Month: June 2022

Nick Moraitis, who owned one of Australia’s greatest-ever horses, New Zealand-bred star Might And Power, has died overnight at the age of 87. Famous in racing for his emotional post-race interviews and speeches about God and the joy his horse gave him, Moraitis died after a lengthy battle with liver cancer. Moraitis gained fame early in another arena as the owner of one of Australia’s biggest fruit and vegetable businesses, but he shared his desire for business with a great passion for horse racing. Might And Power, a son of…

Cambridge horseman Les Collins has ridden work for many leading trainers over a number of years, and generally knows when he’s on a good one. So he’s hoping his judgment proves right about his three-year-old filly Annie, who contests a 1300m maiden on the Cambridge synthetic track on Wednesday. “There was nothing not to like when you looked at her, and I would have felt like I’d wanted to ride her, which is a good sign for me,” Collins said. “So far she hasn’t made a liar out of me.…

This weekend is brewing to be an exciting one for jumps fans, with top-class hurdlers The Cossack (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) and Dr Hank (NZ) (Redwood) going head-to-head in the Te Whangai Romney’s Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3100m) at Hastings on Saturday. Leading jumps jockey Shaun Phelan regularly partners both horses, but has opted for The Cossack on Saturday, citing his superior record, particularly on his local track at Hastings. While he is confident heading into the race with The Cossack, he holds great admiration for Dr Hank, who he rode to victory…

The Labour Government’s support of the racing industry was firmly signalled after its landslide election victory in 2020 and its commitment is ongoing, new Minister for Racing Kieran McAnulty has emphasised. McAnulty achieved a personal goal when he recently took over the role and dismissed any concern that racing had a lesser seat at the table after succeeding Deputy Prime Minster Grant Robertson. “I think the signal from the Government was pretty clear after the last election when it kept racing as a separate portfolio,” the MP for Wairarapa said.…