Stephen Marsh is hoping a treble at Riccarton on Saturday can be the springboard to boost numbers in his South Island barn. Though Marsh’s main training establishment is at Cambridge, he is focused on making his satellite stable at Riccarton a permanent part of his operation. “I’ve got a 12-horse barn down there and got seven horses in it at the moment,” Marsh said. “It was full around New Zealand Cup time last year, but a few have been retired since. “I’m rapt in how the stable down there has…
Month: August 2020
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Fanatical vet ‘Dr Bec’ receives GRV Welfare Award
The 2020 GRV Welfare Award has been bestowed on a stalwart of greyhound welfare and a name familiar with many greyhound fosterers and adopters: Dr Rebecca ‘Bec’ Goode. As the in-house veterinary surgeon at GAP, Bec sees thousands of dogs every year and, in her words, “does all that might be needed before they go out to their adoptive homes.” There’s much more than that, however. Bec is a regular at GAP and GRV events. You’ll often find her checking teeth in a tent at a community day or providing…
NZ Racing and Breeding News – 31 August 2020
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Baby wait nearly over
The long wait is nearly over for connections of one of the spring’s most exciting horses with Surprise Baby (NZ) (Shocking) ready to end a 10-month absence from the racetrack at The Valley on Saturday. Trainer Paul Preusker said on Sunday that he was ready to unleash the galloper in the group 2 Feehan Stakes where victory would earn Surprise Baby a ballot-free shot at his first spring goal – the $5 million Cox Plate. Surprise Baby won’t be there to be making up the numbers with Preusker keen for him…
All aboard the Gravy Train
Seven greyhounds remain in contention to snare coursing’s holy grail after day one of the 2020 Waterloo Cup was concluded at Lang Lang today, with consistent coursing star Making Gravy (pictured) among the main contenders. Tomorrow’s final day will see the running of the remaining Waterloo Cup rounds, as well as the Waterloo Place and Waterloo Purse, which are for greyhounds eliminated in today’s earlier rounds. As spring approaches the National Coursing Association couldn’t have asked for a better day in terms of the weather, and RSN race caller James…
Princess Kereru ready for Foxbridge Plate
A brisk workout over 1000m between races at Tauranga on Saturday has quality sprinter Princess Kereru ready for her first-up assignment in the Gr.2 Valachi Downs Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa this coming Saturday. The Ken and Bev Kelso-trained mare has come on in leaps and bounds from her fourth placing behind Catalyst in an open 1100m trial at Taupo earlier in the month with Ken Kelso pleased with the progress she has made. “We’ve given her the two exhibition gallops and a trial to get her ready and…
First stakes success for Belardo as Isabella Giles dominates at Goodwood
Haunui Farm shuttle stallion Belardo registered his first stakes success over the weekend with two-year-old filly Isabella Giles scoring in impressive fashion at Goodwood. Isabella Giles enhanced her position as the leading light from the maiden crop of Belardo as she provided him with his first stakes win in the G.3 Ladbrokes Prestige Stakes (1408m). The filly already boasted victories at Leicester and Newbury and had finished fourth to Santosha (Coulsty) in the Gr.3 Princess Margaret Stakes (1200m) at Ascot last time. This time rider Adam Kirby had the rest…
Jericho Cup aspirations for Junior
A never-say-die attitude from both horse and rider saw lightly raced stayer Junior pick up the biggest win of his career to date when he took out the Opal Kiwi Packaging Kiwifruit Cup (2100m) in the hands of Chelsea Burdan at Tauranga. The Craig and Shaun Phelan-trained six-year-old loves a good scrap in his races and demonstrated that once again when he got back up off the canvas to deliver a knockout blow to race favourite My Gift in the final 100m of the contest. Burdan, who was having just…
First winner for former champion apprentice
Former champion South African apprentice Kersley Ramsamy put his first win on the board in New Zealand when he guided promising three-year-old Sheza Jakkal to victory at Tauranga on Saturday. The well-travelled Mauritian-born rider has been in New Zealand since shortly before the first COVID-19 lockdown in March and recently moved to Te Aroha after initially being based in the South Island. Ramsamy works for Te Aroha local Gavin Opie and collected the first victory for the partnership with a heady ride aboard Sheza Jakkal, who started a $3.30 second…