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Positivity takes out Sunline Vase

Unheralded Almanzor filly Positivity (Almanzor) sprang an upset at Ellerslie on Saturday when she fought doggedly in the run home to take out the Gr.3 McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m) and claim her first stakes victory.The Andrew Forsman-prepared three-year-old was having just her fifth start and had looked a likely staying prospect when breaking her maiden status over 1600m a Tauranga at just her second start.She was spotted running on nicely in two subsequent efforts in black-type compan...

Australian Cup focus for Blamey winner Atishu

Multiple Group One winning mare Atishu has claimed a berth in the A$4 million All-Star Mile (1600m) with a strong victory in the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. The Chris Waller-trained daughter of Savabeel was ridden more forward than usual under Blake Shinn, who was aboard the six-year-old for the first time, defeating Holymanz by three-quarters of a length, with Ayrton close-up in third after being held-up for a run. “We know she is a filly that has had her s...

Extraordinary Orchestral makes Derby history for James

Roger James is now the most successful trainer in the history of the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m), but even that enormous achievement was overshadowed at Ellerslie on Saturday by the new superstar of his Cambridge stable.Orchestral (Savabeel) became the sixth Derby winner for James, following on from Tidal Light (1986), Roysyn (1995), Zonda (1997), Hades (1999) and Silent Achiever (2012). Saturday’s win took him one ahead of the great Colin Jillings, who had previously shared ...

Certainly continues Te Akau’s Mufhasa Stakes dominance

Te Akau Racing’s former trainer Jamie Richards had a stranglehold on the Mufhasa Stakes (1400m) on New Zealand Derby Day, and his successors Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson continued that tradition at Ellerslie on Saturday.The runaway premiership leaders won the Mainstream Plumbing-sponsored Group Three feature with classy Waikato Stud homebred Certainly (Savabeel), who became the fourth Mufhasa Stakes winner in the last five years to come from Te Akau’s Matamata stable.Richards had previously...

Alice Wilkinson - Irish National Stud Blog 2

In the last month I have spent most of my time in the Sun Chariot yard which is the foaling unit here at the INS. I spent three nights on foal watch alongside another student named Luis, Carol and Lauren who are the foaling supervisors here at the stud.On my first night of foal watch we had two mares foal. One of which was a high risk foaling due to Neonatal Isoerythrolysis. (NI) is caused by an incompatibility of blood types between a mare and her foal, in which the foal’s red blood cells are...

Jon Snow records first win as a sire

Group One winner Jon Snow got off the mark as a sire on Thursday when his son King Of The North took out the Farewell Dave Bradford (1400m) at Matamata.It was the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained gelding’s third start, having run fourth on debut over 1200m at the Waikato track in January before placing over 1300m at Te Rapa a fortnight later.Jon Snow stands at Clearview Park, near Timaru, and farm principal Aaron Tapper was rapt to see King Of The North get his sire on the board.“...

gavelhouse.com auction brings curtain down on Live Drama’s quality career

Six years after being bought for just $8,500 from New Zealand Bloodstock’s South Island Sale, Live Drama (NZ) (Ghibellines) has retired with more than $330,000 in prize-money to her name and is being sold as a valuable broodmare proposition in the latest fortnightly auction on gavelhouse.com.Live Drama’s high-class career spanned six seasons, winning on debut as a juvenile in May of 2019 and placing at Group Three level as a seven-year-old in November.She had a total of 35 starts for nine wi...

Meet the Breeder - James Chapman

This week in Dunstan Horsefeeds Meet the Breeder, we catch up with James Chapman of Jamieson Park. James bred Saint Alice, winner of the Listed Kaimai Stakes and also has an exciting new addition to add to the stallion ranks!Tell us the history/story of Jamieson Park?Jamieson Park is the culmination of a desire to build and live on a thoroughbred horse stud, developed after visiting some of the best New Zealand studs. I was fortunate to employ Sam Munro and together we set about transforming a...

