Makfi filly Matchmaker is attracting plenty of interest ahead of her debut at Riccarton on Saturday – and not just from punters. North Canterbury trainers Nick Wigley and Kayla Milnes produced Matchmaker for an impressive two-year-old 850m trial win at Rangiora earlier this month in easily the quickest time of the day. Bred and raced by Wigley’s son Gus and his wife Bianca, Matchmaker is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Love Somebody, a mare the Wigleys’ Inglewood Stud secured for $A28,000 in foal to Toorak Toff. Racing as Dellacqua,…
Month: July 2020
Group One performer to make raceday return
Group One performer Blue Breeze (NZ) (Bullbars) makes his raceday return when he contests the Haunui Farm 1400 at Avondale on Saturday. The rising seven-year-old gelding hasn’t been the same since his Australian campaign last year, however, trainer Allan Morley believes he is on top of the gelding’s issues now. “Since he came back from Australia it’s almost like he said ‘this is a cool place here, I would rather be here than Aussie.’ “He has done very well, but he got galloped on in his last start and he…
AUDIO: Tony Pike
Andrew Bensley talks with trainer Tony Pike about plans for The Bostonian who will trial at Te Rapa next week.
AUDIO: Nigel Tiley
Andrew Bensley speaks with trainer Nigel Tiley about his runners at Avondale on Saturday.
Positive results for Satono Aladdin
Australasian breeders with mares in foal or weanlings by Deep Impact’s Group One-winning son Satono Aladdin (JPN) will be buoyed by the reception given to his first-crop Japanese yearlings. Satono Aladdin had four lots catalogued at last week’s premier Japan Select Sale. His first lot through the ring, a fill out of the Gr.3 Neil Gwyn Stakes (1400m) winner Esentepe made 40 million yen (NZ$564,000). That was quickly bettered by a colt out of the Minsun mare Mystique that sold for 60 million yen ($NZ$846,000). Near the end of the sale…
Stokes to test Sansom in WFA Bletchingly
Trainer Phillip Stokes believes the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes presents a late-season opportunity to test Sansom (NZ) (Charm Spirit) with a view the future in the gelding’s final week as a three-year-old. Sansom is set to race on a seven-day back-up in Saturday’s 1200m weight-for-age race at Caulfield, the feature event at Melbourne’s final metropolitan meeting of the 2019-20 Australian racing season. It will be only the second time in 15 career starts that Sansom, a winner of six races, will line up in stakes grade. His only previous appearance…
AUDIO: Michael Pitman
Andrew Bensley catches up with trainer Michael Pitman about his runners at Riccarton on Saturday.
Simon’s ‘lickety-split’ Maturity?
The $100,000 question is: can superstar Simon Told Helen secure his fourth Group 1 win in the KCR Pet Transport Maturity Classic final (525m) at The Meadows on Saturday night? And another exciting poser is: can he also break the split records (4.89sec & 17.37sec) that megastar Fernando Bale set in winning the 2015 Maturity Classic? The second-highest stakes earner in Australian greyhound racing history ($1,299,370), Fernando Bale also established a modern-day race record of 29.50sec in that final. But Simon Told Helen’s trainer, David Burnett, is naturally more interested…
ALL GRV Participants attending any racetrack in Victoria Must Wear a Face Mask
In order to maintain a healthy and safe environment for all participants and race day staff, and consistent with the recent announcement by the Victorian State Government declaring the wearing of masks mandatory for Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire as of 11:59 pm Wednesday 22 July 2020, the Stewards of Greyhound Racing Victoria issue the following direction to all GRV registered participants… Effective as of 11.59pm Wednesday 22 July 2020: Official Direction to All GRV Registered Participants: Face masks must be worn at all times by GRV registered participants attending…
Fourth time ‘Luckie’ for Rico
Hard Style Rico, fastest qualifier for Saturday night’s Maturity Classic (525m) at The Meadows, has taken aim at Group 1 glory three times in 2020 but disappointingly for trainer Luckie Karabitsakos has fallen short on each occasion. But after finishing unplaced (in order) in the Silver Chief, National Derby and Australian Cup, the Maturity looms as Hard Style Rico’s best chance yet. “You can’t put a foot wrong in these Group 1 races – I know that very well now,” quipped Karabitsakos. “The build-up is enormous. It’s like Christmas for…