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Flemington Group Two triumph for She's Licketysplit

New Zealand filly She’s Licketysplit (Turn Me Loose / She’s Slinky) showed she will be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming Gr.1 Schweppes One Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 12 with a strong performance to take out Saturday’s Gr.2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington. Given an economical trip just behind the speed by rider Damian Lane, the daughter of Turn Me Loose cruised into contention early in the long run home at Flemington and looked to have plenty o...

No Compromise triumphs in heart-stopping Metropolitan

New Zealand-bred stayer No Compromise (Pins / Baggy Green) lived up to his name in a grandstand finish to Saturday’s Gr.1 Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick, prevailing by a nose to claim his first triumph at the elite level. The Pins gelding has an exceptional pedigree, most notably as a half-brother to the multiple Group One winner Tofane, and he had shown big-race ability of his own with six previous victories headed by the Gr.3 NE Manion Cup (2400m). He had also placed in more than a dozen ...

Mr Maestro completes big Flemington double for Forsman

A powerful Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) audition by Mr Maestro (Savabeel / Let Me Roar) capped a special day at the office at Flemington on Saturday for Andrew Forsman.The Cambridge trainer saddled two runners, and both won stakes races. Group One-winning filly She’s Licketysplit took out the Gr.2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m), and then four hours later in the final race on the card, Mr Maestro strode to a dominant win in the Listed ABC Bullion Super Impose Stakes (1800m). “It’s been a gre...

Meet the Breeder - Bob Emery

This week we chat to Bob Emery, breeder of Viktor Vegas (Tavistock x Purnima), winner of the Gr.3 Sky City Hamilton Waikato Cup (2400m). Bob has also enjoyed success over the years with a number of horses and is pictured with the NZTBA Breeders' Plate. How many mares do you breed from? 12 at present What else do you have in your bloodstock portfolio? Six yearlings going to Karaka in 2023. Plus six young fillies out on lease in New Zealand and Australia, I don’t race any horses at the present t...

Filly of the Year for sale on Gavelhouse Plus

Te Akau Racing’s New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Amarelinha  (Savabeel – Hopscotch) is the latest high-profile mare to be listed for sale on Gavelhouse Plus. The five-year-old daughter of Savabeel will be offered as a racing and breeding proposition, with the auction to run through until 7pm (NZ) on Wednesday 28 September. The dominant filly of her generation, Amarelinha won the 2021 Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), the culmination of a stunning summer campaign. En route to her...

Perfect start for Cambridge Stud stallion Embellish

Cambridge Stud resident stallion Embellish made the perfect start to his stud career on Saturday when debut runner Luberon (Embellish – Elegant Achiever) lead all the way to land the Bear Morgan @ Harcourts Bream Bay 2YO over 800m at Ruakaka. Bred and raced by Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay and carrying their familiar black and yellow colours, Luberon is from the first crop of the former Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner who commenced his duties at the Stud during the ...

Mustang Valley Wins Grp.3 Boehringer Ingelheim Metric Mile (1550m) at Awapuni

Impressive last start Hastings winner Mustang Valley (Vanbrugh – Cream of the Crop) lifted her game several notches on Saturday as she claimed her first success at stakes level when taking out the Gr.3 Boehringer Ingelheim Metric Mile (1550m) at Awapuni. The four-year-old daughter of Vanbrugh had been competitive at the highest level during her three-year-old campaign where she numbered stakes placings in the Gr.3 Sunline Vase (2100m) and Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) will also finishing a cr...

I Wish I Win scores hard fought win in Sunday’s Listed Tile Importer Testa Rossa Stakes (1300m) at Sandown

Waikato Stud homebred I Wish I Win (Savabeel – Make a Wish) confirmed his status as a rising star of Australian racing with a freakish off-the-canvas victory in Sunday’s Listed Tile Importer Testa Rossa Stakes (1300m) at Sandown. A multiple Group One placegetter in New Zealand as a two and three-year-old for trainer Jamie Richards, the son of Savabeel was placed in the care of Peter Moody for his four-year-old campaign. A brilliant four-length win on his Australian debut at Caulfield on Augu...

Fostering success

It is a phone number no one wants to have to ring but are glad to have on hand in a time of need. During the breeding season hopes and dreams are running high so to lose a mare or foal is a confronting reality of the industry, though like all farming sectors there is no time to dwell on the tragedy as foals can deteriorate quickly. In steps the Foster Foal service, a national system that links orphaned foals with mares who have recently lost their offspring, ensuring that foals get the best poss...

Queen's acknowledgement function

The NZTBA honoured the memory of the former Patron Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with a small gathering at Cambridge Stud earlier this week. Special guests Sir Patrick Hogan KNZM and Sally Cassells-Brown, were joined by former councillors Dave Winn, and Tom Williams to recall the Queen’s 1990 visit to Cambridge Stud, the opening of the NZTBA building in Auckland and how the Queen came to be patron. They were joined by a number of life members, some current NZTBA council members, local dignit...

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 ...