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Derby winner highlights another bumper day for Curraghmore

On the eve of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales Curraghmore’s Gordon Cunningham was again pleased to see the farm’s past-graduates do the talking on the track, no doubt paving the way for further confidence for the product he will present at auction this week. The Karaka Sales will commence from 11am on Monday and pedigree updates don’t come much bigger than offering a full-sister to a Derby winner. But that is exactly the position Cunningham finds himself in following th...

War Decree off the mark with smart Wingatui winner

Two-year-old debutant Turf War (War Decree x Shuffled) showed plenty of courage as he held off all challenges to register the first victory for his sire War Decree when taking out the opening event at Wingatui on Saturday. Bred and raced by Gus Wigley and his wife Bianca under their Inglewood Stud banner, Turf War is from the first crop of Gr.2 Goodwood Vintage Stakes (1400m) winner War Decree, their current resident stallion who is a son of internationally acclaimed stallion War Front. Prepared...

Bellatrix Black stuns rivals in Sunline Vase

Lightly raced filly Bellatrix Black (Redwood x Dark Arts) ($17.20) upset the applecart at Ellerslie on Saturday when she stepped up from a maiden victory at Tauranga at her last start to take out the Gr.3 McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m). The Catherine Cameron-trained daughter of Westbury Stud stallion Redwood relished every step of the 2100m journey as she bullocked her way through the middle of the pack to down pacemaker Mustang Valley and Achieve in a desperate finish to the contest. Ridden ...

Family affinity to the fore with Reputabelle

With a dominant performance at Wingatui by a rising star of the South Island’s three-year-old ranks, Michael and Matthew Pitman have added some black-type glow to a highly successful family association. The Riccarton trainers saddled Reputabelle (Pins x Really Reputable) for a runaway victory in Saturday’s Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m), powering clear in the hands of Tina Comignaghi to beat runner-up Irish Red by five and three-quarter lengths. Reputabelle was bred by Waikato Stud and...

Asterix delivers Derby double for O’Sullivan and Scott

Twelve months after living up to expectations with a Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) favourite, Matamata trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott went back-to-back with a very different kind of triumph at Ellerslie on Saturday. In contrast to their 2021 Derby hero Rocket Spade, who came into the classic as a $4 favourite with outstanding lead-up form under his belt, O’Sullivan and Scott were well and truly under the radar in 2022 with last-start maiden winner Asterix (Tavistock x M...

Controlled Annavisto a dominant Frances Tressady winner

Four-year-old mare Annavisto (Reliable Man x Avisto) was electric first-up at Flemington on Saturday when leading throughout to land the Gr.3 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m) for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr. The daughter of Reliable Man relished the sting out of the ground on the Soft 6 surface and has potentially set herself up for a lucrative target in Sydney. Winning jockey Jamie Kah is perfectly suited to the talented mare, getting her to relax outside the leader Electric Girl w...

Inspirational Girl nabs All-Star Mile start

Inspirational Girl (Reliable Man x Be Inspired) grasped the opportunity to land a berth in the A$5 million All-Star Mile field when she narrowly defeated favourite Zaaki in a thrilling edition of the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. The Group One winning daughter of Reliable Man was having just her third start in 15 months due to injury, and put the writing on the wall with a good fresh-up sixth in the Gr.1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) last start. Prepared by Danny O’Brien for o...

Belluci Babe gets deserved Group victory

Bjorn Baker has capped an outstanding day at the office by taking out the final race in Sydney, pledging to donate his percentage of Belluci Babe’s (Per Incanto x Savamor) prizemoney to the flood appeal in Australia. The popular trainer won feature races in two states on Saturday, capturing the Inglis Sprint and Bob Hoysted Handicap at Flemington with Overpass and Malkovich respectively, before adding the Gr.3 Wenona Girl Quality (1200m) at Randwick with Per Incanto mare Belluci Babe, who spor...

Stanley living the dream at Woburn Farm

Adrian Stanley has never had cause to regret his decision to leave his home province of Taranaki to pursue his dream of establishing a thoroughbred farm in the Waikato. He furthered his experience with Trelawney Stud, Cambridge Stud and Waikato Stud at home and overseas stints at Coolmore Stud and Rockmount, a rehabilitation and pre-training facility in Australia, before he launched Woburn Farm at Ohaupo in 2012. “My family are from Taranaki and I’m from a farming background, but they also r...

Carlaw Park offer quality consignment at Karaka

Nick Fairweather and Nicole Brown are looking forward to offering their sixth draft at Karaka next week under their Carlaw Park banner. The couple founded the business in 2016 in partnership with Brown’s parents, Peter and Roslyn, and they have enjoyed building on those foundations and will offer their largest consignment of 18 yearlings in the Book 1 session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling sale. “We have been operating for just a tick over five years and this is our biggest ...

Self Obsession cements Oaks favouritism

The Jamie Richards-trained Self Obsession cemented her place at the top of the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) market with yet another game victory when landing the Gr.2 Little Avondale Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Hastings on Wednesday. The daughter of Shocking has now won her past four starts, three of them at stakes level, with her only defeat when finishing third on debut. It is the third Group Two victory for the strong staying filly, who previously landed the Gr.2 Roya...

Noverre to stand at Waikato Stud

Noverre, a Group One-winning son of Savabeel, will join his sire at Waikato Stud this coming breeding season. An exceptional type, the brown colt was an $800,000 purchase for Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka, topping the Waikato Stud draft that year. After finishing second on debut as a two-year-old over 1200m, he broke his maiden three weeks later. He won the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) in late October before displaying...

