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Ohope Wins remembered for her kindness and talent

Kind, athletic, willing to learn, and immensely talented.These are the memories Andrew Scott has of Ohope Wins (Ocean Park), the dual Oaks winner he and Lance O’Sullivan prepared for the first part of her career.Ohope Wins, transferred to the Sydney stable of Chris Waller in March, was brought down in yesterday’s Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), unable to avoid Half Yours when he fell in the straight. The injuries were so severe that she had to be euthanised by the on-course veterinarian.“She w...

Asturia puts her name into contention for Riccarton fillies feature

Te Akau Racing looks to have another strong hand in the upcoming Group One features for the three-year-olds at Riccarton next month with Asturia (Almanzor) laying down a stern challenge to all Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) candidates with a stunning victory at Ellerslie.The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared daughter of Cambridge Stud stallion Almanzor had impressed with her debut victory over 1400m at Ellerslie in September before tackling the boys in the Gr.2 H...

Saintly Dancer shows her class in Thousand Guineas

New Zealand-bred filly Saintly Dancer (St Mark's Basilica) completed a notable spring double with victory in the A$1.5 million Gr.1 Stow Storage Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday.The daughter of St Mark’s Basilica became the sixth filly in the last 30 years to win both the Gr.2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) and the Guineas, joining Inaflury (1998), Special Harmony (2003), Alinghi (2004), Gallica (2008) and Amphitrite (2018).A maiden winner at Sandown in August, Saintly Da...

War Machine back to brilliant best in Harry White Stakes

A year after taking on Ka Ying Rising in the Gr.1 The Everest (1200m), the connections of War Machine (Harry Angel) were happy to be a big fish in a smaller pond on Saturday.The Group One-winning gelding returned to winning form with a determined performance to take out the A$240,000 Gr.3 Harry White Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.The New Zealand-bred War Machine earned his way into last year’s Everest with seven wins from his first 14 starts, including the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), ...

Ethereal enjoying retirement at Pencarrow Stud

This Saturday will mark a quarter of a century since Ethereal’s (NZ) (Rhythm) win in the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), and the blue hen is still enjoying life at Pencarrow Stud, near Cambridge, at the ripe old age of 29.Bred by Pencarrow Stud principals Sir Peter and the late Philip Vela, Ethereal was by American-bred stallion Rhythm and out of the farm’s globetrotting mare Romanee Conti, who had won stakes races in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong, including the 1992 Gr.3 Hong Kong Intern...

The sky is the limit

Chief among the results from Saturday is the now massive stallion-potential of Warwoven (Sword Of State) who answered every question with a dominant victory in the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). The colt’s rider Rachel King was in awe post race, exclaiming: “I have never sat on a horse like this.”In advance of the $3 million race the story was about the friendly rivalry between the trainers of the two favoured runners. Warwoven’s Bjorn Baker and Trent Busuttin, trainer of Blind Raise (...

Kiwi connections shine with five Sha Tin winners

New Zealand-bred and sourced horses enjoyed another successful afternoon at Sha Tin on Sunday, winning five races on the 11-race programme.Shinyu Kokoroe (NZ), Armour War Eagle (NZ), Jolly Brilliant (NZ), Megastar Heart and Ka Ying Attack (NZ) all saluted, with the latter helping Australian trainer David Hall celebrate his 700th Hong Kong victory.Hall reached the milestone when Ka Ying Attack scored, becoming the 10th current Hong Kong trainer to reach 700 wins.“It’s not something you go to ...

Breeder’s plan comes to fruition in Livamol

Harry Parslow bred Who Knows (Redwood) with the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) in mind, and his plan came to fruition when she placed behind Waitak and Tuxedo in last Saturday’s Hawke’s Bay feature.Who Knows’ family has a strong association with the race, with her granddam, Cinder Bella, having won it in 2001 when known as the Kelt Capital Stakes. Cinder Bella had a glittering career, which also included victory in the Gr. Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), a race that could also be in the crossha...

