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Group One win calls for celebration

There were celebrations aplenty in the Schick and Davison households last weekend after Callsign Mav (Atlante [AUS] - Raadisi) won the Gr.1 MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield. “A Group One is a Group One and worth celebrating,” Windsor Park Studmaster Rodney Schick said. “Dad was happy, I was happy, Sims (Davison) was happy, and we celebrated well. Dad felt very proud of the win, being Sims step-father and seeing us boys breed a Group One winner together. Even though we don’t have...

Dazzling filly Oaks Bound

Beaufort Downs may be one of the youngest thoroughbred nurseries in New Zealand, but they are already starting to leave their mark on the Australasian racing landscape. The North Canterbury Farm has been in operation for less than five years and look to have bred one of the leading contenders for the Gr.1 Victoria Oaks (2500m) in So Dazzling (So You Think - Dazzling Lady). The daughter of So You Think stamped her mark this spring with a three-quarter of a length victory in the Oaks Preview (1800...

Broodmare gem passes away

Broodmare gem Opulence has passed away after foaling a healthy filly foal at Grangewilliam Stud on Saturday. The 17-year-old Danroad mare was crowned New Zealand Broodmare of the Year for the second consecutive season at the New Zealand Breeding Awards last month after the deeds of her 11-time Group One-winning daughter Verry Elleegant and stakes-winning son Verry Flash. Grangewilliam Stud has been home to Opulence for the last decade and she has brought much acclaim to the South Taranaki farm t...

One Kiss stakes her claim for higher honours

Lightly raced three-year-old One Kiss (Tivaci x Discreet Evening) strengthened her claim for higher honours when she dominated proceedings to take out the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton. Bred and raced by Wellington businessman Lib Petagna under his JML Bloodstock banner, the daughter of Waikato Stud stallion Tivaci, who was also raced by Petagna, was taken south by trainer Mark Walker after finishing seventh on debut at Taupo last month. Rider Opie Bo...

Smokin' Romans snares Caulfield Cup berth

Venerable six-year-old Smokin' Romans (Ghibellines x Inferno) has qualified for next month’s Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) with a gritty on-speed performance to win the Gr.3 MRC Foundation Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday in the hands of Ethan Brown. The New Zealand-bred son of Ghibellines leapt from 57th in order of entry to be free from the ballot for a Caulfield Cup start after staving off the challenge of Uncle Bryn and stablemate Gold Trip to score by three-quarters of a length. It was ...

Callsign Mav records popular fourth Group One win

New Zealand-bred six-year-old Callsign Mav (Atlante x Raadisi) showed all of his fighting qualities when landing the Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday, providing popular heavy-weight jockey Jamie Mott with his first elite-level victory. A three-time Group One winner in his native New Zealand for Hastings trainer John Bary, who remains in the ownership, the son of Atlante dug deep to score narrowly from I Am Superman and Tuvalu. At his sixth run for Victorian trainer ...

Highview celebrate WROTE milestone

There was a sense of relief at Highview last weekend as Wrote (IRE) (High Chaparral [IRE]-Desert Classic [GB]) sired his first stakes winner when Best Seller (ex Star Amazing) won the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes. “That was good he needed to do something,” Highview proprietor Brent Gillovic said. “Being by High Chaparral, Wrotes were always going to take a little time. This is his second crop of three-year-olds, and there are more of them and they are better types than the first crop. That’s w...

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - remembering the patron of the NZTBA

Over the past week a lot has been written about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her love of horses. On each of her 10 visits to New Zealand, dating back to 1953, a visit to the races or a horse breeding establishment was always included and over the last week photos of her at Ellerslie, Riccarton and Trentham as well as various farms have been shared in the media. The NZTBA was privileged to have Her Majesty the Queen as their patron, the Association being one of only five organisations in N...

Embellish’s first trial winner ready to go

Cambridge Stud stallion Embellish was represented by his first trial winner on Tuesday when home-bred and raced filly Luberon gave a professional display to claim her two-year-old heat on the synthetic track at Cambridge. The Group One winner’s daughter was quickly into stride for Vinnie Colgan and coasted to the line under hands and heels riding to comfortably land her 800m heat. Trained by Lance Noble, Luberon had finished third in her only other trial appearance last month at Ruakaka and is...

​Rich Hill stallion double delights studmaster John Thompson

Given time to reflect, Rich Hill Stud boss John Thompson is getting immense satisfaction from Saturday's red-letter day for the Matamata farm. Rich Hill Stud stallions sired the winners of both Group One races run in Australasia on Saturday: Shocking's son I'm Thunderstruck producing a dazzling finish to secure a narrow win in the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington, while closer to home Proisir four-year-old Dark Destroyer won the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings. "People who d...

Dynastic wins the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m).

Last season’s Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner Dynastic (NZ) (Almanzor/Meir) made a successful return to racing when he displayed a touch of class in taking out the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m). The Mark Walker-trained son of Almanzor had opened a well favoured $2.70 chance for the first feature race on the card at Hastings, however concerns about him handling the holding nature of the Heavy10 rated surface saw him drift in the betting to start second favourite ($3.90) behind...

Dark Destroyer wins Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings

Dark Destroyer (NZ) (Proisir / All Can Party), one of last season’s top three-year olds showed he has come back as a spring four-year-old in fine fettle as he produced a resolute finish to take out the first Group One of the New Zealand season, the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained son of Proisir hadn’t been seen since completing a successful campaign in Brisbane during the winter where he took out the Gr.3 Rough Habit Plate (2143m) befo...

