Month: July 2024

Emerging four-year-old Rhapsody Chic (NZ) (Sacred Falls) extended his winter winning sequence to four with an impressive performance in Saturday’s A$130,000 Sportsbet Feed Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield. The son of Sacred Falls was born in New Zealand and was a winner on debut at Matamata last winter before crossing the Tasman, where he placed in all of his first four starts. The gelding collected his first Australian win in a Benchmark 64 handicap at Seymour in late May, and he never looked back from there. Rhapsody Chic has gone on…

Formerly a rising star of Western Australian ranks, lightly raced eight-year-old Showmanship (NZ) (Showcasing) returned to the winners’ circle for the first time in almost two years in Saturday’s A$150,000 Sportsbet Race Replays Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield. The son of Showcasing races in the colours of leviathan Perth owner Bob Peters. He made a sensational start to his career with victories in seven of his first eight starts including the Listed Chandler McLeod Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley in September of 2020. Showmanship had almost two years off the scene…

The decision to buy Victory Roll (NZ) (Belardo) for just A$2250 has paid dividends for the new connections of the Kiwi-bred three-year-old, who scored a hard-fought win in Saturday’s A$120,000 TAB Highway Plate (1800m) at Randwick. After starting his career with four unplaced starts in Queensland, the Belardo gelding was offered in an Inglis Digital online sale in March and was purchased by Goulburn trainer Pat Murphy. Victory Roll has won three of his six starts since then, banking more than A$90,000 for his new owners. “One of his owners,…

Enigmatic galloper Reign It In (NZ) (Scared Falls) returned to winning form after a frustrating twelve-month period for both the horse and his trainer Roydon Bergerson when he took out the Levin Truck Services-sponsored Open 1200m at Otaki on Saturday. The five-year-old son of Sacred Falls had won the corresponding event at the meeting in 2023 but since then his form had tapered off badly as Bergerson tried to coax him out of the slump. A promising first-up sixth at Woodville back in May had Bergerson encouraged his charge was…

A thrilling victory for ghostly grey Hula Beat (NZ) (Redwood) in Saturday’s feature race at Te Rapa, the Callinan Family Taumarunui RSA Gold Cup (2200m), has provided trainer Stephen Marsh with a much-desired goal that he set himself at the start of the 2023-24 racing season. His stable topped $5 million in stakes won for the first time in his training career to date, a massive achievement in its own right, however Marsh had made no secret of his desire to hit the three-figure mark in wins for the third…

Apprentice rider Lily Sutherland followed her pre-race instructions perfectly to land rugged four-year-old Opawa Jack (NZ) (War Decree) an impressive winner of the Open 1600m event on the card at Otaki on Saturday. The Chrissy Bambry-prepared galloper had won three of his six starts in his current campaign and came into the event off the back of a win over the same distance at Wanganui earlier in the month. Sutherland and Bambry had walked the track prior to the first race and hatched a plan to have her guide the…

Dusty Road (NZ) (Shamexpress) gave Graeme Cameron his first taste of Group One racing last year, and the Cambridge owner-trainer is keen to shoot for the stars again after a dominant performance in Saturday’s Woods Contracting (1400m) at Te Rapa. Cameron arrived at Te Rapa on Saturday with eight training successes to his name, three of them from Dusty Road. That highly talented son of Shamexpress has also taken on some of New Zealand’s best with a midfield finish in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) as a three-year-old, followed earlier…

Progressive mare Swindle (NZ) (Rageese) had little favours in the running of the Stewart Browne Memorial (1200m) at Te Rapa on Saturday, but that didn’t stop her from powering to victory for trainer Lauren Brennan. Jumping from barrier six, apprentice jockey Triston Moodley was assertive in the early stages aboard Swindle but was forced to sit three-wide in third, while Baronet (NZ) (Contributer) and Winning For All (Shooting To Win) set a solid tempo in front. Travelling boldly near the turn, Moodley let the mare roll outside the leaders and…

Talented three-year-old Captain Electric (NZ) (Savabeel) was well and truly in his element when he stepped out beyond 1700m for the first time and won Saturday’s A$150,000 Tobin Brothers Celebrating Lives Handicap (2400m) at Caulfield. The New Zealand-bred son of Savabeel had his third start for Pakenham trainer Andrea Leek in Saturday’s stamina test, having scored a 1600m maiden win at Moe on July 12 before finishing fifth over 1700m at Flemington last week. He had previously collected one placing from four starts for Emma-Lee and David Browne. Captain Electric…

Robbie Patterson is excited about what the future might hold for Read About It after the lightly raced two-year-old outclassed his opposition in Saturday’s Listed Phil’s Electrical & Gipsy Caravans Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki. The season-ending juvenile feature was only the second career start for Read About It, who made his debut with a strong-finishing second after an interrupted run at Riccarton on June 22. He had previously won all of his three trials. Read About It was strongly supported into $1.80 favouritism for the Ryder Stakes, but that…