Macau racing set to end

The Macau Jockey Club announced on Monday that it had signed an agreement with the Macau Government to terminate the contract to race there.   “Macau Horse Racing Company Limited has been operating at a loss, accumulate in excess of 2.5 Billion (NZ$501 million),” MJC said in a statement. “Moreover, there has been limited room for development and growth of the horse racing industry in Macau over the years, and including the adverse effect brought about by pandemic over these last three years, it has become increasingly difficult to sustain…

Trelawney’s Group race results best advertisment ahead of Karaka 2024

Trelawney Stud again celebrated outstanding results on the track last year, highlighted by a pair of heavy hitting graduates of Brent and Cherry Taylor’s operation. Off the back of a notable 2023, the Cambridge nursery will head to New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale later this month in high spirits with another quality line-up of potential future stars. “We have been fortunate enough to breed some pretty good horses and certainly the likes of Pride Of Jenni and Lim’s Kosciuszko are a couple of out of the box,” Brent Taylor…

Forsman opts for Thorndon with Aegon

Andrew Forsman is hopeful a drop back in distance will produce the best of Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls) when the talented galloper contests the Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday. The well-travelled son of Sacred Falls has celebrated some of his greatest career highs over the 1600m distance, beginning as a three-year-old when winning the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas before claiming the Karaka Million 3YO Classic, alongside a trip to Hong Kong finishing 5th in the Gr.1 Champion’s Mile behind global star Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’oro)…

Money flows in for Wavewatcher at Ashburton

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Oamaru trainer Eion Latimer says he “nearly fell over” after seeing the market move on his horse Wavewatcher at Ashburton today. The Downbytheseaside four-year-old will have his 19th start in race 3, the Red Park Farm Mobile Pace. While a win has so far proved elusive Wavewatcher has been crunched from an opening quote of $11 into $4.20 on the fixed odds, with Latimer as surprised as anyone about the amount of money on his horse. “It wasn’t me,” he said. “I didn’t…

Aussie stars return ahead of Hunter Cup

By Adam Hamilton Two of Akuta’s major Hunter Cup rivals return to racing this weekend. Recently crowned Inter Dominion champion Leap To Fame and Miracle Mile hero Catch A Wave will have their only Hunter Cup lead-up runs in different states. Leap To Fame, who has been freshened since his breathtaking Inter Dominion romp at Albion Park on December 16, returns at the same track in a 1660m free-for-all on Saturday night. While Catch A Wave, who sparkled winning a Melton trial last night (Monday), now looks set to resume…

Forsman tastes further Ellerslie success with Fortunate Son

Fortunate Son (inside) on his way to winning at Ellerslie on Sunday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Ellerslie has been a happy hunting ground for Andrew Forsman in years past, and the Cambridge trainer was thrilled to find success swiftly during the track’s reopening meeting on Sunday. Of his five representatives, all but one finished in the top three, headlined by a classy front-running performance from Fortunate Son. A three-year-old son of U S Navy Flag, Fortunate Son was a promising 1400m victor on debut at Arawa Park in November…

So Naive impresses in Karaka Million 2YO audition

So Naive winning at Ellerslie on Sunday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Trainers Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley will head to the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie in a fortnight with a bit more confidence with their juvenile So Naive following his win at the Auckland track on Sunday. The son of U S Navy Flag settled midfield and relaxed nicely for jockey Michale McNab, while race favourite Maracatu went head-to-head with pacemaker Hard Attack up front. The pair continued their dogfight down the straight and looked to have…

Fortune favours Foresman at Ellerslie

Ellerslie has been a happy hunting ground for Andrew Forsman is years past, and the Cambridge trainer was thrilled to find success swiftly during the track’s reopening meeting on Sunday. Of his five representatives, all but one finished in the top three, headlined by a classy front-running performance from Fortunate Son in the Bent Down On One Knee Ben Masters 1500m. A three-year-old son of U S Navy Flag, Fortunate Son was a promising 1400m victor on debut at Arawa Park in November and relished the step-up in grade when…

Perfect Scenario set to defend Southern crown

Perfect Scenario is set to return to Wingatui next month to try and retain his crown in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Weight-For-Age (1600m) following his win at the Dunedin track on Saturday. Lumbered with a 62kg topweight impost, Perfect Scenario was given some weight relief courtesy of apprentice jockey Ngakau Hailey’s three-kilogram claim, which he appreciated in the concluding stages of the Meenans, Otago Tyres Barnyard Mainfeed’s (1400m) when storming home out wide to claim a one length victory. It was a welcome return to form for the Mark…