Month: March 2022

Due to a high number of riders being unavailable to ride this weekend, the Racing Tauranga meeting scheduled for this Saturday will push back 24 hours to Sunday.  This will enable some riders from Trentham to also ride at Tauranga on Sunday.

Entries for New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2022 National Online Yearling Sale are now open, with the Sale set to be held on NZB’s online subsidiary Gavelhouse Plus for the second year in a row.  The catalogue will be available to view online from Friday 8 April, with bidding set to close on Wednesday 20 April.  With the upwards trend in online sales continuing, NZB’s National Online Yearling Sale will take place off the back of an extremely successful 2021 Ready to Run Sale, where online bidding accounted for 51 percent of…

Last Saturday’s Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) winner Roch ‘N’ Horse was back under saddle on Wednesday for the first-time since her 100-1 victory, with Flemington trainer Mike Moroney to confirm a path for the daughter of Per Incanto later this week.  “We’re really happy with her, she has eaten well and seems nice and bright,” Moroney said. “We will discuss with Sam and Catriona (Williams) where we go next over the next couple of days.  “Options are we either go to Sydney for the TJ Smith (Gr.1, 1200m), which gives…

Te Akau principal David Ellis retained his crown as the leading buyer at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for the 17th consecutive year at Karaka last week. “We have grown accustomed to expecting that David is going to be the leading buyer each year, but we certainly don’t take it for granted,” New Zealand Bloodstock Managing Director Andrew Seabrook said. “The contribution he makes year on year is significant and the industry would be a lot poorer without him. I rue the day that he won’t be leading buyer.…

Group One winner Tofane will try and nab the lion’s share of the A$5 million purse of the All-Star Mile (1600m) when she lines-up in the rich feature at Flemington on Saturday. The Ocean Park mare has drawn gate seven and trainer Mike Moroney is hoping she can get a soft trip from the draw. “It would have been nice to have drawn in a little bit closer,” Moroney told SENTrack. “Looking at the makeup of the field, there are a couple inside her that go forward and three outside…

Promising filly Le Villi will carry new colours when she lines-up in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on Saturday. Australian Bloodstock purchased the daughter of Puccini following her fifth placed run in the Gr.3 Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie last start and they could receive an immediate return if she performs well this weekend. Trainer John Wheeler was pleased with her run at Ellerslie last start and he believes the 2400m won’t be an issue for her. “I was very happy with her,”…

For someone who was once asked if he found his trainer’s licence at the bottom of a Weet-Bix box, Riccarton trainer Michael Pitman has sure turned his racing dreams into a Kiwi-kid fairytale. Pitman added the latest in a season of memorable milestones when his stable racked up its 2000th New Zealand winner at Riccarton last week. Earlier this season, Pitman produced his 1878th New Zealand winner to overtake Hall of Fame trainer Dave O’Sullivan and climb to second on the all-time winning trainers’ list behind Hamilton’s Graeme Rogerson. Not…