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Bob Morris – a life well-lived with horses

‘A wonderful life in horses,’ is how I would describe the life of my close friend Bob Morris, who passed away in Cambridge on October 17th, one month short of his 92nd birthday. In Bob’s passing, New Zealand lost one of the very best horsemen it’s ever known. He was also one of the great characters, a great stockman, a great mentor to many successful people in horses, and in his own right, very successful as an owner, trainer and breeder. Robert Lloyd Morris was born in Cambridge in 1927...

Dunstan Feeds offers lucrative trainers incentive for iconic stayers championship series

Kiwi trainers will get the opportunity to scoop a $21,000 Karaka Yearling Sales windfall thanks to the generosity of Dunstan Feeds as the globally-respected feed merchant celebrates its 21st year of sponsoring the popular Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship. In a joint promotion with New Zealand Bloodstock and the Auckland Racing Club, and with the backing of the New Zealand Trainers’ Association, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, Dunstan ...

MacRury gets a good one in Travelling Light

A passion for pedigrees and a love of racing seem to be paying results for Coll MacRury the breeder and part-owner of the smart three-year-old filly Travelling Light (El Roca-Cissy Bowen). Currently favourite for the Gr.1 gavelhouse New Zealand 1000 Guineas, Travelling Light has been to the races on three occasions and has won each time, with her most recent success in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Soliloquy Stakes (1400m). MacRury, who works in the meat industry and divides his time between Perth, G...

Tavistock withdrawn from 2019 service

Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock has sustained an injury in his paddock which will impact his ability to cover over the coming weeks. As such, Cambridge Stud have decided that Tavistock will be withdrawn from service for the remainder of the 2019 season. He has covered 76 mares out of a large book with 43 in foal and 23 under service. Tavistock has had a strong start to the racing season, particularly in Australia, off the back of good sale results. It has already been a challenging year fo...

Smith out to make his mark in his own right

Bevan Smith admits there have been some nervous times this year, but the young New Zealand bloodstock agent is adopting a methodical approach to establishing his own business and quickly garnered support from prominent owners and trainers.  Earlier in the month, Smith made his biggest sales ring splash so far with a combined 14 horses bought for a range of clients at the Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs In Training Sale and the Inglis Ready2Race Sale.  He bought six juveniles on the Gold...

Ferrari jokes aside, Pearl Series Races make a big payday

Te Aroha trainer Ian Marks was only half-joking with his “that much closer to a Ferrari” comment on Trackside TV at Rotorua last Saturday. Marks had just witnessed his smart galloper Tutta La Classe charge past her rivals for victory in the Rating 65 NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race, her second win from three recent starts in filly and mare races carrying the lucrative bonus payment. Six weeks earlier the Per Incanto four-year-old had won a similar midweek race at Te Rapa, while her winning b...

Stakes double for Smithies

The Smithies brothers Joe and Max experienced a weekend most breeding farms can only dream about at Rotorua races recently. Their family owned Monovale Holdings bred the Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes (1215m) winner Dawn Patrol (Dawn Approach[IRE]- Dazzling) and the Listed Staphanos Classic (1950m) winner Sweet Treat (Ekraar[USA]- Flinders [USA]), and for good measure they own a half-share of the latter winner. Sweet Treat also provided Joshua Kam, his first black type winner at only his second winning r...

Ohio Showgirl an early star for Pitmans’ new Pearl fillies

Michael and Matthew Pitman are expecting another bold performance at Riccarton on Saturday from Ohio Showgirl, whose debut victory on October 5 delivered early success for a new wave of Pearl Syndicates. Centred around the NZB Insurance Pearl Series, the syndicates were developed in partnership with long-time Pitman stable client and friend Jim Bruford, who is also a member of the NZB Insurance team. The concept dates back to the 2014 Karaka yearling sales. The initial Pearl Fillies Syndicate ...

Polly Grey - the gift that keeps giving

Connotations around the expression ‘gift horse’ are many, but for Matamata thoroughbred enthusiast Kylie Fawcett it has a special and defined meaning. Fawcett is enjoying a highlight of her career as the trainer and part-owner of talented racemare Polly Grey, who completed a hat-trick on her home course last weekend with victory in the Listed Team Wealleans Matamata Cup. Polly Grey, now the winner of six of her 13 starts and more than $100,000 in stakes, was bred by the late Barbara Perry, ...

Valachi doffs cap to Baggy Green

Broodmare prospects by champion stallion Galileo (Ire) are prized commodities and a private purchase by Valachi Downs a few years ago has proved to be a blue chip investment for Kevin Hickman’s nursery. He bought Baggy Green from Curraghmore’s Gordon Cunningham and subsequent events now make that deal one of the smartest pieces of business Valachi has completed. Soon after changing hands, the mare’s half-sister Youngstar (High Chaparral {Ire}) won the G1 Queensland Oaks off the back of vic...

First winner for Vespa

Wellfield Lodge stallion Vespa picked up his first win as a sire when Piaggio took out the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1000m) at Tauherenikau on Thursday. It was a special day for trainers Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard who trained Vespa to seven victories, which included Group One glory in the Diamond Stakes (1200m). Benner was delighted to record Vespa’s first win as a sire and said he was struck by the similarities between the pair when he inspected him at Karaka earlier this year an...

Dunc’s mistake a Group Three winner

Recent Gr.3 Red Badge Spring Sprint (1400m) winner True Enough (Nom du Jeu – Valada’s Dream) is what you would call a fortunate mistake. Co-owner and breeder Mick Preston had Valda’s Dream (Sakura Seeking – Kerry’s Dream) booked to visit Fairdale Stud’s Full Fledged in 2012, but an oversight saw her covered by Nom du Jeu instead who she had missed to previously. “She was supposed to go to Fully Fledged but Duncan Fell made a blue and put her to Nom du Jeu,” Preston said. “To be...

