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Emerging Sires Shine in Online Yearling Sale

Buyer demand for freshman and emerging talent was evident throughout New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2022 National Online Yearling Sale on Wednesday night, with the highlight lots secured all by exciting young New Zealand sires. For the second year, the digital postscript to NZB’s National Yearling Sales Series took place on premium online subsidiary Gavelhouse Plus. The sale topper was Lot 49, a colt by popular young sire Turn Me Loose purchased for $34,000 by NZB Agent Alex Teng on behalf of an i...

Fee rise for Little Avondale’s Per Incanto

Little Avondale Stud stallion Per Incanto has enjoyed a spectacular 2021/22 season with 14 stakes performers headed by the Group One winning exploits of memorable Newmarket Handicap (1200m) winner Roch ‘N’ Horse. Per Incanto’s son Justacanta was another to take big race spoils when winning down the Flemington straight in the Gr.2 Linlithgow Stakes (1200m). A son of Street Cry, Per Incanto added four new Australian Group winners for the season, which also included Lost And Running, the thi...

Ambitious development promises to safeguard future of racing at Trentham

A proposed development of the Trentham racecourse that promises to revitalise the venue and futureproof racing at the track has been described as "a development of a kind that the city has never seen before". RACE Inc, which administers several Central Districts racing clubs racing at Awapuni and Trentham, has unveiled ambitious plans to redevelop Trentham into a "world-class racing facility" offering stake money "unheard of in this part of the country". The project has been shortlisted for Kāi...

Star filly too good for older rivals in Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes

Outstanding three-year-old filly Imperatriz blew her older rivals off the track at Te Rapa on Saturday when she bolted clear to win the Gr.1 Fiber Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). The Mark Walker-trained daughter of I Am Invincible (AUS) was given a gun ride by Opie Bosson as he made use of her inside barrier to trail leader One Dream One Soul before moving off the rail to issue a challenge three wide on the home corner. Allowed to balance up and find her feet, the fill...

Gr.1 Fiber Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes Preview

New Zealand bred mares have had a sensational season, both here and in Australia. In November Verry Elleegant (Zed – Opulent) took out the ultimate Australasian Group One - the Melbourne Cup bringing her elite win total to 10.  Sierra Sue (Darci Brahma – Centree), Tofane (Ocean Park – Baggy Green [AUS]), Roch’N’Horse (Per Incanto [USA]-Rochfort), Probabeel (Savabeel [AUS]-Far Fetched), and Never Been Kissed (Tivaci [AUS]-Movie) also achieved Group One success in Australia while Ic...

Waikato Stud announces 2022 stallion roster

Waikato Stud have announced their stallion roster for the 2022 breeding season. The roster is headed by the seven-time New Zealand Champion and leading Australasian sire of stakes winners, Savabeel, and he is now joined by his abundantly talented Group One-winning son, Noverre. Continuing on from last year’s extremely successful racing season where Waikato Stud was crowned top breeder and leading vendor at Karaka, the current season has been one of the very best in the farm’s history. The W...

First winner for U S Navy Flag

Shuttle stallion U S Navy Flag has registered his first winner in the northern hemisphere when Ocean Vision won the Irish EBF median sires series maiden (1000m) at Dundalk on debut yesterday. Prepared by Kieran Cotter and ridden by Jake Coen, Ocean Vision raced greenly throughout but defeated favourite Lady Tilbury by three-quarters of a length. “He actually needs six furlongs (1200m), he was all over the place early on in the race but came home strong,” Cotter said. “There was a lot of t...

Pearl Series revamped

There have been exciting changes made to the NZB Insurance Pearl Series for the 2022/23 season. From August 2022 bonuses will now be paid out to fillies and mares that finish first, second or third in a Pearl eligible race (previously only paid to winners) and the series will now be extended to cover previously registered mares up to and including their five-year-old season of racing. A single bonus level will be offered for all Pearl races with the winning owner receiving $10,000, and the trai...

