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Kiwi Chronicles -Nowhere else to go

A week after Ellerslie’s Champions Day, the New Zealand stakes races scene was pretty quiet. Tauranga’s Japan Trophy (Gr 2, 1600m), the sole black-type race of the week, went to Omega Boy (Time Test), the spoils headed for the Central Districts as the five-year-old is trained by Peter and Trent Didham at Awapuni.Connections had little choice but to take on stakes class with a race-fit galloper. It would have been much easier to travel 75 kilometres to Wanganui compared with 400 kilometres to...

Entries Open for 2026 National Weanling Sale

Entries for NZB’s 2026 National Weanling Sale are now open, with the Sale set to be held at the Karaka Sales Centre on Thursday 25 June.Continuing as a dedicated weanling only format, the Sale is a happy hunting ground for those searching for their next pinhook success story or racetrack star. The Sale also offers breeders an attractive platform to sell their young stock to a strong international and domestic audience, with the added bonus of Karaka Millions eligibility.The weanling session in...

Long-term plan decides next mission for Omega Boy

With a view to what the long-term future holds for Saturday’s feature Tauranga winner Omega Boy (Time Test), the Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) will be next on his schedule to assess his middle-distance potential.Off the back of a Rating 75 1400m win a fortnight before at Hawera, trainers Peter and Trent Didham made a well calculated move to step their rapidly improving five-year-old up to Group Two northern company in the Ultimate Mazda Japan Trophy (1600m).Ridden by Cambridge apprentice Sam M...

Hong Kong stars Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior dominate LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings

Hong Kong-trained horses dominate the March edition of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, which were released on Thursday, 12 March, occupying the top two spots. David Hayes-trained Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) maintained his position as the top-rated horse in training with an international rating of 128, while Danny Shum’s Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) was ranked second with a rating of 124. Japan’s dirt giant Forever Young (Real Steel), trained by Yos...

Omega Boy takes out Tauranga feature

Awapuni visitors enjoyed back-to-back success at Tauranga when Omega Boy (Time Test) claimed the feature race on the card, the Gr.2 Ultimate Mazda Japan Trophy (1600m), just one race after Platinum Pantheon defeated a handy field of three-year-olds over 1200m.Omega Boy has always appealed as a galloper with plenty of quality and has come of age in his current campaign where he had won two of his last four starts while also running a strong fifth in the Gr.3 Phar Lap Trophy (1600m) followed ...

Feminino steps up to claim Group Three

Tulloch Lodge has unearthed a potential Gr.1 ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) filly after lightly raced Feminino (NZ) (Tivaci) graduated to stakes company in winning the Gr.3 Kembla Grange Classic (1600m).Feminino, having her first start since breaking maiden ranks at Warwick Farm in early February, covered extra ground before prevailing in a four-way finish over 1600m.She had a nose to spare from the $101 chance Burn The Sky (Zoustar) with Profoundly (Farnan) close-up in the minor placing ...

Service fee set for Champion 3YO SAVAGLEE

Group One Classic winner SAVAGLEE, the best credentialed stallion prospect of exceptional sire SAVABEEL has been confirmed to stand at Mapperley Stud. Purchased by a syndicate headed by Windsor Park Stud, Mapperley Stud and Lion Rock Bloodstock, SAVAGLEE was trained by Pam Gerard to win 7 races and over A$1.1 million in prizemoney. A debut winning two-year-old, and Group One performed at that age - just like his illustrious sire Savabeel - SAVAGLEE was subsequently crowned Champion Thr...

Kiwi Chronicles -No walkover

Five, ten or 20 years from now a glance at the result of the 2026 NZB Kiwi (Listed, 1500m), will read that the favourite, Well Written (Written Tycoon), duly won from Belle Cheval (Savabeel) by a very small margin.That is the cold fact but on site the race was electric, especially over the final few metres when Belle Cheval rushed hard late. Did Well Written hold on?Seconds later the crowd gasped when the head-on camera showed Well Written veering toward the outside rail. Did she contact Belle C...

