Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore will offer a select draft of six weanlings through New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Weanling Sale which is set to conclude via online auction Gavelhouse Plus on Sunday from 3pm. Cunningham was taking many positives from the new format and believes the online auction was equating to wide-spread interest. “It’s been very refreshing and we’ve enjoyed the lead-up to the sale,” Cunningham said. “We refer to it as an on-farm online sale. Nothing is different other than we’re not going up to Karaka, given the unique circumstances,…
Month: July 2020
Tiley excited about hometrack resumption
Nigel Tiley would usually be enjoying the warmer climate of Queensland at this time of year, however, the Pukekohe trainer is getting set to line-up a handful of his team at his home track on Saturday. “Normally we go and base ourselves at the Sunshine Coast for a couple of months, but unfortunately that didn’t happen this year,” Tiley said. “But so far the weather hasn’t been too bad.” Saturday’s Counties meeting will mark the resumption of thoroughbred racing in New Zealand after a three month COVID-19 enforced hiatus and…
Heavy conditions to suit Trisha Lea
Promising jumper Trisha Lea (NZ) (Zed) will kick-off her winter campaign at Pukekohe on Saturday, but it is at another Auckland track trainer Kylie Little is hoping the mare will feature prominently in the coming months. The eight-year-old accrued seven wins on the flat before transitioning to jumps racing, where she has amassed a credible record of three wins from just four starts. “It was very encouraging what she did at the end of last season,” Little said. “Hopefully this season she can push on and meet the big boys…
Speedy Meady set to fly over 800
Trainer Stephen Ralph can’t wait to be back at the races this weekend, with up to eight runners set to represent his Te Awamutu stable at the Counties meeting at Pukekohe Park on Saturday. Full fields and 11 races are the order of a bumper day, which marks the first time thoroughbred racing will take place in New Zealand since March 23. Officially every horse will have an X beside its name, denoting at least a three-month absence from the track, and for punters and connections alike, Saturday’s meeting provides…
Kiwi interest at Royal Ascot in Group One sprint
Top quality sprinting colt Hello Youmzain (Kodiac) is in fine fettle ahead of Saturday’s Gr.1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot where he will sport the colours of part-owner Cambridge Stud for the first time. The stallion prospect is prominent in the betting markets for the feature sprint and trainer Kevin Ryan has been delighted with the well-related son of Kodiac in his build-up. Hello Youmzain emphasised his quality when he won last year’s Gr.1 Haydock Sprint Cup (1200m) and was put aside after an unplaced run on a…
Countdown begins to The Jericho Cup
The countdown to the third edition of Australia’s longest flat race, The Jericho Cup (4600m), has commenced with the confirmation of its 2020 date and the qualifying races guaranteeing an automatic start. The race, which commemorates Australian and New Zealand’s light horse involvement in World War 1, is run on the fourth Sunday after the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), which this year places it in the final weekend in November for the first time where it will bring an action-packed spring racing program in Victoria to its conclusion. The 4600m…
Chittick delighted with results of weekend weanling parade
Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick is looking forward to strong interest in the stud’s eighteen-strong draft for the annual New Zealand Bloodstock Weanling Sale, that is currently underway on the gavelhouse.com platform, following a successful parade over the weekend. The online auction opened on Thursday and runs until June 21 with Waikato Stud offering some quality youngsters by resident stallions Savabeel, Ocean Park and Tivaci. The stud put together a parade of all eighteen weanlings on Saturday which was well attended and Chittick expects similar results for events this coming…
Promising stayer carries well-known colours to debut victory
A comfortable debut victory by promising three-year-old Smokin Romans (NZ) (Ghibellines) at Ballarat on Thursday carried special significance for part-owner Don Frampton. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Ghibellines gelding raced away from his opposition over 1500m carrying the sky blue and black striped silks worn by Frampton’s talented performer Booming (NZ) (Don Eduardo), who numbered the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) and Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) amongst his eight career victories. Frampton, who has raced a host of top performers including Gr.1 Avondale Cup (2200m) winner Trounced, believes that the son of…
Simon feeling revitalised after pandemic enforced hiatus
Racing identity George Simon admits it is a very long time since he has felt as excited about calling at a midweek trial day as he did on the morning of the 33-heat meeting at Te Rapa last Tuesday. It was the first time since the Covid-19 enforced lockdown of New Zealand that Simon had had the opportunity to return to his first love and passion of calling races and he was eager to get back to business. “It was a re-baptism of fire with 33 heats and I loved…
NZ Racing and Breeding News – 15 June 2020
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