Month: January 2024

Undefeated three-year-old Crocetti was billed as one of the headline acts of Saturday’s Karaka Millions mega meeting at Ellerslie, and he got the evening off to a perfect start in the opening race on the card. The Zacinto gelding was a $1.40 favourite for the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m), bringing in a perfect six-from-six record including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Sarten Memorial (1400m) and Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). Attempting to join an Almanzor Trophy honour roll that features the likes of Group One…

Imported New Zealand mare Miss Take took her promising career to a new level in Saturday’s A$80,000 Happy 50th Jeff Waters Handicap (1200m) at The Valley. The daughter of Inglewood Stud stallion War Decree has now had six starts for three wins and a placing, earning more than A$80,000 for an ownership group headed by Manoj Wanzare. A debut winner in New Zealand in August of 2022 and successful in Benchmark 64 company at Sale just under a year later, the four-year-old mastered the step up to metropolitan class on…

A few short weeks after throwing everything away in a similar race, talented Kiwi-bred gelding Piaggio returned to The Valley on Saturday and turned things around in emphatic style. The six-year-old son of Vespa went into the A$130,000 Simpson Construction Handicap (1600m) after being unplaced in all of his three previous starts at the unique circuit, including bucking soon after leaving the gates on December 30 and failing to finish. Saturday was a completely different story. Piaggio settled into a smooth rhythm near the tail of the field for jockey…

Mitchell Freedman had already crossed the Tasman in search of new recruits for his Ballarat stable, and a win with Ceerseven at The Valley on the eve of the Karaka 2024 yearling sale added to his affinity with New Zealand-breds. Ceerseven recorded the third win of an eight-start career in Saturday’s $80,000 Ascend Sales Trophies Challenger Handicap (1600m), lifting his earnings to A$97,100 for a big syndicate of owners. Saturday’s victory was Ceerseven’s first appearance in metropolitan Melbourne since the Gr.2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at the same venue last…

On the eve of the blockbuster Karaka Millions twilight race meeting and the Karaka 2024 National Yearling Sales, an exciting three-year-old sourced from the New Zealand Bloodstock sale ring made a bold black-type statement on the other side of the Tasman. Friday night’s $125,000 Listed Kevin Sharkie Launceston Guineas (2100m) was the scene of a breathtaking last-to-first performance by Bold Soul (NZ) (Embellish), who was bought for just $20,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2022. He has now had five starts for three wins and two placings, earning A$188,925 in stakes. Bold…