Month: February 2022

Multiple Group One winner Probabeel has been retired. The reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year and Champion Sprinter Miler was discovered to have a suspensory ligament injury to her off foreleg on Wednesday morning.  The Jamie Richards-trained five-year-old was a gutsy winner of the Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield last Saturday and was one of the favourites for both the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and A$5 million All-Star Mile (1600m).  Cambridge Stud reported the mare is well but the injury is sufficient for owners Brendan and Jo…

Andrew Bensley talks to Cambridge Stud’s Henry Plumptre about the retirement of four time Group One winner Probabeel.

Trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are leaning towards Ellerslie as the starting point for the career of their juvenile Jaffira (NZ) (Iffraaj). The Iffraaj colt is dual accepted for both New Plymouth on Friday and Ellerslie on Saturday, but the Matamata horsemen are favouring a hit-out closer to home where Jaffira has drawn barrier two in the Thomsons Food service 1100. “He is most likely to go to Ellerslie, we will give him a bit of a look around there,” Scott said. “His trial form is pretty good and…

Trainer Mark Newnham is hoping to add to Expat’s (NZ) (Makfi) Group tally when she heads to Rosehill on Saturday. The daughter of Makfi will contest the Gr.2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) and Newnham is pleased with his mare heading into the race after her trial win over 1000m at Warwick Farm earlier this month. The four-year-old mare will be fresh-up after winning her last start in the Gr.3 Belle of the Turf Stakes (1600m) at Gosford in December. “She has been a fantastic mare – 12 starts, seven wins.…

Wentwood Grange will head to Karaka next month with one of the more diverse drafts at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales. The Cambridge farm will offer 34 yearlings in the Book One session by 27 different sires. Sean Hawkins, who part-owns the highly-respected family farm, established by his parents Des and Jan, with his brothers Dean and Leigh, said not standing a stallion of their own has given Wentwood Grange the freedom to select from a variety of stallions the length and breadth of Australasia. “We are very fortunate…

Concert Hall’s (NZ) (Savabeel) standing will force her to concede significant amounts of weight to her opposition in Saturday’s Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m), but connections believe it is the best means to an end for their quality mare. With a rating of 105, the seven-year-old is head and shoulders above her Ellerslie rivals in the Wallen Concreting-sponsored feature. She will shoulder 59kg and give away 5kg to those closest to her in the handicap and 7kg to the rest of the field. “She has got a bit of weight and…