Year: 2021

Kawada, Hagiwara respect Golden Sixty, but upbeat about Danon Kingly

AAP

Danon Kingly works at Sha Tin. Accustomed to major race success, Yuga Kawada and Kiyoshi Hagiwara will lay siege to Golden Sixty’s Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) crown with Danon Kingly at Sha Tin on Sunday (12 December), carrying immense respect for the defending champion. Hagiwara, who successfully campaigned Normcore in the 2020 Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), has great confidence in Group 1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) winner Danon Kingly, but he also holds tremendous admiration for Golden Sixty. “I’ve had the pleasure of watching Golden…

Purton wins record-equalling third International Jockeys’ Championship

AAP

Zac Purton celebrates IJC triumph at Happy Valley. Zac Purton has joined Douglas Whyte and Frankie Dettori as a triple winner of the International Jockeys’ Championship, claiming the title without a victory in the four-race series at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (8 December) to add further lustre to a phenomenal resume. Four days after overtaking Whyte as the winner of the most prizemoney as a jockey in Hong Kong racing history, Purton amassed 22 points with three seconds and a third under the 12 points for a win, six…

Record-setting Noriyuki Hori makes long-awaited HKIR return

AAP

Maurice and Noriyuki Hori after winning the 2016 Hong Kong Cup (2000m). Noriyuki Hori is no stranger to success at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) and this Sunday (12 December) at Sha Tin the master handler from Japan will be two-pronged at the end-of-year HKD$100 million showcase. From nine runners since 2008 – including his trailblazing Jaguar Mail – Hori has enjoyed absurd success at the LONGINES HKIR with three wins in all at a strike-rate of 33%. In 2016, Hori made history by becoming the only international…

Williams heads to Winton

NZHarnessNews

By Jonny Turner Tim Williams will combine with familiar faces and plenty of catch drives at Thursday’s Winton meeting. Alongside a few of his counterparts in Canterbury, the reinsman is in the midst of a busy week with meetings at Oamaru, Addington and Motukarara also to compete at. Williams links with two horses from the Stonewall Stud South Island base, which he is an integral part of, at the Winton meeting including impressive last start winner Rock N Dash in race 10. The filly looks a decent chance in her…

Selections – Winton – Thursday

NZHarnessNews

Racing journalist Jonny Turner’s selections for Winton on Thursday, December 9.  Head to www.tab.co.nz to place your bet! Race Jonny Turner Racing Journalist Race 112.12pm 2 Hot To Trot 3 Sheza Gift   4 Cheeky Monkey  1 Crown Range Race 212.47pm 2 Sista Sammy  1 Lookout   3 Meghan Markle   5 Eliz Angel       Race 31.22pm 1 Speights On Tap 2 Chezz Dale7 Henry Maguire     8 Lou’s Deal       Race 41.55pm 5 Bensons Mate    6 Artatac     2 Show Me Heaven   4 Keep On Dreaming     Race 52.31pm 13 Sioux Princess   3 Dem Bones Dem Bones …

No room for doubt as Dwyer reaches for more Vase glory

AAP

Martin Dwyer wins the 2004 Hong Kong Vase aboard Phoenix Reach. Sunday, December 12th, 2004: A nervous young jockey from Liverpool gazes round a star-studded Sha Tin paddock ahead of his ride on Andrew Balding’s Phoenix Reach in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) and wonders whether he truly belongs. Frankie Dettori doesn’t have a care in the world; Olivier Peslier, Christophe Soumillon and Gerald Mosse have seen it all before; and Douglas Whyte, Michael Kinane and Kieren Fallon wear the sort of steely gazes that suggest you wouldn’t…

Flemington back-up for Ranting

NZRacingDesk

Trainers Leon and Troy Corstens are hoping Ranting (NZ) (Zoustar) can break his winless drought when he lines-up in the Des Gleeson Handicap (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday following his placing at Pakenham last weekend. The Kiwi-bred four-year-old hasn’t appeared in the winner’s stall since the Gr.3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield last year, although he has placed on three occasions, including his last two starts. Corstens’ assistant trainer Dom Sutton is hoping some tinkering might give connections the result they are hoping for this weekend. “Speaking to Troy,…

Golden Sixty primed for Hong Kong Mile defence

NZRacingDesk

Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro) impressed trainer Francis Lui with a strong hit out on the turf on Tuesday morning ahead of his title defense in Sunday’s HK$26 million Gr.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m). If successful, the son of Medaglia d’Oro will extend his winning sequence of 16 by capturing his 19th career win in Hong Kong – a local record that would surpass the 18-win record currently shared with Silent Witness and fellow New Zealand-sourced galloper Beauty Generation.  “He’s good – Vincent (Ho, jockey) was happy with him –…

James and Wellwood to rely on girl power

NZRacingDesk

It will be something of a ‘girls day out’ for star members of the Roger James and Robert Wellwood stable on Saturday. The Cambridge training duo will produce mares in three Te Rapa features on Saturday and tackle the Gr.3 Lawnmaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Awapuni with  a couple of emerging fillies. It will be a case of take two for Two Illicit, who was set to start favourite in last Saturday’s Gr.1 Rydges Wellington Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham before that meeting was abandoned after the first race…

Ride high Yong Chew

NZRacingDesk

The New Zealand thoroughbred industry was saddened this week to hear of the passing of young apprentice jockey Yong Chew in his native Malaysia. The news rocked his friends and colleagues in New Zealand, particularly the Robinson family, with Chew apprenticed to Riccarton trainer Lance Robinson over the last two years. “He went home two weeks ago,” Robinson said. “He spent a week in quarantine in Penang hospital and got home and spent time with his family for a week, so that was good. “He had been battling an aggressive…