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Ayrton back on top in Weekend Hussler

The roller-coaster career of highly talented galloper Ayrton (Iffraaj x Odessa) got back on the right track with a tenacious performance to win Saturday’s Listed The Big Screen Company Weekend Hussler (1400m) at Caulfield.The New Zealand-bred son of Iffraaj made waves in the early stages of his career, winning six of his first eight starts including the Gr.3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m) and Gr.3 Victoria Handicap (1400m).Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr have endured their share of tria...

Renaissance Woman shines in Angst Stakes

A multiple stakes winner over 1800m and 2000m as a three-year-old last season, Renaissance Woman (Reliable Man x Mrs Kennedy) showed real spark over a shorter trip with a highly impressive second-up performance in Saturday’s A$250,000 Gr.3 James Squire Angst Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.Trained by Bjorn Baker, the daughter of Reliable Man won the Gr.3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield last spring. She later added the Listed Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m) during the Queensland Winter Carniva...

Group Three reward at last for Our Alley Cat

Previously a five-time placegetter at Group level, classy mare Our Alley Cat (Atlante x Sima) broke through and secured her first stakes win in style in Saturday’s Gr.3 Valley D’Vine Restaurant Spring Sprint (1400m) at Hastings.The seven-year-old daughter of Atlante went into the $120,000 feature as the winner of six of her 29 starts, but she had also been runner-up behind Levante and Imperatriz in two editions of the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m), second to Showoroses in the Gr.2 Auckl...

Vale Mick Preston

Thoroughbred industry stalwart Mick Preston has passed away, aged 90.Preston was a member of one of New Zealand's best-known racing families, being a son of renowned owner-breeder Ted Preston.He was sent to England, aged 18, in 1952 to study the breeding industry and thus fit himself for studmaster duties at the family's West Derby Stud, in Levin.During his eight-month stay in England he worked for five months at Lord Derby's Stanley House Stud where the great sires Hyperion and Alycidon stood.O...

Meet the Breeder - Peter and Barbara Smith

This week we catch up with Peter and Barbara Smith who bred the well-named Town Cryer who took out the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Taranaki Breeders' Stakes.How did you get into thoroughbred breeding?It was through Peter’s father, he had a mare called ‘Left’ who was no good as a racehorse but produced numerous Cup winners including a Melbourne Cup winner Wotan in 1936. It was Peter’s father and two uncles that had the family but the uncles weren’t so keen on the breeding side so when Peter...

Poetic Champion produces outstanding first victory for Super Seth

Exciting two-year-old prospect Poetic Champion (Super Seth x Regally Blonde) produced an emphatic first victory for young Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth at Hawera on Saturday.Prepared by Cambridge trainer Tony Pike, Poetic Champion exuded confidence in the birdcage before the 950m contest and he looked every part the professional from the jump, striding up to sit outside the leader and race-favourite Cognoscenti through the running.The imposing chestnut travelled seamlessly under a hold i...

Town Cryer springs upset in Taranaki Breeder’s Stakes

While most people were surprised to see Town Cryer (Tavistock x The Speaker) hold out the late charge of multiple Group One winner Prowess as she took out the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Taranaki Breeder’s Stakes (1400m), trainer Royden Bergerson wasn’t necessarily one of them.Bergerson had expected Prowess to be the hardest to beat in the feature race at Hawera on Saturday but when he heard the track would be in the Soft range on the day, his confidence grew that he could spring an upset with h...

Life Lessons secures first stakes success

Despite the last-minute defection of Skew Wiff (Savabeel), New Zealand maintained a strong influence on Saturday’s A$300,000 Gr.2 Furphy Rose of Kingston Stakes (1400m) at Flemington thanks to a determined victory by Kiwi-bred mare Life Lessons (Tavistock x Brockman's Lass).There had been plenty of pre-race attention centred around the Waikato Stud homebred Skew Wiff, who was a last-start winner of the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings and was being pointed towards next month’s A$...

