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Robusto Storms to Victory in Avondale Cup

Rugged stayer Robusto upset the applecart when she produced a well-timed finish to deny Aussie raider Sound a victory in Saturday’s Gr.2 Wallen Concreting Avondale Cup (2400m). The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained six-year-old shrugged off a disappointing run in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) at her last start to thrust her name into Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) contention as she overcame traffic problems in the home straight to claim her biggest career victory. Given a...

Rocket Spade Cements Derby Claims with Avondale Guineas Victory

Well fancied Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) candidate Rocket Spade threw down the gauntlet to his three-year-old rivals when he produced a strong staying performance to capture the Gr.2 AJC Avondale Guineas (2100m) at Ellerslie. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained colt had entered Saturday’s vital Derby lead-up as the $4.50 second favourite for the blue riband event in a fortnight and strengthened his claims as he overcame a rocky run in midfield to storm home out wide and...

Chokito Takes Out Southland Guineas

A brave front-running effort paid dividends for Timaru visitor Chokito as she captured her first stakes victory in the Listed ILT Ascot Park Hotel Southland Guineas (1600m) at Invercargill. The Mel and Warwick Coles-trained filly has been a model of consistency throughout her career, finishing out of the top three on only two occasions in nine starts before Saturday’s contest. The daughter of Valachi Downs Stud-based stallion Vespa had been in the firing line in all three starts this campaign ...

Keeping up with the Calders

Every breeder aims to get a winner and most entertain that flicker of hope that their horse might win at stakes level. Breed a seven-time Group One winner? That’s the stuff dreams are made of, though that impossible idea is the reality for South Island couple Willie and Karen Calder. The Calders bred star mare Avantage (Fastnet Rock – Asavant (Zabeel)) who scored her seventh elite level victory on Saturday in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. Willie Calder can’t quite believe t...

Brosnan Family Patriarch’s Long Life Ends

One of racing’s most respected and long-serving participants, Sam Brosnan, passed away earlier this week at the grand old age of 99. Brosnan and his wife of 74 years Marj, who predeceased him by four years, founded a dynasty in breeding and racing, typically understated but at the same time very successful, particularly in jumps racing. Their working lives began as dairy farmers and in the early 1960s they established Oakland Stud just south of the Matamata racecourse. The moderately successfu...

Successful Weekend for Breeder of Tokorangi

A gold medal for her marching team and a Group Two winner in one weekend provided a huge thrill for Matamata septuagenarian Glenice Dando. Dando, along with her son Casey, is the breeder of Tokorangi (Redwood[GB]- Agent Ziva) who took out the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas at Te Rapa in impressive style, and for good measure she also has a share in the smart filly. However, commitments to her Leisure Marching team saw her in Whanganui instead of Te Rapa for the Annual Masters Games, where the Matamata bas...

Amarelinha Back to Her Best at Te Rapa

Exciting galloper Amarelinha bounced back to her very best after suffering a narrow defeat at her most recent start, when she captured the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa. Trained by Jamie Richards for the Te Akau Hopskip'n'jump Syndicate, Amarelinha was sent out a $1.40 favourite for the contest as punters believed she was a margin above her rivals after being beaten narrowly by Aegon in the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie last month. Back up against ...

Royal Performer Upsets in Group One Feature

Well-travelled galloper Royal Performer spoilt the party for the many supporters of race favourite Melody Belle when he caused an upset by racing away with Saturday’s Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa. The large on-course crowd were on hand to witness Melody Belle try and break the record of thirteen career Group One wins that she currently holds with mighty mare Sunline, but will have to wait for another day as a rocky run in the home straight put paid to her winning chances. Just as...

Super Seven for Avantage in Te Rapa Sprint Feature

In what most pundits deemed a match race between Avantage and Levante, it was marvellous mare Avantage who triumphed as she made it seven career Group One wins when taking out a superb victory in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. The opportunity to see two of the best mares racing in New Zealand at present go head-to-head was thwarted when Levante effectively put paid to her chances when she missed the start by a conservative eight lengths. That didn’t worry the many Avantage suppo...

Tokorangi Gets Deserved Stakes Victory in Waikato Guineas

Consistent performer Tokorangi finally got the luck she needed when she stormed to victory in the Gr.2 Legacy Lodge Waikato Guineas (2000m) at Te Rapa. The Mike Moroney and Pam Gerard-trained three-year-old had had to settle for minor placings in several stakes races prior to Saturday’s effort, having placed third in the Gr.3 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) before running on strongly for fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) during her spring campaign. Another solid effort for fourth in ...

Breeds battle it out off the track

A unique event held at the Cambridge Raceway on Saturday showcased the versatility of former racehorses from both codes. Touted as the ‘Battle of the Breeds’, thoroughbreds were pitted against standardbreds across three classes held between races at the Cambridge Horse Festival race meeting. Richard Otto and Vanessa Everton were tasked with judging the competition where the eight horses, four from each breed, and their riders competed in the three classes of Conformation/Presentation, Paced ...

Obituary NZTBA Life Member Arthur Ormond

A true gentleman with a leadership style that was hard to beat, best describes NZTBA Life Member and former President Arthur Ormond who passed away this week. He was a foundation member of the NZTBA Wellington branch and then of the Hawke's Bay branch. He was elected to the NZTBA Council in 1991 and was its President from 1996 until 2001. Arthur was the NZTBA's nominee to the Board of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing from 1999 until 2001 and chaired the New Zealand Equine Industry Training Organi...

Good Things Take Time

Winton trainer Johnny Phillips always thought Madam de Soir (Raise The Flag[GB]- Grace De Soir) was capable of winning a Cup race. He was right as she recently took out the Listed Nellies Restaurant and Bar Dunedin Gold Cup, however the mare he bred and owns with his brother Barry turned out to be trained by Riccarton trainer Danny Crozier. Phillips trained the nine-year-old mare for the first of her eight wins, but decided in the New Year that if he was going to have a chance in the Dunedin Gol...

