Month: March 2024

Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) has suffered his first minor hiccup ahead of his defence of Saturday’s All-Star Mile at Caulfield, drawing the second-widest barrier for the A$4 million feature. Saturday’s All-Star Mile will feature the smallest field in the race’s six-year history, with just 12 contenders at final acceptances on Tuesday morning, before the race’s long-time odds-on favourite came up with barrier 11. The wide gate might give rivals a little more hope of rolling Mr Brightside, but it is worth noting that the previous time he came from a…

The Ciaron Maher stable has taken a different autumn approach with Pride Of Jenni (Pride of Dubai) to the one it adopted in the spring which landed the mare back-to-back Group One wins. Pride Of Jenni, who was bred by Trelawney Stud, will be five weeks between races when she runs second-up in the A$4 million All-Star Mile (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday. The mare had five starts last spring and raced her way into peak fitness which culminated with Group One wins in the Empire Rose Stakes and Champions…

Langkawi (NZ) (Helmet) put in a pleasing runner-up performance in the Listed Kaimai Stakes (2000m) at Matamata last month and will return to the same course and distance on Wednesday where he will attempt to go one better in the Holster Engineering Lally And Symes South Waikato Cup. While pleased with their charge heading into his midweek assignment, weight is the biggest concern for trainers Peter and Shaun McKay, with the son of Helmet set to carry 60kg, 5.5kg more than his previous outing. “He has done well but it…

Growing up on The Oaks Stud in Cambridge paved a way for a successful career in the thoroughbred breeding industry for Dean Williams, however, he got the racing bug young and is about to take an important step in fulfilling his dream of becoming a trainer. The son of The Oaks Stud General Manager Rick Williams, the thoroughbred industry has been engrained in Dean’s life from a young age, but it was the deeds of glamour mare Seachange on the track that lit a fire in him to pursue a…

Well-related juvenile Little Thief (NZ) (Dundeel) could earn himself a Group One berth following Wednesday’s AKW Farrier Two Year Old (1200m) at Matamata. The Dundeel colt finished an eye-catching fourth on debut a fortnight ago for trainer John Malcolm, recording the fastest closing sectionals despite being held-up for most of the Matamata straight, finishing an eventual length off Altari (NZ) (Savabeel). “We think a bit of the horse, but going into the race he was pretty green, with only one trial to prepare so it was a pretty big ask,”…

Faraglioni (NZ) (El Roca) should be enjoying a well-deserved spell at the moment, but trainer Josh Shaw said his Group One performer had other ideas. The five-year-old mare has been a revelation for the Levin trainer this season, winning one and placing in five of her seven starts, including runner-up in the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) and Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m). The daughter of El Roca was fifth in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa last month, which Shaw had planned…

El Vencedor’s (NZ) (Shocking) career-best performance at Ellerslie to triumph at Group One level was tinged with a bittersweet note for breeder-owners David Price and Mark Freeman. The Stephen Marsh-trained son of Shocking added to the Wellington pair’s success with the family when he capped off a lucrative campaign with victory in Saturday’s Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) under Irish jockey Joe Doyle. “It was off the charts really, you don’t go there expecting to beat what is probably the best horse (Legarto) in New Zealand and that was certainly…

Entries for NZB’s 2024 National Weanling Sale are now open, with the Sale set to be held at the Karaka Sales Centre on Thursday 20 June.   Continuing as a dedicated weanling only format, the Sale is a happy hunting ground for those searching for their next pinhook success story or racetrack star. The Sale also offers breeders an attractive platform to sell their young stock to a strong international and domestic audience, with the added bonus of Karaka Millions eligibility.  The weanling session in 2023 returned more than $2.6 million, with…