Thoroughbreds show Ex-Factor

Thoroughbreds were at their versatile best last weekend when competing in the Dunstan Ex-Factor competition at Papatoetoe Pony Club. Run by Beyond the Barriers’ Gina Schick and Nicky Wallace, the two-day competition saw the entrants compete over a range of classes from Best Presented to Working Equation, with the thoroughbreds displaying their aptitude for a variety of tasks For the first year there were two sections, the original Dunstan Ex-Factor class for those horses who began their sporth...

Mr Brightside puts a smile on Ray’s face

Ray Johnson may well have lost count of the number of racing and breeding stock that have passed through his hands over the years, but on Saturday the Bay of Plenty real estate agent celebrated one to top them all. The Johnson-bred Mr Brightside staked his place amongst Australia’s best when he led home a Kiwi-bred trifecta in last Saturday’s Gr. 1 Doncaster Mile on the opening day of The Championships at Randwick. Completing something of a rags to riches story, the four-year-old son of Bull...

NZTR Update on Thoroughbred Welfare

Welcome to the first of NZTR’s updates designed to keep participants up to date with work undertaken to safeguard and enhance the welfare of our equine participants. NZTR understands the importance of accountability and transparency regarding how the 1% levy is spent. In this update we will focus on providing an overview of the eight key areas that this money has been allocated to in the 2021/22 season and give some insight into why each area has been identified as key in ensuring the very bes...

Probabeel’s date with Almanzor locked in

We are delighted and excited to announce that star mare Probabeel will be visiting our own Almanzor next breeding season. The daughter of Savabeel exceeded all expectations on the track under trainer Jamie Richards’ guidance with four Group 1 victories in Australia and made history at home as the only horse to win the Karaka Million as a two and three-year-old. After careful thought, we decided her first mating will be to Wootton Bassett’s son Almanzor, who has made an outstanding beginning ...

Rich Hill to sponsor new Autumn Sprint Series

Rich Hill Stud has combined with the Wellington Racing Club to sponsor a new race series primarily aimed to increase opportunities for Rating 64 to 75 horses.   The inaugural Autumn Sprint Series will be run over the next two months at various venues throughout the country and will involve 21 qualifying heats leading into the $50,000 Rich Hill Stud Autumn Sprint final to be held at Trentham on May 28. “Any initiative which helps prizemoney in New Zealand racing is a major positive an...

NZ Horse Ambulance Trust Latest Addition

Last week the NZ Horse Ambulance Trust unveiled their ninth ambulance and now their fleet is complete. The latest ambulance will be in the second in service in the Auckland area, and complements the ambulances based in Waikato, Manawatu, Canterbury and Otago/Southland, now New Zealand can boast the world’s first dedicated national horse ambulance service. At a small gathering to mark the event at Veterinary Associates property in Karaka NZ Horse Ambulance Trust trustees Mike Godber and Dr Pete...

Dunlop looking on the Brightside ahead of Day 2 at The Championships

Phoenix Park principal Janine Dunlop is hoping the second day of The Championships at Royal Randwick this weekend can provide even greater celebrations than those she had after day one on Saturday. Dunlop is a part-owner of Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) aspirant The Chosen One and will make her way to Sydney this week to be on course to watch the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained entire make his bid for the Group One title. She was however left beaming with pride in the performance of kiwi-bred ...

Zola Express provides Millar with biggest win

Trainer Janelle Millar was trying hard to keep her emotions in check as she waited for her gallant mare Zola Express to return to the Awapuni birdcage after providing the New Plymouth mentor with her biggest career victory in the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2000m). The five-year-old daughter of Shamexpress had just downed a quality field of middle-distance performers with a daring late run for rider Chris Dell, with Millar left a little in disbelief at the final result. The l...

Mr Brightside shines in Kiwi-bred Doncaster trifecta

Ben and JD Hayes have claimed their first Group One victory since taking the helm at Lindsay Park when Mr Brightside headed home a New Zealand-bred 1-2-3 in the A$3 million Gr.1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) when finishing over the top of I'm Thunderstruck, with consistent mare Icebath finishing third.  The son of Bullbars has been a model of consistency since joining the Hayes stable from New Zealand, winning seven of his 12 starts for the young trainers while placing on a further two occasions.&...

