Month: February 2024

There is plenty of hype surrounding the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) following her dominant debut win at Matamata earlier this month and she will return to her home track this weekend to try and secure black-type. The daughter of Alabama Express was a 9/12 length victor over 1100m, with her time of 1.03.36 just 0.05 seconds outside of the track record. While impressed with her winning performance and happy with the way she has come through the run, Ken Kelso is still wary of the step-up…

Miss Layla (NZ) (Burgundy) is already a black-type winner on her home track and the talented mare will be given the opportunity to double her tally next month. The daughter of Burgundy has been set for the Gr.3 Valachi Downs South Island Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) on March 23 and will further her preparation with an outing at Riccarton on Friday. Miss Layla will spearhead local trainers Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong’s presence at the meeting when she steps out in the ODT Southern Mile Qualifying Race (1600m) in the hands…

Trainer Andrew Forsman is looking forward to getting his Group One winner Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls) back to a mile at Otaki on Saturday in the Gr.1 Trackside Otaki-Maori WFA Classic. The six-year-old son of Sacred Falls has been freshened since running 10th in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2050m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day, and Forsman believes he has thrived with the break. “I think the time between runs will be good for him,” said Forsman, who also part-owns the gelding. Aegon was tested beyond a mile for just the second…

Milan Park’s Tony Rider went full-circle on gavelhouse.com on Monday night, buying back the multiple Group-winning mare Aromatic (NZ) (Sacred Falls) for $257,500. Rider bred Aromatic and offered her in Milan Park’s yearling draft in Book 1 of Karaka 2018, where she was bought by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis for $160,000. Aromatic carried the tangerine colours of Te Akau to six wins and 14 placings from a 32-start racing career, earning more than $419,000 for her owners in the Te Akau Sacred Wine Syndicate. The highly talented grey…

The tangerine and blue silks of Te Akau Racing command respect at each Riccarton Park meeting, and the stable will present another strong team of runners across the 10-race card on Friday. A gate malfunction causing a false start marred an impressive four-win haul by Te Akau a fortnight ago at the Christchurch track, with co-trainer Sam Bergerson citing this as a likely reason for the below par performance of Stella Splendida (NZ) (Zoustar). The Zoustar four-year-old had journeyed south off the back of two consecutive victories while based at…

Robbie Patterson is enjoying another stellar season and is firmly on target to eclipse the heroics of his stable in the 2022/23 term. The New Plymouth trainer has sent out 39 winners, including a personal best of six at Group or Listed level, with the stable’s earnings already north of $1.8 million. “It’s been a ripper and we’ve won a few good races and I’m just hoping it continues,” Patterson said. “I wanted to replicate last season and get to 50 wins and $1 million in stakes and then I…