Month: October 2023

Impendabelle claims drama-filled Soliloquy Stakes

AAP

Impendabelle reigned supreme in a dramatic running of the Group 2 Soliloquy Stakes (1200m) at Pukekohe on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Classy filly Impendabelle is now a Group Two winner at the ages of both two and three, surviving a protest to take out a chaotic running of the Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe on Saturday. The $175,000 fillies’ feature brought together the majority of the leading contenders for next month’s Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton and was expected to clear up the classic…

Burn To Shine wins Group 3 War Decree Stakes

AAP

Burn To Shine prevails in the feature Group 3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton on Saturday. Photo: Race Images South Cambridge visitor Burn To Shine threw his name into the mix of serious contenders for the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) next month with a determined effort to take out the Group 3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton. The Stephen Marsh-trained three-year-old had finished third behind Saturday’s race-rival Lantern Way in the Group 2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at his last start and turned the tables…

Katie Cox thanks everyone for their support

NZHarnessNews

The Katie Cox fund is now at $130,000 after a massive response from within and outside the harness racing community. The talented and respected trainer-driver, who is 33, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. A charitable trust was set up to help her with her medical and other expenses, and the response has been incredible. In the following Facebook post she thanks everyone who has supported her. To Everyone, Just wanted to say a massive thank you to each and every person (clubs, trainers, owners, drivers…

Swayzee impresses again in lead up to IRT NZ Cup

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton Look out Akuta. That’s what many were saying at Menangle after Australia’s leading New Zealand Cup contender Swayzee blitzed his rivals again over the weekend. Swayzee stretched his unbeaten record for Jason Grimson to eight races when he worked to the front and roared away from his rivals to beat stablemate Nerano by 10.1m. Driver Cam Hart looked to have plenty left in the tank and he blazed a 1min52.6sec last mile of the 2400m, including closing splits of 54.4 and 27.3sec. “That’s how he felt in the…

High Step makes it four wins from five starts

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton Kiwi filly High Step kept up a family tradition in the $50,000 Group 2 Redwood Classic at Maryborough. Her dam, High Gait, won Australia’s most prestigious juvenile trotting classic in 2015. While Mark Purdon trained and drove High Gait to victory, Greg Sugars took the reins for Purdon and his son, Nathan, yesterday. The was effectively over after 100m when High Step began very quickly from the standing start and ran to the lead, while main dangers Kyvalley Michael and Maoris Mac both made early mistakes and…

Sharrock seeks Cup redemption

NZRacingDesk

Five years is a long time to hang onto Melbourne Cup regret, but New Zealand trainer Allan Sharrock thinks he might get the chance this spring to bury the past. Earlier this week Sharrock was busily crunching the Melbourne Cup numbers with his last-start Gr.1 Livamol Classic winner Ladies Man (NZ) (Zed) precariously poised at 34th in order just two weeks out from the race. The math suggested the horse can score a Cup run, with the six-year-old landing in Melbourne on Wednesday and if Ladies Man is as good…

Asif gets second win at Kranji

NZRacingDesk

Per Incanto gelding Asif (NZ) (Per Incanto) got his second win in four starts in Singapore when overcoming the favourite Akhtar with ease in a Class 3 race (1200) on Saturday. It probably did not look that easy when the Steven Burridge-trained gelding was ridden hard over the final furlong by jockey Manoel Nunes at his last-ditch attempt to run down Akhtar, who was backing up after an easy win in a Class 4 sprint race last Saturday. Akhtar, who led all the way, hung on for dear life on…

So Naive heads stable quinella

NZRacingDesk

Byerley Park trainers Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley produced their promising contingent of juveniles to an impressive quinella in the Ellerslie Events 2YO 1100 at Pukekohe on Saturday. In a compact field of six, the Wallace/Cooksley stable presented half of the two-year-old field and managed to fill the first two placings with So Naïve (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) and Toruk Makto (NZ) (Eminent) respectively. A son of U S Navy Flag, So Naïve jumped from the inside draw and was hustled to hold the pacemaking position under apprentice Ace…

Eulogy Show aiming for New Zealand Cup

NZRacingDesk

Underrated staying mare Eulogy Show (NZ) (Highly Recommended) has enhanced her prospects of getting a start in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) next month with an unflinching effort to take out the NZB Airfreight Road To Jericho (3000m) at Riccarton. The six-year-old mare had finished fourth in the same race twelve months earlier and showed she loves the longer distance events as she sat outside the early pace before taking control at the 600m. Expertly rated by Sam Wynne, the Centaine Spittles-trained daughter of Highly Recommended never…

It’s Business Time gets fifth win in a row

NZRacingDesk

Exciting mare It’s Business Time (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) extended her winning sequence to five with another star turn in Saturday’s Coupland’s Bakeries Mile Trial (1400m) at Riccarton. A late developer whose early career was held up by injury, It’s Business Time began her rise through the grades with back-to-back wins in February and March to close out her four-year-old season. She resumed with another two sprint victories in Rating 75 grade at Riccarton in September, and on Saturday she stretched out over 1400m, stepped up into open company and…