Month: July 2022

The curtain will close on Paul O’Sullivan’s 18-year odyssey in Hong Kong at the conclusion of Saturday’s season finale fixture at Sha Tin but the affable New Zealander won’t be lost to racing as he prepares for a return to where it all began. “Lance (O’Sullivan) is just that busy and there are things that have to be done now, so it’s about time I took up a bit of responsibility with it. But regarding training horses in Hong Kong – I’ve been absolutely blessed,” O’Sullivan said. O’Sullivan, 62, departs…

New Zealand-bred gelding Aramis (NZ) (Contributer) made it back-to-back wins at Grafton on Wednesday when taking out the Grafton Guineas Quality (1600m). The son of Contributer got up to win the three-year-old feature by a head in the hands of jockey Tom Sherry for trainer Mark Newnham. The victory extended Aramis’ record to three wins and three placings from seven starts. Aramis was purchased out of Mapperley Stud’s 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale draft by his trainer for $150,000.

Plumpton trainer Patrick Payne is heading to Flemington in a buoyant mood with his team on Saturday, and he is particularly pleased with New Zealand-bred gelding Squid Game (NZ) (Shooting To Win) ahead of his 1000m test. The son of Shooting To Win has placed in his two starts this preparation and Payne is confident his charge can pick up a winning cheque this weekend. “He is in fantastic order. He just loves the 1000m up the straight. The straight takes away a bit of trouble he might get into,”…

Te Akau apprentice jockey Joe Kamaruddin recorded his 100th career win on Wednesday when victorious aboard the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Remington Lad (NZ) (Rich Enuff) in the Mike Alton Mobile Engineering 1300 at Cambridge. Kamaruddin was duly pleased with bringing up the milestone. “I had to wait five weeks since Boomer won for me at Matamata, and I’m so happy,” he said. “I’m proud of myself and feeling more confident about what is to come. “I never thought I would get to 100 wins this season, but I’ve…

Paul Harris has described himself as “a kid in a candy store” as he prepares 11 runners for Friday’s polytrack meeting at Riccarton, among them Green Luck (Street Cry) in his final lead-up to next month’s Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m). The North Canterbury trainer was forced to scratch former Australia and Hong Kong galloper Green Luck from last week’s Ashburton meeting with a stone bruise, dictating his path in a different direction towards the Winter Cup at Riccarton on August 6. “He was a little scratchy in…

Chrissy Bambry has put all her eggs in one basket at Trentham on Saturday, although it’s not by design with few other opportunities to split her runners. The Foxton trainer has been forced to pit her Group One-performed pair of Spring Tide (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Deerfield (NZ) (Falkirk) against multiple stakes winner Bellacontte (NZ) (Burgundy) in the Printlink Handicap (1200m). “It’s through necessity with what else there is around and with the abandonments we have you just have to run where you can,” Bambry said. “All three of them…