zealand (BAFNZ) is the leading professional body representing accredited bloodstock agents across the country.This series takes an in-depth look at the varying backgrounds of BAFNZ members and their work within the thoroughbred industry.Marcus Corban was a spectator when the first chapters of the rich Cambridge Stud story were written before becoming a central character in the nursery’s rise to domination.He was to spend four decades working alongside...

Kirstie Lang

This month’s BetaVet Under The Radar shines a spotlight on someone who helps manage the essential day-to-day workings of New Zealand’s Thoroughbred breeding records — Kirstie Lang. As Assistant Keeper of the Stud Book, Kirstie works alongside industry legend Julie Walker to ensure the integrity, accuracy, and future of New Zealand’s Thoroughbred lineage. With a lifelong passion for horses and more than a decade of experience across studs, racing operations, and the Stud Book itself, Kirs...

Stakes double for Westbury roster

New stakes winners for resident stallions Redwood and Tarzino were celebrated by Westbury Stud at the weekend.The former’s homebred daughter Pulsatilla (Redwood) produced a dominant performance to land the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m) at Ellerslie while Tarzino’s strapping son Tshiebwe romped home in the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m).The Shaun and Emma Clotworthy-trained Pulsatilla is also owned by stud principal Gerry Harvey and will follow a path toward the Gr...

Ammirati wins dramatic Wellington Stakes

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh won the Gr.3 Jennian Homes Wellington Stakes (1600m) for the fifth time at Otaki on Sunday with emerging talent Ammirati (Savabeel), but this was a win unlike any other.Marsh had previously taken out the three-year-old feature with Lucia Valentina (2013), Crown Prosecutor (2018), Scorpz (2019) and Zee Falls (2020).He went into Sunday confident of a bold showing from Ammirati, having commented during the week that the Savabeel gelding had “taken the next step” ...

Hustler too strong in Zipping Classic

Five-year-old mare She’s A Hustler (Ace High) continues to meet every challenge, defeating more seasoned rivals at weight-for-age in the Gr.2 Zipping Classic (2400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.The Grahame Begg-trained mare dug deep under regular rider Jordan Childs to defeat this year’s Gr.1 Australian Cup (2000m) winner Light Infantry Man as she emphatically ticked the mile and a half box.The New Zealand import has never finished out of the top two in 11 career starts, with seven victori...

Circus Dancer upstages rivals in Fillies’ Stakes upset

Unbeaten filly Circus Dancer (Circus Maximus) defied $25 odds to keep her perfect record intact in the Listed O’Learys Fillies’ Stakes (1340m) at Wanganui on Saturday.The $80,000 three-year-old fillies’ feature was the second start for the Cody Cole-trained filly, whose only previous appearance produced a maiden win by two and a quarter lengths at New Plymouth on October 24. She was sent out as the eighth favourite in a field of nine on Saturday, overshadowed by much higher-rated riva...