Andrew Bensley and Aidan Rodley give their thoughts on the finalists for this year’s NZ Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards.
Month: August 2020
A HUNDRED NOT OUT FOR SUPERSTAR SAVABEEL
Waikato Stud’s star resident Savabeel has cracked another significant milestone in his remarkable career with daughter Savacool providing the multiple champion sire’s 100th individual stakes winner. Savabeel has achieved extraordinary dominance since his retirement to the premier Matamata nursery and Savacool’s victory in the Listed Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury adds to his list of extraordinary achievements. He has won the Grosvenor Award (champion New Zealand sire) for five consecutive seasons, four Dewar Awards (combined New Zealand and Australian progeny earnings) and five Centaine Awards (combined world-wide progeny earnings) and has sired…
Savacool Stakes Winner 100 for Savabeel
Savacool (NZ) (Savabeel) has upstaged her more fancied stablemates to continue Chris Waller’s recent run of success in the Listed Rowley Mile (1600m) at Hawkesbury. Sydney’s premier trainer has now won three of the past five renewals of the 1600 metre feature, Savacool adding her name to the list when she stormed home from the back to overhaul the leaders. The daughter of Savabeel had been placed in a string of stakes races but her breakthrough black-type success also gave her champion sire his 100th individual Stakes winner. Stable representative…
Icebath for Glen Boss
The Brad Widdup-trained Icebath (NZ) (Sacred Falls) will link with rider Glen Boss at Randwick on Saturday in the Cactus Imaging Sprint (1200m) as the New Zealand-bred mare looks to step through the grades ahead of black-type assignments later this spring. The four-year-old daughter of Sacred Falls was placed in the Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) and Gr.3 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) at the end of her Autumn campaign and finished fourth in her trial behind Le Romain at Gosford at the beginning of the month. “It was a nice trial…
Big Fish, Little Fish – Auckland 20 August
Big Fish, Little Fish is the brand new Whale Watch brought to you by Michael Guerin and Craig Thompson. Today they look over the Auckland meeting
Big Fish, Little Fish – Winton 20 August
Big Fish, Little Fish is the new Whale Watch brought to you by Michael Guerin and Craig Thompson. Today they look over the Winton meeting
Stable Picks – Winton 20th August
NZB to Unveil New Bidding Technology
New Zealand Bloodstock have announced the development of a new, robust online bidding platform specifically developed for the future of their thoroughbred and standardbred auction sales. After introducing market-leading technology into the digital auction-sphere four years ago via popular online subsidiary gavelhouse.com, NZB has now been able to adapt the technology to be used extensively during their upcoming physical sales. The development of the advanced bidding module is underway and will be tested extensively prior to debuting at NZB’s Ready to Run Sale of Two Year Old’s in November. Bloodstock…
Stallion Parade cancelled
The gavelhouse.com Waikato Branch New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association stallion parade planned for this weekend (August 22/23) has been cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. After consultation with several stud masters the decision was made not to go ahead with the planned tour. “It’s unfortunate for the Waikato Branch who have put so much effort into this tour, but we cannot risk up to 100 people going around the Waikato from farm to farm under the current COVID-19 restrictions,” NZTBA chief executive Justine Sclater said. “The breeding season is due to…
Winx a moment of truth for Brandenburg
The first Group One race of the season will be a campaign-defining moment for Brandenburg (NZ) (Burgundy), who will be tested against 10 Group One winners. A full field of 16 will contest the Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday, including some of the early favourites for the biggest races of the spring. Trainer John Sargent is happy to flush out exactly where Brandenburg fits into the mix but admits there is no slow road to discovery given the strength and depth of Saturday’s field. “He will take his…