Ayrton (NZ) (Iffraaj) is on track to resume next Saturday at Caulfield after impressing in an 800-metre jumpout at Sandown on Tuesday morning. Seven days after catching the eye in an Echuca trial, the unbeaten son of Iffraaj was ridden by Jamie Kah to win his heat, pleasing co-trainer Mick Price. “He went good, he also went to Echuca and trialed last week and trialed good,” explained Price, who trains in partnership Michael Kent Jnr. “He is a big horse, he puts himself up there. “He’s hardly been behind horses,…
Month: April 2021
Final trial for Melody Belle
New Zealand’s darling of the turf, Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands), had one final hit-out at Rosehill on Tuesday morning ahead of her trip to Queensland next week. The 14-time Group One winner was given a quiet trip throughout and finished eighth in her 1030m trial. Trainer Jamie Richards was happy enough with her efforts but admitted he would have liked to have seen her do more in her final appearance in Sydney. “I would have liked to have seen her do a little bit more, but when they run 35…
Strike rate Sheryl creates history
by Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk When it comes to preparing and driving winners few are going better than Sheryl Wigg. “Strike rate Sheryl” became the first amateur driver in this country to chalk up 50 wins at the weekend, and that was from just 150 drives. Together with her twin sister Cheree (six driving wins this season) the Wiggs are a dominant force in the amateur driving ranks. “She goes alright,” jokes Sheryl of her sibling and regular race rival. The pair famously dead heated a race at…
Travis mission for Travelling Light
It’s taken patience and hard work, but Ben Foote believes he’s got Travelling Light (NZ) (El Roca) back to her best. The four-year-old mare will be among the leading fancies for the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday after pushing Avantage (Fastnet Rock) to a neck in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) on April 17. Travelling Light was one of the best three-year-old fillies of last season, winning five of her seven starts, including the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m). But she ran well below…
Australian campaign in the offing for exciting three-year-old
A trip across the Tasman is in the offing for talented filly Miss Tycoon Rose (Written Tycoon) if she performs well in the Gr.3 Inglis Sales Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. The Group One performer has missed a large part of her three-year-old season through injury but bounced back in emphatic fashion when winning by nine lengths at Riverton earlier this month. The daughter of Written Tycoon showed early promise in the spring when finishing runner-up in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) behind Kahma…
Almanzor opens winning account with first runner
Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Almanzor has made a dream start to his Northern Hemisphere career with his first representative striking a winning blow in France. The multiple Group One-winner’s son Faro de San Juan was successful on debut over 1100m at Chantilly for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, who prepares the colt for owners South Australia’s Peter Katelanis, Nicolas De Chambure’s Haras d’Etreham, SF Bloodstock and Riviera Equine. “It was a good effort and he led all the way and Nicolas is racing the colt so that was great,” Cambridge Stud chief…
Changes and withdrawals in Harness Jewels leaderboards
The 2YO Diamond, and the 3 and 4YO Emerald categories have seen the biggest changes in the Harness Jewels leaderboards this week . The top 12 horses in each of the nine categories will make the final fields for the Jewels at Cambridge on June 6, with each Group One worth $100,000. True Fantasy has gone to number 1 in the 2YO Diamond. She’s moved from eighth on the back of her win in the Group One Woodlands Stud Caduceus Club Fillies Classic at Alexandra Park on Friday night. Mr…
Take After Me gives Glenn Scott fitting send-off
North Canterbury trainer Glenn Scott will be farewelled today, a day after his best horse Take After Me had an emotionally-charged win at Methven. Glenn’s funeral will be held at Kaiapoi High School this afternoon. The 50-year-old father of two died last week following a battle with cancer. Yesterday at Mt Harding the country’s top driver Blair Orange punched the air as Take After Me emerged from the trail to run down the pace-making Call This Fun to win the Bayleys Ashburton Handicap Trot. “It was great to get that…
Extended spell for Lochinvar Art
A philosophical David Moran insists racing fans have not seen the last of superstar Aussie pacer Lochinvar Art. But he won’t be seen again this year after succumbing to some more “little setbacks” and going to the spelling paddock. Gone are races like the Group 1 Blacks A Fake in July, Group 1 Victoria Cup in October and Sydney Inter Dominion in December. He was prepost favourite for all three. “We’re going to give him four months out and forget about this year,” Moran said. “It’s a couple of little…
Alexandra Park to be resurfaced before Rowe Cup meeting
By Michael Guerin Alexandra Park will be re-surfaced this week to save a repeat of the sub-standard track conditions that dogged last Friday’s premier meeting. Many drivers were left annoyed by the extremely sloppy track conditions for last week’s Taylor Mile meeting that one senior driver called “as bad as the track has ever been.” A downpour before the opening race last Friday left the track beach-like and drivers complained of not being able to see as most returned after races with their faces caked in wet mud. Auckland Trotting…