Month: December 2021

The Ben & JD Hayes-trained Excelida (Exceed And Excel) has enhanced her chances of a trip to New Zealand after swooping from near the rear of the field to land the Allan Wicks Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield in impressive fashion. Raced by Cambridge Stud proprietors Brendan and Jo Lindsay, connections are considering sending the five-year-old mare to New Zealand for a tilt at the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on February 12. Placed at Listed level and runner-up in the Gr.3 The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes…

Former Kiwi galloper Daqiansweet Junior continued his good run of form for Pakenham trainer Phillip Stokes, recording his third win in succession when getting up late to score in the Take It To The Neds Level Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield on Sunday. The progressive staying four-year-old was originally trained in New Zealand by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, for whom he was a multiple winner and Group Three placed. Purchased privately by OTI Racing on the recommendation of bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo, Daqiansweet Junior is working through the grades nicely…

A shift to the South Island has worked wonders for Hasabro (NZ) (Savabeel), who picked up his first black-type win in the Listed Alleviate Administration Hazlett Stakes (1200m) at Wingatui on Boxing Day. The son of Savabeel spent the first four seasons of his career in the Ardmore stable of Stephen McKee, winning four races and running second in this year’s Gr.2 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie. But McKee’s decision to bring the curtain down on his training career coincided with Hasabro’s move south, winning first-up at Riccarton in September…

Veteran galloper Tiptronic led all the way to take out his second career Group One prize when he captured the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie The Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall-trained eight-year-old had hinted he could return to his best form when finishing on strongly for third in the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at his most recent start. The son of O’Reilly had finished fifth in the race a year earlier after being forced to sit three-wide throughout, however this time rider Ashvin Goindasamy followed Richardson’s…

A brilliant performance by emerging star Bankers Choice completed a dream Boxing Day for Okaharau Station owner-breeders Ross and Corrine Kearney. With sparkling victories by a talented pair of homebred half-siblings, the South Waikato couple’s green and gold colours were put up in lights on one of New Zealand’s premier racedays. Jodelin Gal provided the first leg of the double with an emphatic victory in the opening race on the card, the Barfoot & Thompson 1400. It was the fifth win of a 12-start career for the five-year-old daughter of…

On a day where he dominated the first two black-type events on an action-packed programme, it was no surprise that trainer Jamie Richards would continue to make his mark on the feature races later on the card including providing the quinella in the Listed Hallmark Stud Handicap (1200m). Following wins by Belle En Rouge in the Gr.2 Jamieson Park Eight Carat Classic (1600m) and On The Bubbles in the Listed Shaw’s Wire Ropes Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m), Richards lined up quality mares Festivity and Vamos Bebe in the 1200m dash…

A year on from their five-win bonanza on Boxing Day at Ellerslie last year, Te Akau Racing and trainer Jamie Richards got the 2021 edition of the famous fixture off to an eerily similar start. Two-year-old Palamos kicked off the big haul 12 months ago, followed by star three-year-old filly Amarelinha in the Gr.2 Jamieson Park Eight Carat Classic (1600m) and Brando in the Listed Shaw’s Wire Ropes Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m). Sunday brought a sense of déjà vu with victories in the same three races. Grace ‘N’ Grey (NZ)…