Vale Dave Bradford

Respected racing journalist and administrator Dave Bradford passed away peacefully in Auckland on Thursday, aged 91.Having started out as a cadet reporter with the Thames Star, Bradford moved onto the Rotorua Daily Post before later becoming racing editor of the Auckland Star/8 O’Clock.A committee member of Auckland Racing Club and Matamata Racing Club, Bradford was the first editor of the New Zealand Racing Annual from early 1970s for MOA Publications.He managed Whitford agistment property Lo...

Mr Brightside adds Futurity to stunning season

Megastar Mr Brightside (Bullbars) added a sixth Group One trophy to his collection with another breathtaking performance in Saturday’s A$750,000 Lamaro’s Hotel Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.Four of those six Group One triumphs have come this season alone, where the New Zealand-bred’s eight starts as a six-year-old have produced five brilliant wins and three second placings.After kicking off his season with wins in the Gr.2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m), Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) ...

La Crique back to brilliant best in WFA Classic

Katrina and Simon Alexander celebrated one of their most satisfying moments on a racetrack with La Crique’s (Vadamos) triumphant turnaround in the Gr.1 Trackside Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) on Saturday.The undisputed star of the Alexanders’ Te Awamutu stable, La Crique had endured a turbulent 12 months since her runner-up finish behind Levante in the same race in February of last year.But the efforts and patience of everyone connected with the Vadamos mare was richly rewarded as she...

Savaglee springs Slipper surprise

A fruitless summer saw Savaglee (Savabeel) slip under the radar in this season’s two-year-old crop, but that all changed with a brilliant upset victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Fairview Matamata Slipper (1200m) on his home track.The blue-blooded colt is by Savabeel out of Glee, who is a full-sister to the dam of Orchestral and a three-quarter-sister to the dam of Daffodil. Savaglee was bought by The Oaks Stud for $400,000 at Karaka last year, and he looked worth every cent of that purchase pr...

Sydney features on horizon for unbeaten Immediacy

Expat New Zealand trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young know what it takes to win a Derby in Australia, and now they are setting their sights on Sydney with the unbeaten Immediacy (Tarzino).The Kiwi-bred son of Tarzino extended his perfect record to three-from-three with a dominant performance in Saturday’s A$300,000 Gr.2 Stow Storage Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield.Immediacy’s super-impressive win prompted his trainers to look ahead to the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) on March 23 a...

Campionessa claims her missing piece at Caulfield

A proven Group One star in her homeland, Kiwi mare Campionessa (Contributer) added valuable Australian black-type to her CV with a determined win in Saturday’s A$300,000 Gr.2 Carlton Draught Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield.Te Akau Racing’s high-class six-year-old has put together an outstanding record in New Zealand, winning 10 of her 28 starts along with nine placings and more than $1 million in stakes.She triumphed in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2050m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day, ...

Wilson celebrates massive weekend

Hawke’s Bay horsewoman Vicki Wilson’s diverse range of skills and associated success were showcased last weekend across the wide spectrum of equine competition.On Saturday at Invercargill’s Ascot Park racecourse, Aberlour, a daughter of Wilson’s young stallion Mongolian Falcon, completed a stakes double with a runaway win in the Listed Southland Guineas to go with last month’s Listed Gore Guineas.The following day Wilson was the toast of the showjumping world when she scooped the pool ...

Pericles adds to Pencarrow’s big year

The past 12 months have been very rewarding for Pencarrow Stud, with last Saturday’s Listed Sky City Horizon Uncle Remus Stakes winner Pericles (Rubick) being the farm’s sixth stakes winner in that period.“I don’t think we have ever done better than that,” stated manager Leon Casey Casey in a big call considering the Sir Peter Vela-owned Pencarrow has produced 20 individual Group One winners in more than 35 years of operation.“That sort of success keeps reinvigorating the broodm...

Rider reunites with Aromatic

Milan Park’s Tony Rider went full-circle on gavelhouse.com on Monday night, buying back the multiple Group-winning mare Aromatic (NZ) (Sacred Falls) for $257,500.Rider bred Aromatic and offered her in Milan Park’s yearling draft in Book 1 of Karaka 2018, where she was bought by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis for $160,000.Aromatic carried the tangerine colours of Te Akau to six wins and 14 placings from a 32-start racing career, earning more than $419,000 for her owners in the Te Akau S...

