Month: May 2024

Winter Cup a possible long-range target for Rebel

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Riviera Rebel will contest the Win a Hilux With Property Brokers (1600m) at Wingatui on Sunday. Photo: Monica Toretto Talented Riverton three-year-old Riviera Rebel will head to Wingatui on Sunday to kick off a winter campaign that could culminate in a shot at the Group 3 Winter Cup (1600m). The son of Pure Champion will take on older Rating 75 opposition in the $35,000 Win a Hilux With Property Brokers (1600m), which will be his first appearance since winning a Rating 65 over the same distance at Riverton nine weeks…

Heavy going only concern for Harrison

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Not Ideal will contest the Te Aroha Veterinary Services Big Day Out (1300m) at Te Aroha on Monday. Photo: Race Images Cambridge trainer Ken Harrison is looking forward to heading to Pukekohe on Saturday where he will have a two-pronged attack in the Dunstan Horsefeeds 2200. Tavistock gelding Espresso To Go has put in solid performances in his last two outings, placing over 2100m at Hawera on each occasion, and Harrison said he will appreciate stepping up to 2200m this weekend. Pukekohe was rated a Heavy 10 on Friday morning,…

Raziah out to continue fillies Castletown record

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Eliud will contest the Property Brokers 3YO 1600 at Wanganui on Saturday. Photo: Race Images Palmerston North Fillies have dominated recent editions of the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m), and Tony Pike is hoping Raziah can be next on the honour roll this Saturday at Wanganui. Raziah debuted in a competitive juvenile race at Pukekohe in April and showed immediate improvement from that effort with a storming run into second behind race-rival Connello at Taranaki on May 11. “She’s a filly we’ve always really liked. Her run fresh-up was good without…

Marsh quartet primed for Pukekohe

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Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh. Photo: Trish Dunell After a flurry of winners in the final few days of May, Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh hopes to extend that good form into June with a talented team at Pukekohe on Saturday. Marsh sits in second place on the New Zealand trainers’ premiership with 86 wins this season, 10 of them at Group and Listed level. His runners have earned more than $5 million in prizemoney, which is a new career best. He is closing in on his overall highest season total of…

G1 winning trainer slapped with 13-month suspension

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Ben Smith’s training career is again in strife, following two breaches of the rules of racing. PIC Bradley Photos. Group 1 winning trainer Ben Smith has been banned for 13 months, after both he and one of his horses tested positive to a banned substance. Smith, who claimed his first group 1 with In Her Time in the Galaxy in 2018, had only returned to racing in late 2022 following an almost four year ban for cobalt offences. But the latest ban from Racing NSW spells trouble for Smith, after…

Molly Bloom (NZ) Awarded 2023-24 NZB Filly of the Year Series

NZRacingDesk

Throughout a proud history spanning more than 50 years, the NZB Filly of the Year Series has repeatedly unveiled superstars of the racetrack and the breeding barn. But the 2023-24 edition of the series turned out to be one for the ages, with three different fillies going on to win Group One races during the season and one standout racehorse that could not be caught. At the end of the exciting 11-race series, the name added to the honour roll as the 52nd Filly of the Year was the exceptional Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace…

NZB Newcomer Winners Announced for TiES Series 

NZRacingDesk

The winners have been announced for the NZB-sponsored Best Newcomer Award this season, formed as part of the NZTR and Equestrian Sports NZ wider show series, Thoroughbreds in Equestrian Sports (TiES).  The NZB Newcomer Award recognises the success and versatility of thoroughbreds in equestrian sports for those newly registered with ESNZ (first year competing) with the eligible disciplines including dressage, eventing, showjumping and show hunter.  With the season coming to an end, the successful newcomers showcased a range of ability on the track. From those that never raced to a…

Emerging Sires Add Depth to National Weanling Sale

NZRacingDesk

Buyers at next month’s NZB National Weanling Sale at Karaka will have access to the progeny of emerging stallion talent with the same Karaka quailty but in smaller packaging.  The catalogue for the National Weanling Sale features 49 different sires, including many of the most promising names among New Zealand’s stallion ranks, like  U S Navy Flag, Ace High, Ardrossan, Embellish, Super Seth, Belardo, Ribchester, Time Test, Circus Maximus, Hello Youmzain and King of Comedy. ACE HIGH The youngest member of the high-performing Rich Hill Stud roster, Ace High is in a battle with U S Navy Flag for the title of New Zealand’s champion second-season sire of 2023-24. Ace…

Riddell considers his future

NZRacingDesk

Success aboard grand winter campaigner Justaskme in Saturday’s Listed AGC Training Stakes at Wanganui could provide leading jockey Jonathan Riddell with one of the final highpoints of his illustrious career. Leading into Saturday’s weight-for-age feature, for which Justaskme is a $3.20 favourite, Riddell has revealed he is considering his future in the saddle, conceding his time left as a jockey is coming to an end. For a jockey who has excelled at the elite level of the sport, most notably winning 14 Group 1 races, including the New Zealand Derby…

Raziah looking to continue fillies Castletown record

NZRacingDesk

Fillies have dominated recent editions of the Listed John Turkington Forestry Ltd Castletown Stakes (1200m), and Tony Pike is hoping Raziah can be next on the honour roll this Saturday at Wanganui. Raziah debuted in a competitive juvenile race at Pukekohe in April and showed immediate improvement from that effort with a storming run into second behind race-rival Connello at Taranaki on May 11. “She’s a filly we’ve always really liked. Her run fresh-up was good without a lot of luck and she obviously improved off that, having a tough…