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Per Incanto youngsters continue to shine

Little Avondale Stud’s resident stallion Per Incanto (Street Cry) has turned back the clock this season with the farm stalwart’s younger offspring doing him proud.The Masterton nursery enjoyed further juvenile success on Saturday when homebred youngster Incandescent triumphed in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie.“Per Incanto has had four black-type two-year-olds this year, as we know he’s never really been known as a sire of two-year-olds except for his first crop,”...

Bernborough breakthrough for War Eternal

Previously a triple black-type placegetter and fourth at Group One level, War Eternal (Pierro) broke through for a deserved feature-race success in Saturday’s A$200,000 Listed Sky Racing Bernborough Handicap (1600m) at Doomben.The New Zealand-bred gelding is a seven-year-old now and has been competing at a high level since his three-year-old days, when he finished second in the Gr.3 Spring Stakes (1600m), third in the Gr.2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) and fourth in Converge’s Gr.1 Randw...

Western Empire wins second Belmont Sprint

Remarkable Kiwi-bred veteran Western Empire (NZ) (Iffraaj) took his career earnings past A$3.5 million with a first-up victory in the A$200,000 Gr.3 Drummond Golf Belmont Sprint (1400m) in Perth on Saturday.It was the eight-year-old Iffraaj gelding’s second win in the Belmont feature and his 11th black-type success overall – a list that also features the Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1600m) and Gr.2 Western Australian Derby (2400m) in 2021 along with four other Group Three races and th...

Riverplate too tough in Rangitikei Gold Cup

Consistent performer Riverplate (Flying Artie) showed his rivals no mercy as he ran them into the dust when taking out the Listed James Bull Rangitikei Gold Cup (1600m) at Otaki on Saturday.The Andrew Campbell-prepared galloper has been in a purple patch of form of late and that continued in the hands of red-hot apprentice Toni Davies who claimed a winning treble with a heady frontrunning ride.After jumping well from barrier two, Riverplate held out Cambridge galloper Khafre for the early p...

Incandescent claims stakes honours at Ellerslie

Incandescent (Per Incanto) bookended his two-year-old season with winning results for his army of owners after claiming top honours in the Listed Cloudsoft Accounting Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.Raced by MyRacehorse and Ridgeport Holdings, the son of Per Incanto started his career in winning fashion when victorious over 1100m at Ellerslie in November, and he followed that with a series of minor placings, including a runner-up performance behind stablemate Excite in the...

Kiwi-bred Kilman adds to Waller’s Rough Habit run

Champion trainer Chris Waller claimed a fourth straight win in A$250,000 Gr.3 HKJC World Pool Rough Habit Plate (2000m) at Doomben on Saturday, with three of those winners being New Zealand-breds.Kilman (Super Seth) led all the way for a $25 upset in the 2026 edition of the key Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) trial, following on from the 2025 winner Imperialist, 2024 winner Tannhauser and 2023 winner Special Swey. Kilman, Imperialist and Special Swey all carry the (NZ) suffix.Saturday’s Rough Ha...

Zania Slabber -Blog 2

This week, we caught up again with Zania Slabber, one of our 2026 Irish National Stud Scholarship recipients, to hear more about her experience abroad and what she’s been up to since beginning her journey at the world-renowned Irish National Stud.'Since the last blog, time has absolutely flown by. It’s been all go on the yards with peak season in full swing, foals hitting the ground, mares coming and going for covers, and young foals running around everywhere.At the beginning of March, we ha...

Joe Moore -Blog 2

This week, we catch up with Joe Moore, one of our Irish National Stud recipients of 2026 to hear more about his experience and journey since our last catch-up.'I am now just under 4 months into the course with around 2 months to go. Over the course of time since my last blog I have had an incredible time continuing to learn, build connections, and most of all enjoy the experience of a lifetime. Since my last update I have spent time all over the farm. From foaling mares in Sun chariot ...