Massive offer rejected for star 3YO

Dick Karreman has certainly confirmed his desire to enjoy racing top-class horses as he chases further Group One success. The highly successful Queensland businessman and owner of The Oaks Stud has officially turned down a $2.5 million offer for the exciting three-year-old gelding Catalyst, who is hot favourite to win next month’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton after annihilating his opposition in Saturday’s Gr.2 Sacred Falls Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400...

Spare a thought for Thomo

In the aftermath of lightly-tried stayer Surprise Baby’s victory in the Gr.3 Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday, a ballot-free exemption race for the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), it was hard not to spare a thought for Rich Hill Stud principal John Thompson. The popular stud master stands Surprise Baby’s sire Shocking at the Walton-based stud and bred the Paul Preusker-trained galloper from Kaapstad mare, Bula Baby. Had the cards Thompson was dealt with Surprise Baby fallen diffe...

Kolding heads NZ-bred Trifecta in G1 Epsom

On a red letter day for trainer Chris Waller, Kolding (NZ) (Ocean Park) has delivered on the big stage in the Epsom Handicap, narrowly beating New Zealand cult horse Te Akau Shark (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle).In the process, he gave his Waikato Stud sire, Ocean Park, a richly deserved first Group One.Waller-trained horses won all four Group One races in Australia on Saturday with Kolding’s win over the famous Randwick mile of special significance for trainer and jockey Glen Boss.Kolding and Te Akau S...

Melody Belle makes history in Livamol

Megastar Melody Belle earned two slices of New Zealand racing history on Saturday with another commanding performance in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings. She became the first horse to complete Hawke’s Bay’s weight-for-age Triple Crown during the Bostock New Zealand Spring Carnival – the Tarzino Trophy (1400m), Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Livamol Classic. Eight horses had previously won two of the three. It was also the ninth Group One win of Melody Belle’s glittering care...

Kiwi breeder to the fore in Hong Kong

Greg Tomlinson's Nearco Stud bred the winners of both feature races at Sha Tin on Tuesday night.Beauty Generation made a winning return taking out the Gr.3 Celebration Cup Handicap (1400m). The brilliant bay brushed off the burden of 60kg, as well as large weight concessions to all his rivals, and surged to victory in a track record 1m 20.05s. “He’s just an amazing horse. To do what he does defies logic to a certain degree,” jockey Zac Purton said. “He’s one out of the box, he’s gon...

BLOG POST: Sam Bergerson

Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship recipient Sam Bergerson gives us an update on his travels. It has been a busy last couple of months to end the scholarship. Yearling preparation at WinStar has been full noise leading in to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. A new straight-shot pool has just been finished for the yearlings so we have been very busy breaking that in with the majority of the horses swimming. I’ve also spent a few mornings over at the Training and Rest & Reha...

Sweynesse youngsters impress at Avondale trials

It might be early days, but juveniles by dual Group Three winning stallion Sweynesse have made a positive impression. The Group One-placed son of Lohnro was represented by two impressive trials winners at Avondale on Tuesday, while his only race-day performer to date, Swey My Way, ran an encouraging fourth in a strong two-year-old event at Pukekohe won by Not An Option. Te Awamutu trainer Clint Isdale produced a filly out of Darci Brahma mare Jungle Pago to win by five lengths over 600m. “I...

VIDEO: Bred To Win at Haunui Farm

Caroline Searcy's Bred to Win brings you the son of Lope De Vega, Belardo and his first foals at New Zealand's Haunui Farm. Plus sire of sires and broodmare sire of champions, Iffraaj....

AUDIO: Arion Pedigree's Andrew Stewart

Arion Pedigree's Andrew Stewart joined Mark Claydon on Radio Trackside to discuss Haunui Farm's shuttle stallion Belardo and champion broodmares Parfore and Eight Carat. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN...

Strong support for Time Test shows in debut crop pedigrees

Time Test, who shuttles to Little Avondale Stud, came out of last weekend’s Group One action in Europe with his profile considerably enhanced. By happy coincidence, the first northern hemisphere crop of foals by the son of Dubawi contains half-brothers to Logician, who announced himself a potential superstar with a decisive victory in the St Leger, and Irish Oaks heroine Star Catcher, who notched an all-the-way success in the Prix Vermeille. The colts out of Scuffle, a Listed-placed daugh...

Vernanme takes Pukekohe feature

Vernanme scored his first stakes victory on Sunday when successful in the Listed Haunui Farm Karaka Classic (1600m) at Pukekohe. Punters were keen on the winning chances of four-year-old O’Reilly entire Vernanme in the main event of the day after he produced an eye-catching run for second behind Mac Attacka at Ruakaka late last month. Group One placed behind Madison County in the Levin Classic (1600m) during his three-year-old campaign, Vernanme has furnished into an imposing specimen over h...

Ocean Park on song for Waikato Stud

Resident Waikato Stud stallion Ocean Park was to the forefront of the trans-Tasman racing action on Saturday where he was represented by four individual winners on the day, including a Group Three success at Royal Randwick. The Chris Waller-trained Kolding booked himself a start in the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) in a fortnight when he displayed all the toughness of his five-time Group One winning sire after fighting back to win the Gr.3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) after being headed by eventu...

Satono Aladdin Foals impress Breeders

The quality and athleticism of Deep Impact stallion Satono Aladdin’s first Japanese foals created a big impression in July at the prestigious Japan Racing Horse Association’s 2019 Select Sale, his foals averaging a massive NZ$613,000. With his first New Zealand progeny now arriving, they look set to make a similar impression with Australasian breeders. “We have managed to get photos of his first five New Zealand born foals and they’re exhibiting the same quality, balance and athleticism ...