Month: May 2021

Training facilities will be upgraded and racing is set to continue on a smaller scale at Pukekohe Park as part of the proposed merger between the Counties Racing Club and Auckland Racing Club. Counties Racing Club chairman Mark Chitty told a meeting of club members on Monday night that the merger was the best thing for a sustainable future for racing in the Auckland region. The plan would see horses racing for an average stake of $100,000 at Ellerslie, double what it is at present, on a new StrathAyr track.…

The merger between the Auckland Racing Club (ARC) and Counties Racing Club (CRC) has taken a step closer to completion this week. Members of both clubs had respective meetings this week where further details of the potential merger were outlined and discussed, and ARC chief executive Paul Wilcox said he received a positive response at both meetings. “Both meetings were very positive,” he said. “The majority (of members) were supportive of the changes and are looking forward to the merger happening.” It is anticipated the merger and use of the…

Beauden (NZ) (Beauden) will be out to end his season on a high when he heads to Rotorua on Saturday. The Team Rogerson-trained gelding has won four of his last six starts, including the Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2000m) and Gr.3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m), and showed he was up to the best in New Zealand when placing fourth behind Melody Belle in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher NZ Stakes (2000m) in March. “The track was a little bit chippy (at Riccarton last start), he didn’t like it, but he showed how…

Lost And Running (NZ) (Per Incanto) will get his first opportunity at stakes level on Saturday when he contests the Listed Luskin Star Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill. The Per Incanto four-year-old hasn’t put a foot wrong so far in his career, winning five of his six starts, and finishing runner-up in the other. While victorious on a Good4 track at Randwick last month, trainer John O’Shea is pleased to see the Rosehill track rated a Heavy8 on Tuesday ahead of his gelding’s first tilt over 1300m, with rain forecast ahead…

Talented stayer Quick Thinker (So You Think) showed enough in his 1030m trial at Rosehill on Tuesday morning to suggest a brief Queensland campaign could be on the cards. The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained stayer had been on a path to the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) before a set-back days before his grand final. Raced by prominent syndicators OTI, Quick Thinker had been a strong winner of the Gr.2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) a week out from the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m), but a minor high suspensory strain forced connections…