I’m Thunderstruck Wins Thrilling Gr.1 PFD Food Services Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m)

With a Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m), A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) and multiple Group One placings to his name, I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking/Primadonna Girl) had already done enough to be fondly remembered by racing fans on both sides of the Tasman – but a remarkable performance at Flemington on Saturday has further enhanced the Kiwi-bred gelding’s legacy. The five-year-old scored a heartstopping win in the Gr.1 PFD Food Services Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), catching the runaway le...

Best Seller wins Gr. 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings

Clark strikes gold with another promising filly Challenge Syndications’ Adrian Clark looks like he has done it again. The bloodstock agent and syndicator is quickly making a name for himself for being able to find future Group-winning fillies at the lower-end of the market at Karaka. Clark purchased subsequent Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and 2019/20 New Zealand Filly of the Year series winner Jennifer Eccles for just $5,000 as a weanling out of West End Partnership’s 2017 New Zealand Blood...

Yulong secures Group One winner Entriviere

High-class mare Entriviere is heading across the Tasman to join the broodmare band at Yulong Stud, who edged out Cambridge Stud in a tight bidding duel on Gavelhouse Plus on Wednesday evening. The only progeny of outstanding sire Tavistock to win a Group One over a sprint distance, Entriviere was ultimately secured for a winning bid of $900,000. It was the latest in a series of significant Gavelhouse Plus purchases for Yulong, who also played a headline role during the Valachi Downs dispersals ...

First season sires to the fore at Ruakaka

A couple of first season sires made an immediate impact with their progeny at the Ruakaka trials on Tuesday. The Oaks Stud stallion U S Navy Flag recorded his first New Zealand trial win courtesy of an unnamed filly out of Pins mare Stitch, who was victorious in her 750m heat for local trainer Michelle Bradley. The filly was purchased by Bradley as a yearling for $43,000 out of Valachi Downs’ dispersal sale on plus.gavelhouse.com and she has been rapt with her buy. “I was pretty impressed wi...

Group One winner Entriviere has been retired

Group One winner Entriviere will be offered on plusgavelhouse.com later this week following her retirement from racing. Following her sub-par first-up run in the Kerikeri Cup (1100m) earlier this month, the daughter of Tavistock underwent a veterinary examination and the decision was made to retire the six-year-old from racing. “We had not been entirely happy with Entriviere following her resuming run and a nuclear bone scan has revealed fetlock issues that would see her side-lined from racing...

Minimum stakes boost for Auckland racing

Auckland Thoroughbred Racing has confirmed that a $20,000 stake minimum will apply across all its race meetings in the 2022/23 season as part of its annual stakes announcement. The amount is up $5,000 on ATR’s minimum of last season and is the highest minimum to have been offered by the club. As part of its announcement, ATR has also confirmed it will be contributing $1.4 million of its own monies into stakes for the season, bringing the total stakes on offer for the Club’s season at Pukeko...

Major Addition To Victorian Stallion Ranks Announced

New Zealand’s multiple Group One performer, Wyndspelle, will transfer to Australia at the end of the current season to stand at historic Cornwall Park Stud at Toolern Vale, just outside Melbourne. Wyndspelle (2013) - Ifrraaj x Western Star (High Chaparral) is currently beginning his third season at GrangeWilliam Stud, South Taranaki, where he stands alongside champion Verry Elleegant’s sire, Zed. At the completion of the season Wyndspelle will transfer to Cornwall Park where he wil...

Showmanship shines in Sydney

Comeback gelding Showmanship (Showcasing [GB]-Khales) rewarded his connections for their patience when he won the Gr.3 ATC Show County Quality recently. It was also a big thrill for Tom Lane and Campbell Crisp who own his dam Khales. “It was good to see him back racing after that tendon injury a few years ago,” Lane said. The lightly raced son of Showcasing suffered a tendon injury in 2022 and was off the scene for some time, making his return to racing in May at Warrnambool with a third in ...

NZTR AGM & Members Council Appointments

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Vale Peter Setchell

Peter Setchell, founder and former proprietor of Millfield Stud, passed away peacefully at his home in Cambridge this week after battling cancer. Setchell, his late brother Graeme and sister Jan Mullane, came to New Zealand from New Guinea in 1940 when Peter was just two-years-old. Their father, an English Copra Plantation Planter, sent his wife and children to New Zealand to avoid the conflict with the Japanese. Sadly, he was never able to follow his family. They lived in Auckland where the chi...

Ominous return for Virtuous Circle

Three-year-old colt Virtuous Circle (Alamanzor - She is Stryking) narrowly prevailed in the Hugh Wallace-Smith Handicap (1500m) at The Valley on Saturday, to make the perfect start to his classic season. Prepared by Kyneton trainer Liam Howley, the Alamanzor colt rocked punters when scoring at $61 in the Mornington Sires’ (1500m) back in March, and again got the better of the betting public when saluting at $26 to extend his record to two victories from three starts. A Group One winning train...

Showmanship continues winning ways

Victorian trainer Danny O’Brien pulled the right rein with comeback galloper Showmanship (Showcasing / Khales - Don Eduardo), who ventured to Sydney and landed the Gr.3 Show County Quality (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday. The seven-year-old gelding had also been an acceptor for the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at The Valley but connections decided to run at Randwick on a drier Soft 5 surface than the Heavy 9 conditions in Melbourne. Showmanship notched his eighth win from ten starts under a ...

First winner for What’s The Story

Novara Park stallion What’s The Story recorded his first victory as a sire when Big Story won his Australian debut over 1400m on the Ballarat synthetic on Friday. Jockey Damian Lane settled Big Story just behind the pace and produced the three-year-old three-wide turning for home, where the gelding was able to put a distance on his rivals and score a comfortable one length victory. Lane was impressed with the New Zealand-bred youngster and believes he is in for a big future over further ground...