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Sharrock Appointed NZTR COO

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has announced the appointment of Bruce Sharrock to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). The appointment comes following a robust process to determine the right candidate from a field of strong contenders said NZTR chief executive Bernard Saundry. “During his successful career in the business of sport, Bruce has developed excellent skills in stakeholder management and relationship building. In this new role he will assist in driving in...

TAB SENZ launches

Set the alarm for 6am and strap in for a wild and exciting ride as SENZ launches here in New Zealand!  Broadcasting up and down the country on the below frequencies and everywhere on the SENZ App, the team will be bringing everything you need to know about Sport and Racing all day, everyday. Keep an ear out for your chance to win Bonus Bets all day every day in the firstweek of SENZ being on air and throughout the different shows moving forwardtoo.  The SENZ team are excited...

TAB NZ Welcomes New Board Appointments

Media Release 16 July 2021 TAB NZ welcomes new Board appointments The interim Board of TAB NZ has welcomed the new Board appointments announced today by the Racing Minister, Hon Grant Robertson. TAB NZ Chair Liz Dawson says today's announcement is another welcome step towards completing the racing reform programme, and finalising the operational transition of TAB NZ to its new framework. “As an interim Board, we’ve focused on creating the best possible foundation for the incoming Bo...

First TAB New Zealand Board Appointments Announced

The members of the first TAB NZ Board come with experience in racing and sport administration, business and governance, the betting industry, broadcasting and gambling harm minimisation. “This Board will progress from the excellent work done by the interim board, put in place in August 2020,” Grant Robertson said. “The TAB Board was created under the Racing Act passed in 2020. The Act outlines a process for appointing the board through the establishment of a selection panel to make recomme...

Strong demand for Satono Aladdin yearlings

Rich Hill Stud shuttle stallion Satono Aladdin posted strong results during yesterday’s JRHA Select Yearling Sale at Northern Horse Park. The Group One-winning son of the legendary Deep Impact had five youngsters go through the ring and they sold for $3,539,848 at an average of $707,969 with a top price of $1,487,872. The most popular colt was Lot 82, who was offered by Northern Farm and purchased by Haramura Masatochi. The colt is a half-brother to four winners including the G3 Fairy Stakes w...

Watershed Moment for Auckland Racing

Members of the Auckland Racing Club (ARC) overwhelmingly threw their support behind a merger with the Counties Racing Club at a Special General Meeting at Ellerslie on Thursday night. The key premise behind the amalgamation is that there are significant benefits to be had from a single operating structure and through the realisation of land assets on a coordinated basis to ensure that proceeds are maximised. Members of the Counties Racing Club (CRC) backed the merger on Tuesday and now the gree...

Carsons Scores First Training Win

South Auckland horseman Brad Carsons was delighted to secure his first training win at Arawa Park on Wednesday, courtesy of Cannsea Clearly in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1400m). “It was good to get it on the board because most of the horses that we have, we trade. This is the first one we have kept on our own,” Carsons said. Carsons bred and owns the daughter of Ferlax with his partner Natalie Jamieson, who rides the four-year-old in work in the morning before she heads to her job ...

Nathan's Final Blog

People said it would be the best six months of my life. They weren't wrong - what an unbelievable experience. Sadly, my time on the Irish National Stud Breeding Course has come to an end.  The memories I have made through the people, horses and places visited will be cherished for the rest of my life. The season has come to a close, the foaling unit completing an unbelievable 304 mares who foaled this year. It was outstanding work from the foaling managers, Lauren Eiseman and Tina Off. Th...

Stakes Increase Across the Board for New Zealand Racing

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has announced there will be a 20 percent boost to stakes between August 28, 2021, and April 2, 2022. The boost in funding includes stakes lifts across the board, including increases in minimum prizemoney levels for Industry and feature days. The prizemoney increases, which are designed to be sustainable and reward participants at all levels, are achievable following a strong wagering performance and changes to the TAB NZ operating model.  “We are ope...

TAB Media Release

STRONG BOOST PROJECTED IN TAB NZ’S COMMUNITY DISTRIBUTIONS  TAB NZ is projecting a significant increase in distributions to the community in the next financial year, providing a major boost to both racing and sport in New Zealand. One of the key legislative objectives of TAB NZ is to maximise profits for the New Zealand racing industry, and returns to New Zealand sport. Next year, the three racing codes - New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) and...

Let There Be Light

It is common knowledge that exposing dry mares to artificial lights advances the breeding season, but how does this work and are the gains worthwhile? Mares are long day, seasonal breeders. Meaning their regular oestrous cycle occurs in response to increasing day length. Over the winter (increased periods of darkness) the pineal gland in the brain releases the hormone melatonin. At the same time the mare secretes less gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinising hormone (LH). The chan...

Working with the IRD

Following a number of recent GST audits by the IRD, the NZTBA have been advised that the IRD are now looking at changing their interpretation of the GST/income tax rules that apply to bloodstock co-ownership arrangements. Specifically, they are revisiting the ability of co-owners who may own one horse together to claim GST. For example, if two parties (who are both registered for GST purposes) buy a mare, under current practice they can claim the GST on the mare’s costs and take advantage of a...

Dunstan Horsefeeds Breeder of the month - Gordon Cunningham

Gordon Cunningham’s dedication to his horses have been rewarded this year, most notably in the past month by dual Group One winner Tofane (Ocean Park x Baggy Green).The catch phrase of his Te Awamutu-based Curraghmore is ‘the proven source’ - an accurate description of the farm that was once again in the top ten vendors by aggregate at Karaka 2021 and that has produced a large number of winners this season in six different racing jurisdictions.14 of those winners have Cunningham’s name l...

