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Turn Me Loose filly impresses with debut victory

A gritty victory by two-year-old filly Lickety Split at her first raceday start at Ellerslie has given her sire Turn Me Loose a timely boost ahead of the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka. The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained youngster followed up an impressive trial win at Ellerslie late last month with a similar performance on Saturday as she overhauled pacemaker Slipper Island in the final stages after the pair had gone head-to-head over the final 400m. T...

Hinepara upsets in Avondale Cup

Ashvin Goindasamy loves upsetting in big races at Ellerslie and he did it again on Saturday when guiding Levin visitor Hinepara (Darci Brahma x Harinui) to victory in the Gr.2 Wallen Concreting Avondale Cup (2400m). Goindasamy had registered his biggest career win aboard Tiptronic in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at the venue on Boxing Day and added a Group Two victory to his resume’ on the Josh Shaw-trained Darci Brahma mare. Betting in the race was dominated by Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auck...

La Crique stamps Derby credentials with Avondale Guineas victory

If there were any doubts about exciting three-year-old filly La Crique’s (Vadamos x Destiny Cove) claims as a contender for top honours in next month’s Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m), they were well and truly quelled as she decimated her rivals when winning the Gr.2 AJC Avondale Guineas (2100m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. The Simon and Katrina Alexander-trained daughter of Rich Hill Stud stallion Vadamos was coming into the race off the back of a stunning four-length victory in the Gr...

Hometown glory for McKay and Palmetto

Local trainer Sally McKay got the win she has long desired when progressive three-year-old Palmetto (Ghibellines x Carolina Island) proved to good for his rivals as he strode clear to take out the Listed ILT Ascot Park Hotel Southland Guineas (1600m) at Invercargill. McKay, who prepares a small team from her Ascot Park base had made it clear in the build-up to the feature race at the Invercargill meeting that this was the race she had always wanted to win and had the belief that the leggy son of...

Group One aim for Expat

Apprentice Tommy Sherry has celebrated his most significant win with a well-judged ride aboard New Zealand-bred mare Expat (Makfi x Utmost Caution) in the Gr.2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) for his boss Mark Newnham. The Makfi mare had to do some work early to get to the front but she relaxed beautifully once there and was able to lift when challenged late by Per Incanto mare Belluci Babe to post her eighth win from 13 starts. A previous Group Three winner, it was both horse and rider’s firs...

Mightybeel dominant in Parramatta Cup

Chris Waller-trained stayers were to the fore in the Listed Parramatta Cup (1900m) at Rosehill on Saturday with the master-trainer sending out six of the first eight, including the New Zealand-bred trifecta, but it was all about the winner Mightybeel (Savabeel x Super Power). The four-year-old Savabeel gelding had a little freshen-up after winning the Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) at Randwick in early December and is on-track to raise the bar further this preparation.  Sporting the colours ...

Rye-Grass Staggers in Horses

Is your horse moving like its drunk, falling over, heavy on the forehand or behaving abnormally, being easily spooked? If any of these symptoms sound familiar, your horse may have rye-grass staggers. Rye-grass staggers, which this article will refer to as staggers, is a neurological condition caused by toxins in rye grass affecting the central nervous system. SYMPTOMSHorses that have staggers can exhibit a number of symptoms which include: Poor muscle coordination; tremble, “stagger”, may ev...

Homebred filly the Belle of the ball

The tangerine and blue silks of Te Akau Racing are a familiar sight in Australasian racing circles and on Saturday they lodged a special victory. Maven Belle’s (Burgundy x Doyenne) win in the Gr.3 2YO Classic (1200m) at Te Rapa was Te Akau Racing’s 20th New Zealand stakes win for the season (Self Obsession added another to that later on the card in the Gr.2 David and Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m)) and the talented filly is also a homebred for David Ellis, Karyn Fenton-Ellis and trainer...

He Waka Eke Noa

November 23, 2021 He Waka Eke Noa partners will ask farmers and growers about policy options in February before giving advice to the Government. The Partnership has to consider the trade-offs between the options. A range of options were considered by the partners, and the options that the partners will seek feedback on are: 1. Farm-level levy 2. Processor-level hybrid levy. The alternative to these options is the ‘Backstop’ – Agriculture in the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) . The d...

Out of control hobby reaps Group Two rewards

For any breeder losing a mare or foal during foaling is devastating. Every now and then that sad tale has a good outcome, often thanks to Phillip Smyth’s Foster Foal Service. Self Obsession (Shocking [AUS]-Mawaakib) winner of the recent Gr.2 Waikato RC David and Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) is one such success story. Having lost her mother at birth, Self Obsession was then reared by a mare who had lost her own foal. She was foaled at Hallmark Stud under the watchful eye of Mark Baker, w...

Variety the spice of Wentwood Grange draft

Wentwood Grange will head to Karaka next month with one of the more diverse drafts at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales. The Cambridge farm will offer 34 yearlings in the Book One session by 27 different sires. Sean Hawkins, who part-owns the highly-respected family farm, established by his parents Des and Jan, with his brothers Dean and Leigh, said not standing a stallion of their own has given Wentwood Grange the freedom to select from a variety of stallions the length and bre...

Horse of the Year Probabeel Retired

Cambridge Stud is sad to announce the retirement of its great race mare PROBABEEL. The reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year and Champion Sprinter Miler was discovered to have a suspensory ligament injury to her off foreleg this morning.  The mare is well and not lame but the injury is sufficient for owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay to pull down the curtain on a stellar career. PROBABEEL raced 29 times, winning 13 races, four of them at Group 1 level in Australia.  She ran second at an ...

