Month: January 2020

By Garrick Knight Blueblood trotting mare Daisy Hill cracked maidens in impressive fashion at Alexandra Park on Friday night, but still has a long way to go. That’s the belief of her driver and co-trainer, Josh Dickie, after the Muscle Hill half-sister to Stent cleared out to win by four lengths. “I’ve always liked her and she’s got a bit about her, but has just been a bit mentally weak,” said Dickie. “A couple of times she has galloped when she felt like she was going to win. “Really, she’s…

Working in the equine breeding industry as a stud groom, while highly rewarding, is incredibly hard work and requires huge amounts of dedication. NRM and Kentucky Equine Research (KER) know how incredibly demanding jobs like this are, and wanted a way to recognise and reward stud grooms who were passionate about the industry and went above and beyond for the horses under their care.   In 2019 the very first Stud-Groom of the Year was launched, seeking men and women from across New Zealand who were working hard behind the scenes…

By Adam Hamilton SUDDENLY this Chariots Of Fire has a serious pulse. Just when most had conceded Australia’s biggest 4YO race to young Kiwi star Self Assured, things changed and in a big way last night. In one of the biggest shocks for a long time, Self Assured was beaten, and seemingly on his merits, in the Group 1 4YO Bonanza at Melton. And former Kiwi pacer Balraj not only stretched his unbeaten Aussie record to eight wins, but smashed the clock with a blazing 1min49.9sec mile at Menangle last…

By Adam Hamilton ANTHONY Butt wound back the clock at Melton last night. The man who boasts a record seven Hunter Cup wins, dominated the stellar meeting by winning the big Victoria Derby and Oaks double. It was the Derby win with Line Up, who he now trains and drives, which meant so much. That win came just an hour after he teamed with Kiwi training duo Cran Dalgety and Nathan Purdon to win the Oaks with the improving Dr Susan. Remarkably, Line Up was Butt’s first Victoria Derby win.…

By Adam Hamilton LOCHINVAR Art’s record-smashing win over Self Assured may well have booked him a Hunter Cup run. In one of the bigger upsets of recent times, Lochinvar Art beat $1.10 favourite Self Assured and took a stunning 2.1sec off the 1720m Melton track record with a scorching 1min48.6sec mile rate. “I’m definitely leaning towards running him next week (in the Hunter Cup),” trainer-driver David Moran said. “He’s come through last night so well, the money is great and sometimes I think you’d be silly not to have a…