Month: February 2024

Solidify (outside) will contest the Cavallo Farm & Chris Rutten Bloodstock 3YO (1600m) at Otaki on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Hall of Fame trainer Graeme Rogerson has bigger and better things in mind for all three of his runners at Otaki on Saturday, including a potential quick back-up into next weekend’s Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie. Rogerson will run Solidify in Saturday’s $40,000 Cavallo Farm & Chris Rutten Bloodstock 3YO (1600m). “If he runs a good race at Otaki tomorrow and pulls up well afterwards,…

Desert Lightning will contest the Group 1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) on Saturday. Photo: Race Images Waikato hoop Vinnie Colgan will trek down to Otaki on Saturday to partner exciting four-year-old Desert Lightning in the Group 1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m), and he is hoping his charge can live up to his favourite’s tag. The Peter and Dawn Williams-trained gelding has been a standout this season, winning all but one of his four starts, including the Group 1 TAB Classic (1600m) at Trentham in December and the inaugural $1 million…

Ladies Man winning the Group 1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings last October. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Extra distance and a switch to weight-for-age for Saturday’s Group 1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) are steps in the right direction for Ladies Man, but his trainer Allan Sharrock is looking a few weeks further down the road. Saturday’s $400,000 feature will be only the second Group 1 appearance for Ladies Man, who scored a brilliant come-from-behind victory in the Group 1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings in October. The…

Captured By Love will contest the Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) on Saturday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) This Saturday’s juvenile features at Matamata are set to paint a clearer picture for upcoming Group 1 targets, and Te Akau Racing co-trainer Sam Bergerson is hoping for good showings from his high-class trio. Bergerson, who trains in partnership with Mark Walker, will prepare Move To Strike and Unbridled Joy in the Group 3 Matamata Slipper (1200m), while unbeaten filly Captured By Love will attempt a fourth-straight victory in…

Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m) aspirant Mark Twain.Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Roger James and Robert Wellwood already have the $1.40 favourite for the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), and a trip to Otaki this weekend could earn them an even greater share of the spotlight during the upcoming Ellerslie carnival. James and Wellwood’s impressive last-start winner Mark Twain will run in Saturday’s $50,000 New Zealand St Leger Trial (2300m), which he will use as a lead-up to the $500,000 Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m) on March 9. Mark…

Bodyguard ridden by Mark Zahra wins the Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) at Caulfield. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Racing Photos) One of the top contenders for Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes has been pulled out by Racing Victoria stewards due to Bodyguard failing a veterinary examination for the second time on Friday morning. On Thursday, the RV veterinary team had flagged concerns about the unbeaten colt’s lameness. Despite an independent vet being involved, Bodyguard’s condition hadn’t improved by Friday’s reassessment. James Harron, a part-owner who secured the colt for AUD$1.6 million, refrained from…

The Group 1 Futurity Stakes 2024 at Caulfield on Saturday shapes up as a one-horse race, with Mr Brightside the overwhelming favourite at $1.55 through Ladbrokes. C.F. Orr Stakes winner Mr Brightside looks primed to win again in the 2024 Futurity Stakes. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos. This weight-for-age champion from Lindsay Park is coming off a thrilling victory in the CF Orr Stakes and boasts an undefeated record (4-0) at Caulfield over the 1400m distance. Mr Brightside seeks his sixth Group 1 victory ahead of his All-Star Mile title defence.…

The Oakleigh Plate 2024 at Caulfield promises a thrilling clash between established stars and rising talents this Blue Diamond Stakes Day. Three-year-old King’s Gambit heads 2024 Oakleigh Plate betting to beat home the older horses fresh at Caulfield. Photo: Steve Hart. King’s Gambit, the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained I Am Invincible colt, leads the charge as the $4.50 favourite in the latest markets on the Group 1 $750,000 sprint over 1100m at Ladbrokes. King’s Gambit aims to become the first three-year-old Oakleigh Plate winner since Portland Sky (2021). He boasts…

The Blue Diamond Stakes 2024 at Caulfield this Saturday promises a thrilling showdown between two-year-old stars. A talented field of future champions will vie for the $2 million prize and the coveted title in this Group 1 race. Coleman is favourite in 2024 Blue Diamond Stakes betting this weekend. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos. Leading the charge is Coleman, trained by Matt Laurie. This nicely-bred Pierata colt boasts a perfect record (2-0) and enjoys course specialist status at Caulfield. After impressive victories in the Listed Debutant Stakes and the Group 3…

What Alice Springs Races Where Pioneer Park Racecourse, Stuart Highway, Connellan NT 0870 When Saturday, February 24, 2024 First Race 1:34pm ACST Visit Dabble With the Alice Springs Cup Carnival imminent, the action in the Red Centre continues with 50 horses accepting for Saturday’s seven-event program. The feature race is over 1100m for runners eyeing the Pioneer Sprint (1200m) on April 6. Central Australia is in the midst of a heatwave with the mercury nudging 40C this week, and it will be 38C come race day. The rail will be…