Talented three-year-old Mr Bully Tee (NZ) (Complacent) broke through for a richly deserved maiden victory on his home track when winning the Corteva Agriscience 3YO (1400m) at Hawke’s Bay on Tuesday. Prepared by Sue Thompson and Mick Brown, the son of Complacent came from back in the field to cruise to a soft victory under a confident ride by Michael McNab. “He was bred by Butch Thomas who is a New Zealander that lives in America,” Brown said. “He has got a place called Willow Tree Farm just up the…
Month: May 2023
Orchestral hits the right notes at Hastings
Smart filly Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel) ran out a dominant winner of the Agritrade Valagro 2YO Maiden (1200m) at Hawke’s Bay on Tuesday for trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood. Orchestral impressed at the first time of asking at Pukekohe last month where she charged home to finish a close second behind the highly regarded Just A Floozie, after being slow to muster. Sent out a $1.60 favourite on Tuesday, the daughter of Savabeel came from midfield under Warren Kennedy and bounded to a soft win, defeating stablemate Monsoon Knight (NZ)…
Solid ‘Rock’
Coursing ‘new kid on the block’ Rock Me Rocco reigned supreme over 2022 Waterloo Cup ‘king’ He’s No Slouch in the $1265 to-the-winner Western Saws Cup at Lang Lang on Sunday. Trained by Donna Dean at nearby Nyora – around 10 minutes from ‘McDonalds Track’ – Rock Me Rocco signalled he could be a major player in the 150th Waterloo Cup in August. Rock Me Rocco (Oct ’20 Barcia Bale x Dora’s Hand) was contesting only his third coursing event, having won the Elgas Maiden Dog – also at Lang…
Producing winners a ‘hoot’
Successful Newport breeder Jarrod Sharp doesn’t try to hide his pride, admiration – and most of all – affection for his grand producer Cosmic Owl, which recently celebrated an incredible milestone. When youngster Façade was victorious at Geelong on Anzac Day, she was her mother’s 100th winner. Then at last Friday night’s Sandown Cup meeting, Departed, another member of Cosmic Owl’s fourth and final litter to former WA superstar Tommy Shelby, completed an emphatic clean sweep of the rich Vic Bred Maiden series with a dominant 29.52sec victory. Departed is…
The Follow Files: NZ raider ready for JJ Atkins next start
Last Saturday we had Group 1 racing at Eagle Farm, while there were also meetings held at Randwick, Sandown, Murray Bridge and Belmont. In this week’s edition of The Follow Files, we have highlighted three runners from the weekend that we will be keeping an eye on at their next start. Eagle Farm – Queensland Derby Day Track rating: Good 4Rail position: True entire circuit Race 6: Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) | Time: 1:23.88 Horse to follow: Solidify (9th) Graeme & Deborah Rogerson brought their progressive two-year-old…
McNab keen to capitalise on his Oaks opportunity
Michael McNab returns aboard Cheval D’Or after winning the Group 3 Championship Stakes (2100m) at Pukekohe. Photo: Race Images (Kenton Wright) New Zealand’s premier jockey Michael McNab can’t wait to grasp his opportunity in Group One company in Brisbane on Saturday. McNab will ride Cheval D’Or for Cambridge trainer Tony Pike in Saturday’s Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm, his first shot at an elite-level race in Australia – and he’s aiming to make the most of it. Already with nine Group One wins under his belt in…
MacGregor family horse on a winning roll
Times Ticking is clear in the Group 3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m). Photo: Race Images South Alby MacGregor’s southern forays with Times Ticking have enabled the Central Districts horseman to mix business with pleasure to grand effect. The Tauherenikau-based trainer and part-owner has found Riccarton a happy hunting ground with his multiple stakes winner and at the same time he has enjoyed quality family time. “I’ve got my son Dean down there, he works in the corporate world and he’s got a small farm at Rangiora,” MacGregor said. “I like…
Perseverance pays divvies for winning trotter
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Many times it seemed that Downtown Orlando was not going to cut it as a race horse. And many times trainer Amber Lethaby felt tempted to “pull the pin”. But now she, and the rest of the horse’s connections, have been rewarded – the four-year-old trotter is a race winner, after prevailing at Timaru over the weekend. “It was good result, good for dad and good for the owners,” says Lethaby. Lethaby’s father Ray Jenkins has driven the horse in all 13 career…
30 years on and the Mossdale horses just keep winning
By Rob Courtney The Mossdale horses are synonymous with Archie Affleck and his origins within the Southland farming community, and Mossdale Ben’s win at Addington last Thursday, with Ben Hope in the bike, continued a family tradition which began over 30 years ago. “Charlie Smaill and myself both farmed in the same area (near the present day home of Macca Lodge in Southland) and our kids were the same age so we saw a fair bit of each other,” says Affleck. Together we got Keyali off Neil Timms in the…
Quality Mare Rose ‘N’ Power For Sale on Gavelhouse Plus
Stakes-winning sprinting mare Rose ‘N’ Power (NZ) (Power) will be offered for sale on Gavelhouse Plus this week with bidding closing from 7pm (NZT) on Monday 5th June. Rose ‘N’ Power is the winner of six races, including four in succession between May and November of 2021. That winning sequence culminated in the Listed Levin Stakes (1200m), in which she claimed a valuable black-type victory and set a new track record of 1:08.63 for 1200 metres at Otaki. The second placegetter in the Levin Stakes was Romantic Lady (NZ) (Power), who herself was…