Month: September 2019

Champion New Zealand trainer Murray Baker’s Australian spring carnival team has hit the ground running and The Chosen One will try to keep the momentum going in the Gr.2 Feehan Stakes. Baker, who is now in partnership with Andrew Forsman at Cambridge, has won 21 Group One races in Australia over the past three decades, more than any New Zealand-based trainer. He has started this season’s spring carnival assault with three-year-old Quick Thinker winning the Gr.3 Ming Dynasty Quality last Saturday in Sydney, while stablemate Rhaegar was fourth. Fellow three-year-old…

Long Jack will attempt to blaze a new trail from the Ballarat synthetic track to the oldest Group One classic in Australia at Flemington after a decisive maiden win on Friday. The son of So You Think, who had been runner-up at his only two starts in New Zealand, showed he was worthy of a Victoria Derby campaign when he dominated a 1400-metre maiden at the cramped odds of $1.55. Leading jockey Damian Lane had been recruited for the ride and he said later that although the colt had plenty…

Last season’s New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Emily Margaret will kick-off her season in the gavelhouse.com Open Handicap (1000m) at Riccarton on Saturday. The Kevin and Pam Hughes-trained mare won four of her 11 starts last term, including the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m), Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m), and Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m). “I was very pleased with her last season,” Kevin Hughes said. “She was very brave and getting that Group Two was the icing on the cake. To win Filly of the Year down…

After taking over the training of Lucky For All trainer Mick Price sent the four-time winner back to school. A former member of disqualified trainer Darren Weir’s yard, Lucky For All was transferred to Price and training partner Mick Kent jr for his current campaign. Lucky For All makes his racetrack return at The Valley on Saturday in the Drummond Golf Handicap (1600m) having not started since being well in the market and finishing a fading 11th in last year’s Ballarat Cup. “We’ve done a fair bit of dressage, equestrian…

She may have earned her stripes on the heavy tracks of winter but Hamilton trainer David Greene believes Flaunting possesses the good track ability to be competitive in November’s Gr.1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. A winner of two of her six starts, the Showcasing filly won the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui in June before second placings at Te Rapa and in the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki, all on heavy tracks this winter. She had finished second to subsequent Group One winner Yourdeel…

Fledgling trainer Samantha Logan will hunt her first Network Visuals Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m) win at Ellerslie on Saturday but don’t presume this has been anything but meticulously planned. Logan, a daughter of leading trainer Donna Logan and her late husband and training partner Dean, has been training professionally for just four years but the 27-year-old has already impressed astute judges with her success rate. She will saddle last-start Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4900m) winner Lacustre in Saturday’s jumping showpiece, happy she has the Postponed eight-year-old gelding in perfect order. “Winning…

Multiple stakes-placed gelding Tavisan will be aiming to add a black-type victory to his tally when he competes in the Listed Strathmore Community Bendigo Bank Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday. The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained four-year-old has been in fine form this preparation, recording two wins and a placing from three starts, including a two length victory at Moonee Valley last start. It was an all the way victory for the son of Tavistock and Price said it was a brilliant ride by regular rider Ben…

Fortuna Syndications Director, John Galvin, has confirmed Opie Bosson will ride Melody Belle in the second leg of the Hawke’s Bay Racing Triple Crown, the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m), taking over from Michael McNab who has ridden the mare in her past two outings, including last Saturday’s comprehensive victory in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m). “Opie has declared himself available to ride for us on September 21,” Galvin said. “Opie is the number one stable rider for Te Akau Racing, he is unbeaten on Melody Belle and we are…

Pukekohe trainer Ray Gavin picked up a winning double at his local meeting on Wednesday courtesy of two plum rides by Rowena Smyth. She kicked home $38 outsider Innamincka to win the Dunstan Horse Feeds 1600 before securing an all the way victory aboard $2.50 favourite Bullybrook in the Haunui Farm 1200. It was the first win for Bullybrook who had been runner-up in his first two races and Gavin was relieved to get that maiden win out of the way. “We expected this one (Bullybrook) to win and not…