Year: 2021

There was a flurry of action at Te Rapa on Wednesday when lot 44 came into the virtual sales ring at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready To Run Sale. Offered through Riversley Park’s draft, the Deep Field colt had breezed in a time of 10.80 seconds, gaining the interest of a number of prospective buyers. When the dust settled it was Hong Kong trainer Jimmy Ting who came out on top, with his bid of $470,000 securing the sought-after colt. The colt is out of Pins mare Bang On, whose dam…

Kiwi import Witsabouthim (NZ) (Savabeel) is set to make his debut for the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable on Saturday. The four-year-old Savabeel gelding recorded two wins from three starts in New Zealand from the stable of Tony Pike and will make his first appearance across the Tasman in a benchmark 78 event over a mile at Ballarat. “He is going to be a horse that will get out over further but it will be a nice kicking off point for him,” Busuttin said. “ They were average maiden…

Mapperley Stud stallion Puccini sired his first winner at Rotorua on Tuesday when Giacomo (NZ) won the Lance Lawson (1560m) for trainer Peter McKay. It was fitting that Puccini’s first winner was trained by McKay, with the Matamata horseman overseeing his racing career, where he won eight races including the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) and Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m). It was Giacomo’s third raceday start on Tuesday and he relished the step up in distance and the firmer track on offer at Rotorua. “It was a good tough win,…

Twelve months on from her breakthrough win in the Listed Counties Bowl (1100m) at Pukekohe, Levante has returned at least as well for her title defence at Te Rapa on Saturday, according to Matamata trainer Ken Kelso. Proisir mare Levante had won four of her five starts and finished a desperately unlucky second in her other start in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) leading into her first open class assignment in last year’s Counties Bowl. Despite settling last from a customary slow beginning and giving a smart field, that included…

Multiple Group One-winning Australian trainer Tony McEvoy made an early impact on the opening day of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale at Te Rapa on Wednesday when he secured a handsome son of Almanzor. McEvoy combined with bloodstock agent Bevan Smith, who was on site, to purchase Lot 12 from the draft of Janine Dunlop’s Phoenix Park for $330,000. He had breezed up in 10.68s. The son of the Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion is out of the winning Guillotine mare Tricoteuse, whose dam is a half-sister to the…