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Champion Miler Circus Maximus to Windsor Park

Triple Group One winning miler Circus Maximus has been secured to stand at Windsor Park Stud for the 2021 breeding season. Aptly named due to his gladiatorial qualities, Circus Maximus was a fast, tough, elite level campaigner who was trained by Aidan O’Brien throughout his illustrious career. A winner at two, the son of Galileo was Group Three placed and a close-up fourth behind subsequent 2000 Guineas-winning stablemate Magna Grecia at Doncaster in the Gr.1 Futurity Trophy (1600m) at the end...

US Navy Flag Joins the Oaks Stud

Multiple Group One winner US Navy Flag will bolster The Oaks Stud’s stallion roster for the forthcoming breeding season, where he will stand at $15,000+GST. Formerly shuttling to Matamata thoroughbred nursery Valachi Downs, US Navy Flag has transferred to The Oaks Stud after a business model change by Valachi Downs principals Kevin and Jo Hickman. “Kevin and Jo Hickman are refocusing Valachi Downs as a more private and smaller nursery and racing stable with the same goal of producing, sellin...

Rich Hill to Welcome Back Satono Aladdin

Japanese Group One winner Satono Aladdin will return to Rich Hill Stud for the upcoming breeding season. The progeny of Deep Impact’s elite level-winning son were well-received at this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales, with a top price of NZ$360,000 and a NZ$110,000 Book 1 average. “It is good news for the breeding industry that Satono Aladdin will return again from Japan,” Rich Hill Managing Director John Thompson said. “With his superb pedigree, athleticism and ...

First Southern Hemisphere Winner For Vadamos

Promising two-year-old filly Art De Triomphe registered the first southern hemisphere winner for Rich Hill Stud stallion Vadamos when she prevailed in a three-way battle in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series-sponsored 1000m contest at Riccarton on Saturday. The Andrew Carston-trained runner was an unlucky third on debut over the same distance last month and was sent out favourite for Saturday’s contest on the basis of that eye-catching performance. Rider Kylie Williams bounced the filly away nicel...

Almanzor Opens Winning Account with First Runner

Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Almanzor has made a dream start to his Northern Hemisphere career with his first representative striking a winning blow in France. The multiple Group One-winner’s son Faro de San Juan was successful on debut over 1100m at Chantilly for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, who prepares the colt for owners South Australia’s Peter Katelanis, Nicolas De Chambure’s Haras d’Etreham, SF Bloodstock and Riviera Equine. “It was a good effort and he led all the way and ...

Mai Tai Gets Deserved Black Type Victory

Progressive mare Mai Tai added another feather to her cap when she picked up her first victory at stakes level with a win in the Listed Manawatu ITM Anzac Mile (1600m) at Awapuni on Sunday. Sent out a warm favourite ($2.60) for the race, punters never had a moment of concern courtesy of a picture-perfect ride by Sam Collett, who collected her second black type victory for the weekend after taking out the Gr.2 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie aboard Demonetization on Saturday. Collett made fu...

Stakes Winner No Shock for Clotworthy

Shaun Clotworthy may have got the last laugh over wife and training partner Emma when strapping three-year-old Hezashocka (NZ) (Shocking) upset the applecart at Ellerslie on Saturday with his win in the Gr.2 Trelawney Stud Championship Stakes (2100m). Clotworthy had just bought the son of Rich Hill Stud resident stallion Shocking for $18,000 from the Grangewilliam Stud draft during the National Yearling sale Book 3 session at Karaka in 2019, when Emma gave her opinion on the purchase. “I like ...

Tiley Takes Stakes Double at Ellerslie

Pukekohe trainer Nigel Tiley enjoyed a red-letter day at Ellerslie on Saturday, taking out two of the three feature races on offer with two-year-old Lady Maroal winning the Listed Staphanos by Deep Impact Champagne Stakes (1600m) before stable star Demonetization powered home to take out the Gr.2 Manco Easter Handicap (1600m). Tiley had a big team engaged on the day and was delighted to leave the course with a pair of stakes victories, including the Easter Handicap, a race that he had set Demone...

