Month: June 2021

New Zealand-bred gelding Ibaraki (NZ) (Darci Brahma) made the perfect start to his racing career on Wednesday running away for an impressive victory in the Vinery Stud Plate (1100m) at Canterbury. The son of Darci Brahma had easily won a trial only five days earlier and justified the short odds ($1.50) to come out an impressive 1.69 length winner. Co-trainer Michael Hawkes said the three-year-old has a bright future ahead of him. “He only had the one trial going back a while (ago) but he trialled really good that day…

Star jumper Ablaze (NZ) (Raise The Flag) kicks off his campaign at Sandown with the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace stable eyeing off the Grand National Steeplechase.  Ablaze endured an 18-month campaign after arriving from New Zealand in 2019, going on to win eight of his 12 starts including the Jericho Cup, Grand Annual Steeplechase and Grand National Hurdle.  The rising 10-year-old returns in the Tile Importer Handicap (2400m) on Saturday having not started since finishing second in the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat last August.  That was Ablaze’s only defeat in six jumps races since joining the Maher and Eustace stable.  Declan Maher, who runs…

Perennial bridesmaid Rondinella looks to have her best chance of nabbing a staying feature when she contests the Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The John O’Shea-trained mare was prominent over the Sydney Carnival, finishing runner-up in both the Gr.2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) and Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m). She subsequently finished fourth in the Gr.3 Premier’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm late last month and O’Shea said she didn’t appreciate the firm track. “She felt the ground there the other day, no doubt, so we have just…

New Zealand-born equine reproduction expert Professor William ‘Twink’ Allen has passed away aged 80 after a short illness. Allen had been a well-known figure in England’s thoroughbred hub, Newmarket, for many years and is the father of Catherine Dettori, wife of jockey Frankie. A graduate of veterinary medicine from the University of Sydney, he was a director of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Equine Fertility Unit, a professor at the University of Cambridge and held numerous other research positions. He was awarded a CBE in 2002. He was particularly known for his…

Nick Bishara didn’t want to race his in-form mare Cherry Lane (NZ) (Redwood) this weekend, but she’s doing so well that he feels he has to. The South Auckland horseman had hoped Cherry Lane’s last-start victory at Ellerslie on May 29 would be enough of a lead-in to her next winter target, the Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m) later this month, but she has convinced him to start her in the Greene Racing Mile at Te Rapa on Saturday. “She’s just done that well, so she’ll have a run around there…

Trainer Tony Pike is taking advantage of the new Polytrack surface at his home-base in Cambridge as it enables him to prepare younger members of his team deeper into the winter months. Pike sent out impressive trial winner Mr Blue Sky on Tuesday on the synthetic surface, and will likely race the Zoustar youngster later this season, whereas in years gone by a similar style of horse might have gone to the paddock. Placed in two of his three starts in mid-summer, Pike can see an opportunity to clear maiden…

Brian and Lorraine Anderton’s White Robe Lodge will welcome the addition of Ancient Spirit to their stallion roster this coming breeding season. A multiple Group Two winning son of Invincible Spirit, Ancient Spirit was the champion three-year-old miler in both Italy and Germany in 2018. The handsome bay will arrive at the North Taieri property in the coming weeks. By champion sire Invincible Spirit, from the two-time winning Galileo mare Assisi, Ancient Spirit was bred by famed German breeders Gestut Schlenderhan. Initially prepared by Jean-Pierre Carvalho, for whom he won…

Robbie Patterson is loving it so much in Queensland he might not come home. The Taranaki horseman has enjoyed trading the cold winter under Mount Taranaki for the warmer climes of Brisbane over the last few weeks, but on Saturday things will start to heat up for his Australian raiders Coventina Bay and Puntura. Both runners will contest their first raceday assignments of their Queensland campaign at Eagle Farm on Saturday and Patterson is particularly excited about the prospects of Coventina Bay in the Gr.2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1300m). The…