Month: January 2024

Howie Mathews dared to dream of competing in this year’s $300,000 Gr.3 NZCIS Wellington Cup (3200m) with Weneedashock, and while that plan didn’t come to fruition, the talented gelding has ended up qualifying for a race on the undercard worth $50,000 more in prizemoney. The $350,000 The Oaks Stud Remutaka Classic (1600m), a race eligible for horses that have won one or fewer races as at the start of the season, will have its inaugural running at Trentham on Saturday, and Mathews is delighted to have snuck into the field.…

While all eyes were on Molly Bloom on Boxing Day at Pukekohe, stablemate Grail Seeker put on a performance worthy of near-favouritism in Saturday’s Gr.3 New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham. Grail Seeker has established a solid record in her brief career to date, with five top-four finishes in as many starts, including a runner-up finish in the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial (1500m) before a game third behind her Group One-winning stablemate in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) on Boxing Day. The daughter of…

The team at Waikato Stud is gearing up for an exciting few weeks, both on the racetrack and in the sale ring. The familiar white, blue and green colours of the Waikato Stud racing team are set to feature prominently in two brand-new $350,000 races, starting at Trentham on Saturday, while a typically deep draft of 82 yearlings will represent the internationally renowned nursery during Book 1 of Karaka 2024 from January 28 to 30. The exciting summer period kicks off on Wellington Cup Day with the inaugural running of…

Proven black-type performer Illicit Dreams has bounced back from a failed Group One mission over 1600m and brings last-start winning form into Saturday’s Listed Liquorland Gore Guineas (1335m). Illicit Dreams won the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old last May, then kicked off her three-year-old spring with two second placings including in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m). But the step up to a mile in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas proved to be a bridge too far, beating just one runner home and finishing almost 16 lengths…

Fashion Icon will be looking to turn the tables on Sudbina when the pair meet in the Gr.3 New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday. Sudbina just got the better of Fashion Icon in the closing stages of their 1400m contest at Hastings earlier this month to win by a half-length, and the TAB market for the fillies feature on Saturday reflects that result, with Sudbina a $3.30 favourite ahead of Grail Seeker at $3.60, with Fashion Icon on the third line of betting at $6.50.…

Waisake has had his share of ups and downs in the Gr.3 NZ Campus of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m), but the Taranaki nine-year-old is set to step out as favourite for the 2024 edition of the famous two-miler at Trentham on Saturday. The Zed gelding had his first taste of the Wellington Cup back in 2021, where a supreme staying performance carried him to a commanding victory. He returned to defend his crown 12 months later, and he looked to have it at his mercy after a dominant…