Month: January 2022

Three horses carrying the NZ suffix saluted at Randwick on Saturday. First to score was Room Number (NZ) (Reliable Man) who had punters looking for the exit door when leading home a New Zealand-bred trifecta at massive odds in the City Tattersalls Group Handicap (1600m). The $71 outsider, trained by Barbara Joseph, Matt and Paul Jones, caused a boilover when overhauling the well-fancied And We Danced (NZ) (Wrote) ($3.20 fav) with fellow kiwi-bred Fleetwood Maca (NZ) (Rock ‘N’ Pop) in third. The shock result thrust jockey Quayde Krogh into the…

On a night he has made somewhat his own in recent years, trainer Jamie Richards scooped a second $1million prize at Ellerslie on Saturday when Pin Me Up (NZ) (Pins) scored an upset victory in the Karaka Million 3YO (1600m). After snaring a sixth consecutive Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) with Dynastic (NZ) (Almanzor) just two races earlier, Richards was confidently expected to do the double with three-year-old On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau), who started a $1.50 favourite in the race. Last season’s winner of the two-year-old feature had a red-hot…

Speedy mare Babylon Berlin (All Too Hard) was at her brilliant front-running best when she led all the way to take out the Gr.3 Brighthill Farm Eminent First Yearlings Concorde Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie. The Ben Foote-trained daughter of All Too Hard went into the race after a third placed finish behind Entriviere (NZ) (Tavistock) and Levante (NZ) (Proisir) in the Gr.1 Sistema Railway at the venue on New Year’s day and was installed a $2.50 favourite for the contest ahead of the Jamie Richards-trained runner Festivity (NZ) (I Am…

The race that launched the career of 2020 Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice) may have unearthed another smart juvenile with Godolphin filly Plymstock scoring an impressive victory on debut at Randwick, crediting her sire Ribchester with his first Southern Hemisphere winner. Trainer James Cummings indicated the youngster would be given every opportunity to race her way into the two-year-old features after taking out Saturday’s Heineken 3 Handicap (1000m) at her first start. Stay Inside made a winning debut in the corresponding event 12 months ago before going on…

Daqiansweet Junior (NZ) (Sweet Orange) has booked a ticket to the Tasmanian Summer Racing Carnival with his fourth straight victory on Saturday. The Phillip Stokes-trained galloper relished the rise in journey when a narrow winner of the Mirasan.com Handicap (2500m) at The Valley. Saturday’s victory followed previous wins at Pakenham, The Valley and Caulfield with the Gr.3 Hobart Cup (2400m) on February 13 in now in Stokes’ sights. Sent out the $2.45 favourite under Jamie Kah, Daqiansweet Junior scored a half-head victory from the former New Zealand-based In A Twinkling…

Talented three-year-old colt Sword Of State (Snitzel) shrugged off an indifferent Australian spring campaign to display his true class when he dominated his rivals in the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie. Wearing the colours of Brendan and Jo Lindsay, who co-own the colt and sponsored the race, the son of Snitzel sat in the trail behind pacemaker Bonny Lass (NZ) (Super Easy) before rider Opie Bosson had him off the rail to challenge on the point of the home turn. Bosson said go at the 300m and…

The more things change, the more they stay the same was the feeling after the running of the Doubletree By Hilton Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. On a night that generates enormous interest throughout New Zealand it was the familiar tangerine and blue racing colours of Te Akau Racing carried by the Jamie Richards-trained Dynastic (NZ) (Almanzor) who scooped the lion’s share of the $1million prize pool for owners the Te Akau 2021 Stallion Syndicate. By Cambridge Stud-based stallion Almanzor, Dynastic had disputed favouritism with the unbeaten…

The connections of highly talented three-year-old Mackenzie Lad (NZ) (Vespa) went from a stakes-winning high to one of the worst feelings in racing within the space of a few seconds on Saturday afternoon. The Vespa gelding edged out the favourite Ruby’s Lad (NZ) (Ghibellines) by a neck to claim his first black-type win in the Listed Liquorland Gore Guineas (1335m) but broke down badly soon after the finish line. “Sadly, he broke his leg past the line and had to be put down,” co-trainer Matthew Pitman said. “At least Diego…

The third time was the charm for Dragon Queen (NZ) (Sweynesse) at Ellerslie’s Karaka Million twilight meeting on Saturday, landing a career-best victory in the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m). Since her purchase for $50,000 by the New Zealand Chinese Jockey Club and Paul Moroney Bloodstock at Karaka in 2019, the daughter of Sweynesse has spent much of her 18-start career in stakes grade. That includes a close fifth in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) in 2020, followed by a sixth in last year’s Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m). Dragon Queen…