Davison looking forward to Karaka

Mapperley Stud principal Simms Davison is counting down the days to the start of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale next week. The final touches are being put on his 34 strong draft, which are spread evenly over Book 1 and Book 2. After plenty of success on the track for their resident sire Contributer, there is no surprise to see their Book 1 draft is filled with the offspring of the exciting young sire.  “Contributer’s results on the track over the last 12 months have b...

Karaka 2022 to be Broadcast Live

Karaka 2022 to be Broadcast Live Book 1 of Karaka 2022 will be broadcast live on SKY Pop Up Channel 263 in New Zealand. Those who are unable to attend Karaka 2022 in person can keep up with all of the action in the sale ring and beyond with New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales Series broadcast live across the six days of selling. Commencing on Monday 7 March and running through to the close of selling on Saturday 12 March, the broadcast can be viewed across various outlets. Book 1...

Ellis on final countdown to Karaka

While many people around the country were easing into a pleasant Sunday morning with coffee and some quiet contemplation on the week that was, Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis was hard at work putting the finishing touches on his preparation for the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales which commence at Karaka on March 7. Ellis considers the many hours he puts in to inspecting the more than 1000 yearlings that will go under the auctioneer’s hammer during the six days of the sale a lab...

Richardson delighted with Defibrillate

Matamata trainer Graham Richardson wasn’t expecting too much when he sat down to watch his pride and joy Defibrillate kick off his autumn campaign at Caulfield on Saturday Richardson is part of a syndicate of owners, including close friends Lance O’Sullivan and Brendon McCullum, who race the seven-year-old son of Shocking out of the Plumpton stable of Patrick Payne after he was sent there in 2019 following two wins from three starts for Richardson in New Zealand. Defibrillate has fashioned a...

Defibrillate goes back-to-back in Mornington Cup Prelude

Smart Kiwi stayer Defibrillate was back in winning form when successful in the Listed Mornington Cup Prelude (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday for trainer Patrick Payne. The son of Shocking, who sports the colours of his original trainer Graham Richardson, lumped topweight of 60kgs to score an impressive win in the hands of Billy Egan. It was the second year in a row the seven-year-old gelding had won the Mornington Cup Prelude and his fourth win from six starts at Caulfield, advancing his overa...

Second Chipping Norton for freakish mare

Champion mare Verry Elleegant showed all her fighting qualities when landing her second Gr.1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m). Now an 11-time Group One winner, it was the first time the six-year-old daughter of Zed had won a Group One race that she had previously conquered, with the mare successful in 2021 having finished runner up to Te Akau Shark in the race in 2020. The reigning Melbourne Cup champion sat three-wide for much of the mile contest with jockey James McDonald making a decisive move...

Sierra Sue explosive in Futurity

Sierra Sue has doubled her Group One tally with a strong win in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday. The winner of the Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes over the same course and distance last spring, the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained mare went to a new level when claiming elite level success under weight-for-age conditions on Saturday. The five-year-old daughter of proven sire Darci Brahma headed home a New Zealand bred trifecta, scoring by a comfortable 1¼ lengths...

Maven Belle remains unbeaten after stylish Breeders’ Stakes victory

Classy juvenile filly Maven Belle made it three wins from three starts when she swept to a clearcut victory in the feature race at Matamata on Saturday, the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Ltd Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). The Jamie Richards-trained daughter of Burgundy had looked to have a touch of class when she won on debut over 1000m at Te Aroha in early January. That impression deepened when she produced a similar performance to win the Gr.3 Platinum Homes 2YO Classic (1200m) at Te Rapa a fo...

Langkawi upsets in Kaimai Stakes at Matamata

Underrated stayer Langkawi came off the ballot and into the winners’ enclosure at Matamata on Saturday when he produced a determined finish to claim the Listed Matamata Veterinary Services Kaimai Stakes (2000m). The Peter McKay-trained six-year-old has been in a purple patch of form of late with three wins in his last four starts after a disappointing two seasons where he failed to deliver on the promise he showed during his three-year-old campaign where he finished third in the Gr.2 Auckland ...

Mascarpone scores emphatic Group One victory

Consistent performer Mascarpone capped a frustrating run of five consecutive placings to claim his first victory at the highest level when he took out the Gr.1 El Cheapo Cars WFA Classic (1600m) at Otaki. The Team Rogerson-trained five-year-old son of Shooting To Win is more commonly known as a high-class sprinting commodity having claimed minor placings in races such as the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) and twice in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m). Stepping up to the 1600m journey for the first time...

Mascot flies to Mannerism triumph

Four-year-old Tavistock mare Flying Mascot added a second Group Three victory to her burgeoning CV when landing the Mannerism Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield. The Tom Dabernig-trained mare was the winner of the Gr.3 Tesio Stakes (1600m) in the spring and went on to finish fifth in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) a week later. She commenced her autumn campaign with a good fresh-up performance when narrowly beaten into second by Probabeel in the Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) a fortnight a...

Alabama Gold too speedy in Matamata feature

Local runner Alabama Gold broke his maiden status in emphatic fashion when he led from go to whoa to take out the Gr.3 Fairview Matamata Slipper (1200m) at Matamata on Saturday. The speedy son of Windsor Park Stud stallion Turn Me Loose was coming off the back of an eye-catching late run for eighth in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie last month, where a sluggish beginning and some home turn interference put paid to his winning chances. This time rider Sam Weatherley bounced the showy ...

Full head of steam for LA ahead of Karaka

With Per Incanto flying high on three sires’ premierships and young associate shuttle stallion Time Test on the board from his first domestic crop, the good times are continuing to roll for Little Avondale Stud. Farm stalwart Per Incanto currently occupies top four standings in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore and a major presence in Australia through his gifted sprinting son Lost And Running, while Time Test has made a bright start to his career. From a handful of runners to date, Time Ru...