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

I have been at the Irish National Stud for just over a month now and I’m lucky to say it has been an eventful month. It is my first big trip away from home and I was proud to make it through the empty Auckland International Airport let alone Dubai where I had to take a train to my next gate. I made it to Dublin after leaving summertime at home, getting off the plane to -2 degrees and seeing snow on the hills during the drive to Kildare. My first week I was placed in Maddenstown Yard which is ...

Group One breeder excited by forthcoming Karaka offering

As preparations ramp up for the 2022 edition of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales at Karaka in March, Curraghmore principal Gordon Cunningham was once again celebrating the success of a past graduate of his Te Awamutu-based operation. The popular Irishman bred outstanding Ocean Park mare Tofane who added a fourth Group One victory to her impressive career record when she took out the Gr.1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caul...

Patterson relishes Group One victory

The long trip home to New Plymouth from Hamilton on Saturday evening flew by for trainer Robbie Patterson as he reflected on what had happened just a few hours earlier at Te Rapa. Relishing the damp underfoot conditions, classy mare Coventina Bay out-finished Vernanme to take out the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) to add a Group One title to her already outstanding career record, whilst also providing Patterson with his first elite level victory when training in his own right. Patterson had exp...

Future plans still to be decided for Levante

Trainer Ken Kelso is content to sit back and savour the thrill of winning a second consecutive Group One with star mare Levante, before any decisions on her immediate future are made. The daughter of Proisir delighted her connections and multitude of fans when she held out the challenge of another class mare in Entriviere to take out the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m), after the pair waged a two-horse war down the Te Rapa home straight on Saturday. Kelso, who prepares the five-year-old in partner...

Levante makes it consecutive Group One wins

Despite the limited crowd on course due to COVID protocols, there were still plenty of joyous scenes in the Te Rapa grandstand as the connections of outstanding racemare Levante celebrated her second consecutive Group One win with victory in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m). Touted as a match race between the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained five-year-old and fellow superstar mare Entriviere, the race lived up to its billing as the pair set down to fight out the finish over the final 300m. Despite hav...

Self Obsession proves too tough in Fillies Classic

Giant filly Self Obsession (Shocking x Mawaakib) showed she has a heart to match her imposing frame when she triumphed in a torrid finish to the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa. The Jamie Richards-trained three-year-old had things all her own way out in front in the early stages for rider Michael McNab before being joined by maiden galloper Sadler’s Chick at the 1200m. McNab slipped the filly more rein approaching the home bend as she was besieged by several rivals ...

Coventina Bay gets deserved Group One victory

An emotional Robbie Patterson was holding back the tears as he reflected on one of the biggest thrills of his life that had occurred just minutes earlier at Te Rapa. Patterson prepares talented mare Coventina Bay (Shamexpress x Coventina), the pint-sized daughter of Shamexpress who has provided him with some of his greatest highlights in a training career that started back in 1995. A winner of nine of her 20 starts before today, Coventina Bay had twice finished runner-up in Group One company wit...

Maven Belle too strong in juvenile feature

Race favourite Maven Belle (Burgundy x Doyenne) showed she has a touch of class about her as she eased clear in the final 100m to take out the Gr.3 Platinum Homes 2YO Classic (1200m) at Te Rapa. The daughter of Burgundy had been slated to start at short odds in the juvenile feature that was a feature of the New Plymouth meeting last weekend, however with that meeting abandoned after the first race, the event was rescheduled to the Te Rapa meeting on Saturday. Punters lined up again in their drov...

Cup victory a big thrill for James

Hypnos’ victory in the Gr.3 Powerworx Taranaki Cup (2000m) at Awapuni on Friday proved to be a sentimental one for co-trainer Roger James. The Group One performer is owned by long-time stable clients Ron and Fran Dixon and James said it was an emotional win as a result.  “I got a big thrill out of it,” said James, who trains in partnership with Robert Wellwood. “He is not the easiest horse at distances further than a mile, but he has always had a lot of class and he is an elder sta...

Group One next stop for Lost And Running

Trainer John O'Shea was delighted with the return of classy sprinter Lost And Running (Per Incanto x Dreamlife), with the son of Per Incanto cruising to victory in the Gr.3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday. The five-year-old gelding lumped 61kg top weight to victory, stalking the speed under a perfect Hugh Bowman ride before ranging up to the leaders and bounding clear to score by two lengths. The New Zealand-bred sprinter has now won eight of his 13 starts, with a further t...

Fourth Group One for star mare Tofane

The Michael Moroney-trained mare Tofane (Ocean Park x Baggy Green) commenced her final campaign with an all-the-way win in the Gr.1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday, her fourth victory at the elite level and all over 1400m. The six-year-old daughter of Ocean Park was the pacemaker by default after expected leader Lightsaber bombed the start. Jockey Mark Zahra rated Tofane to perfection and she looked the winner a long way from home. Sent out a $7.50 chance, Tofane ultimately had...

Tenacious winning return by Probabeel

Star mare Probabeel (Savabeel x Far Fetched) was back doing what she does best when winning the Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday. At the top of the straight, the Jamie Richards-trained daughter of Savabeel looked like she’d run a nice third, but the four-time Group One winner showed all her grit to close over the top of Flying Mascot and Mariamia to win by a nose carrying 60kg top-weight. The classy Kiwi mare also won last year’s Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes befor...

Wrote’s daughter delivers opportune Australian victory

Highview resident Wrote has penned a timely new chapter in his fledgling stallion career with a first success in Australia. With the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale just around the corner, his quaintly named daughter Bing Bang Boom drew further attention to the son of High Chaparral’s progeny with her dashing maiden success at Kilmore on Thursday. The three-year-old was stepping out for just the second time for Cranbourne trainer Wendy Kelly and sailed home over 1600m to the deli...