Beauden At His Best in Riccarton Victory

North Island raiders Beauden and Hypnos fought out a thrilling finish to the feature event at Riccarton on Saturday, the Gr.3 Coca Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m). The team Rogerson-trained Beauden was sent out a hot favourite for the contest off the back of an effortless win in the Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2000m) earlier in the month. However, Cambridge visitor Hypnos wasn’t about to hand over the victory without a fight with last year’s Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) winner trackin...

Atishu Dominates Rivals in Warstep Stakes

Quality three-year-old Atishu produced another last-to-first performance to emphatically take out her fourth win in a row as she claimed victory in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton on Saturday. The Stephen Marsh-trained filly looked to be in a whole heap of trouble at the 500m as she tailed the ten-horse field and looked to be labouring under the urgings of rider Kozzi Asano. With Central Districts raider Exquisite Pearl hitting the front but proving to be a ...

Contributer Headlines Mapperley Stud Roster

Group One-producing stallion Contributer will headline Mapperley Stud’s stallion roster for the upcoming breeding season where he will stand at their Matamata property for a fee of $22,000 +GST. His first crop of three-year-olds have experienced a strong season on the track, headlined by the John O’Shea trained Lion’s Roar who was victorious in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) and placed in the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) and Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m). In New Zealand, the son ...

Per Incanto service headlines Hall of Fame auction items

The value of a highlight auction item at the upcoming New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame induction evening has increased after a timely win at Hastings last weekend. Sporting the colours of Little Avondale Stud, Roch ’N’ Horse became the 19th individual stakes winner for her sire Per Incanto when successful in the Listed Power Turf Sprint (1200m). Little Avondale Stud have kindly donated a service to their popular stallion Per Incanto to be auctioned at the gala event, to be held at SkyCity Ham...

2021 Weanling Parade Schedule

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Breeding book brings big reward

Hardy stayer Big Mike (Don Eduardo-Landvetter), the winner of the Listed Hawkes Bay Cup (2200m) has taken his breeders Sally and Geoffrey Fausett on a ride of a lifetime. The retired couple race the gallant gelding with members of the extended Phelan family, and were thrilled when he recorded his 12th win in the Hawkes Bay Cup. “It’s been a thrill of a lifetime for us,” said Sally Fausett with obvious pride. “That’s the thing, horse racing is a wonderful thing and you never know what�...

Nathan Trumper April Blog

Another busy month has gone by with plenty of stud work and assignments being completed. Spring has well and truly turned up now, the weather is starting to get warmer and the days are getting longer. The horses are enjoying the lush spring grass that grows so well here due to the farms’ exceptional soil fertility.  Like New Zealand, Ireland is similar in the weather. It can change in a blink of an eye. Sunny and warm one day and sleety snow falling the next, it can be very cold. It has...

Emotional Win For Big Mike in Hawke’s Bay Cup

There was definitely a catch in the voice of co-trainer Shaun Phelan as he described just what the victory of stable favourite Big Mike means to his family after he led all-the-way to win the Listed Power Farming Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) at Hastings. The eight-year-old son of Don Eduardo has been a flag bearer for Phelan and his father Craig’s boutique training operation, having now won 12 of his 45 starts and more than $500,000 in prizemoney. Included in that tally is a victory in the 2018 L...

Promising Mare Takes First Black Type Trophy

Matamata visitor Roch ‘N’ Horse put a disappointing last start performance behind her when she produced a powerful closing burst to take out the Listed Power Turf Sprint (1200m) at Hastings. It was the first stakes victory for the Mike Moroney and Pam Gerard-trained four-year-old after she went within a nose of achieving that goal two starts ago when narrowly defeated in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Trentham. In between times she had finished well back on an unsuitable Slow9 surf...