Curtain comes down on Legarto’s career

The retirement of five-time Group One winner Legarto (Poisir) has been confirmed by her principal owners Philip and Catherine Brown.When the six-year-old won Saturday’s Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) it was accepted that was her final race in this country, but the possibility remained that she would have one further start in the Gr.1 Australian Cup at Flemington on March 28.However, following discussions between Legarto’s ownership group, which includes trainers Ken and Bev...

Breeders Reap $70,000 Pearl Series Prize with Elle Sourit

When Elle Sourit (NZ) (Ocean Park) took out the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final (1400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday, the $120,000 stake money was not the only winning claims for co-breeder and owner Carey Pearce. Unbeaten in four starts, Elle Sourit scored her share of a $100,000 bonus attached to the race on top of the base stake – $70,000 to the winner, $20,000 for second and $10,000 for third. Bred and raced by Anne Barr, Janine Bell, W...

Windsor Park’s Circus Maximus takes centre stage

Road To Paris (NZ) (Circus Maximus) crowned a momentous week for Windsor Park Stud when he provided the farm’s resident sire Circus Maximus with his first elite level success on Champions’ Day at Ellerslie.The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained representative triumphed in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) in the hands of Geroge Rooke for Queensland breeder-owners Ron and Judi Wanless.His victory came hard on the heels of Windsor Park, with Mapperley Stud and Lion Rock Racing, sign...

American Wolf (NZ) Wins Thrilling Adelaide Cup

At the end of a two-horse war that lasted the length of the Morphettville straight and brought the crowd to their feet, Karaka graduate American Wolf (NZ) (Tivaci) came out on top in Monday’s A$350,000 Group Two Adelaide Cup (3200m).Victorian-based expat New Zealand trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young paid $110,000 to buy American Wolf from Book 1 of Karaka 2023, where he was offered by Waikato Stud. American Wolf has now had 16 starts for three wins, five placings and A$416,58...

Campaldino stakes Sydney Cup claim in Randwick City Stakes

Last season’s Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (3200m) winner Campaldino (Ghibellines) has another big two-mile feature on his radar and took a big step in that direction in Saturday’s A$200,000 Listed Randwick City Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are working backwards from the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 11 with the Ghibellines gelding, who had resumed with an eye-catching fifth in the Gr.3 Parramatta Cup (1900m) at Rosehill on February 21.Campaldino was even b...

Sweynesday wins sensational King’s Plate

Promising sprinter Sweynesday (Sweynesse) claimed victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m) at Ellerslie in sensational circumstances after race favourite Alabama Lass crashed into the inside running rail when looking set for victory at the 100m mark.The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained son of Novara Park stallion Sweynesse jumped nicely from an outside barrier draw and went forward to sit outside Alabama Lass as she set up a steady speed in front.Rider Masa Has...

Elle Sourit impresses in Pearl Series Final

In a thrilling conclusion to New Zealand’s richest raceday, Champions Day at Ellerslie, promising mare Elle Sourit (Ocean Park) retained her unbeaten record as she powered home to take out the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final (1400m).Racing during the day had been of the highest calibre and the last race on the card didn’t disappoint as the Andrew Forsman-prepared daughter of Ocean Park came from well back in the running with an undeniable run that took her to her fourth win from...

Road to Paris leads to Derby Gold

The name Roger James is synonymous with the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) and the Cambridge conditioner has done it once again when he and training partner Roger Wellwood produced the quinella in this year’s HKJC World Pool-sponsored Classic with Road To Paris (NZ) (Circus Maximus) and Autumn Glory (NZ) (Ocean Park).James had won the feature three-year-old staying contest on six prior occasions, starting with freakish filly Tidal Light (NZ) (Diagramatic) in partnership with Jim Gibb...

