Month: January 2021

Shaun and Emma Clotworthy will take their Byerley Park stable into uncharted territory at Ellerslie this weekend. The couple will saddle their $14,000 yearling purchase Seven Twenty in Saturday’s DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka Million 2YO (1200m), giving them their first taste of the lucrative juvenile sprint for graduates of New Zealand Bloodstock’s yearling sales. “She’s our first ever runner in the race,” Shaun Clotworthy said. “It’s a pretty proud achievement for a smaller stable like ours, and we’re really looking forward to it.” The daughter of Power has had two…

This season is shaping up to be the best one yet for young Woodlands trainer Robert Dennis, and Saturday’s Listed Liquorland Gore Guineas (1335m) could be the race that confirms it. Now in his sixth season of training, Dennis has saddled a total of 35 winners from 365 runners. He has an impressive strike-rate this season with eight wins from just 44 starters so far, which puts him right on the cusp of his personal best of nine wins last season. The 2019-20 season was also notable for his first…

The two leading figures of Karaka Million night, Te Akau and racing group Boys Get Paid, are set to join forces for the first time at Karaka this week. The tangerine and blue silks of Te Akau have been a prominent feature at New Zealand’s richest race meeting, while the enthusiasm of Boys Get Paid members hasn’t been missed over the last few years. While Boys Get Paid are notorious for their six figure punting purse on Karaka Million night, group founder Luke Kemeys is ready to make the same…

Trainer Jamie Richards won the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) last year with Probabeel and he is hoping he has a filly who can repeat the dose on Saturday. Amarelinha heads into the rich three-year-old feature as a $2.10 favourite with TAB bookmakers, ahead of the undefeated Group One-winning colt Aegon at $2.60. The daughter of Savabeel has had just the three starts and Richards has been pleased with her progress, which culminated with a last start victory in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.…

You could forgive Daniel Nakhle if he told you he wasn’t quite sure what hat he was wearing on any given day of the week. The personable Auckland resident must wonder at times if there are enough hours in the day as he juggles the demands of his multi-faceted business enterprise, the Nakhle Group, along with indulging his passion for all things thoroughbred as a breeder, owner and for nearly a decade, a Board member at the Auckland Racing Club. It is those racing and breeding interests that will combine…

The broadcast for New Zealand Bloodstock’s 95th National Yearling Sales Series is set to bring viewers all of the live action across five days of selling at the iconic Karaka Sales Centre. The format will capture 918 catalogued lots set to go under the hammer, as well as highlights, interviews and colour from around the complex.  This year, NZB will offer a live broadcast for the opening day of the Sale, Sunday 24 January on SKY Pop Up Channel 263, commencing at 12.30PM (NZT). The broadcast will also be available…