Moroney mare shows Verve in Chairman’s victory

The Michael Moroney-trained mare Nerve Not Verve scored her biggest success to date when landing the Gr.2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) on Day One of The Championships at Royal Randwick.  Ridden by Regan Bayliss, the six-year-old daughter of Shocking sat handy to a sedate tempo set by Knights Order and shortly after straightening the pair cleared out from their rivals with Nerve Not Verve going to the post a short neck in front. Luncies was a further 3¼ lengths away in third.  A winner...

Germanicus upsets in Flying Stakes

Enigmatic galloper Germanicus was back to his best when he produced an irresistible finish to take out the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni. The Danica Guy-trained son of Rip Van Winkle, who finished sixth in the Gr.1 El Cheapo Cars WFA Classic (1600m) at Otaki at his last start back in February, appreciated the strong pace throughout the race and loomed into contention for rider Taiki Yanagida rounding the home turn. A wall of horses stretched across the track at ...

Maven Belle in dramatic Group One triumph

Drama surrounded the finish to Saturday’s Group One feature at Awapuni when the final result was settled by the judicial committee after a protest was lodged by the connections of runner-up Wolverine (NZ) (Tivaci) against first-past-the-post Maven Belle (NZ) (Burgundy x Doyenne). Maven Belle, the Mark Walker-trained daughter of Burgundy, had led out from the barrier in the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and skipped clear with 400m to run. Local filly Wolverine was ...

Regal Lion puts Redcraze Racing in the spotlight

As well as giving his retiring co-trainer Murray Baker a shot at an astonishing sixth and final win in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday, rapid improver Regal Lion (Jakkalberry x Red Delight) is shining the spotlight on an emerging family-run New Zealand breeding and syndicating operation. An eye-catching placegetter in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) and Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) in his last two starts, the Jakkalberry gelding was bred by Barbara and Carl McComb. He...

2023 Karaka Million

2023 Karaka MillionNew Zealand Bloodstock wishes to advise that after discussion with NZTR, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing, Wellington Racing Club and Race, and in the interests of the racing industry as a whole, the 2023 Karaka Million Twilight Meeting will now be run on Saturday 21 January at Pukekohe.  NZB's 2023 National Yearling Sales Series will kick off at the Karaka Sales Centre on the following Sunday, 29 January and run through to Friday 3 February....

KEITH & FAITH TAYLOR EQUINE SCHOLARSHIP | March update from George Chittick

It has been another very few busy months here at the Irish National Stud since my last blog. We are currently just over half way through the breeding season and have 187 foals on the ground. I have completed full circle and worked in every yard of the Irish National Stud which I have loved and learnt so much. We are quickly approaching the second part of the 2022 course in the next coming days. I’m amazed how fast time has gone over the last few months but I’m also happy to say I have made t...

Irish Girl adds another generation to Roberts success

Three decades and five equine generations after taking an uncertain dive into racing and breeding, retired Northland farmer-come-horseman Vince Roberts is still reaping the rewards of his original thoroughbred investment. “I’d always had an interest in horses, breaking them in, riding them around the farm, that sort of thing, but I was sick of just milking cows and farming,” Roberts recalled this week in the wake of Irish Girl’s win in the Gr. 3 Valachi Downs South Island Breeders’ Sta...

Debutant strikes Pearl Bonus

Debutant Enraptured (Preferment x Grey Swallow) picked up a valuable bonus at Matamata on Wednesday when posting a debut win. The two-year-old filly, bred by Milan Park’s Tony Rider, scored in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1050m) impressing trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray. “We will probably have one more go now based on the fact that her win was soft because of the barrier (2),” Ritchie said. “She was three back the fence, angled out and didn’t have to do a lot of work i...