Quality quintet live on Gavelhouse Plus

The Gavelhouse Plus May Premium Broodmare Sale is live featuring five Lots and bidding is set to close from 7pm (NZT) on Wednesday 20th May.Marsh Racing’s recently retired Hitabell (NZ) (Embellish) and Glamour Tycoon (AUS) (Written Tycoon) are the first two Lots in the sale followed by Haunui Farm and Frantic Bloodstock’s trio of mares; Rondinella (NZ) (Ocean Park), Sudbina (NZ) (Almanzor) and Tinnelly (NZ) (O’Reilly).Both Rondinella and Sudbina are offered in foal to the now Coolmore Aust...

Group Three win a family affair

Award-winning racing photographer Trish Dunell scored a sentimental victory last Saturday when her filly Fringes (Niagara) took out the Gr.3 SA Fillies Classic (2546m) at Morphettville.While international stakes success is nothing new to Dunell, Saturday’s win meant more than most, with the filly named after her four grandchildren.“Fringes I named after my grandchildren – Greta, Freda, Fergus and Sienna,” Dunell said. “The name Fringes is made up from the letters of their names. I...

Catalogue Online for National Weanling Sale

The countdown to NZB’s 2026 National Weanling Sale is underway, with a high quality catalogue of 140 youngsters by New Zealand’s best stallions now available to view online at nzb.co.nz, with physical copies arriving in mailboxes soon.Set to be held on Thursday 25 June at Karaka, the Sale offers an abundance of opportunities for both pinhookers and end users to secure commercial and racing stock, with the session a proven source of racetrack and investment success.Buyers will have ...

Outa my way!

Described by owner Trish Dunell as “my lovely girl”, South Australian Fillies Classic (Gr 3, 2546m) winner Fringes (Niagara) has another side to her. The evidence is the filly’s rugged determination from the 200-metre mark as favourite Cushioned (Ghaiyyaith) bore out, effectively closing the gate for Fringes.Instead of being halted, Fringes shouldered her way alongside the Godolphin filly and forged a way through. This put her off stride for a second or two but there was still a race to be...

Pencarrow provides headline Rotorua act

A pair of Irish-bred mares by the great Fastnet Rock combined for a near perfect day at Arawa Park for Pencarrow Stud.The Cambridge nursery’s representative Churchillian (Churchill) is the first foal of Fond De Coeur and headlined the program when she doubled her black-type tally with victory in the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) on Saturday for trainer Tony Pike.In partnership with Katom, Pencarrow also bred and sold Midnight Train, with the promising three-year-old running a close second i...

Nightline puts Oaks rivals on notice

Tony and Maddysen Sears are counting down the days to the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) after a highly impressive audition at the Gold Coast on Saturday by their New Zealand-bred filly Nightline (Redwood).The father-daughter training partnership teamed up with Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catheryne Bruggeman to buy Nightline for $75,000 from Book 2 of the 2024 NZB National Yearling Sale at Karaka, where she was offered by Westbury Stud.The Redwood filly has already earned A$294,100 in stakes from ...

Gosford Gold Cup completes black-type double for Asterix

Former Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Asterix (Tavistock) took 11 races and more than a year to record his first stakes victory in Australia, but now he has gone back-to-back.The seven-year-old added a supreme weight-carrying performance in Saturday’s A$300,000 Listed Guardian Safety Solutions Gosford Gold Cup (2100m) to his last-start success in the Gr.3 JRA Plate (2000m) at Randwick on April 18.Asterix was lumbered with 61 kilograms on Saturday against a highly competitive Gosfor...

Fringes to the fore in Fillies’ Classic

A move across the Tasman has reaped rewards for New Zealand filly Fringes (Niagara), who impressively won the A$170,000 Gr.3 Ken and Helen Smith SA Fillies’ Classic (2546m) at Morphettville on Saturday.Bred and raced by renowned New Zealand racing photographer Trish Dunell, Fringes began her career in the Levin stable of Ilone Kelly and won on debut at Otaki on Boxing Day. She was unplaced in her two subsequent New Zealand starts, including a ninth in the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m).Dunell mov...