Clever ride benefits Arcadia Park in Bunbury Cup

Bob Peters shared a LR Bunbury Cup (2000m) in 2022 when True Attraction (More Than Ready) dead-heated with Paddy’s Shadow (Dane Shadow) and there were more anxious moments before Arcadia Park (NZ) (Ocean Park) won the Bunbury Cup outright for the leading owner-breeder on Saturday.Arcadia Park (Photo / Western Racepix) sat midfield in the running line behind front-runner Fancy Red (Sessions) before Clint Johnston-Porter pulled the trigger at the 900m.  The surprise move caught th...

Legarto salutes in Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes

In what could be her swansong in New Zealand, class mare Legarto (Proisir) put in her best performance at Ellerslie when she stormed home to collar a game Waitak and claim the Gr. 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) on Saturday.It made for a welcome change of luck for trainers Ken and Bev Kelso who had to endure the nightmare scenario of their sprinter Alabama Lass crashing through the running rail when set for victory in the Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m) two races earlier.Bi...

Savaglee finds new home

Less than a week after the announcement of his retirement from racing, Group One-winning stallion Savaglee (Savabeel) has found a new home as he enters the next chapter of his career at stud.A syndicate headed by Windsor Park Stud, Mapperley Stud and Lion Rock Bloodstock have secured the son of Savabeel following his 17-start career for Matamata trainer Pam Gerard, which netted seven wins, with five at Group level, including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), and a runner-up perform...

Meet the Breeder -Karen Stewart

This week on Dunstan Horse Feeds’ Meet the Breeder, we also caught up with Karen Stewart, the breeder behind Noble Knight, who claimed victory in the Listed Positive Signs + Print Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) last Saturday.Tell us the story of Noble KnightGrowing up in Wingatui, my favourite horse in my father’s racing team was a liver chestnut mare called Tranquil Flight. She was one of a few horses Dad trained for the late Mr W.G. Jefferies, and I instantly became a fan of the Flight bree...

Zania Slabber -Blog 1

Keith & Faith Taylor Equine Scholarship recipient Zania Slabber gives an update on her time at the Irish National Stud.We arrived in Ireland just over two months ago, which was quite an adjustment, coming straight from the New Zealand summer into the cold and wet Irish winter.During my first week, I joined the stallion trail and visited studs such as Ballylinch Stud, Castlehyde Stud, and Coolmore Stud. It was a great opportunity to see some of Ireland’s top stallions up close, including Lo...

Joe Moore -Blog 1

Six weeks into my journey through the breeding course at the Irish National Stud, Zania and I finally made it to Ireland after a long couple of flights. Welcomed by a major temperature change — and one of the stud staff — we were taken 45 minutes up the motorway to the stud in Kildare.After being introduced to a great group of 23 other students from all around the world, we decided to break the ice by heading to the local pub — somewhere we have since spent plenty of time.Over my time so f...

Meet the Breeder -Michael Stokes

This week on Dunstan Horse Feeds’ Meet the Breeder, we speak with Michael Stokes, who together with his friend Alister McCann bred Cluedo Lane, the impressive winner of the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Weight For Age (1600m) at Wingatui last Saturday. Tell us the story of Cluedo Lane I bred Cluedo Lane with my friend Alister McCann. We purchased his dam, Treat Me, at the Karaka Mixed Bloodstock Sale. She won two races for us and showed exceptional speed before an accident in the starting gates unfort...

Haunui proudly flying Kiwi flag

The second running of the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie on Saturday is already a major triumph for Karaka nursery Haunui Farm.The stud has a remarkable five graduates chasing the richest prize in Australasia for three-year-olds with Romanoff (NZ) (Belardo), He Who Dares (NZ) (Snitzel), L’Aigle Noir (NZ) (Ribchester), War Princess (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) and Lollapalooza (NZ) (El Roca) in contention for the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race.“The amazing thing is that...

NZ Derby hero returning home

Last year’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) hero Willydoit (Tarzino) is returning home.The son of Tarzino was a standout three-year-old last term for trainers Shaun and Emma Clotworthy, winning four of his six starts, including the New Zealand Derby.MyRacehorse Australia bought 50 percent of the gelding mid-season, with the Clotworthys and Bryan Black retaining the remainder of the ownership.He crossed the Tasman to run fourth in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) before joining the stable ...