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Markus Aurelius conquers Riccarton mile as Te Akau duo shine

Fresh from landing the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton last Saturday with glamour colt Noverre (NZ) (Savabeel), the Te Akau team were again to the fore on the middle day of the New Zealand Cup Meeting. The Jamie Richards-trained pair of Markus Aurelius (NZ) (Ghibellines) and Summer Monsoon (Stratum) landed a stakes double at the Christchurch course, as the powerful Matamata stable flexed its muscle, with both ridden by retained rider Opie Bosson.   Hardy five-year-ol...

Age of Chivalry back in winner’s circle with Flemington Group Three

The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Age Of Chivalry has been a model of consistency but was back in the winner’s circle for the first time since August 2019 when digging deep to land the Gr.3 Chatham Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. The six-year-old son of He’s Remarkable has been a stable favourite for the training partnership, which will go their separate ways at the end of the month. Multiple Group One-placed Age of Chivalry pulled out too many stops for Crosshaven and Justacanta, wi...

Zayydani heads Kiwi-bred quinella in Matriarch

A long-range plan to target the Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) with impeccably bred mare Zayydani has come off for Lindsay Park trainers Ben and JD Hayes. The daughter of Savabeel, who sports the colours of Brent and Cherry Taylor’s Trelawney Stud, was the first winner and first stakes winner for the Hayes brothers partnership when winning a Listed race at Eagle Farm back in June. The five-year-old mare had three runs in readiness for the Group Two mares race and had caught the eye when a good...

Noverre all class in 2000 Guineas

The partnership of jockey Opie Bosson and Te Akau Racing provided another memorable moment in the history of the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) when they combined to land the blue ribband event with stunning Savabeel colt Noverre. Bosson has made the race his own since first winning it aboard Danske in 1998, claiming victory on eight occasions, including wearing the Te Akau tangerine and blue colours in three of those victories. The champion hoop delivered a typic...

All roads lead to the New Zealand Cup for Mr Intelligence

Topweight Mr Intelligence gave his rivals weight and a beating as he provided the perfect dress rehearsal for next weeks’ Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) when he took out the traditional lead-up event, the Listed Nautical Boat Insurance Metropolitan Trophy (2500m) on Saturday. Tapanui-base trainers Nikki and Barrie Blatch brought the lightly raced six-year-old son of Niagara north to Riccarton in recent weeks as they furthered the Cup preparation for their charge, who had been roun...

Stakes quinella for Marsh at Te Rapa

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh maintained the winning roll he has been on of late when he produced the quinella in the feature race at Te Rapa on Saturday, the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m). Punters had expected Run To Perfection to be the leading light for Marsh however it was stablemate Raposa Rapida who threw everyone a curveball when he sat wide throughout before holding out the late charge of Run To Perfection to take out the event. The seven-year-old was having his first run since fi...

Babylon Berlin too quick in Riccarton dash

Speedy mare Babylon Berlin got her spring campaign off to the best possible start when she proved too slick for her rivals in the Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton. The Ben Foote-trained daughter of All Too Hard had shown she has a touch a class about her during a three-year-old campaign where she finished in the top three in nine of her ten starts, winning four times including the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) in her last start before being put aside for a w...

2022 Irish National Stud Scholarship recipient announced

The 2022 Keith & Faith Taylor Equine Scholarship has been awarded to a young industry participant from a family ingrained in fabric of the New Zealand thoroughbred breeding industry. George Chittick, who turns 19 on Sunday, is the third generation of his family from the renowned Waikato Stud to pursue a career with horses. The scholarship will support Chittick to travel to Ireland in January next year to complete the internationally recognised Irish National Stud Diploma course. “I’m very ho...

