Month: March 2021

History awaits Herlihy

NZHarnessNews

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Tony Herlihy, one of New Zealand’s most revered horsemen, had a near perfect night at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday, but it was not quite enough to bring up a significant milestone. The South Auckland horseman trained and drove a treble in the first three races at Cambridge Raceway, bringing up his 999th victory as a trainer. He went into the night’s feature race, the Dinny Johnstone Waikato Guineas Mobile Pace (2200m), with $1.80 favourite Last Tango In Heaven and looked a promising chance of…

Tendon injury forces Russian Camelot retirement

AAP

Russian Camelot has been retired due to a tendon injury. Connections of Group 1 winning European import Russian Camelot have made the heart-breaking decision to retire the four-year-old after he suffered a tendon injury in the All-Star Mile at The Valley. The dual Group 1 winner has a slight-tear in his near-fore tendon and his immediate retirement sees connections weighing up a variety of stud opportunities which will be announced once finalised. Purchased in the UK, Russian Camelot, by dual Derby winner Camelot, raced 11 times for the Danny O’Brien…

Swats That out for Group 1 glory at The Valley

AAP

Swats That will take her place in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes. It is just shy of 12 months since Swats That made an emphatic winning debut at Bendigo that in turn led her to contesting some of Melbourne’s big Group 1 sprints. The Leon and Troy Corstens-trained filly will be lining up for her fourth successive Group 1 outing when she runs in the William Reid Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on Friday night. Swats That is one of two three-year-old fillies in this year’s field of 14…

Golden Slipper winner retired to stud

AAP

2020 Golden Slipper winner Farnan Golden Slipper winner Farnan has been retired after suffering a training setback and will stand at Kia Ora Stud this spring. Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott were hoping the colt would resume in the Group One Galaxy this Saturday ahead of a possible overseas campaign but Bott said they had run out of time to get him ready for the autumn. “Niggling problems have interrupted our progress towards his big autumn targets, which were the Group One Galaxy and T J Smith, with a…

Lindsay Park Holds Adelaide Aspirations For Flying Mascot

AAP

Flying Mascot (NZ) ridden by Damian Lane returns to the mounting yard after winning the Clanbrooke Racing Handicap. (Pat Scala/Racing Photos) The current Lindsay Park operation is eyeing off black type races in Adelaide with Flying Mascot after her first-up win at Sandown on Wednesday. On Tuesday it was announced Tom Dabernig would be leaving the training partnership with his cousin Ben Hayes to go out on his own while Hayes’ younger brother JD is set to join the Lindsay Park team at the beginning of the new racing season,…

Shandy returns with dogged first-up Sandown victory

AAP

Shandy ridden by Damian Lane wins the Ladbrokes Split Multi Handicap. (Pat Scala/Racing Photos) Simon Zahra is happy to take his time with Shandy after her first-up win in the Ladbrokes Split Multi Handicap (1400m) at Sandown on Wednesday. Shandy emerged during the winter last year stringing together three wins on end, twice in town at Sandown and The Valley, before the daughter of Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente was stepped up to stakes company. Zahra, who trains in partnership with Mathew Ellerton, said the stable had been “sucked-in” to running…

Scott family in search of local Cup boost

NZRacingDesk

Kylie Scott has never been one to whinge, even when she’s got every right to. Her world came crashing down earlier this month when her husband, former champion jumps jockey-turned-trainer Brett Scott, suffered a serious head injury when he was kicked by a horse at their Mornington stables. The ex-pat Kiwi was airlifted to hospital with his condition serious and his future uncertain. Scott could’ve wilted under the stress, but she knew she had to be strong for her family and for their horses. “It has been a tough couple…

Locals listening for breakthrough tune in Shepparton Cup

Editor BOAY

Kialla sprinter Music Event will aim to break a 27-year drought in Saturday night’s $67,000 C.K.H Painting G2 Shepparton Cup Final (450m). Not since Thorgil Tex in 1994 has a greyhound from the Shepparton region won the Cup, but the Michael Carter-trained Music Event has his chance after drawing box one. Although running 2nd in his heat, Music Event also has a home-track advantage, having won five of his seven starts over the track/distance including a 24.92sec PB, the fastest of all the finalists. “Five years ago Gotta Get Back…

Bosson eyes fifth win in NZ Oaks with Amarelinha

NZRacingDesk

Opie Bosson will chase a fifth win in Saturday’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m), a race he has only ridden in sporadically in recent years. The Waikato jockey has won the Trentham three-year-old fillies Classic on She’s Country (in 2000), Bramble Rose (2003), Princess Coup (2007) and Keep The Peace (2010) but has only ridden in the race once since he placed on Charmont in 2015, chiefly through commitments in Sydney. Bosson will partner the Jamie Richards-trained Amarelinha in Saturday’s race, the Savabeel filly dominating the…

Benner out for more Guineas glory

NZRacingDesk

Otaki conditioner Johnno Benner has a strong record in the Gr.2 Fusion Electrical Wellington Guineas (1400m), which he is hoping to extend at Trentham on Saturday. Benner won the three-year-old feature in 2015 with Vespa, and again in 2018 and 2020 with Scott Base and Gold Bracelet respectively, training in partnership with Hollie Wynyard. “It’s become a strong race every year,” Benner said. “It’s probably been Group One quality the last three or four years, including on Saturday.” Benner and Wynyard will have a two-pronged attack in this year’s Guineas,…