Month: February 2021

The significance of riding 1000 New Zealand winners is dawning on Cambridge jockey Danielle Johnson. Johnson sits on 999 wins in New Zealand and has a gilt-edged opportunity to become the 34th jockey to achieve the feat with a book of nine rides at Te Aroha on Wednesday. “I hope that monkey doesn’t just sit there. I want it off my back as quickly as I can,” Johnson quipped. “It’s just a number to me at the moment but once I get to 1000 I’ll appreciate it that much more.…

A spring resumption is likely for talented galloper Catalyst (NZ) (Darci Brahma). The son of Darci Brama had two interrupted preparations in Australia last year, with trainer Clayton Chipperfield citing joint issues as the main culprit. Owner Dick Karreman, owner of The Oaks Stud in Cambridge, and his racing manager Rick Williams, have elected to take a cautious approach with him and they have given him time to mature over the last six months. He has spent plenty of time spelling at The Oaks Stud, and he has also spent…

Group One winner Concert Hall (NZ) (Savabeel) is still being aimed towards an Australian campaign, but her connections are just figuring out which path to take. The Joan Egan bred and owned six-year-old has gone from strength-to-strength this campaign, winning three of her five starts and finishing runner-up in her two other assignments, culminating in victory in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. But a barrier incident at New Plymouth last week where the mare parted company with jockey Danielle Johnson before scaling a fence and…

Group Three-winning mare Aimee’s Jewel (NZ) (Proisir) has joined the stable of Kyneton trainer Charles Cassar as she looks to add Australian black-type to her CV. The daughter of Proisir won three of her seven starts for Stratford trainer Trudy Keegan, including a memorable victory in the Gr.3 Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton in November. Keegan, who remains in the ownership of Aimee’s Jewel, said it had been very clear from the outset that principal owner Troy Pannell would transfer the mare across the Tasman should she show enough…

Jonathan Riddell didn’t have a great start at Te Rapa on Saturday, failing to make the weight for two of his six booked rides. But by the end of the day, he’d recorded a surprise Group One victory aboard Royal Performer (Medicean), finished second in another, and guided the exciting Gold Watch (NZ) (Swiss Ace) to his fourth successive win. “I had success at the weekend, but I haven’t got ahead of myself. I enjoyed it, but man, it’s a tough game,” Riddell said. “It’s challenging. There are times I…

Nick Wigley and Kayla Milnes had an exciting spring with stakes-winning three-year-old Matchmaker (NZ) (Makfi), and now promising two-year-old Mozzarella (NZ) (Capitalist) is giving the Rangiora trainers something to look forward to in the autumn. The two-year-old daughter of Capitalist ran away to a comfortable four length victory at Riccarton on Saturday, her second win on-end, fulfilling the promise seen in her by her trainers. “We were sort of expecting it because we used the first run just as a trial,” Nick Wigley said. “She was always going to improve…