Legarto all class in local feature

With a dominant home-track performance in Saturday’s Listed Team Wealleans Matamata Cup (1600m), Legarto (Proisir x Geordie Girl) has put last week’s weather woes behind her and set her sights on Sydney.The exceptional daughter of Proisir was a Group One winner on both sides of the Tasman as a three-year-old last season, blowing her rivals away in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) before launching an incredible late burst to become the first New Zealand-trained winner of the Australi...

Meet the Breeder - Duncan Fell

Tell us about Fairdale Stud and its history. My grandfather, Arthur started breeding horses at Fairdale in the 1940's and previous generations had been farming here for a fair while before that. The stud rose to prominence in the 1960s and 70s when Pakistan 11 became a champion sire. His statistics were incredible and are comparable to the likes of Danzig and Northern Dancer, he even has his own Wikipedia page! Unfortunately he died when he was only thirteen.Fairdale has bred over 200 stakes win...

Dorian Kos wraps up Sunline Management Scholarship

Hello everyone,Welcome to my last blog from what has been an amazing seven months of learning and travelling for me.My last stop took me to Hong Kong, where I discovered a completely different way to approach horse racing. One of the fundamental things I learnt about the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which is a key point, is that it is a not-for-profit organisation, which allows them to reinvest all of their profits into prizemoney and charities, amongst others. It is very important to know that horse ...

Multiple Group One winner leads Windsor Park charge

Top quality mare Mustang Valley spearheaded a lucrative and satisfying stellar Saturday for Windsor Park Stud.The dominant Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) winner was bred by the Cambridge nursery, who remain in the ownership group of the daughter of resident stallion Vanbrugh.Riccarton success stories Trobriand, Redemption and It’s Business Time are also Windsor Park graduates with the farm’s silks carried by the latter, who has now been victorious in five of her eight appearances.“You ...

Antino bounces back in Sandown Stakes

Rising star Antino (NZ) (Redwood) put a nightmare Melbourne debut behind him with a comfortable return to winning form in Sunday’s Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m).The Redwood gelding made a huge impression in Queensland with wins in eight of his first nine starts, headed by a dominant performance in the Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm in June.That blockbuster form prompted his trainer Tony Gollan to set his sights on the Melbourne Spring Carnival, but his southern raid started with a luc...

More spring Group One gold for Mustang Valley

A year on from a breakthrough spring campaign that announced her arrival on the Group One stage, Mustang Valley (NZ) (Vanbrugh) did it again in the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Hastings on Saturday.The daughter of Vanbrugh began last season with a rating of 70, but a spectacular five-length romp on the opening day of the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival thrust her into the spotlight. In her next three starts, she won the Gr.3 Metric Mile (1600m), ran a strong-finishing second in the Arrowf...

Lantern Way lands Guineas upset

All eyes were on standout Satono Aladdin gelding Tokyo Tycoon in the lead-up to Saturday’s Gr.2 Animal Health Direct Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Hastings, but another son of the same stallion stepped out of his shadow and stole the show.Lantern Way shook free of his maiden status with a stunning upset win, defying 20-to-one odds in outstanding style.While Tokyo Tycoon’s wheels were spinning in the Heavy9 track and he struggled to make an impression from midfield down the straight, Lante...

Exciting times abound at Trelawney

From a remarkable winning streak in Singapore to the blue-blooded foals and yearlings in the Trelawney Stud paddocks, there are plenty of reasons for Brent Taylor to be entering the 2023-24 season with a spring in his step.Perhaps the biggest source of excitement is the Group One-winning homebred mare Loire, who has returned from the northern hemisphere after two matings with Frankel. In what could be termed a perfect outcome, she has produced a filly and a colt by the legendary racehorse and ex...

Group One goals for Coeur Volante

Jockey Blake Shinn concluded a satisfying evening when he guided lightly raced filly Coeur Volante (NZ) (Proisir) to an impressive victory in the Gr.3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on Friday night.It was an eventful evening for Shinn who had opened the eight-race card with wins on Farhh Flung and Ranting before hitting the deck in race four when piloting the Clinton McDonald-trained Fasuto.Having dusted himself off he returned to the fray to navigate a successful path on Coeur Vo...