Friendly Reminder | Foal and Mare Returns | February 28 2021

Dear Breeders, Just a friendly reminder that the 2020 return/annual registration for your broodmare is due by 28 February 2021. A broodmare needs to be registered annually in the New Zealand Stud Book so that her foals are eligible for racing and breeding. Owners are responsible for registering their mare as a broodmare after she is covered for the first time and for maintaining her registration in the Stud Book until she is retired from breeding or is sold or leased out. Owners must lodge a ret...

Keith and Faith Equine Scholarship | Nathan Trumper | Blog 1

There are 24 students on the course for 2021 which is a special year for the stud being the 50th year of this wonderful course.  The first 2 weeks there were 12 of the international students that had to do a two-week quarantine stint at the stud. It was a great two weeks to really getting to know everyone before the Irish turned up. There was a lot of time spent in the common room watching races from all over the world, the sales on the Gold Coast, as well as watching a lot of movies. ...

Tabata Takes Breeders’ Stakes for Cricket Legend

Progressive mare Tabata collected her first stakes success when she prevailed in a desperate finish to the Listed Property Brokers Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Tauherenikau on Monday. Owned by former Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum ONZM, who these days is sought after in both coaching and commentary roles around the globe, the four-year-old daughter of champion stallion Savabeel looked a forlorn hope halfway down the home straight as she was giving the eventual runner...

Concert Hall Escapes Serious Injury After Nasty Barrier Incident

Trainer Roger James admits he feared the worst as he watched his star mare Concert Hall crash through the outside fence at New Plymouth on Saturday after escaping from the starting gates prior to the start of the Gr.3 Powerworx Taranaki Cup (1800m). The last start Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) winner was a hot favourite for the feature event on the card and was calmly being loaded into her barrier when she suddenly lurched backwards, dislodging rider Danielle Johnson, before careering away from th...

Brilliant Return From Probabeel

Probabeel is on target to fly the Kiwi flag in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and the A$5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) after proving a class above her rivals in Saturday’s Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield. The multiple Group One winner carried 60kgs in the mares race and travelled wide throughout from the outside barrier before forging clear in the straight under jockey Damian Lane. The Jamie Richards-trained daughter of Savabeel is now likely to head to the Futurity Stak...

Marsh Savours Group Three Double

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh struck Group Three gold in both islands within the space of one special hour on Saturday afternoon. Belle Fascino capped a series of black-type placings with a big finish to capture the White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m) at Wingatui, then Vernanme swooped to victory in the Powerworx Taranaki Cup (1800m) at New Plymouth. Marsh took special satisfaction from Vernanme’s win, which came just a couple of days after co-owner-breeder Kevin Hickman sadly lost his multiple Gro...

Ruakaka Filly Strengthens Oaks Bid with Thrilling Victory

Lightly raced filly Spine Tingle sent shivers down the backs of plenty of her potential Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) rivals with a stunning victory at New Plymouth on Saturday. Bred and raced by the Hawkins family under their Llanhennock Trust banner, the Super Easy three-year-old went into Saturday’s Listed Fasttrack Insurance Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth with just two runs under her belt, including a last start victory over 1400m on her home track at Ruakaka...

Collaboration Pays Off with Cup Upset

A joint venture between owner-breeder John Phillips and Riccarton trainer Danny Crozier produced a dream result in Saturday’s Listed Nellies Restaurant and Bar Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m). Defying odds of $31.60, nine-year-old mare Madam De Soir outfinished her opposition in the Wingatui staying feature and secured a valuable first black-type victory. Throughout most of her 66-start career, the daughter of Raise the Flag has been trained by Phillips at his Winton base. She found a purple patch of...

Back-to-Back Guineas for Showemhowitsdone

A rematch of last month’s Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) produced the exact same result on Saturday as Showemhowitsdone edged out The Gift in a tight finish to the Listed Mediaworks Dunedin Guineas (1500m) at Wingatui. The same two fillies hit the line locked together two weeks ago at Gore, where the strong-finishing Showemhowitsdone snatched victory by a head. But a rough-house finish and Slow8 track conditions may have raised some doubts over that form when a similar field stepped out on to a D...

Magneto takes Taranaki Two-Year-Old Feature

Promising colt Magneto turned the tables on race rivals Quattro Quinta and Wolfgang when he stormed home along the fence to take out the Gr.3 Woburn Farm 2YO Classic (1200m) at New Plymouth. The Showcasing colt had finished third behind Saturday’s race rivals in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) at his last start but reversed that result with a professional display. Rider Ryan Elliot had the Steven Cole-trained runner humming along nicely in the trail throughout as first starter Ima Roca Bee...

Cunningham Honoured with International Award

Travellers often come to New Zealand for the landscape and lifestyle but it was opportunity that brought Curraghmore’s Gordon Cunningham down under. Irish-born Cunningham has spent more than two decades in his adopted homeland and was recently honoured for his achievements in the thoroughbred industry with the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA) Wild Geese Trophy, sponsored by The Aga Khan. The annual award recognises an Irish horseperson who has represented their home country on...

Marie revels in Melody Belle’s double achievement

By Denis Ryan, RaceFormWhile the entire racing industry was applauding Melody Belle’s history-sharing win in the Gr. 1 Thorndon Mile at Trentham, the mighty mare’s breeder Marie Leicester doubled down on her celebrations. The widely publicised accolade was drawing equal with Sunline as the most prolific Group One winner in New Zealand racing history. Not only was this Melody Belle’s 13th Group One success, but just as significant for Leicester was that it was her 18th in total, taking her ...