Matamata apprentice jockey Darren Danis will make a return to raceday riding at his home track on Saturday. The two kilogram claiming apprentice has been off the racing scene for some time after having surgery to remove screws from his back, inserted from a previous operation, in May. “I had my operation on May 19,” Danis said. “I have been doing a lot of rehab with the physio and my back is feeling good. I don’t have much irritation when riding trackwork.” Danis returned to riding track work last month…
Month: July 2020
Aragon heads Bambry double
Foxton trainer Chrissy Bambry is making a habit of training multiple winners in a day and that trend continued at Hastings on Wednesday where she sent out a winning double. Bambry has long-held three-year-old gelding Aragon (NZ) in high regard and her judgement was vindicated when the son of Ocean Park closed well to break maiden ranks over 2100m in the manner of a staying horse going places. “He has always needed ground and his mother was a good stayer and being by Ocean Park, that was always going to…
Princess Jenni tipped for exciting spring
Mornington trainer David Brideoake has big expectations with Group One winner Princess Jenni (NZ) (High Chaparral) heading into the Melbourne Spring Carnival. The Gr.1 South Australian Oaks (2000m) winner has impressed Brideoake in track work and he is looking forward to giving the daughter of High Chaparral her first hit-out later this week. “I think Princess Jenni is in good shape. We go to a first jumpout and we will toddle along and see how she goes,” Brideoake told Racing.com. “I’m sure she will go well. She’ll have another one…
Big weight for Twinkletoe in GN Hurdle
Tallyho Twinkletoe (NZ) (St Reims) will create a modern day weight carrying record if he is to record a second win in the Grand National Hurdle at Sandown. The New Zealand jumper has been allocated 73.5kg in Sunday’s 4200m hurdle, a weight no horse has carried to victory since weights went metric in 1973. The highest winning weight was Black And Bent carried who carried 72kg in 2013. Tallyo Twinkletoe won last year’s Grand National Hurdle at his Australian debut carrying 67.5kg. Weights were announced on Wednesday with Tallyho Twinkletoe…
Star Kelso mares to gallop at Matamata
Group One performers Supera and Princess Kereru will take centre stage early as racing returns to Matamata for the first time since the COVID-19 lockdown on Saturday. Matamata trainers Ken and Bev Kelso will give the pair an exhibition gallop after race one as they prepare for upcoming spring features, while the husband-and-wife duo will also produce leading chances Shoshone and Codecracker for separate races on the first day of the new season. Ken Kelso said both Supera and Princess Kereru had pleased them as they prepared for a likely…
Allpress delighted with latest premiership title
Lisa Allpress has ruled herself out of the race to add a fifth premiership title to her record next season. The Whanganui jockey goes into Friday’s meeting at Awapuni with 95 wins to her credit for the season, 17 clear of nearest rival, apprentice Kozzi Asano. That will give her a fourth national jockeys’ premiership title after earlier wins in 2011-12, 2015-16 and last season. “It wasn’t on my radar at the start of the season,” Allpress said. “I just wanted to go out and support the people who have…
New Arrivals
Windsor Park Stud – Turn Me Loose Filly Windsor Park Stud principal Rodney Schick with the farm’s first foal of the season, a filly by resident stallion Turn Me Loose.Cambridge Stud – Tavistock Filly Cambridge Stud’s first foal of the season – a filly from Tavistock’s final crop and the first foal out of imported mare Timespan (Al Kazeem).Valachi Downs – Zacinto Filly Valachi Downs’ first foal of the season – a Zacinto colt out of Miss Olive, a half-sister to the dam of Humidor.
New editor at the helm of RaceForm
Next week marks the return of New Zealand’s stand-alone racing publication RaceForm, and with that a change at the helm following the appointment of Liz Whelan as editor. For more than five years from mid-2012 Whelan was a familiar face to Trackside viewers, most closely associated with the greyhound code. In early 2018 she moved to Australia, where she was employed as the media and communications manager at Country Racing Victoria. Covid-19 precipitated Whelan’s decision to return to New Zealand and now she is looking forward to her next challenge.…
Complacent sires first winner
Mapperley Stud stallion Complacent made the perfect start to his stallion career at Ipswich on Thursday when his first starter Calm Seeker (NZ) was victorious over 1350m. Despite enduring a tough three-wide trip, Calm Seeker powered away from his rivals to win by a length and a quarter with a bit in reserve under Michael Cahill for trainer Matt Kropp. “We were really happy with his effort,” Kropp said. “Not a lot went right. Mick Cahill was hoping to get in and just said it was a pretty ugly old…
Mohaather makes amends in Sussex Stakes
Showcasing colt Mohaather demonstrated a devastating turn of foot to win the Gr.1 Sussex Stakes (1600m), the feature event on day two at Goodwood. Trained by Marcus Tregoning and ridden by Jim Crowley, the four-year-old endured a luckless run in the Gr.1 Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) at Royal Ascot – but righted the record as an impressive victor on the Downs. Crowley had to switch out to make his challenge, but once he did Mohaather flew in the final furlong to collar pace-setter Circus Maximus and score a first Group One win.…