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Crocetti heads for a spell

A line has been ruled through an Australian autumn campaign for Crocetti, with the son of Zacinto heading to the spelling paddock after a standout three-year-old term.Trainers Danny Walker and Arron Tata were contemplating heading to Melbourne next month with the Group One winner but have elected to call time on his season following his runner-up effort behind Bonny Lass in last Saturday’s Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa.“We did look at the Australian Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m) and then ...

Brooks looking to extend golden run in NZ Polo Open

Polo and thoroughbreds have been the two biggest passions in Kit Brooks’ life, and this week he will combine the two when he competes in the NZ Polo Open in Clevedon, Auckland.Brooks is kept busy operating KB Bloodstock, his thoroughbred breaking-in, pre-training and ready- to-run business, but he always finds time to continue competing in the sport he loves.The Cambridge horseman has been involved with horses all his life and spent his formative years learning to play polo, a sport that has s...

Ears Back preparing for further stakes targets

John Blackadder is intent on gaining some black-type for his mare Ears Back and will trek down to Ascot Park this weekend to ready her for her next stakes assignment.The five-year-old mare was fourth in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m) at Wingatui earlier this month, giving Blackadder the confidence to press on towards next month’s Gr.3 Valachi Downs South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton.With that race in-mind, Blackadder has aimed Ears Back toward Saturday’s...

Well-performed Savabeel mare retired

Time has been called on the racing career of Savabeel’s Group-winning daughter Mazzolino.The Waikato Stud-bred and owned mare was prepared at Cambridge by Stephen Marsh and was successful on three occasions, including the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) and placed a further five times at stakes level.In foal to Super Seth, Mazzolino also ran fourth in this season’s Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) and signed off with a midfield finish in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) last weekend.The four-y...

Meet The Breeder - Bruce Wallbank

This week in Dunstan Horsefeeds Meet The Breeder, we catch up with Bruce Wallbank, a Pukekohe-based small breeder who bred Snow Patrol to win a stirring edition of the Gr.2 Hyland Race Colours Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.Tell us the story of Snow Patrol?There's quite a story behind this horse, Snow Patrol.We purchased the mare from Raffles Farm privately, and she was pregnant with this foal.My son Mark was fond of the O'Reilly’s and their bloodlines, so we decided to ge...

Molly back in full Bloom for breeder

Scott Eagleton might not have had the best seat in the house to watch Molly Bloom’s (Ace High) latest success, but it didn’t detract from the satisfaction derived from the star filly’s return to winning ways.The Seaton Park principal bred and sold the high-class daughter of Ace High whose victory in Saturday’s Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa may have been her final appearance in New Zealand.“It was another huge result for the farm, even though we...

Luckless Lass gets her deserved Group One

One of the unluckiest horses in the top echelon of New Zealand racing in recent times, Bonny Lass (NZ) (Super Easy) turned things around with a supreme front-running performance in Saturday’s Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa.The $400,000 weight-for-age feature was the first Group One victory for the Super Easy mare, whose long run of misfortune dates back to a raceday scratching from the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) on New Year’s Day last year.She returned for another shot at that ra...

Group Three win for brave Proisir mare

Quality mare Yonce (NZ) (Proisir) scored a richly-deserved Group Three victory when landing the Carlyon Cup (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday for trainer Ciaron Maher.The highly-talented daughter of Proisir rewarded her connections faith with her first stakes victory at her third start this campaign, having been off the scene for 20 months due to a tendon strain.The now six-year-old mare won six of her first seven starts, with her only defeat in her maiden campaign a brave fourth in the Gr.1 Quee...

Molly Bloom bows out a winner

If Saturday’s Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa was the final New Zealand appearance for Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace High), the Group One-winning filly farewelled her homeland on a high.The daughter of Ace High established herself as one of the standouts of her generation in the late spring, scoring scintillating victories in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m).Molly Bloom’s winning sequence was interrupted in last mon...

Fifth Group One for remarkable Mr Brightside

Cult horse Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) commenced his autumn campaign in the Gr.1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday and after looking beaten for much of the contest called on all his fighting qualities to mow down bold front runner Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) and Buffalo River (Noble Mission) in the shadows of the post.The Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained gelding has a never say die quality that has endeared him to racing fans and has been scarcely out of the money since crossi...

Legarto too good in Herbie Dyke Stakes

Matamata trainers Ken and Bev Kelso have long believed Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) had the potential to excel over 2000m, and their stable star proved them right on Saturday with a sparkling performance in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa.Legarto was a Group One superstar on both sides of the Tasman as a three-year-old last season. She blew her rivals off the Riccarton track in a five-length New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) romp in the spring, then ventured to Melbourne in March and lau...

Snow Patrol prevails in thrilling Autumn Stakes

New Zealand-bred gelding Snow Patrol (NZ) (Contributer) dug deep as he defeated classy rival Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) in a stirring edition of the Gr.2 Hyland Race Colours Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained son of Contributer was fresh-up but had trialled well leading into Saturday’s assignment.Winning jockey Mark Zahra made sure he never let chief rival Southport Tycoon and Damian Lane out of his sight, with that duo pulling awa...

Bold Soul lands Tasmanian Derby

Trainer Patrick Payne has claimed his third successive Listed Graham Family Funerals Tasmanian Derby (2200m) when Bold Soul (NZ) (Embellish) dug deep to prevail from fellow Kiwi bred Gold Wolf (NZ) (Tivaci).The son of Embellish was sent out a $1.45 favourite on the back of a stunning last-to-first victory in the Listed Launceston Guineas (2100m) and defeated a similar field in Friday’s Derby, with the exception of the runner-up.Ridden by Jake Noonan, Bold Soul raced fifth on the fence for...