Black-type performer for Time Test

Little Avondale’s Sam Williams is celebrating this week after his freshman sire Time Test recorded his first black type performer.Time Test, one of 208 black type winners for his sire Dubawi, has his first Southern Hemisphere crop of 77 foals hitting the racetrack later this year.A winner at two, Time Test trained on to win Group races at three and four and was placed multiple times at Group One level.He was credited with his first black-type performer when dual winner The King’s Horses foll...

Irish National Stud Class of 2021 Graduation

2021 marked the 50th Anniversary of the world renowned Irish National Stud Thoroughbred Breeding Course and while it wasn’t the traditional graduation ceremony that is typically enjoyed at the Irish National Stud a more low-key event was held on Friday 25th June to celebrate the graduation of the class of 2021. Since 1971, the course has hosted students from all over the world with this year being no exception as 24 students from every corner of the global thoroughbred world were awarded their...

International Success for New Zealand Stallions

Two of New Zealand studs would have been celebrating after the weekends’ racing in the Northern Hemisphere. With Frankel siring his second European Derby winner this year and sons of Kodiac continuing to dominate the major juvenile races. Brighthill Farm’s Eminent, who will have his first crop sell as yearlings in the Southern Hemisphere next year. Eminent was the first son of Frankel to stand at stud in Australasia. The continuing run of success by Frankel’s progeny can only bring a smile...

Filly of the Year to be Auctioned on Gavelhouse Plus

Last season’s New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Jennifer Eccles is set to be auctioned via online platform Gavelhouse Plus next month. The winner of four of her 14 starts and placed on a further six occasions, Jennifer Eccles was a dominant winner of the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), having previously triumphed in the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m), Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies' Classic (2000m) and Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m). Jennifer Eccles was also runner-up in the Gr.1 New Z...

Mission Accomplished for Blueblood Mare

A long-range plan set in place for royally bred Savabeel mare Zayydani came to fruition at Eagle Farm on Saturday when she strode to a comprehensive victory in the Listed Tattersall’s Gold Crown (2137m). Bred and raced by Trelawney Stud couple Brent and Cherry Taylor, Zayydani is the daughter of Van Nistelrooy mare Ruqqaya, a sister to multiple Group One winner and now successful Waikato Stud- based stallion Ocean Park, while she is also the younger half-sister to Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600...

Popstar Princess Too Tough for Her Rivals in Tauranga Classic

A gun front-running ride by Jonathan Riddell and the pugnacious nature of Popstar Princess combined to provide the pair with a memorable victory in the feature race at Tauranga on Saturday, the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m). The Fred and Lindsay Cornege-trained Makfi mare was back to her brilliant best as she defied race favourite Supreme Heights and a host of talented female rivals to run her down after doing all the donkey work in front on the Heavy11 surface. Riddell judged t...

Tutukaka Derby Bound

The Tony Pike-trained two-year-old gelding Tutukaka ticked the first box as he makes a long-range bid for the Gr.1 VRC Derby (2500m) with a dominant victory in the Listed Tattersall’s Life Member Stakes (1830m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Ridden by Michael Cahill, the half-brother to Melody Belle always looked in control when sitting outside the leader and posted a four-length winning margin over runner-up Balmaurice. The victory was the first from four starts for Tutukaka, who put the writing...

Tofane Takes Out Tiara

Rejuvenated mare Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park) has become the third horse to claim the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap-Tattersall’s Tiara double on Saturday with a comfortable win in Saturday’s 1400m contest. Jockey Craig Williams described Tofane’s victory in the Tattersall’s Tiara as “quite easy” after the Michael Moroney-trained mare outclassed her rivals to land her second Group One win of the Brisbane winter carnival and third elite level win of her career.The five-year-old daught...

2021 First Season Sire Preview

Four exciting new stallions with European racetrack form will commence stud duties in New Zealand in September. Ancient Spirit and King of Comedy are both descendants of highly successful international sire of sires Invincible Spirit, Circus Maximus is by the world champion sire Galileo while Hello Youmzain is by Kodiac, from the pre-potent Danehill sire line. Michelle Saba contacted each stud farm and asked them why they thought their stallion would appeal to New Zealand breeders and what type ...

Stallion Coverings 2020

Leading into the breeding season, we reflect on the volume of mares covered by a stallion with 10+ mares in 2020....

Keeping of Animals By-Law

The NZTBA is pleased to report that we were successful in the submission we made to the Waikato District Council  in respect to the proposed bylaw “A minimum of 2 hectares of grazeable land per horse is required for the keeping of horses in urban areas, excluding Country Living Zones”. The bylaw has been successfully amended and the requirements revised. The NZTBA expressed concerns surrounding the definition of zones and its impact on members. We asked that we were consulted on these a...

Peecee Pussycat adding another chapter to incredible story

Another chapter in the incredible story of a Marlborough high country farming couple is playing out through the recent achievements of the talented young stayer Peecee Pussycat (Pure Champion x Compact Pussycat). Last Saturday at Te Rapa the leggy three-year-old provided the second leg of a bookend double for Cambridge horseman John Bell. Peecee Pussycat’s win in the final race followed stablemate Palm Springs’ success in the opening event and took Bell’s tally as a trainer to 100 wins. P...