Day: 2 September 2020

Well-related four-year-old mare Vamos Bebe broke maiden ranks in style at Avondale on Wednesday over 1200m. The Trelawney Stud-owned daughter of I Am Invincible had finished second at her two starts prior to her breakthrough win. Trained by Jamie Richards, the mare travelled like the winner a long way out under a positive Danielle Johnson ride. “She has always promised to do that,” Richards said. “Her trials and her first two runs have been good. “She’s a filly that has battled with a couple of immaturity issues but hopefully now…

Punters that took the $1.30 about talented three-year-old The Irishman would have had their hearts in their mouths when the son of Tavistock stepped slowly from the barriers on debut over 1100m at Avondale on Wednesday on a Heavy10 surface. But the Tony Pike-trained colt flagged himself as a horse with a bright future after closing well from near the tail of the field to run down leader True Blessing in the shadows of the post. “It was a pretty big effort,” Pike said. “They went very slow, he hated…

Trainer Paul Preusker believes his star stayer Surprise Baby (NZ) (Shocking) can secure a start in the Cox Plate by winning the only race which carries a golden ticket into it, the Gr.2 Feehan Stakes at The Valley. Preusker said even if Surprise Baby didn’t win he wanted to see enough to justify running him in a Cox Plate as a lead-in to the Melbourne Cup, for which he is favourite. Surprise Baby hasn’t started since he finished fifth in last year’s Melbourne Cup when he flew home and was…

Former jockey Amber Sims kicked off her training career in the best possible fashion at Avondale on Wednesday, winning the Avondale Sunday Markets (1600m) with Coruba Jak (NZ) (Jakkalberry). Jockey Andrew Calder took advantage of his ace barrier, driving Coruba Jak forward to take an early sit behind leader Rising Risk. Calder asked his charge to improve turning for home and Coruba Jack was able to get the better of Rising Risk and held off the late challenge of Reliabull to win by a head. Sims was delighted with the…

Cambridge trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman have been given a free rein to develop promising three-year-olds Unition (Fastnet Rock) and Suffused (Choisir) as they see fit. That was the word from Forsman as he assessed the pair ahead of Saturday’s Gr.3 WRC Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa. Both Fastnet Rock colt Unition and Choisir colt Suffused race in the colours of global powerhouse owner China Horse Club and have the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on November 7 as their…

Fraser Auret is hoping to unearth another quality three-year-old in the Listed HS Dyke Wanganui Guineas (1200m) on Saturday. The Marton trainer took out last year’s race in emphatic style when Cooga Doon (NZ) (Makfi) distanced his rivals to win by nine lengths. There was plenty of interest in the son of Makfi after the race and he was subsequently sold to Hong Kong interests for a seven-figure sum. Auret will be represented in this year’s Guineas by Mogador (NZ) (Proisir) who takes the same form into the race as…