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#CompleteTheFleet

The New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust was established in 2016 for the purpose of funding, procuring and operating a national fleet of horse ambulances. The Horse Ambulance Trust is one away from a goal they set back in 2016 to fund and procure ten horse ambulances. The custom made ambulances have a full hydraulic suspension system and are designed to give injured horses the best support for a positive outcome. With the public's help they are fundraising for a final horse ambu...

Battling Billy Causes Minor Upset in Auckland Cup

Rotorua galloper Ocean Billy gave trainer Bill Pomare his biggest thrill on a racecourse when he proved too tough in the concluding stages when taking out Saturday’s Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie. The rugged Ocean Park five-year-old won the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) back in December to frank his credentials for Saturday’s two-mile classic but had been strangely absent from most of the pre-race discussions before the race. Settled well beyond mid-field by Johnathan ...

Pomare Thinking Ahead with Ocean Billy

While he is still coming to terms with winning the first Group One of his training career, Rotorua’s Bill Pomare knows he could have some big decisions to make with his stable star Ocean Billy. Pomare was enjoying a few quiet moments on Sunday afternoon as he reflected on an amazing journey with the Ocean Park five-year-old that saw him take out the Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. For Pomare, the victory represents the pinnacle of more than twenty-five ye...

Melody Belle Sets Group One Record at Ellerslie

Champion mare Melody Belle created a piece of New Zealand racing history at Ellerslie on Saturday when she strode to victory in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher NZ Stakes (2000m), her fourteenth win at the elite level, to surpass the mighty Sunline for the most Group One wins in the modern era for a New Zealand-trained galloper. The six-year-old daughter of Commands had attracted her share of doubters as to whether she could produce another Group One victory after being beaten at Te Rapa over the same dista...

Bosson Puts Rivals to the Sword in Sistema Stakes

Quality two-year-old Sword Of State and rider Opie Bosson made it a one-horse affair at Ellerslie on Saturday when they blitzed their rivals in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m). Sent out a dominant $1.60 favourite off the back of a six-length win in the Gr.3 Waikato Stud Slipper (1200m) on his home track at Matamata last time out, the Snitzel colt never gave his rivals a look in, courtesy of a copybook effort from Bosson. Bosson made full use of an inside barrier as he bounced Sword Of State stra...

Business Model Change for Valachi Downs

Matamata thoroughbred nursery Valachi Downs is set to return to a boutique breeding and racing operation following a number of years of growth and business diversification. “Kevin and Jo Hickman are refocusing Valachi Downs as a more private and smaller nursery and racing stable with the same goal of producing, selling and racing elite racehorses,” Valachi Downs’ General Manager Gareth Downey said. The move will see the broodmare band reduced to around 70 with a reduction sale to be offere...

Entriviere Demolition A Consolation for Gray

Kevin Gray didn’t train the winner of the Gr.3 King’s Plate (1200m) at Ellerslie on Sunday, but he still took some comfort from the result, having bred race victor Entriviere. For the second time in the space of a couple of months, the Gray-trained Rock ‘N’ Affair has ventured to the Auckland track and clashed with Entriviere, coming off on the worse side of the ledger on both occasions. Having finished fourth to the lightly-tried daughter of Tavistock in the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (120...

Rocket Spade Wins Thrilling New Zealand Derby

In a desperate three-way finish to the blue riband Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m), it was race favourite Rocket Spade who came out on top at the conclusion of a thrilling contest. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained colt had gone into the race off a strong performance to win the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) in his final lead-up to Sunday’s feature event at Ellerslie. That run had hinted the son of Fastnet Rock would thrive on the 2400m of the Derby and so it proved as rid...

Rain No Barrier For Exciting Entriviere

A heavy downpour during the running of Sunday’s Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m) proved no hindrance to exciting mare Entriviere as she produced a flashing burst of speed to capture her second successive Group Three victory. The Tavistock four-year-old had taken out the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m) on Karaka Million night at her most recent start, after enjoying a perfect run in-transit on that occasion. This time rider Danielle Johnson had to negotiate a wide barrier, a 1kg weight pe...

Te Akau Racing Enjoy Black Type Bonanza at Ellerslie

Punters who thought the result of the Gr.3 McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m) was a foregone conclusion when installing glamour filly Amarelinha a red-hot $1.30 favourite for the race were left hanging on the result of the photo-finish to a thrilling contest in the fillies feature. Most expected Amarelinha to carry on her winning way after registering a pair of Group Two victories and a brave runner-up finish to Aegon in the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) in her last three starts. However, no...

The Gift Proves Too Tough In Wingatui Feature

Talented three-year-old The Gift proved too tough for her age group rivals at Wingatui on Saturday as she collected her first black-type success in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m). The Robert Dennis-trained daughter of Power had to settle for the runner-up position behind Showemhowitsdone in both the Listed Gore Guineas (1355m) and the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) before battling into sixth off a wide run in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) at her last three starts. Despite drawing...

Group winner for Contributer

Mapperley Stud had plenty to celebrate on Wednesday after Llanacord (Contributer – L’Accord) scored a brave victory in the Gr.2 Little Avondale Stud Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Hastings. Not only did Llanacord provide the Matamata farm’s resident stallion Contributer with his first Group winner, but the three-year-old filly was bred and sold by owner-operator Simms Davison and Judy Hewitt. Davison met Hewitt in 2011 when Llanacord’s dam L’Accord (Golan -  Distant Heights) was offere...