Meet Anna Stove

As a young girl growing up on a stud farm in Karaka, Anna Stove had a desire to be involved in the thoroughbred industry, but never in her wildest dreams did she think it would be as the interim Chair of TABNZ.Stove the daughter of well-known racing identity the late Brian Mollet, aspired of being an equine veterinarian, however when that didn’t eventuate, she embarked on a career in nursing.After working in that field in New Zealand and the United Kingdom she ventured into sales, sales manage...

Challenge Syndications offers another Group One star on gavelhouse.com

Two years after selling Jennifer Eccles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) for $800,000 on Gavelhouse Plus, Adrian Clark’s Challenge Syndications is set to offer another proven Group One performer for online auction.Best Seller (NZ) (Wrote) has been retired from racing and is now available for purchase in gavelhouse.com’s latest fortnightly mixed bloodstock auction. She was a Group performer at the ages of both two and three, finishing with two wins, three placings and $192,275 in stakes from a 12-start ...

Militarize scores stunning Golden Rose win

New Zealand-bred star Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel) came from nowhere to snatch an extraordinary last-gasp triumph in Saturday’s A$1 million Gr.1 Kia Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill.It was the third Group One victory for the super-talented Dundeel colt, who soared to prominence in the autumn with outstanding back-to-back successes in the Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Champagne Stakes (1600m). But what he did on Saturday was even better.A late-finishing fifth in his resuming run in the Gr.2 R...

Belardo Boy back to winning form at Awapuni

Deteriorating track conditions at Awapuni that saw a Soft5 surface turned to a Heavy10 due to persistent rain throughout the day, played right into the hands of local runner Belardo Boy (NZ) (Belardo) who revelled in the conditions when taking out the Gr.3 Hunterville Vet Club Metric Mile (1600m).The Lisa Latta-trained five-year-old was having his first run back from a short spell after securing victory in the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton in early August.Fitted for Saturday’s...

First trial winner for Ferrando

Westbury Stud stallion Ferrando (Fast 'N' Famous) had his first trial winner at Cambridge on Tuesday courtesy of Grove Street in his 800m heat, and co-trainer Graeme Rogerson is hoping the colt can take his winning form into his debut at Tauranga on Saturday.Bred and part-owned by Rogerson, Grove Street will contest the Gartshore Construction Maiden 2YO (950m) where he will be joined by stablemates Ka Pai Kiwi, Elegant Jazz, and Skymax, a daughter of Ferrnado.“Ferrando had his first trial winn...

‘Incredible’ Mr Brightside dominant in Makybe Diva

Mr Brightside (Bullbars x Lilahjay) notched his fourth Group One victory in comfortable fashion when landing the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.In a small field of seven that always looked a tactical affair, winning jockey Craig Williams took luck out of the equation as he settled one-out one-back on the unassuming son of Bullbars.With his great rival Alligator Blood setting a sedate tempo and giving a strong kick turning for home, Mr Brightside ambled past his chief combat...

Viva Vienna wins Canterbury Belle Stakes

By Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskQuality three-year-old filly Viva Vienna (All Too Hard x Anna of Austria) confirmed she will be a major contender for the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in November with another fighting victory in the feature event at Riccarton on Saturday, the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m).Arch-rival Illicit Dreams (Vancouver x Illicit Romance) was expected to provide the main opposition to the Mark Walker and Sam...

Per Incanto gives Sam something to smile about

Sam Williams has multiple reasons to put that familiar smile back on his dial.Last Friday Per Incanto arrived back at Little Avondale Stud in full recovery mode from an injury that threatened to rule him out of the 2023 breeding season. Next day at Hastings the star stallion’s emerging son Jimmysstar carried the LA colours to an impressive win, his second from three starts.On an even more personal level, Williams is coming out the other side of a battle with cancer, ready to pick up the reins ...