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Te Akau Racing Enjoy Black Type Bonanza at Ellerslie

Punters who thought the result of the Gr.3 McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m) was a foregone conclusion when installing glamour filly Amarelinha a red-hot $1.30 favourite for the race were left hanging on the result of the photo-finish to a thrilling contest in the fillies feature. Most expected Amarelinha to carry on her winning way after registering a pair of Group Two victories and a brave runner-up finish to Aegon in the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) in her last three starts. However, no...

The Gift Proves Too Tough In Wingatui Feature

Talented three-year-old The Gift proved too tough for her age group rivals at Wingatui on Saturday as she collected her first black-type success in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m). The Robert Dennis-trained daughter of Power had to settle for the runner-up position behind Showemhowitsdone in both the Listed Gore Guineas (1355m) and the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) before battling into sixth off a wide run in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) at her last three starts. Despite drawing...

Group winner for Contributer

Mapperley Stud had plenty to celebrate on Wednesday after Llanacord (Contributer – L’Accord) scored a brave victory in the Gr.2 Little Avondale Stud Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Hastings. Not only did Llanacord provide the Matamata farm’s resident stallion Contributer with his first Group winner, but the three-year-old filly was bred and sold by owner-operator Simms Davison and Judy Hewitt. Davison met Hewitt in 2011 when Llanacord’s dam L’Accord (Golan -  Distant Heights) was offere...

Derby Day update

The Vodafone Derby meeting will take place at Ellerslie on Sunday, 7 March. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and the Auckland Racing Club (ARC) confirmed the venue following the government’s announcement this afternoon that the Auckland region would return to Alert Level 2 from 6am on Sunday. NZTR and the ARC appreciate the patience of industry participants regarding the uncertainty of where the Vodafone Derby meeting would be staged. “We realise that this has been a very testing time ...

Blog 2 | Nathan Trumper | Irish National Stud Scholarship

Each week you are placed in different yards, the last couple of weeks I've been at Maddenstown. Commonly known as ‘Mad Town’, this is where all the dry mares are overseen by Tom (the foreman stationed there) who manages the many mares who get teased and put through the crush for the vet to check them. This has been one of my favourite places to work. Tom is a great guy to work with, as he has a sense of humour, allowing for some quality banter and laughs to be tossed around. He is also great...

Homebred filly scores Super Easy win

Sandy Moore had plenty to celebrate over the weekend as the breeder and part-owner of Bonny Lass (Super Easy-Posh Bec) who won the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at only her second start. “It was a great thrill and very exciting, and great to see a little old home bred filly winning such a prestigious race,” said Moore, a member of the Auckland Branch of the NZTBA. “When she won her first start, I got a real thrill, it was so great to see her winning so impress...

Richardson and Norvall Double Up in Matamata Features

Local filly Bonny Lass carried the hopes of her breeder Sandy Moore and a mixture of racing newbies and experienced hands to victory in Saturday’s Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Ltd Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). The two-year-old filly is raced by Moore, the vice-president of the Auckland Racing Club and members of the Social Racing Starting Gates Syndicate, which is managed by Auckland Racing Club Board member, Brent Cooper. The syndicate includes a number of members racing their first horse a...

Richardson Still Buzzing Over Home Track Success

After a night of celebrations at his favourite local restaurant, Matamata trainer Graham Richardson made an understandably slow start to his Sunday morning schedule. Richardson and a group of friends had good cause to party on Saturday evening after he and co-trainer Rogan Norvall captured the most prized trophy amongst the local training fraternity, the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) with their two-year-old filly, Bonny Lass. To add icing to the celebratory cake, th...

Te Akau Flyer Puts Rivals to the Sword At Matamata

Trainer Jamie Richards and the Te Akau Racing team entered Saturday’s Gr.3 Waikato Stud Slipper (1200m) on their home patch at Matamata on Saturday with a strong hand and played it to perfection when producing the quinella in the juvenile feature for the colts and geldings. Richards lined up the unbeaten Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner On The Bubbles along with stablemates Sword Of State and Avonallo, with On The Bubbles sent out a commanding $1.80 favourite by punters. Supporters of On The ...

Avantage Secures Eighth Group One Victory

Avantage continued her march into the realms of super stardom when she made it career Group One number eight with a gritty win in the Gr.1 El Cheapo Cars Weight-For-Age Classic (1600m). Unbeaten in three starts, all at Group One level, in her current campaign, Avantage was confidently expected to take Otaki’s elite feature on Saturday to make it four in a row and she duly obliged under a confident ride from Opie Bosson. Bosson had the Fastnet Rock mare positioned perfectly outside the pacemake...

Another Successful Competition for Ready Teddy Trophy

Last weekend the Matamata Equestrian Group hosted an action-packed competition at John and Denise McGivens’ Richmond Downs farm for nearly 350 riders and horses. The event, which incorporates the NZTBA-sponsored Ready Teddy Trophy, has developed over the years from the original one-day format to this year’s three-day competition covering three disciplines – dressage, show jumping and cross-country.  In 2013 the McGivens recognised the potential to host a horse trial on the property, ...

Surprise Package

When Tracey Schroeder bought herself an ‘old plodder’ to ride and potter around with, she got a lot more than she bargained for. She bought Pretty Woman as a re-educated thoroughbred to ride under saddle but has ended up with a valuable broodmare whose first foal is the Listed Southland Guineas winner Chokito (Vespa- Pretty Woman). “It’s incredibly exciting, really exciting actually, following Chokito and watching her win,” enthused Schroeder. “One of my daughter’s had a thoroughbr...