Champion mare Ethereal still making her mark

Memories of the mighty mare Ethereal continue to be rekindled and most recently by the emergence of her gifted grandson Pericles.Bred and raced by Sir Peter Vela and his late brother Philip, Ethereal was the toast of the 2001 Melbourne spring carnival when she completed the famed Group One double of the Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Melbourne Cup (3200m).Trainer Sheila Laxon had previously prepared the daughter of Rhythm to win the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) and the curtain came down on her racing...

Vale Verry Elleegant

The Australasian racing industry are in mourning following the news of the passing of 11-time Group One winner Verry Elleegant (Zed) when foaling in Ireland.By Grangewilliam Stud stallion Zed, Verry Elleegant was bred by Don Goodwin out of his Danroad mare Opulence, who he purchased as a broodmare prospect for $14,000 off South Auckland horseman Nicholas Bishara at Karaka. It came full circle for Bishara, and he was pleased to take on her progeny, including Verry Elleegant, to educate and s...

Aberlour completes Guineas double in style

Emerging talent Aberlour (Mongolian Falcon) extended her winning sequence to three and completed a southern Guineas double with a tour de force in Saturday’s Listed ILT Ascot Park Hotel Southland Guineas (1600m) at Ascot Park.The Riverton filly had begun her career with a fourth and two thirds, including a third placing during the New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton in November. She broke through with a six-length maiden win on her home track on New Year’s Day, then stepped up to stak...

Orchestral a class above in Avondale Guineas

Three weeks after announcing her arrival among the season’s elite three-year-olds in breathtaking style on Karaka Millions night, Orchestral (Savabeel) treated Ellerslie to an encore in Saturday’s Gr.2 Eagle Technology Avondale Guineas (2100m).The exciting Savabeel filly had blown her rivals away by three and a half lengths in last month’s $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), and the step up to 2100m on Saturday produced something every bit as impressive.Orchestral was sent out as...

Former Derby winner back to winning form in Avondale Cup

Talented stayer Asterix (Tavistock) returned to the scene of his greatest triumph when he stormed home to take out the Gr.2 Eagle Technology Avondale Cup (2400m) at Ellerslie.The injury-plagued son of Tavistock took out the 2022 edition of the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) but a string issues had hampered his progress since then.Trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott and his ownership group, that includes former New Zealand cricketer Mark Greatbatch, have shown infinite patience with...

Pericles too strong in Uncle Remus Stakes

The Pam Gerard and Mike Moroney stable have been enjoying considerable success of late including with class three-year-old Pendragon (U S Navy Flag), however, it was his stablemate of the same age in Pericles (Rubick) who stole the limelight on Saturday with an eye-catching victory in the Listed SKYCITY Horizon Uncle Remus Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie.Fresh off a victory over 1400m at Pukekohe last month, the strapping son of Rubick was overlooked by punters who allowed him to start at odds ...

Grinzinger Belle adds to Lightning Day legacy for Shamexpress

A decade after saddling New Zealand-bred sprinter Shamexpress for a second placing in the Gr.1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington, Danny O’Brien returned to the same meeting on Saturday and landed a black-type prize with a daughter of the Windsor Park Stud stallion.Grinzinger Belle (Shamexpress) overcame a wide gate and double-figure odds to score a bold victory in the A$200,000 Gr.3 The Vanity (1400m), bringing back some fond memories for her locally based trainer.“We trained Shame...

Rich Hill roll continues into summer

It’s been an exciting mid-summer period for the team at Rich Hill Stud, initially with the reception afforded their stallions at the Karaka sales and topped off by further stunning results on the racetrack last weekend.At Te Rapa last Saturday the stud’s part-owner and general manager John Thompson was on course to witness Proisir mare Legarto take out the Gr. 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes, and Molly Bloom, the daughter of Ace High, dominate in the Gr. 2 David and Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic.On the s...