Month: April 2024

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The trend of big wins for lower-profile stables during Riccarton’s autumn carnival continued in the Gr.3 Coca-Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) on Saturday, where well-travelled veteran Green Luck (Street Cry) delivered a career highlight for Timaru trainer Stephanie Faulkner. The $120,000 weight-for-age feature followed hard on the heels of last Saturday’s inaugural $350,000 TAB Southern Alps Challenge (1600m), which was won by Matscot (NZ) (Haradasun) for local owner-trainer-breeder Sharon Robertson. Green Luck ran an eye-catching seventh in that race last weekend, crossing the line three and a half lengths behind…

Exciting juvenile Domain Ace (NZ) (Swiss Ace) maintained his perfect record with a dominant win in Saturday’s Listed TAB Starway Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie. The son of Swiss Ace made a strong impression on debut earlier this month at Otaki, warranting co-trainer Graeme Rogerson to consider backing up in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) the following Saturday. Rogerson elected to bypass the Trentham showpiece in favour of targeting the Starway Stakes, where Domain Ace flew under the radar in betting starting at $11.30 on the TAB tote, with…

Underrated three-year-old filly Moonlight Magic (NZ) (Almanzor) employed a barnstorming finish from last to secure a valuable stakes victory when she captured the Gr.3 Trelawney Stud Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie in spectacular fashion. The Andrew Forsman-prepared daughter of Almanzor had been thereabouts in all of her recent racing without having much luck but ensured her maiden victory would be a memorable one in a race that will significantly boost her value when she eventually heads to the broodmare paddock. Punters hadn’t missed her unlucky fourth at her most recent…

An autumn trip to Canterbury has turned out to be career-defining for Matamata mare Sassy Merlot (NZ) (Burgundy), who added a valuable black-type win to her record in Saturday’s Listed Daphne Bannan Memorial Great Easter Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton. A placegetter in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m), Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) and Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) as a three-year-old, Sassy Merlot had struggled to find her best form through her four and five-year-old seasons. An encouraging third at Hastings on February 28 led to co-trainer Pam Gerard sending her…

Central Districts filly No Rain Ever (No Nay Never) bounced back from an uncharacteristically poor performance seven days ago at Riccarton to secure a hard-fought stakes victory when taking out the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m). The daughter of No Nay Never had been strongly supported in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m) but never really figured when finishing ninth behind impressive winner Epee Beel (Epaulette), who brought up co-trainer Michael Pitman’s 2000th New Zealand winner. Trainer Bill Thurlow was prepared to overlook the run and with apprentice…

A week after his remarkable front-running heroics on Pride Of Jenni (Pride of Dubai) in the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), in-form jockey Declan Bates pulled off another wire-to-wire performance with New Zealand-bred mare Disturbia (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) in Saturday’s Evergreen Turf Handicap (1600m) at Mornington. A second placegetter in all of her last three appearances, the four-year-old daughter of Turn Me Loose dominated Saturday’s A$80,000 race from the moment the gates opened. Bates sent her forward from the outside gate and she swept across to the rail and…