Derby Day update

The Vodafone Derby meeting will take place at Ellerslie on Sunday, 7 March. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and the Auckland Racing Club (ARC) confirmed the venue following the government’s announcement this afternoon that the Auckland region would return to Alert Level 2 from 6am on Sunday. NZTR and the ARC appreciate the patience of industry participants regarding the uncertainty of where the Vodafone Derby meeting would be staged. “We realise that this has been a very testing time ...

Blog 2 | Nathan Trumper | Irish National Stud Scholarship

Each week you are placed in different yards, the last couple of weeks I've been at Maddenstown. Commonly known as ‘Mad Town’, this is where all the dry mares are overseen by Tom (the foreman stationed there) who manages the many mares who get teased and put through the crush for the vet to check them. This has been one of my favourite places to work. Tom is a great guy to work with, as he has a sense of humour, allowing for some quality banter and laughs to be tossed around. He is also great...

Homebred filly scores Super Easy win

Sandy Moore had plenty to celebrate over the weekend as the breeder and part-owner of Bonny Lass (Super Easy-Posh Bec) who won the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at only her second start. “It was a great thrill and very exciting, and great to see a little old home bred filly winning such a prestigious race,” said Moore, a member of the Auckland Branch of the NZTBA. “When she won her first start, I got a real thrill, it was so great to see her winning so impress...

Richardson and Norvall Double Up in Matamata Features

Local filly Bonny Lass carried the hopes of her breeder Sandy Moore and a mixture of racing newbies and experienced hands to victory in Saturday’s Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Ltd Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). The two-year-old filly is raced by Moore, the vice-president of the Auckland Racing Club and members of the Social Racing Starting Gates Syndicate, which is managed by Auckland Racing Club Board member, Brent Cooper. The syndicate includes a number of members racing their first horse a...

Richardson Still Buzzing Over Home Track Success

After a night of celebrations at his favourite local restaurant, Matamata trainer Graham Richardson made an understandably slow start to his Sunday morning schedule. Richardson and a group of friends had good cause to party on Saturday evening after he and co-trainer Rogan Norvall captured the most prized trophy amongst the local training fraternity, the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) with their two-year-old filly, Bonny Lass. To add icing to the celebratory cake, th...

Te Akau Flyer Puts Rivals to the Sword At Matamata

Trainer Jamie Richards and the Te Akau Racing team entered Saturday’s Gr.3 Waikato Stud Slipper (1200m) on their home patch at Matamata on Saturday with a strong hand and played it to perfection when producing the quinella in the juvenile feature for the colts and geldings. Richards lined up the unbeaten Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner On The Bubbles along with stablemates Sword Of State and Avonallo, with On The Bubbles sent out a commanding $1.80 favourite by punters. Supporters of On The ...

Avantage Secures Eighth Group One Victory

Avantage continued her march into the realms of super stardom when she made it career Group One number eight with a gritty win in the Gr.1 El Cheapo Cars Weight-For-Age Classic (1600m). Unbeaten in three starts, all at Group One level, in her current campaign, Avantage was confidently expected to take Otaki’s elite feature on Saturday to make it four in a row and she duly obliged under a confident ride from Opie Bosson. Bosson had the Fastnet Rock mare positioned perfectly outside the pacemake...

Another Successful Competition for Ready Teddy Trophy

Last weekend the Matamata Equestrian Group hosted an action-packed competition at John and Denise McGivens’ Richmond Downs farm for nearly 350 riders and horses. The event, which incorporates the NZTBA-sponsored Ready Teddy Trophy, has developed over the years from the original one-day format to this year’s three-day competition covering three disciplines – dressage, show jumping and cross-country.  In 2013 the McGivens recognised the potential to host a horse trial on the property, ...

Surprise Package

When Tracey Schroeder bought herself an ‘old plodder’ to ride and potter around with, she got a lot more than she bargained for. She bought Pretty Woman as a re-educated thoroughbred to ride under saddle but has ended up with a valuable broodmare whose first foal is the Listed Southland Guineas winner Chokito (Vespa- Pretty Woman). “It’s incredibly exciting, really exciting actually, following Chokito and watching her win,” enthused Schroeder. “One of my daughter’s had a thoroughbr...

TAB NZ Update on Trading Performance

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Waikato Stud Celebrates Big Australian Double

Within one special hour on Saturday, Waikato Stud graduates Probabeel and Aegon flew the New Zealand flag high across the Tasman with a superb stakes-winning double. Probabeel was up first, adding a third Australian Group One victory to her collection in Caulfield’s Futurity Stakes (1400m). Despite a less-than-ideal run from a wide draw, the exceptional mare unleashed a withering finish to score by half a length from star Perth mare Arcadia Queen. A perfect Sydney debut for Aegon followed 60 m...

Tough Kiwi Mare Adds Third Group One in Futurity

Outstanding Kiwi mare Probabeel has rocketed to equal favouritism for the $A5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) with a resounding victory in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday. Despite travelling wide throughout, Probabeel swept down the middle of the track and proved too good for another top mare in Perth star Arcadia Queen, who also came from well back to finish second. The pair are now joint $4 favourites for the All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley in three weeks, in what shapes...

Undefeated Aegon Stamps Authority in Hobartville

High-class three-year-old Aegon proved the New Zealand form was right up to the mark when dominating his Australian rivals in the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained gelding crossed the Tasman earlier this week as the winner of all four of his starts in New Zealand, including victories in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m). Despite being slow into stride, Aegon relaxed beautifully unde...