Month: December 2020

With Group One racing on Saturday, Trentham track manager Mark Biddle is praying for the rain to stay away. The Wellington track is currently rated a Heavy10 and with fine weather forecast ahead of the weekend, Biddle is hoping there will be some improvement in the surface. “We have got a beautiful, fine day today,” Biddle said on Thursday. “It has been quite warm, and we have had a good breeze, so hopefully that should have helped the track. “It was rated a Heavy10 this morning and hopefully we might…

Jockey Joao Moreira stole the show at Happy Valley on Wednesday with his fourth treble in a row, capping his hat-trick with a smart victory aboard Kinda Cool (NZ) (Per Incanto) in the first section of the Class 4 Gloucester Handicap (1200m). “It’s not too difficult when you get an inside gate – he’s been a nice horse, he has been a little bit unlucky with his gate and today it wasn’t the case and I think it’s paid off,” Moreira said of the son of Per Incanto. The Brazilian…

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike will head south to Trentham on Saturday to a wet welcome, with rain forest for the weekend’s premier meeting. Despite the gloomy outlook he is set to bring his own storm on Saturday in the form of unbeaten two-year-old Stormy (NZ) (Telperion), who will contest the Gr.2 Pete’s Joinery, Precise Design & Build Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m). The promising juvenile beat home Wakari (NZ) (Vespa) on debut, and the Roydon Bergerson-trained gelding subsequently went on to win impressively by four-lengths in his next start. However, Wakari…

Riccarton trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman will have numbers in their favour as per usual at their home track meeting on Friday. The father-and-son training duo like to take full advantage of not having to travel their horses given Riccarton’s standing as the premier Southern track, and on Friday they will saddle as many as 17 runners before they venture north to Saturday’s Trentham meeting where they have a trio of acceptors. Among the 17 is quality sprinter Enzo’s Lad, who will follow a well-worn path when he contests the…

Chad Ormsby has no doubt that promising filly Moana (NZ) (Ocean Park) has returned from a spring spell a far superior version of her previous self. The Waikato trainer will produce the Ocean Park filly in Saturday’s Gr.3 Mitchell Family Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie in her first start since a luckless third in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Hastings at the beginning of October. She was denied clear running that day but still only went down a nose and a head at the hands of Aegon (NZ)…