Seymour success gives Wymark country cup hat-trick

A perfectly executed ride by Jett Stanley helped Wymark (NZ) (Savabeel) secure his third Victorian country Cup on Sunday.Stanley came with a late charge aboard the Gavin Bedggood-trained stayer to take out the Listed Seymour Cup, adding to the horse’s wins in the Yarra Valley Cup and Stawell Gold Cup earlier this year.The $13 chance was too good for Magnaspin ($21), while Lim’s Saltoro ($7.50) boxed on well to finish third. Detonator Jack, who started favourite at $4.80, was sixth, with Stor...

War Princess strikes Hastings hattrick

The superlatives were flowing once again at Hastings for amazing mare War Princess (US Navy Flag)as she sat three wide throughout the Gr.3 Timberspan Spring Sprint (1400m) before displaying her undoubted will to win as she defeated Matamata raider Affirmative Action and the late closing Amazing Son in a thrilling finish to the Group Three contest.The victory completed a winning treble to commence her Spring campaign, with all three wins coming at the Hastings track.Trainers Peter and son Trent D...

Satono Glow shines in Roman Consul triumph

Talented New Zealand-bred filly Satono Glow (Satono Aladdin) continued her march towards the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) with an impressive victory in Saturday’s Gr.2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.The daughter of Rich Hill Stud stallion Satono Aladdin produced a powerful finish under Zac Lloyd to claim the 1200m feature by a length and a half, taking her record to four wins from five starts.Trained by John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, Satono Glow ($2.60) swept down the outsi...

Waitak the warrior wins Hastings Group One war

Just two weeks ago veteran warhorse Waitak (Proisir) and progressive performer Tuxedo went head to head in a thrilling finish to the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) at Hastings with the decision at the winning post that day favouring Waitak by a short half-head.Race fans didn’t have to wait long for a resumption of hostilities between the pair as they headed back to Hastings to tackle the jewel of the Spring triple crown, the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) a fortnight later.Those who wer...

Pollock and Hamilton awarded 2027 Irish National Stud scholarships

Faith Pollock and Brooke Hamilton have been named the recipients of the 2027 Irish National Stud Scholarship, following a highly competitive selection process. A record number of applications—the most the NZTBA has ever received—and an exceptional depth of talent made choosing this year’s recipients no easy task.The NZTBA is sincerely grateful to the family at Trelawney Stud for once again supporting two scholarship places, giving both Faith and Brooke the opportunity to travel to Ireland,...

Cambridge Stud stalwart Margaret Fife remembered

Long-time Cambridge Stud employee and respected Waikato horsewoman Margaret Fife is being remembered for her extraordinary work ethic, loyalty and willingness to help others following her passing last week.Margaret passed away at Waikato Hospital last Friday, having spent a significant part of her working life alongside Sir Patrick Hogan at Cambridge Stud and Monarch Farm.Her involvement in the thoroughbred industry stretched well beyond Cambridge Stud. During a storied career she also worked fo...

Nick Johnson - Final Update

Dear members,So there it is, my last official day at the NZTBA has come to an end.The last three years have been an absolute pleasure, and it has been a genuine honour to have held this role.The NZTBA has been around since 1948 and will be around for a long time yet. People like me come and go, so I won’t treat this as some sort of obituary for my time in the job! But reaching the end does give you a chance to stop and reflect.I told the story in my very first update of my obsession with this ...

Cataldo recruits on Classic trail

New Zealand bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo has enjoyed a rewarding weekend, with Australian recruits Miss Waititi and De Armas enhancing their Classic prospects at Flemington and Randwick.Miss Waititi surged to favouritism for the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m) with a decisive victory against the males in the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m), while De Armas is likely to be supplemented for the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) after finishing a neck runner-up in the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m).For Cataldo, ...

26 Years of Sayyida - A Legacy That Lives On

Trelawney Stud blue hen Sayyida has sadly passed away at the age of 26 and is now laid to rest on the farm she called home, with a special plaque marking her place and the remarkable legacy she leaves behind.Purchased as a yearling and trained by Roger James for Brent and Cherry Taylor, Sayyida was rated a top chance for the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby during her three-year-old season before suffering a career-ending injury in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas. Painstakingly nursed back to health, the two-ti...

