Month: April 2023

Former New Zealand mare Starring Role lived up to her name on her home track with an upset victory in Saturday’s Asset Painting Services Handicap (1600m) at Mornington. Despite her last-start win at Pakenham on March 23, the six-year-old daughter of Showcasing went into Saturday’s A$80,000 Benchmark 70 handicap as a $17 outsider. But Starring Role quickened smartly to score an impressive come-from-behind win, driven through a narrow gap one off the rail by jockey Fred Kersley and edging out fellow New Zealand-bred Thought Provoking in a photo finish. Starring…

The combination of trainer Alby MacGregor, jockey Jacob Lowry and warhorse Times Ticking proved once again that Riccarton is their happy hunting ground when they combined to win the feature race of the day, the Gr.3 Coca Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m). The trio had taken out the main lead-up event to the weight-for-age contest seven days earlier when successful in the Listed Avon City Ford Easter Cup (1600m), although MacGregor wasn’t on course to cheer his champ home, preferring to do that from the comfort of his Opaki lounge…

Last start winner She’s A Con proved her maiden victory at Riverton was no fluke when she stepped up her game to claim the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton in a thrilling finish with northern raider Luella Cristina. The Contributer filly had relished the 1600m journey at Riverton and the extra 400m of Saturday’s black-type contest also played in her favour as she found plenty in the final stages to down a gallant Luella Cristina after the pair went to war for the final 400m. Jockey…

Defending New Zealand Champion Jockey titleholder Michael McNab, who currently sits atop the National premiership ladder with 124 victories for the season, showed all his undoubted class when he dominated the three feature events at Pukekohe on Saturday. After earlier taking out the Listed Staphanos At Novara Park Champagne Stakes (1600m) aboard Loch Katrine followed by the Gr.3 Trelawney Stud Championship Stakes (2100m) on Cheval D’Or, McNab made it three from three in the black type races on the card with a polished performance aboard the Andrew Forsman-trained White Noise…

In a race affected by the late scratching of pre-post favourite Desert Lightning due to the downgrade of the track to a Heavy 10 earlier in the day, it was consistent filly Cheval D’Or who mastered the testing conditions to take out the Gr.3 Trelawney Stud Championship Stakes (2100m) at Pukekohe. The half-sister to multiple Group One winning sprinter Bostonian, who had finished in the first four in all of her previous five starts without notching up a win, came in for some inspired late support to start as the…

Lightly raced filly Loch Katrine lived up to her breeding when she scampered through the heavy conditions at Pukekohe to break her maiden status in the Listed Staphanos at Novara Park Champagne Stakes (1600m). Having been placed at her first two starts the Daniel Miller-trained daughter of Ardrossan went into the race as one of the well fancied candidates and when the rain came overnight, which saw a resulting Heavy10 surface for the day, the deeds of her well-performed dam Cong’er helped sway punters in her direction. The winner of…