Churchillian too strong in Rotorua Stakes

Cambridge mare Churchillian (Churchill) left her rivals in her wake when claiming her second victory at stakes level in the Gr.3 Rotorua ITM Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.The Tony Pike-prepared six-year-old looked to be one of many pace influences in the contest, but once rider Joe Doyle took her to the lead and held out race favourite Kitty Flash in the early skirmishes for control of the speed, it looked like the rest of the quality line-up of fillies and mares would have their hands full tr...

Forsman completes northern feature double

Cambridge conditioner Andrew Forsman had been looking for a memorable return over the weekend with runners in feature events at Waverley and Rotorua, along with progressive filly Simply Red who was in Australia to contest the Listed Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m) at the Gold Coast later in the day.Things fell into place nicely in New Zealand with a winning double for loyal stable clients the Carter family, under their Jomara Bloodstock banner, as Mr Mojo Risin’ took out the main race at Waverley,...

Australian Group One glory for Desert Lightning in Goodwood

Desert Lightning (Prode of Dubai) is now a Group One winner on both sides of the Tasman after prevailing in a nail-biting finish to the A$1 million Sportsbet Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on Saturday.Raced by Barneswood Farm’s Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer, Desert Lightning was guided through the early part of his career by the highly respected and now retired trainers Peter and Dawn Williams. He won five races for them including the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), Gr.2 Avondale Guineas ...

Windsor Park has announced its 2026 stallion roster and fees, headed by Auguste Rodin and Paddington.

Auguste Rodin, the best-of-the-best son of breed shaper Deep Impact, will return to Windsor Park after covering an outstanding first book of mares and is confirmed to stand for his second season at a fee of $30,000 + GST....

Provence sold for A$1.8 million

Triple Group One winner Provence (Savabeel) will join Yulong Investments’ star-studded broodmare band after being purchased by the thoroughbred juggernaut at Inglis’ Chairman’s Sale on Thursday for A$1.8 million.Bred by Tony Rider, Provence is by champion New Zealand stallion Savabeel and out of winning Flying Spur mare Sombreuil, who is also the dam of inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) victor Damask Rose.Retained by Rider, Provence was raced by the Milan Park principal in partn...

Mapperley Stud Announces 2026 Service Fees

Mapperley Stud has added further fire power to their 2026 stallion roster with the acquisition of Champion 3 year-old Savaglee who stands for an introductory fee of $17,500+gst. One of the best credentialed sons of Savabeel to retire to stud, Savaglee joins Armory and Profondo on their roster offering breeders access to three of the most influential sire lines in the world.“We were absolutely thrilled to secure Savaglee to stand at Mapperley – a sharp group winn...

Any Luck prevails in the Warrnambool Cup

Kate Walters dedicated her 2026 Warrnambool Cup to the late Dean Holland, as her father Wayne’s Any Luck (NZ) (Puccini) denied favourite Alder (Australia) in a thriller on Thursday.Backing up from a solid effort on Tuesday, Any Luck was unwanted in betting and wide, but travelled well throughout the 2350-metre journey, moving into contention early in the straight.Alder ($4) fought valiantly to continue his superb form off a long-term layoff, but the Walters’ ultra-tough galloper wo...

Marsh mares add further quality to Gavelhouse Plus auction

An upcoming Gavelhouse Plus auction that was already confirmed to contain Haunui Farm-Frantic Bloodstock mares Rondinella, Sudbina and Tinelly has been further boosted by the addition of two stakes winning members of Stephen Marsh’s Cambridge stable.Stephen Marsh Racing will offer Group Two winner Hitabell and dual Listed winner Glamour Tycoon in a high-quality online offering.“They’ve been two standout mares for us and it’s now at the stage of their careers where it’s time to offer th...

Derby success adds to Sweynesse’s golden run

Novara Park Stud stallion Sweynesse is enjoying a golden run of late, highlighted by his son Wigmore’s victory in Saturday’s Gr.1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville.The Karlene Murdoch and Shirley M Trust-bred gelding has flown under the radar this season but showed his potential when running fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie in March for former trainer Caley Myers.He was subsequently purchased by trans-Tasman syndicator OTI Racing and he has been entrust...