Racing at Cranbourne Greyhound Racing Club has been suspended in the interim. The suspension will remain in place pending the Cranbourne GRC notifying GRV that key personnel needed to professionally and safely run race meetings are in place. As a result, please note that the following race meetings have been CANCELLED: Cranbourne GRC – Monday 7 December 2020 Cranbourne GRC – Wednesday 9 December 2020 *An announcement regarding the ongoing trialling program at Cranbourne will be made early next week.
Month: December 2020
Dr. Tucker’s Ballarat Cup medicine
Bill McMahon is using Saturday night’s Group 2 BFC Ballarat Cup heats (450m) as a stepping stone to the Group 1 Silver Chief later this month with his homebred rising star Dr. Tucker. However Dr. Tucker hasn’t been given any favours in his quest to bounce back from a Melbourne Cup disappointment, being drawn against newly-crowned Ballarat track record holder Pirate Pete. Dr. Tucker, a son of Darriman-based McMahon’s former gun sprinter Bernardo, was well-fancied in a Melbourne Cup heat but wasn’t able to cross from box eight when finishing…
Almanzor set to make impact in Karaka debut
As one of the highest-profile new recruits among New Zealand’s stallion ranks, Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor is set to make waves with his first yearlings at Karaka next month. The French, Irish and English Group One winner served 140 mares in his debut season at Cambridge in 2018. The catalogue for Book 1 of Karaka 2021 features 48 of those first progeny, with another two in Book 2. Almanzor’s first yearlings have sold strongly in the northern hemisphere this year, reaching the equivalent of NZ$350,000 seven times during the Deauville,…
Higher honours await Justaskme
A brief break awaits impressive Trentham winner Justaskme (NZ) (No Excuse Needed) as trainer Allan Sharrock plans bigger and better things for his latest stable star. The No Excuse Needed five-year-old has come of age in this preparation with four wins from six starts and caught the eye again on Saturday as he boomed home from a near impossible position to take out an open 1400m contest in the hands of four kilogram-claiming apprentice Ashvin Mudhoo. Sharrock, who bred the horse and owns him in partnership with his brother Bruce…
Endless Drama retired
Well-travelled sprinter/miler Endless Drama (Lope De Vega) has been retired after failing to find his best form in his latest campaign. The nine-year-old Lope De Vega entire began his career in Ireland where he won two of his eight starts and finished runner-up in the 2015 Gr.1 Irish 2000 Guineas (1609m) before making his way to Australia where he was successful in the 2018 Gr.2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick. Sent to New Zealand to contest the 2019 Gr.1 Haunui Farm WFA Classic (1600m), he remained in the care of…
Asano quickly off the mark in northern stint
Leading South Island apprentice Kozzi Asano wasted no time in registering his first win for Matamata trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott when he guided Spring Heat (More Than Ready) to an impressive victory at Ellerslie on Saturday. Asano, who is indentured to trainer Andrew Carston at Riccarton, has moved north for a few months to spend time with Wexford Stables and to be mentored by O’Sullivan during that time. Runner-up in last season’s jockeys’ premiership with78 wins, Asano only arrived in Auckland on Saturday morning, where he had seven…
NZ Racing and Breeding News – 06 December 2020
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Perfect win for Amazing Dream
By Michael Guerin It may not have been the most dynamic win of Amazing Dream’s career but it was perfect as far as trainer-driver Mark Purdon was concerned. The hot favourite led almost throughout to win the Caduceus Club Northern Breeders Stakes at Alexandra Park, with those who took the $1.30 odds feeling pretty good a long way from home. But while she never looked like being beaten it was somewhat surprising how close stablemate Beyond Words ran Amazing Dream late in the piece, with even Dina Brown not too…
Curry and his mate get the job done at Timaru
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Mike Curry is thoroughly enjoying retirement with his mate, Kingsdown Atom. The five-year-old gelding is the only horse the Washdyke trainer has in work and Curry said he is making his retirement enjoyable. “He is the only horse I have got now, he is my mate,” Curry said. Kingsdown Atom secured Curry’s first win as a trainer at Methven in October and he added another at Phar Lap Raceway on Saturday when taking out the George Shand Memorial & Timaru Metal Recyclers Pace…
Court’s brothers ready to strike
By Jonny Turner Half-brothers Gilligans Island and No Time Like Now are primed for victory at Motukarara on Sunday. Excellent last start performances have the Graham Court trained duo ready to put their dam Live On The Beach’s name up in lights at the annual Akaroa Trotting Club’s meeting. Gilligans Island goes into the Akaroa Cup after producing a late finishing third among the quality line up that contested last weekend’s Geraldine Cup. The four-year-old took a while to wind into his work before hitting the line strongly to finish…