Month: May 2020

Churchill Downs will open stables at the track and training centre in phases before races are run during its spring meeting without spectators. The historic track has postponed the Kentucky Derby from May 2 to September 5 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will mark the first time since 1945 horse racing’s marquee event will not run on the first Saturday in May. The opening of stables, closed since December 31 for winter renovations, has been being delayed several times. The spring meeting was scheduled to open last Saturday. A…

Trainer Andrew Carston is enjoying being back at his Riccarton barn. Photo: Trish Dunell Like many trainers around the country, Andrew Carston was excited to get back to his stables on Tuesday morning to welcome back some of his team. The Riccarton conditioner had been experiencing his best term to date prior to racing ceasing as New Zealand entered Covid-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions last month. With 26 wins, three of those at stakes level, Carston had already surpassed his previous best tally of 22 victories in the 2016/17 season.…

Karaka trainer Lance Noble has an eye to the future as he welcomes the next batch of well-bred youngsters to the fold this week. Noble oversees the private training operation of Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay and said that given the racing team is generally quiet in the winter months, he will use the next few weeks as an opportunity to get a gauge on the next generation. “Most of our racehorses won’t come back into work again until the middle of May and we will stagger them…

NZB Airfreight have completed a test flight with a small pool of horses from Auckland to Sydney. Photo: Supplied. Under strict health and safety requirements, NZB Airfreight has successfully completed a test flight with a small pool of horses from Auckland to Sydney. With new regulations and plans in place for grooms, New Zealand Bloodstock can confidently begin to work on limited flights for the backlog of horses requiring trans-Tasman travel. The test flight was conducted with all grooms and travelling staff in full personal protective equipment, including overalls, masks…

Trainer Stephen Marsh is looking forward to welcoming back 50 horses to his Cambridge barn on Tuesday. Photo: Trish Dunell It has been somewhat of a ghost town at the Cambridge Jockey Club, New Zealand’s largest thoroughbred training centre, over the last month. It has sat mostly empty during the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown, but with the country set to enter Level 3 at 11:59pm on Monday, restrictions on training are set to ease. Local horseman Stephen Marsh is one of a number of trainers that will welcome back…