TAB NZ Update on Trading Performance

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Waikato Stud Celebrates Big Australian Double

Within one special hour on Saturday, Waikato Stud graduates Probabeel and Aegon flew the New Zealand flag high across the Tasman with a superb stakes-winning double. Probabeel was up first, adding a third Australian Group One victory to her collection in Caulfield’s Futurity Stakes (1400m). Despite a less-than-ideal run from a wide draw, the exceptional mare unleashed a withering finish to score by half a length from star Perth mare Arcadia Queen. A perfect Sydney debut for Aegon followed 60 m...

Tough Kiwi Mare Adds Third Group One in Futurity

Outstanding Kiwi mare Probabeel has rocketed to equal favouritism for the $A5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) with a resounding victory in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday. Despite travelling wide throughout, Probabeel swept down the middle of the track and proved too good for another top mare in Perth star Arcadia Queen, who also came from well back to finish second. The pair are now joint $4 favourites for the All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley in three weeks, in what shapes...

Undefeated Aegon Stamps Authority in Hobartville

High-class three-year-old Aegon proved the New Zealand form was right up to the mark when dominating his Australian rivals in the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained gelding crossed the Tasman earlier this week as the winner of all four of his starts in New Zealand, including victories in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m). Despite being slow into stride, Aegon relaxed beautifully unde...

Robusto Storms to Victory in Avondale Cup

Rugged stayer Robusto upset the applecart when she produced a well-timed finish to deny Aussie raider Sound a victory in Saturday’s Gr.2 Wallen Concreting Avondale Cup (2400m). The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained six-year-old shrugged off a disappointing run in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) at her last start to thrust her name into Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) contention as she overcame traffic problems in the home straight to claim her biggest career victory. Given a...

Rocket Spade Cements Derby Claims with Avondale Guineas Victory

Well fancied Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) candidate Rocket Spade threw down the gauntlet to his three-year-old rivals when he produced a strong staying performance to capture the Gr.2 AJC Avondale Guineas (2100m) at Ellerslie. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained colt had entered Saturday’s vital Derby lead-up as the $4.50 second favourite for the blue riband event in a fortnight and strengthened his claims as he overcame a rocky run in midfield to storm home out wide and...

Chokito Takes Out Southland Guineas

A brave front-running effort paid dividends for Timaru visitor Chokito as she captured her first stakes victory in the Listed ILT Ascot Park Hotel Southland Guineas (1600m) at Invercargill. The Mel and Warwick Coles-trained filly has been a model of consistency throughout her career, finishing out of the top three on only two occasions in nine starts before Saturday’s contest. The daughter of Valachi Downs Stud-based stallion Vespa had been in the firing line in all three starts this campaign ...

Keeping up with the Calders

Every breeder aims to get a winner and most entertain that flicker of hope that their horse might win at stakes level. Breed a seven-time Group One winner? That’s the stuff dreams are made of, though that impossible idea is the reality for South Island couple Willie and Karen Calder. The Calders bred star mare Avantage (Fastnet Rock – Asavant (Zabeel)) who scored her seventh elite level victory on Saturday in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. Willie Calder can’t quite believe t...

Brosnan Family Patriarch’s Long Life Ends

One of racing’s most respected and long-serving participants, Sam Brosnan, passed away earlier this week at the grand old age of 99. Brosnan and his wife of 74 years Marj, who predeceased him by four years, founded a dynasty in breeding and racing, typically understated but at the same time very successful, particularly in jumps racing. Their working lives began as dairy farmers and in the early 1960s they established Oakland Stud just south of the Matamata racecourse. The moderately successfu...

Successful Weekend for Breeder of Tokorangi

A gold medal for her marching team and a Group Two winner in one weekend provided a huge thrill for Matamata septuagenarian Glenice Dando. Dando, along with her son Casey, is the breeder of Tokorangi (Redwood[GB]- Agent Ziva) who took out the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas at Te Rapa in impressive style, and for good measure she also has a share in the smart filly. However, commitments to her Leisure Marching team saw her in Whanganui instead of Te Rapa for the Annual Masters Games, where the Matamata bas...

Amarelinha Back to Her Best at Te Rapa

Exciting galloper Amarelinha bounced back to her very best after suffering a narrow defeat at her most recent start, when she captured the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa. Trained by Jamie Richards for the Te Akau Hopskip'n'jump Syndicate, Amarelinha was sent out a $1.40 favourite for the contest as punters believed she was a margin above her rivals after being beaten narrowly by Aegon in the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie last month. Back up against ...

Royal Performer Upsets in Group One Feature

Well-travelled galloper Royal Performer spoilt the party for the many supporters of race favourite Melody Belle when he caused an upset by racing away with Saturday’s Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa. The large on-course crowd were on hand to witness Melody Belle try and break the record of thirteen career Group One wins that she currently holds with mighty mare Sunline, but will have to wait for another day as a rocky run in the home straight put paid to her winning chances. Just as...

Super Seven for Avantage in Te Rapa Sprint Feature

In what most pundits deemed a match race between Avantage and Levante, it was marvellous mare Avantage who triumphed as she made it seven career Group One wins when taking out a superb victory in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. The opportunity to see two of the best mares racing in New Zealand at present go head-to-head was thwarted when Levante effectively put paid to her chances when she missed the start by a conservative eight lengths. That didn’t worry the many Avantage suppo...