Month: September 2021

Track conditions are expected to be ideal at Hastings on Saturday, where the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) is the highlight of the second day of the Hawke’s Bay carnival. While the opening day was run on a Slow8 track, a favourable forecast for Saturday should provide runners with every opportunity and the rail will be pushed out four metres. “It will be like a fresh new surface, especially down the back and around the bend,” Track Manager Richard Fenwick said. “The track is just into the Dead4 range, which…

Five-year-old Alamosa gelding Second Slip has come through his runner-up finish in the Listed Balaklava Cup (1600m) and trainer Will Clarken will now have a throw at the stumps in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) on Saturday week. The Kiwi import has proved a revelation since joining the in-form South Australian stable, winning five of his eight starts from his new quarters, including the Listed Leon Macdonald Stakes (1400m) two starts ago. “He has come through the Balaklava Cup run fantastically,” Clarken said. “He had a good, strong jumpout on…

Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup has Kiwi-bred mare Icebath right where he wants her ahead of Saturday’s Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick. A winner of three races, the daughter of Sacred Falls has run well in all three starts this campaign  and connections will be hoping she goes one better than the last time when seen over the Randwick mile, finishing a narrow runner-up in the Gr.1 Doncaster Handicap. “I hope she can run well,” Widdup said. “She is in terrific order. Obviously a bit of rain will help her…

Last start winner Khufu will continue his progression towards the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 49th New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) when he contests Saturday’s Gr.2 Dundeel at Arrowfield Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Hastings. The Tony Pike-trained three-year-old broke through for his maiden win at Hawera earlier this month and while Pike hadn’t planned on stepping him back up to stakes company so soon, track conditions dictated the next step in his preparation. “We wanted to take an easier option with him through Matamata last week,” Pike said. “It…

Matthew Cameron is hoping to continue his successful association with Meritable (Snitzel) on Saturday when he partners the three-year-old colt in the Gr.2 Dundeel at Arrowfield Stud Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m). Cameron rode the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained son of Snitzel to a last-start victory at the Cambridge last week and was impressed with the effort. “He is a super little horse,” Cameron told The Form. “It was a tough win last start on the synthetic. It was a nice little field and I think it will be a…

Annabel Neasham has elected to head to the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday with Mo’unga in preference to the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington. While the Warwick Farm trainer believes the son of Savabeel would favour the Turnbull trip, an eye towards his future targets sealed her decision. “We are going to stay in Sydney,” Neasham told RSN. “I would love to win a Turnbull, and he is probably better suited by the Turnbull, but his grand final could be a Golden Eagle (A$7.5 million, 1500m)…

Three-year-old filly Rue Cler (NZ) (Proisir) broke through for her maiden win at the second time of asking when victorious in the Boys Get Paid/Chris Hayes Livestock (1400m) at Waverley on Thursday. “Watching it live, it was pretty impressive,” trainer Bryce Newman said. “Lisa (Allpress, jockey) said she didn’t really love that slow track but she had to do something, and she had to go around, so all in all I am pretty happy with her.” The daughter of Proisir was third on debut over 1200m at Hawera earlier this…