Kiwi Chronicles - Job done

As a breeding establishment, Trelawney Stud’s job is to breed winners, especially stakes winners. The stud typically operates at the higher end of the market but occasionally they retain the odd filly. It’s a nice way to join breeding to racing.Not so long ago they bred Two Illicit (Jimmy Choux). By sale time, buyers had lost interest in her sire but Trelawney’s Brent Taylor liked her style and decided she was worth a punt. A career of eight wins including the Group 1 Captain Cook Stakes (...

New Zealand-bred Definitive delivers for War Decree in Hong Kong

New Zealand-bred gelding Definitive (NZ) (War Decree) stepped up with an emphatic first Class 2 victory at Sha Tin on Sunday, winning the HK$3.12 million Muk Min Ha Handicap (1650m) on the dirt for trainer David Eustace.The five-year-old son of War Decree made the most of a light weight and a well-judged ride from Karis Teetan to score by two and a quarter lengths over Talents Ambition (Into Mischief), with Sky Vino (Vino Rosso) third.Bred by Ysberg Bloodstock, Definitive is out of the Rip Van W...

Breeding group toasts Flemington stakes success

An international partnership savoured a top result at Flemington on Saturday when Miss Waititi broke her maiden in style in the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m).The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained daughter of Circus Maximus was bred by Windsor Park Stud with the Singapore-based Ben Kwok and Australian’s Katom, an entity of Coolmore.“She’s always been very highly regarded by the stable and earlier in the year they spruiked her to us as one that would really go places,” Windsor P...

Inglewood Stud Tests the Waters with Ready to Run Sale Draft

The South Island’s Inglewood Stud is renowned for the quality of yearling drafts they bring north to Karaka on a regular basis, but next month’s NZB Ready to Run Sale takes the respected nursery into uncharted territory.It will be Inglewood Stud’s first time selling horses at the world’s leading sale of two-year-olds.“It’s a new thing for us,” said Gus Wigley, who owns and operates Inglewood Stud with his wife Bianca.“It’s obviously a sale that’s done very, very well, and the...

Saintly Dancer has Hawkins dreaming of Guineas glory

The Hawkins family are hoping Saintly Dancer (St Mark's Basilica) can go a couple of places better than former star graduate Lickety Split in the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday week.The Wentwood Grange-bred filly emerged as a leading contender with a dominant six-length win in the Gr.2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.It was a familiar result for the Cambridge nursery, which won the same race four years ago with Lickety Split, who subsequently finished th...

Miss Waititi showcases Oaks credentials

Windsor Park Stud stallion Circus Maximus is an emerging sire of classic three-year-olds, and another one may have been unveiled at Flemington on Saturday when Miss Waititi (NZ) (Circus Maximus) took out the A$175,000 Listed Howden Super Impose Stakes (1800m).Circus Maximus finished a close second behind Hello Youmzain on New Zealand’s second-season sire standings in 2026-27. His first crop of three-year-olds produced two stakes winners in New Zealand including Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) w...

Saintly Dancer spectacular in Edward Manifold

A six-length blitz by Saintly Dancer (St. Mark's Basilica) in the A$300,000 Gr.2 TAB One Pool Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday continued an outstanding start to the Australasian three-year-old filly season for the Hawkins family’s Llanhennock Trust and Wentwood Grange.Saintly Dancer was bred by Llanhennock Trust and offered under their Wentwood Grange banner at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where First Light Racing and Ciaron Maher Bloodstock bo...

Melbourne Group One glory for Cosmic Crusader

Already proven at the elite level in Perth, Cosmic Crusader (Maurice) made his Group One mark in Melbourne on Saturday with a triumph in the A$750,000 TAB Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.The New Zealand-bred gelding soared through the Western Australian ranks with eight wins, culminating in the Gr.1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) last December.Owner-breeder Bob Peters decided to see how his latest star measured up in the east this spring, and he transferred him into the Pakenham stable of A...