Avantage makes it nine Group One wins with Te Rapa triumph

Despite being delayed a week, the Gr.1 Fiber Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) lived up to its billing as one of the races of the season, as plucky mare Avantage (Fastnet Rock) made it Group One win number nine with a thrilling victory. The Jamie Richards-trained five-year-old started a red-hot favourite in the contest that was raced at Te Rapa on Saturday after the Te Aroha meeting last week was abandoned after race three due to a slippery track. Facing a small but quali...

Montre Moi sibling tops South Island Sale

New Zealand Bloodstock’s annual South Island Sale, its second in an online format, concluded on plus.gavelhouse.com on Wednesday. Astute kiwi judges were in the thick of the bidding action, with bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo, Te Akau Racing Principal David Ellis, and Roger James and Robert Wellwood’s Kingsclere Stables headlining the cluster of prominent buyers. It was a case of saving the best for last, with Phill Cataldo going to $85,000 to secure Lot 63, an Almanzor filly out of Next th...

DEAN MCKENZIE MOVES TO FULL TIME MANAGEMENT ROLE

Media Release 14 April 2021 DEAN MCKENZIE MOVES TO FULL TIME MANAGEMENT ROLE The TAB New Zealand (TAB NZ) Board have appointed Dean McKenzie as Chief Transition Officer, a full time management role leading the organisation’s day to day responsibilities and ensuring a smooth transition to a permanent Board once they are appointed. The selection follows the announcement earlier today by the Minister for Racing, Hon Grant Robertson of the appointment of Liz Dawson as Interim Chair of TAB NZ, re...

New Chair of Interim TAB NZ Board Appointed

Hon Grant Robertson Minister for Racing14 April 2021 New chair of interim TAB NZ Board appointed Racing Minister Grant Robertson has announced he is appointing Elizabeth Dawson (Liz) as the Chair of the interim TAB NZ Board. Liz Dawson is an existing Board Director of the interim TAB NZ Board and Chair of the TAB NZ Board Selection Panel and will continue in her role as Chair of the selection panel to see through the recommendations to the Minister. The Interim Board is responsible for the gov...

Sunbride to Join Iconic Broodmares in Hall of Fame

A third member of New Zealand thoroughbred breeding’s elite broodmare ranks will be honoured when Sunbride joins iconic producers Eulogy and Eight Carat in the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame. The name Sunbride will forever be connected to the Williams family’s Te Parae and Little Avondale Studs, but in particular with family matriarch Nancy Williams. It was she who made the landmark decision to purchase the young English-bred mare and then place her undying faith in her as Sunbride forged h...

Explosive family gives Muollo Group One win

The success of New Zealand-bred horses in the prestigious Group One Australian Derby (2400m) continues with Explosive Jack (Jakkalberry[IRE]-Extra Explosive) being the most recent winner. In a true test of stamina, the son of the ill-fated Jakkalberry (Storming Home[GB]- Clara di San Jore[IRE]) got up to win in the last stride of the 2400 metre event. As they turned for home he was at least 10 wide and near the rear of the field, but he dug deep and ground home to beat fellow New Zealand-bred ru...

Eva Heron Wins Proisir Nomination

The weather may have prevented the actual running of the Gr.1 Fibre Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha last Saturday, but it certainly didn’t stop the 200 or so NZTBA members on course from enjoying a day out. None more so than Eva Heron who won a service to Rich Hill Stud’s exciting young stallion Proisir(AUS). “We are absolutely over the moon, we have been big supporters of Proisir(AUS) since day one,” said Eva Heron, who along with her husband Cam are relative ...

Cooney’s Unfinished Business Starts with South Island Sale Draft

Thoroughbred breeders often make the annual pilgrimage to the yearling sales at Karaka hoping for the result to be life changing. For Willow Glen Stud’s Barbara Cooney, Karaka 2021 was exactly that, life changing, but not for the financial reasons so often associated with the cream of the thoroughbred crop going under the hammer. Cooney suffered a heart attack and had it not been for the quick action and medical assistance of those on the Karaka complex, the South Canterbury horsewoman would l...