Stakes win has South Island breeders in high spirits

Canterbury breeders Edwina Morris and Alan Jones are feeling a little overwhelmed from all the messages, calls and texts they have received since Spirit of Gaylard (Puissance de Lune [IRE]-White Dove) won the Listed TAB Trophy (1800m) on Tuesday. “It’s quite unbelievable,” an excited Edwina Morris of Berkley Stud fame said with obvious pride. “We were actually just excited to have him running on such a big day as Melbourne Cup day, we weren’t expecting much, even though the connections...

NZ sires to the fore in Australia

The NZ suffix has featured prominently in Australia this spring, so it’s no surprise a couple of Kiwi stallions are featuring prominently on the Australian Leading Sires table this season. The Kiwi brigade is being led by Grangewilliam Stud stallion Zed, who sits fourth on the list with A$5.8 million in earnings, while Rich Hill Stud’s Shocking isn’t too far behind in sixth, with A$5.4 million to his credit. Other New Zealand stallions to feature prominently include Savabeel (9th, A$4.5 mi...

Karaka Yearling Sales move to March

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing pandemic, New Zealand Bloodstock has announced that its 2022 National Yearling Sales Series will be postponed to the later date of March. The following dates have been confirmed for Karaka 2022: Book 1 Sale:  Sunday 6 - Tuesday 8 March, commencing 11am (NZT) each day. Book 2 Sale:  Wednesday 9 - Friday 11 March, commencing 11am (NZT) each day. The 2022 Karaka Million Twilight meeting held at Ellerslie will remain at the current date of ...

Double Cup delight for Grangewilliam

Grangewilliam Stud celebrated further success in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) when the champion mare Verry Elleegant powered to an outstanding victory at Flemington on Tuesday. The Waitotara nursery, located about 30km north-west of Wanganui, is operated by Mark Corcoran, who stands trainer Chris Waller’s star six-year-old’s sire Zed. Verry Elleegant continued the Corcoran’s success in the Flemington feature as Mark’s father John bred Doriemus, who in 1995 famously completed the Caulfi...

Melbourne Cup victory caps a terrific Tuesday for Goodwin

Don Goodwin can now add Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) breeder and owner to his resume after Verry Elleegant was a resounding winner of the staying feature at Flemington on Tuesday. The winner of nine prior Group One races, Goodwin was confident of a bold showing from his classy mare and he was jubilant she was able to pull the historic win off. “I am immensely proud,” Goodwin said from his Auckland home. “I was pretty confident but I was even more confident at the end of the big straight at ...

Bishara buzzing after Melbourne Cup victory

When a spindly legged filly walked into South Auckland trainer Nick Bishara’s stable a few years ago, a future Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner was the furthest thing from his mind. But that filly turned into one of the greatest mares to grace the Australasian turf, and on Tuesday she made a dream a reality for Bishara and her group of owners when she demolished her opposition in the Melbourne Cup to record her tenth Group One success. “That just blew me away,” said an astonished Bishara....

Mighty Kiwi mare triumphs in Melbourne Cup

New Zealand-bred star Verry Elleegant has again confirmed her champion status, cruising to victory in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on Tuesday by a stunning four lengths. The Chris Waller-trained mare landed her tenth Group One victory under a gun James McDonald ride, with the pair a match made in heaven. The class horse of the field, Verry Elleegant lumped 57kgs in the famed handicap and overcame a wide barrier in 19, relishing racing three-wide and tracking key hope Spanish Mis...

Preferment lands first Australian winner with Smirk

PREFERMENT was given plenty to smile about when his daughter SMIRK became his first winner in Australia on Saturday. Prepared by Chris Waller, the smart 3yo filly was having her second career start and stamped the landmark win impressively with a barnstorming late finish at Newcastle. View Video HERE: Preferment lands first Australian winner with Smirk - YouTube  Fittingly not only is she trained by Preferment's former trainer, but she is raced by the same owners who raced him also. ...

Shocking’s I’m Thunderstruck lands rich Eagle

2021 has been the year of Kiwi-bred gelding I’m Thunderstruck, who showed his class and trademark fight when winning the A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The son of Shocking stepped out on raceday for the first time when winning a maiden at Caulfield in January and under the tutelage of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr has gone about plundering riches in his nine starts this year, with prizemoney earnings now surpassing A$5 million. With six wins and two placings to ...

