It takes supreme confidence and a little courage to name a greyhound, or any racing animal for that matter, Special Talent and Mick Carter is hoping his judgement will be vindicated in Saturday’s Group 2 Ballarat Cup Final (450m). Kialla-based Carter is a man of few words and certainly isn’t one to get carried away with his greyhounds but he and father Mal had such a lofty opinion of Special Talent they burdened him with the optimistic moniker. “He’s been in the kennels since he was seven months old and…
Month: December 2020
Whale Watch – Addington – Friday night Dec 11
Craig “The Whale” Thompson has a winner or two from Friday night’s Addington meeting in this edition of “Whale Watch”.
Whale watch – Auckland – Friday night
Craig “The Whale” Thompson is back with his best tips for Friday night’s big Auckland meeting.
Supera surging towards finishing line
Ken and Bev Kelso would love nothing more than for classy mare Supera (NZ) (Savabeel) to sign off her career with a win. The Sir Peter Vela-bred and raced Savabeel mare contests Saturday’s Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa at what shapes as the second-to-last start of her career. “She’s in foal and she needs to put her hand up on Saturday to say she’ll go forward to the Zabeel Classic (Gr.1,2000m) which will be her final run,” Ken Kelso said. “Her work has been good, she’s eating…
Pep Torque hits top gear
Kirsty Lawrence’s $2,600 gavelhouse.com buy Pep Torque (NZ) (Nadeem) took his earnings to just shy of $120,000 with a determined victory over the Hawke’s Bay mile yesterday. Looking set to be a force to be reckoned with again this summer holiday racing season, a time that the seven-year-old son of Nadeem has excelled in the past two seasons, Lawrence was thrilled with his return to the winner’s enclosure “I couldn’t be prouder of the effort by Pep Torque to bring up win number six of his career after a frustrating…
New show highlights the people behind the racing industry
The New Zealand thoroughbred racing industry has more than 34,000 participants, employs over 9,500 people and contributes around $1.1 billion dollars to the New Zealand economy annually. It’s an industry that doesn’t stop with the horses requiring constant care, resulting in early mornings, late nights, busy weekends and few holidays for the hard working and passionate people behind the scenes. Beyond The Winning Post is a magazine docuseries that explores the varied participants within the racing industry and the motivation behind their involvement. In the eight-part series, host Emily…
Te Rapa to kick off Brennan’s big black-type summer
Group Three features at Te Rapa on Saturday could be the starting point of a special summer for Lauren Brennan. The Cambridge trainer has strong contenders for both the Gr.3 Skycity Hamilton Waikato Cup (2400m) and Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m), while proven Group One performer Vadavar (Redoute’s Choice) is right on target for the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie two weeks later. Brennan also has the talented Sword Of War (NZ) (Redwood), a full-brother to this month’s Group One hero Rock On Wood (NZ), nominated for the Gr.1…
Big Fish Little Fish – Winton
Big Fish Little Fish host Craig Thompson assesses the best chances at today’s Winton meeting.
Tinker Craig rings Ballarat bell
Mathew Tabb’s patient wait for another crack at Group glory will come to a long overdue end when barnstorming heat winner Tinker Craig lines up in Saturday’s Group 2 Ballarat Cup Final (450m). Back in the mid-2000s, Tabb raced star sprinter Superman, a dual Group 1 winner of the Perth Cup and Hobart Thousand as well as the Group 2 Queensland Derby for trainer Emin Aydemir. Tabb’s last appearance in a feature event came in 2012 when Maccaboy was unplaced behind Miata in the Group 1 Bold Tease. “We won…
Big Fish Little Fish – Manawatu – Dec 10
Join regular Big Fish Little Fish hosts Michael Guerin and Craig Thompson as they sort out the best tips for Taranaki Cup night at Manawatu on Thursday, Dec 10.