Month: July 2021

The John O’Shea-trained Southern Lad (Ocean Park) won the time-honoured Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton on Wednesday under a perfectly-timed Christian Reith ride. The six-year-old gelding, who sports the colours of Champion Thoroughbreds, notched the sixth win of his career from 32 starts, when coming from midfield to get the better of the favourite Phobetor (Dream Ahead). “He needs that kind of ride and it was perfect,” O’Shea told news.com.au. “The Mark Newnham horse (Blazing Miss) wasn’t taking him anywhere, so it was really good to get a gun…

The 2008 Cox Plate champion Maldivian (NZ) (Zabeel) has died aged 18. The popular gelding lived out his later years as a paddock nanny at Victoria’s Cityview Farm, where he was charged with looking after weanlings and yearlings. Trained by Mark Kavanagh and ridden by Michael Rodd, Maldivian won the Cox Plate to provide the combination with one of their proudest achievements. In a career spanning 30 starts, Maldivian won three Group One races in his haul of nine wins, amassing more than A$2.8 million in prize money. He was…

South Auckland horseman Brad Carsons was delighted to secure his first training win at Arawa Park on Wednesday, courtesy of Cannsea Clearly (NZ) (Ferlax) in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1400m). “It was good to get it on the board because most of the horses that we have, we trade. This is the first one we have kept on our own,” Carsons said. Carsons bred and owns the daughter of Ferlax with his partner Natalie Jamieson, who rides the four-year-old in work in the morning before she heads to…

Three-year-old filly Angelina Lauro (Reset) was a strong winner of the Piako Tractors 3YO (1400m) at Rotorua for Te Awamutu trainer Clint Isdale on Wednesday. The daughter of the Zabeel stallion Reset was having her third start for Isdale after commencing her career with Stephen Marsh, and the win extends the good fortune enjoyed by Isdale and the Muollo family. Angelina Lauro is raced by prominent owner Tony Muollo, brother of Novara Park Stud principal Luigi Muollo, for whom Isdale has already enjoyed good success. “I am rapt to get…

Midnight Runner (NZ) (Jimmy Choux) is on trial for next month’s Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton but ironically a win at Ashburton on Thursday could rule him out of contention. The six-year-old Jimmy Choux gelding goes into Thursday’s Winter Cup Trial (1400m) at Ashburton as a form runner, having only gone down by a head over 1200m at the same track last start under 62kg. Winton trainer John Phillips has left Midnight Runner in the entries for the Winter Cup, for which first withdrawals were on…

The merger between the Auckland and Counties Racing Clubs is now just one step away. Members of the Counties Racing Club (CRC) voted overwhelmingly in favour of the merger on Tuesday night, with Auckland Racing Club (ARC) members set to cast their vote on Thursday, with a positive result sealing the creation of a new super club. CRC president Mark Chitty was delighted with the result and the faith his members have shown in the proposed new venture. “We were very pleased with the result,” Chitty said. “A lot of…