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Trelawney makes winning impact at Trentham

Brent and Cherry Taylor’s Trelawney Stud enjoyed a rewarding day at Trentham where the Waikato farm celebrated a winning double and collected further black type with a future member of their broodmare band.Promising farm graduate Thunder In Motion was successful in the opening event on Sunday’s card before the Trelawney silks were carried to victory by speedster Miss Jones and stakes placegetter Astoria Brooke.Per Incanto’s son Thunder In Motion only had two rivals to account for in thefra...

Coniston claims Sarten Memorial

Coniston (Wootton Bassett) got his Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) campaign back on track at Te Rapa on Labour Day when claiming the Gr.2 James & Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m).The son of Wootton Bassett wasn’t wanted by punters following his last placed finish over 1400m at Hastings a fortnight ago, with the market dominated by Te Akau Racing’s unbeaten colt System Of Play.Coniston was only fair away, but jockey Joe Doyle was able to navigate his charg...

Raging Blizzard heads Sha Tin quintet with New Zealand connections

New Zealand-bred sprinter Raging Blizzard (Per Incanto) gained a deserved stakes breakthrough in Sunday’s Gr.2 Premier Bowl Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin, heading a successful afternoon for horses with New Zealand connections.The Jamieson Park-bred gelding produced a powerful late finish to claim the HK$5.35 million feature for trainer John Size and jockey Brenton Avdulla, while four graduates of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale also struck on the programme.Speedy Power, Ka Ying...

Outstanding Myers ride helps Tisse win Thompson Handicap

New Plymouth gelding Tisse (Belardo) has broken through for a maiden black type success at Trentham, thanks in large part to a well-judged Kelly Myers ride.Allowed to start at odds of $18 in the Gr.3 Gee & Hickton Thompson Handicap (1600m), Tisse would have been at much longer odds on the final turn as he was several lengths behind the speed.But Myers kept to the inside of the track, taking gaps that arrived, and Tisse showed a devastating sprint to score by a short neck from The Scunne...

Sir Albert back to his best at Riccarton

Consistent performer Sir Albert (Savabeel) found his way to the top step of the podium at Riccarton on Saturday when he held out a determined bid from race favourite Hakkinen to secure victory in the Listed Pavilion Now Open Spring Classic (2000m).The Terri Rae-prepared runner went into the race off the back of a runner-up finish over 1600m at Ashburton and was cherry ripe for his tilt at successive victories in the race after winning in 2025.Rider Leah Hemi made good use of a handy barrier...

Te Akau Racing strike in Riccarton three-year-old feature

Exciting filly Sword Of Stars (Sword of State) thrust her name into contention for Group One glory at Riccarton next month when she downed a handy line-up of three-year-olds in the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton.The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained daughter of Te Akau Racing’s former champion juvenile Sword Of State, who now stands at Cambridge Stud, has always looked to have plenty of talent as she found the winner’s circle at her fifth start when breaking her maiden ...

Soverato secures valuable black type

Talented mare Soverato (Vadamos) headed a New Zealand-bred trifecta when she claimed the third and most significant win of her career to date in Saturday’s A$300,000 Gr.3 Powerflo Solutions Tesio Stakes (2040m) at Flemington.The daughter of Vadamos had shown bright promise as a three-year-old last season, winning twice and finishing third in the Gr.3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m), fourth in the Gr.2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m), fifth in the Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) and Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (...

Cosmic Crusader soars to Cox Plate glory

New Zealand-breds filled three of the first four placings in a unique running of the A$6 million Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Flemington on Saturday, and it was Cosmic Crusader (Maurice) who shone brightest of them all.The son of Maurice became the third horse foaled at Windsor Park Stud to win the iconic Cox Plate, following on from New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductees Might And Power (1998) and So You Think (2009 and 2010).The race billed as Australia’s weight-for-age championship was...

Riley’s achievement highlights a pathway into thoroughbred breeding

Riley’s achievement highlights a pathway into thoroughbred breeding Cambridge Stud’s Riley Bennett was recognised on Monday morning with the presentation of his Level 3 Equine Breeding qualification, marking an important milestone in his industry career.His achievement highlights the opportunity available to stud staff to build their knowledge, gain a recognised NZQA qualification and put their learning into practice every day.The 12-month course is free for both students and studs, wit...

Hennessy reflects on Ocean Park’s Cox Plate heroics

The Cox Plate is one of the most coveted prizes in Australasian racing, and while anticipation builds towards the 106th running on Saturday, Matamata horseman Gary Hennessy is reflecting fondly on his former star Ocean Park’s heroics in the weight-for-age feature 14 years ago.The son of Thorn Park proved to be a horse of a lifetime for the now-retired Hennessy, who operated a boutique stable with strong links to Hong Kong. He came across Ocean Park while searching for a Hong Kong Derby (2000m)...

Woburn Farm Presents quality draft at Ready to Run Sale

Woburn Farm’s Ready to Run Sale drafts have been a proven recipe for racetrack success in recent seasons, headed by multiple Group One-winning Hong Kong star Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse), and their 13-strong draft at Karaka next month will again command buyers’ attention.Lucky Sweynesse was offered by Woburn Farm at the 2020 Ready to Run Sale and was bought by J & I Bloodstock for $90,000. His 34-start career has produced 17 wins, eight placings and HK$84.97m (NZ$19.14m) in stakes �...

Group One beckons for gifted Monovale graduate

Exciting age group prospect Asturia (Almanzor) is on the trail of a Classic success, which brothers Joe and Max Smithies went frustratingly close to last term.The Waikato-based siblings bred the Almanzor filly under their Monovale Holdings banner and a dominant winning performance at Ellerslie has her in line for higher honours.The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained representative was a stylish winner of Saturday’s Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and is now a $1.90 favourite to claim nex...

Luck of the draw

All the thoroughbred fireworks took place in Australia this past weekend. In the lead up to Everest Day, all the talk was the Randwick track which mid-week was rated a Heavy 8. Miraculously, by race day it had improved to a Soft 7 and was upgraded to a Soft 6 after race one, such is the magnificence of StrathAyr’s technology. By race 7, The Everest itself, a Soft 5 surface was declared.The question marks surrounding Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) hot favourite Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) were two: How...

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...

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), ...

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...

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...

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...