A big change is coming to the way Standardbreds are identified in the future. This season foals have been both microchipped and branded but from next season they will be microchipped only. The change is all about traceability and animal welfare as well as embracing technology which is changing and improving all the time. HRNZ has put together a video explaining what the changes mean for horses, trainers and other licence-holders and how microchipping will work.
Month: April 2021
Ballarat Cup a classic battle of the sexes
It will be a classic battle of the sexes in Friday night’s $67,000 Bottle-O Ballarat Cup Final (450m), to run at 9.27pm. Only one female greyhound has won the Ballarat Cup in the past decade – Shared Equity in 2015 – but four of the eight contenders in this year’s final are of the fairer sex. That includes the two fastest heat winners – Shima Classic (24.76sec) and Oriental Amber (24.89sec) – the former running just .07sec (just over one length) off the track record. The female contingent is rounded…
EXPRESS TO BROADMEADOWS
What will we see from Utah Express today at The Meadows? Tim Britton’s talented greyhound ended a run of six straight defeats with a breathtaking box one victory in a Launching Pad Consolation (515m) at Sandown Park on Thursday night, clocking 29.22sec. Today Utah Express heads to The Meadows, this time from a wide draw (7), however that may not worry him as he does boast a 29.87sec PB at the track from the pink alley. The Watchdog says he’ll get a clear run but warns that a couple of…
Ashburton double for Carston
Riccarton trainer Andrew Carston went home from Ashburton on Wednesday a happy man after picking up a winning double. Stable runner Severine continued her consistent form line when victorious in the Gary McCormick Transport Open 1400. The daughter of Pins settled midfield for jockey Chris Johnson who was able to pick a path through their rivals down the straight and wear down pacemaker Malo Blik to win by a half neck, with a further neck back to Quintuple Twins in third. Severine had finished fifth in the Gr.3 South Island…
Spade to dig deeper for second Derby
Lance O’Sullivan admits his confidence in Rocket Spade’s (Fastnet Rock) prospects for Australia’s richest staying classic hasn’t been bolstered by the subsequent Australian performances of the pair that trailed him home in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). Rocket Spade is on the third line of betting for the A$2 million Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday after beating Milford (NZ) (Savabeel) by a short neck in the New Zealand Derby, with Frontman (NZ) (Makfi) a further short head back in third. But in their respective races since…
Concert Hall touches down in Sydney
Astute trainer Roger James has every confidence that his top mare Concert Hall (NZ) (Savabeel) will stay 3200m in Sydney this autumn. Concert Hall arrived in Sydney on Monday for a two-race campaign, which takes in the Gr.2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) on April 10 and the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) a week later. Concert Hall’s career has mainly been focused on distances between 1600m and 2100m, where she has won six of her 16 starts, including the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. She has raced beyond…
Collett elects for Levante in Group One
It was an agonising decision for jockey Samantha Collett in selecting her mount for the Gr.1 Fiber Fresh NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha on Saturday, and she is hoping she has chosen wisely. Collett had the choice of Group One winner Travelling Light (NZ) (El Roca), last start Group Three winner Coventina Bay (NZ) (Shamexpress), and exciting Group One performer Levante (NZ) (Proisir). The Waikato hoop elected to go with the latter based on her potential, but admitted it was an extremely hard decision. “It has been…
Aussie News – April 7
by Adam Hamilton The rampaging Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable is set to break a 14-year Mildura Cup drought on Saturday night. Stewart and Tonkin’s only win in the iconic Victorian country cup came with mighty stayer Safari back in 2007. Other greats to have won the Mildura Cup include Sokyola (2003, ’04 & ’05), Arden Rooney (2015), Hectorjayjay (2016), Our Maestro (1988), Jane Ellen (1990). Emerging star Mach Dan looks the standout of the three finalists Stewart and Tonkin qualified through the Mildura Cup heats on Tuesday night.…
News Briefs – April 7
John Dunn on way to season’s best Two decades after his first season, John Dunn is poised for his most successful season yet. He reined home winner number 100 for the season with the Gavin Burgess-trained Rocknsnap at Banks Peninsula on Monday. It’s the fourth time he’s hit three figures in one season and he now looks set to eclipse his previous best of 109 in 2016. He’s had 1265 wins altogether since his first, Scotlynn Jag at Franklin in 2001. “I’m not going too bad,” Dunn said post race,…
Giant upset for Callan and Yiu in Easter Monday’s Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy
Mighty Giant wins the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy. Mighty Giant (123lb) bossed his rivals with an all-the-way victory in yesterday’s (Monday 5 April) Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy (1600m) at Sha Tin for jockey Neil Callan and trainer Ricky Yiu. Sent around as an +1100 outsider against four opponents, the baldy faced chestnut defied market expectations to land the HK$4.5 million feature under a daring front-running ride from Callan, while Southern Legend (128lb) held second as More Than This (123lb) closed for third. Callan, 42, savoured his third Chairman’s Trophy success…