Month: January 2024

Warren Kennedy has stamped an indelible mark on New Zealand racing with the ex-pat South African jockey dominating proceedings at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day with seven wins, including four of the five feature events on the card. Fresh off a suspension that cost him riding on Boxing Day, Kennedy made every post a winner and produced one of the rides of the day on the Lance Noble-trained Habana (Zoustar) in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m). Fresh off taking the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) with a last-to-first performance on…

Former champion jockey Lance O’Sullivan captured five Gr.1 Railway (1200m) successes in the saddle and on Monday he finally got his hands on the silverware as a trainer, courtesy of Waitak’s (NZ) (Proisir) explosive victory in the Sistema-sponsored feature. As expected, Johny Johny (NZ) (Charm Spirit) set a breakneck speed upfront, while at the opposite end of the field, in-form hoop Warren Kennedy switched Waitak off at the back of the pack. The son of Proisir was still well off the pace at the top of the straight, but he…

Promising New Zealand-bred filly Krementz (NZ) (El Roca) collected the second win of her four-start career with a determined performance in the Australian Trainers’ Association Plate (1400m) at Flemington on New Year’s Day. The daughter of El Roca was unplaced in her only appearance as a two-year-old at Geelong in July, but she has made giant strides since. She resumed with an unlucky second at Seymour on November 17, then cleared maiden ranks in style at Sandown on December 6. Flemington on New Year’s Day was another step up, and…

Ex-pat Kiwi jockey Jason Collett well and truly paid for a flying visit home from his Sydney base when he guided promising stayer Trust In You (NZ) (Sweynesse) to a gritty victory in the Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) on New Year’s Day. On his old stomping ground at Pukekohe, Collett produced an inch perfect effort to bring the Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley-trained son of Sweynesse with a decisive late burst to reel in pacemaker Khan Hunter (NZ) (Mongolian Khan), who looked like he would steal the race…

It was a fitting win in the inaugural Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2050m), formerly known as the Royal Stakes, at Pukekohe on Monday, with the Cambridge Stud-bred and owned About Time (American Pharoah) taking out the fillies feature named after the farm’s founder. Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay were trackside to welcome back their filly, and trainer Lance Noble said it was a sentimental win for the couple, who purchased Cambridge Stud off the legendary horseman. “He (Brendan) mentioned it beforehand of how fantastic it would be…

Consistent filly Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) showed she will be a force to be reckoned with in the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) later his month as she took out the first black-type event for the new year, the Gr.2 SKYCITY Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Pukekohe on Monday. Trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson took a powerful two-pronged attack into the race with Bellatrix Star ($10.70) and her stablemate Move To Strike (I Am Invincible) ($1.30) and the pair ended up fighting out a torrid three-way finish to the contest…