By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Trainers Greg and Nina Hope nearly went home with the perfect result at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night. Muscle Mountain started the night off well for the Woodend Beach stable when taking out the Group 2 Group 1 Turf Bar Trotters Flying Mile (1609m) before A G’s White Socks went down by just a nose to Hot And Treacherous in the Gr.2 McMillan Equine Feeds Pacers Flying Mile (1609m). “We were only a nose away (from getting the perfect result), it was great,” Greg…
Month: May 2022
Tactics critical to Sand Wave’s chances ay Addington
By Michael Guerin There is nothing Southlanders like more than coming to the big smoke and beating the biggest stables but trainer Nathan Williamson says he might need some inadvertent help from his rivals to pull that off tonight. Williamson treks north to Addington with his key assignment the $50,000 Garrards Sires’ Stakes Magnifique, a new race for those three-year-olds who haven’t yet tasted success at the highest level. Sand Wave has done the next best thing, winning the Southern Supremacy Stakes at Group 2 level last start and the…
Delbridge chases successive Sandown Cups
Balliang trainer Mark Delbridge is striving for back-to-back victories in the Group 1 RSN Sandown Cup (715m) on May 19. Delbridge won Sandown GRC’s flagship staying event last year with Zipping Rambo and now Jarick Bale chases a $175,000 first prize next week. The brilliant and versatile Jarick Bale is chasing his third G1, having won last year’s Sale Cup (650m) and this year’s Rookie Rebel (600m) – both over the middle distance. He was the fastest qualifier tonight from five heats, registering a sensational 41.29sec – around 2L off…
Cambridge Stud Gavelhouse Plus Sale Live
Cambridge Stud have a select draft of 10 mares plus a share in Ocean Park now live on Gavelhouse Plus with bidding running through until 7pm (NZT) on Friday 20 May. “At Cambridge Stud we have a business plan to breed off 150 mares. With a large racing team, we have mares retiring to stud every year, so we have to make room for them. This creates great opportunity for breeders to tap into commercial bloodlines,” Cambridge Stud Sales and Nominations representative Cameron Ring said. “The majority of the mares…
Wow… What a night!
“Wow factor’ and ‘X-factor’ are fitting depictions for Friday night’s Premier Racing at Sandown Park – comprising heats of a Group 1 double-header. And the superlatives refer to three young stars of the sport – one almost a racing millionaire. Wow She’s Fast has only raced 14 times for nine wins, including the inaugural $750,000 to-the-winner TAB Phoenix and $150,000 to-the-winner G3 Launching Pad. She has won seven from nine over 515m, with a 28.93sec PB, at Sandown Park. It’s the fourth fastest time there on record. How’s that for…
Butter Chicken resumes at Flemington
Group Two performer Butter Chicken is set to make her return to Flemington on Saturday in a 1400m contest. The daughter of Savabeel last raced in the spring after a couple of disappointing results and trainer Grahame Begg said she has appreciated the break from racing. “She is first-up after having a long layoff,” Begg told Bensley. “We just had a few little issues in the spring and we had to give her a big break. “Everything has settled down, she just had a bit of bone soreness, but she…
Brownes secure first metropolitan win
Former New Zealand trainers David and Emma-Lee Browne recorded their first metropolitan win since their move to Cranbourne earlier this year when Bifrost was victorious over 1000m at Sandown on Wednesday. The husband-and-wife duo were pleased with the win and are enjoying their move across the Tasman from their previous Cambridge base. “It is definitely a big moment after making the big move, and especially to get this horse back,” Emma-Lee Browne said. “He performed well here in the spring, but things then went a little bit amiss, so we…
Pike’s Queensland Raid begins in earnest at Eagle Farm
Tony Pike will have an imposing line-up at Eagle Farm this weekend with several of his Kiwi raiders stepping out for the first time in the Sunshine State. The Cambridge trainer will have a two-pronged attack in the Gr.2 Spirit Of Boom Classic (1200m) with promising juveniles Dimaggio Joe and Slipper Island. Dimaggio Joe won on debut at Hastings last month and will be out to maintain his perfect track record on Saturday, while Slipper Island finished runner-up on debut before winning at Trentham in March. “Dimaggio Joe is still…
Venue change a positive for classy Kiwi mare
The decision by Racing Queensland to transfer Saturday’s Doomben 10,000 meeting to Eagle Farm is viewed as a positive by Matamata trainer Mark Walker who will saddle leading contender Entriviere in the weight-for-age 1200m feature. Following recent inclement weather and a forecast for further heavy rainfall, the Brisbane Racing Club meeting has been transferred to the better draining larger circuit at Eagle Farm, whereas there was the potential for Doomben to be called off. Walker, who hasn’t missed a beat since again assuming control of Te Akau’s Matamata operation following…
Wheeler plotting another Australian jumps raid
John Wheeler has enjoyed phenomenal success in Australia’s prestige jumping events and the New Plymouth trainer is keen on another winter trip across the Tasman. He has multiple victories in the Great Eastern Steeplechase (4950m) and the Grand Annual Steeplechase (5500m) while major jumping victories in Melbourne include the Australian Grand National Steeplechase (4500m) and the Hiskens Steeplechase (3700m). Wheeler is now eyeing another tilt at the Grand National with rising star Chief Sequoyah, who produced an impressive display to win on debut over the big fences in the Ken…