Cream rises to the top in Feilding Cup

Quality mare House Of Cartier proved a class above her rivals when she took out the Listed Ricoh Feilding Gold Cup (2100m) at Awapuni. The Peter Didham-trained mare was having her first start since finishing fifth at Group One level in the Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings and was installed a warm $2.50 favourite for Saturday’s contest. On a day that was favouring those handy to the pace, rider Sarah Macnab had House Of Cartier off the fence from an inside draw quickly after the start and sh...

Justacanta bags Linlithgow for Kiwi connections

Veteran galloper Justacanta continues to thrive in Australia this spring and landed his second stakes race of the campaign when winning the Gr.2 Linlithgow Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday. A Group Three performer in New Zealand, Justacanta was transferred by trainers Shaun and Emma Clotworthy to Patrick Payne in Victoria earlier in the spring, after trialling well on two occasions. The eight-year-old has run well in all bar his first-up assignment at Moonee Valley and came from last on ...

Frontman back on top at Tauranga

Promising galloper Frontman cast aside a disappointing run at his last start when he showed his true class with an outstanding victory at Tauranga in the Listed PRH Transport Trophy (1600m). The four-year-old entire had disappointed when he could only finish third in the Listed Matamata Cup (1600m) earlier in the month when sent out a warm $2.70 favourite. Trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman allowed the son of Makfi time to get over that run and he paraded in excellent order for Saturday’...

Vaccine Certificate Requirements Implemented for Future NZB Auctions

New Zealand Bloodstock would like to inform all industry participants that, as per the proposed government induced vaccination certificate mandate, people wishing to attend all future NZB auctions hosted at the Karaka Sales Centre will be required to provide proof that they have received both COVID-19 vaccinations. Given the nature and scale of its bloodstock sale events, coupled with the strong and necessary attendance of both international and domestic clients, NZB plan to fully support and ad...

NZTR - Directions Paper

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) is seeking stakeholder feedback on a variety of new initiatives designed to improve the racing product and boost returns to participants.The features of the Directions paper include plans to introduce an Aotearoa Champions Day race meeting, a Breeders Championship, and a Celebration Day meeting, along with a twilight series and a national synthetic racing series and annual finals day. An updated venue plan, recommended changes to the group racing patte...

Luce the Bella of the Ball

You could hear the cheers at Haunui Farm a mile away on Thursday afternoon. Not only did their shuttle stallion Belardo post a winning double at Te Aroha, but his three-year-old daughter Bella Luce (x Luce in the City) credited the farm’s Administration Manager Diane Rushworth with her first win as a breeder. It was the third start for the Shaun and Emma Clotworthy-trained Bella Luce and she left her rivals in her wake racing away to win her 1000m contest by three and a quarter lengths. Rushwo...

Red-letter weekend for Trelawney

It was a memorable weekend for Trelawney Stud principals Brent and Cherry Taylor, with three of their racing team carrying their green, red, and gold silks to victory, including two at stakes level. Cheaperthandivorce was the first to secure a stakes scalp for the Waikato nursery over the weekend when she recorded a 1-3/4 length victory over Justaskme in the Gr.3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham on Sunday. It was the second run for the Savabeel mare this preparation after winning first-up a...

Southern breeder celebrating stakes win

Blenheim-based breeder Jonny Orr is feeling pretty excited about his potential New Zealand Cup candidate Southern Ocean (Ocean Park-Viana) after his win in the Listed Spring Classic (2000m). However, Orr is the first to admit that he hasn’t always been a fan of the five-year-old chestnut. “It’s been a pretty cool ride so far from a horse that we didn’t think that much of,” he said. “I never really warmed to him as a foal, I’ve breed a few and he wouldn’t be the best looking I’v...