Year: 2020

Zac Purton will partner David Hayes’ last-start winner Master Montaro (Toronado) in the Class 3 Cotton Tree Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Friday, but warns the four-year-old gelding will face a tougher task after an emphatic debut victory on 13 December. “I think it was a good effort, it’s never easy for a PP (Privately Purchased Horse) to come to Hong Kong and win first time out,” Purton said. “It wasn’t the strongest of fields but he drew wide (gate 10 of 14 runners) and I had to make…

Classy Mornington mare Princess Jenni (NZ) (High Chaparral) has arrived in Perth and is ready for her assignment in the Perth Cup on Saturday. Her trainer David Brideaoke said she left early on Thursday morning and travelled well. Brideoake thinks Princess Jenni is weighted to win the Gr.2 Perth Cup (2400 metres) but fears the top-weight Truly Great (Dundeel). “Bob Peters has a big opinion of him and he was looking at bringing him over for the Australian Cup in the autumn but there you are he’s in the Perth…

Riccarton trainer Andrew Carston had a feeling his team was in for a successful festive season and he has not been disappointed, with the stable recording four wins and five placings over the last fortnight. He added to his tally with a winning double at Kurow on Wednesday. “The team is going really well and I had a feeling coming up to Christmas that they were pretty right,” Carston said. First off the mark was three-year-old filly Gone With The Wind (NZ) (Sebring) who cleared maiden ranks at her third…

There’s an irony in the expectation of performance from Tony Pike’s pair of Gr.2 Barneswood Farm Eclipse Stakes (1200m) runners Khufu (American Pharoah) and Stormy (NZ) (Telperion) that’s not lost on the Cambridge trainer. TAB bookmakers have hype-horse Khufu as a $2.60 second favourite for the two-year-old feature behind impressive Te Rapa debut winner Sword Of State (Snitzel) at $2.10 despite it being his first start in a field chock-full of race winners. Among his rivals is $7 third favourite Stormy, who is unbeaten in two starts, the most recent…

When progressive mare Baby Face (NZ) (Savabeel) lined up at Te Rapa earlier this month you could have been forgiven for thinking half the grandstand was there to cheer her on. The five-year-old Savabeel mare duly won the rating 65 1600m contest and returned to a raucous reception from a group who have taken the plunge into a new ownership concept introduced under the Stride Racing Club (SRC) brand. Fractional ownership, as it is technically known, is becoming increasingly popular in racing jurisdictions around the world, particularly in the USA,…

Hastings trainer John Bary will begin the new year at his home track on Friday where he will line-up eight runners. While the Hastings card will run in the shadow of premier racing at Ellerslie, Bary is using the meeting as an important steppingstone towards stakes targets for a number of his team. Miss Labasa (NZ) (Swiss Ace) is being set to head north next month to target the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m), and she will contest the Roger Russell/Charlie Keenan Memorial (1300m) to ready herself for her northern assignment.…

Racing has been a great joy of star jockey Lisa Allpress’ life, so recognition in the New Year’s honour’s list, she says, is especially humbling. Allpress has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the racing industry, an accolade she is immensely proud of. “I’m really humbled by it,” the 45-year-old said. “I’ve just had a long conversation with Mum and she’s so proud of me. It goes back to all that support, all the hours Mum and Dad put into me and…