Meet the Breeder - Adrianne Gemmell

This week in Dunstan Horsefeeds Meet The Breeder, we catch up with Adrianne Gemmell. A Kaitaia-based small breeder who is passionate about her horses and has had recent success with her bonny mare, Contribute.Tell us the story of Contribute?She is out of the O’Reilly mare Contrada which we bred to Contributer. She is from a good family as it is the family of Baltaine (Lord Ballina) and Betcha Wood (Woodbury Lad) who I raced as well with my parents.She was born at Mapperley Stud, then she went ...

Oaks candidate Khanshe certainly can

The old adage that good horses can come from anywhere certainly applies to last Saturday’s Listed Grangewilliam Stud Oaks Prelude winner Khanshe according to her owner breeder Rick Orr.Orr was thrilled to bits to have bred his first stakes winner, but he didn’t think it would come from the Mongolian Khan filly that he was discouraged from putting through the ring and ended up being trained by Fraser Auret by default.“I was told that the Mongolian Khans were not much bloody good, and she wa...

Town Cryer too tough in Tauherenikau feature

A stunning display of resilience and courage in the heat of battle was on display at Tauherenikau on Tuesday as progressive mare Town Cryer (Tavistock) claimed the Listed Clubs NZ @ The Races Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) in a torrid three-way tussle.The Roydon Bergerson-prepared six-year-old was one of the main fancies in the contest after finishing third in the Gr.3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) at Trentham last month.Rider Craig Grylls was content to sit outside surpri...

Nimble Nimbus wins Gr.3 Centenary Vase

Nimble Nimbus (Sacred Falls) powered to success in the HK$4.2 million Group Three Centenary Vase Handicap (1800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.Jumping from barrier five, Nimble Nimbus advanced to his sixth win from at his 27th start after Atzeni took the gelding to the outside of the field before denying Five G Patch by a head with Straight Arron an impressive third.“He’s an amazing horse, he never gets beaten far and is very consistent no matter the distance,” Ricky Yiu said. “I always thought ...

Khanshe too strong in Oaks Prelude

Lightly raced filly Khanshe (Mongolian Khan) displayed her staying credentials ahead of a potential tilt at the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham next month when she captured the Listed Grangewilliam Stud Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth.The Fraser Auret-prepared filly was having just her fifth start as she lined up for her first start since a six-week break following her eye-catching performance to finish seventh in the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Tre...

Perfect Scenario defends Wingatui crown

Consistent performer Perfect Scenario (Iffraaj) made it back-to-back victories in the feature event at Wingatui on Saturday when he captured his second Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Weight For Age (1600m) title.The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained six-year-old had bolted away with the 2023 edition of the time-honoured southern mile, winning by more than three lengths, but was made to work much harder this time around as he survived a torrid home straight scrap with eventual runner-up Dazzling ...

Tyler reclaims Dunedin Gold Cup with Shockallia

Two years after Kilowatt (Shocking) claimed the Listed Positive Signs + Print Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m), Shockallia (Shocking) emulated that performance in carrying the same green and white silks to victory on Saturday at Wingatui.Kilowatt, a former North Island-based galloper that entered Kelvin Tyler’s Riverton stable in 2017 had shone on the Southern cup’s circuit over several seasons, headed by his Gold Cup success in 2022.The Shocking gelding was retired after a career that ear...

Collect Your Cash delivers popular local Guineas win

With a powerful burst from the back of the field, Collect Your Cash (Rageese) delivered an unforgettable result for local horseman Shankar Muniandy in Saturday’s Listed Dunedin City Motors Dunedin Guineas (1500m) at Wingatui.Muniandy has been a popular member of local jockey ranks for most of the last two decades, riding 237 winners in a career that started in the 2007-08 season. His seven black-type victories include the 2022 edition of the Dunedin Guineas with Palmetto.While the 36-year...

Patterson adds home-town feature to stable’s run

The sensational summer form of Robbie Patterson’s New Plymouth stable kept on rolling on Saturday with his first win in the Gr.3 Denis Wheeler Earthmoving Taranaki Cup (1800m) on his home track.Contribute’s (Contributer) Cup victory was the 36th win of the season for Patterson, who now sits in fourth place on the New Zealand trainers’ premiership. He also saddled unbeaten three-year-old Shameless Boy to win an earlier race on Saturday’s card.Patterson’s runners have earned more th...

A weekend Green will never forget

It has been a momentous week for Barneswood Farm’s Sarah Green, which kicked off on Saturday with a memorable double at Ellerslie.Green cheered home her pride and joy Desert Lightning to win the inaugural $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m), before putting on her breeding hat to barrack for farm graduate Orchestral, who took out the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) in the following race.“It was such a special night on Saturday, it was unbelievable. We had 46 people wi...

Meet The Breeder - Sarah Green

In this weeks edition of Dunstan Horse Feeds Meet the Breeder, we catch up with Ashburton-based breeder, Sarah Green of Barneswood Farm who has had a dream few days, starting at Ellerslie on Saturday evening and ending at the Karaka Complex on Tuesday.Tell us the history/story of Barneswood Farm & how did you get into thoroughbred breeding?It started with a conversation with business partner and racing partner Ger Beemsterboer of the Netherlands who is now a great friend ...

Sears secure half-brother to Pendragon

Toowoomba trainers Tony and Maddy Sears teamed up with Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catheryne Bruggeman to purchase the top lot on Day 1 of Book 2 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales when going to $220,000 to secure a stunning colt by Time Test.Presented by Leanach Lodge, the brown colt enjoyed a significant pedigree update since the catalogue went to print, with his half-brother Pendragon now the winner of the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) and runner-up in the Karaka Millions 3...