Month: August 2024

New Zealand’s leading trainer Mark Walker is a strong advocate for jumps racing and hopes to see the sport continue and flourish. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing released a consultation document last week, proposing two options – the continuation of the jumps racing with a dedicated strategy and additional investment, or a managed wind-down and eventual closure of jumps racing. Walker, who trains in partnership with Sam Bergerson, won 169 races in New Zealand last season after a record-breaking 203 wins the season prior. The Te Akau conditioner, who also operates…

Classy mare La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos) has enjoyed some time in the Queensland sun after a well-targeted raid on the A$500,000 Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm in June where she delivered a workmanlike performance to win the weight-for-age assignment. The Simon and Katrina Alexander-trained Group One winner will be aimed at some lucrative assignments in her homeland rather than remaining in Australia. “She spelled in Queensland and she’s currently in pre-training there at the moment. The time has come to move her a little closer down the…

Former New Zealand-trained galloper Desert Lightning(NZ) (Pride of Dubai) is nearing a return for new trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman. The five-year-old gelding finished second in an 800m jump out at Pakenham on Tuesday behind his high profile stablemate I wish I Win. A winner of five of his 18 starts including the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), Desert Lightning also won the lucrative Aotearoa Classic (1600m) last summer but was a disappointing ninth in the All-Star Mile (1600m) won by Pride Of Jenni. With his previous trainers retiring, connections…

There would be few horses with more frequent flyer points than Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls), and the well-travelled gelding racked up a few more earlier this week when he hopped across the Tasman. The seven-year-old son of Sacred Falls has landed in Melbourne ahead of Saturday’s Gr.2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, and trainer Andrew Forsman said he has made himself at home at his Flemington base. “He has travelled over great,” Forsman said. “He flew over on Sunday, so he had a good gallop on Saturday morning before…

After being denied victory in last year’s Richard Bright Memorial (1500m) in the final bounds, Monza (NZ) (Rios) was back to go one better and the Danica Guy-trained gelding did just that at Cambridge Synthetic on Wednesday.   Monza was among several synthetic specialists contesting the race, with each of his five previous victories coming on the surface in nine attempts.   An uncharacteristic last-placed run in early July placed Monza over the odds in the $100,000 1400m race at Awapuni Synthetic last Friday, where he finished third to Branciforti, giving Guy…

Ebony Turner has developed a profile as an up-and-coming trainer in the deep south and her talents are now being recognised by outside owners. The Riverton horsewoman scored plenty of success last season with her own horses, primarily led by Drakaina, who won two of her five starts for Turner, including the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m), and was also runner-up in the Listed Dunedin Guineas. Drakaina was subsequently sold to Bob Peters in Perth, but Turner’s talents haven’t gone unnoticed and in the last couple of months she has…