Month: November 2019

The Shark – Best at Cambridge

NZHarnessNews

The Shark heads to Cambridge tonight for Harness Racing Waikato’s Melbourne Cup Day meeting.  For more punting information head to The Punters Lounge  Race 1 10 Young Conqueror: Taken on much stronger fields than this one over the past few months and has produced the goods too. Hardest to beat here. 8 The Empress: Speedy type who should be able to measure up to this field, especially over the extreme distance. Has to be a strong each way chance. 7 Bettor Sensation: In great form at the moment and running home…

Field of 15 to line up in Group 1 VRC Oaks

Editor BOAY

Miami Bound (NZ) (Reliable Man) defeating Vegas Jewel (NZ) (Shocking) in the Gr.2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) Photo: Bruno Cannatelli Wakeful Stakes winner Miami Bound (NZ) (Reliable Man) has drawn a middle barrier for her bid to emulate her dam Arapaho Miss (Danehill Dancer) in the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m). A field of 15 has been declared for Thursday’s Oaks for three-year-old fillies at Flemington, with the Danny O’Brien-trained filly drawing barrier eight with Damien Oliver to ride. Miami Bound’s dam, Arapaho Miss, won the Oaks 12 years ago. The Mark…

Childs believes Cup ride worth the effort

Editor BOAY

Jordan Childs returns to scale aboard Melbourne Cup hopeful Surprise Baby Photo: Darryl Sherer Jordan Childs is counting on a commitment to ride Surprise Baby (NZ) (Shocking) at a weight below his comfort zone will pay off in the Melbourne Cup. Childs won The Bart Cummings on Surprise Baby at Flemington a month ago which clinched the lightly raced stayer his spot in Tuesday’s Cup. And when Surprise Baby was given a 1kg penalty for that win to take his Melbourne Cup weight to 53.5kg, Childs set about the task…

Tavistock faces lengthy recovery

Editor BOAY

Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock suffered a serious injury to his near fore foot eight days ago. The foot was operated on by Dr Ric Redden from Lexington, Kentucky on Friday 1st November, assisted by two farriers and Dr Hitchcock and Dr Zantingh from Cambridge Equine Hospital. Dr Redden fitted an artificial shoe and sole to the foot and placed a support structure on the other foot to assist the horse in his recovery. Tavistock was confined to his box for the weekend, under observation and treatment from both Dr Hitchcock…

Ticket To Ride thriving ahead of Wingatui test

Editor BOAY

Ticket To Ride will contest the Harcourts Dunedin Open 1400m at Wingatui on Tuesday Photo: Trish Dunell Riccarton trainer Andrew Carston is taking just the one horse south to Wingatui’s Tuesday meeting, but he is confident of a bold showing from Ticket To Ride (NZ) (Shocking) in the Harcourts Dunedin Open 1400m. The daughter of Shocking took her win tally to seven two starts back over 1600m at Ashburton, while she finished a neck back in second behind Monza Circuito in the Coupland’s Bakeries Mile trial (1400m) at Riccarton last…

Kali spot on for Group One

Editor BOAY

An exhibition gallop between races at Motukarara on Sunday has kept smart Cambridge filly Kali (NZ) (Darci Brahma) on track for her Group One mission at Riccarton on Saturday week. Kali worked with the Jamie Richards-trained Folk Dress over 1200m in preparation for their clash in the Gr.1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), for which Kali is currently the $5 second favourite on the TAB’s Fixed Odds betting behind the unbeaten Travelling Light ($3.20). “She worked really impressively and pulled up well,” trainer Tony Pike said. “It was like…

Southland brothers enjoying Cup hype

Editor BOAY

The Chosen One winning the Gr.2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) Photo: Bruno Cannatelli The Dennis brothers are a long way from their Woodlands homes in Southland, but they were never going to miss the thrill of being on track for their own runner in Australia’s most famous race. The 80-year-old twins Ray and Tony and their slightly younger brothers Joe and Martin will all be on hand to watch their home-bred stayer The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel) take on an international line-up in Tuesday’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.…

Hastings trainers in search of Auckland Pesos

Editor BOAY

Peso will tackle the Gr.3 OMF Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Tuesday Photo: Trish Dunell Jamie Richards wasn’t the only New Zealand trainer who had a smile on his face after Melody Belle’s (NZ) (Commands) dominant win in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. Hastings conditioner Corrina McDougal, who trains in partnership with Paul Nelson, was happy to see her win so comfortably, particularly given she was the only horse to beat the McDougal-Nelson-trained Peso (NZ) (Colombia) home in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) last month.…

Go Nicholas aiming for three-peat

Editor BOAY

The Shelley Hale-trained Go Nicholas (NZ) (Danroad) will be vying to record his third win on-end at Ellerslie on Tuesday when he contests the Halo Consulting 1600. The eight-year-old gelding has been in a purple patch of form since combining with apprentice jockey Taiki Yanagida, and they will continue that partnership on Tuesday. “He was off his game for a while, but he has come back to somewhere near his best,” Hale said. “For whatever reason the horse has been pretty tardy out of the gates, no one else seems…

Jockey hoping for history-making Cup win

AAP

Jockey Damian Lane could become the first jockey to win the big four races in one year. Damian Lane is philosophical as he attempts to become the first jockey to complete the “grand slam” of Australian racing in one year by winning the $8 million Melbourne Cup. “What will be will be,” the 25-year-old said. “It’s not going to change how I ride or how the horse runs.” If he succeeds on Tuesday aboard Japanese stayer Mer De Glace, Lane will become the first jockey to win the big four…