Month: June 2022

Trainer Peter Ho was not surprised when Dashing Triumph (NZ) (El Roca) defied market expectations to win the Tung Wan Shan Plate (1000m) for Griffins at Sha Tin on Sunday under Dylan Mo despite the El Roca gelding starting at 27-1 on the basis of a modest trial last month. The debutant New Zealand-bred winner was Ho’s first Griffin race winner for 23 years. “This (winning) was what I was expecting because before the race I spoke with the owner and said ‘This is a nice horse, he does everything…

The Andrew Carston-trained mare Yamuna (NZ) (Iffraaj) impressed when winning the Garrard and Livamol Rating 74 (1600m) at Phar Lap Raceway in Timaru on Sunday. Ridden by stable apprentice Kozzi Asano, the daughter of Iffraaj got off to a good start from barrier five, settling in midfield before gunning down the leaders late to score by a neck. Now the winner of five races and placed on a further 10 occasions, Yamuna is raced under Ray and Ann Cattle’s Anray Holdings Ltd banner. “She’s a handy horse,” Carston said. “She’s…

NZTR CEO Bruce Sharrock has announced the appointment of Darin Balcombe to the role of Chief Operating Officer – Racing & Infrastructure (COO). Balcombe joins NZTR after filling several leadership positions within the industry, most recently being the CEO of Hawke’s Bay Racing Incorporated.  While at HBRI he has also acted as the Chairman of the newly formed Central Districts Club Hub. Prior to this Balcombe spent four years as a Stipendiary Steward with the RIU, the predecessor of the Racing Integrity Board. “Having been immersed in all aspects of…

A bright future is being tipped for promising filly Po Kare Kare (NZ) (Savabeel) after her two-length win at Gosford last Thursday. It was the second victory from four starts for the daughter of Savabeel, who has placed in her other two outings. Trainer Bryce Heys was pleased with the win, but he is trying to keep his feet on the ground with his filly. “We are happy to have her. She has always shown quite a bit of ability but had all sorts of issues from a behavioural standpoint…

Comeback horse Alligator Blood’s (All Too Hard) Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) triumph has Cambridge trainer Tony Pike hoping that one of that horse’s most notable rivals can have a similarly successful return to racing next spring. Alligator Blood’s Stradbroke victory was his first trip to the winners circle since he took out the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) in February 2020, his most notable victory as a three-year-old. Among his Australian Guineas victims was the outstanding New Zealand three-year-old Catalyst (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who two weeks previously had stretched Alligator Blood…

Stable stalwart Tavi Mac (NZ) (Tavistock) is making timely progress toward another campaign with Group features again featuring on his radar. The Allan Sharrock-trained son of Tavistock has multiple stakes victories among his career tally of 12 wins from 23 appearances and his preparation will be stepped up a gear this week. “Tavi Mac will be having a jump-out on Thursday and he’s rated above 100 so we will have to utilise full claiming apprentices early on,” Sharrock said. “Then we’ll be hopefully looking at the Foxbridge Plate (Gr.2, 1200m)…