By Brigette Solomon Trainer Michael House and Harrison Orange combined to score a winning double at the North Island’s first race meeting of the New Year at Tauherenikau yesterday. “I rung Harrison three weeks ago to see if we could organise for him to come down and drive at these central districts grass track meetings and I’m really pleased for him that it’s paid off and he’s driven a couple of winners for us,” said House. “He’s grown up watching his Dad (Blair Orange) drive a few hundred winners in…
Month: January 2025
Republican Party looking increasingly likely for Hunter Cup
By Adam Hamilton Auckland Cup hero Republican Party looks set to join the growing Hunter Cup party. A race that threatened to be a tad thin for star power just a couple of weeks ago, now promises to deliver an explosive start to 2025. Already, Leap To Fame looks certain to defend his crown, newly crowned Inter Dominion champ Don Hugo is a lock, emerging Kiwi talent Tact McLeod is headed towards it and $2 million-earner Catch A Wave also has the Hunter Cup in his sights. More recently, star…
Williamson looking to build on 2024 success
By Jonny Turner After an all-conquering season, Matthew Williamson hopes to keep his momentum going in 2025 with a big Roxburgh Cup day on Saturday. The trainer produced a personal-best 39 wins in 2024, making him the leading trainer both in Otago and south of the Waitaki River. Though he is undoubtedly the public face of his operation, Williamson was quick to credit those behind the scenes for his breakout season. “If you had told me at the start of last year that we would have ended up where we…
Oscar heading back across the Tasman
By Michael Guerin Five years is a long time to wait for redemption. In racing entire careers start, blossom and end much quicker than that all the time. But on Febuary 1, five years after he last raced and finished unplaced in the Great Southern Star, Kiwi speed machine Oscar Bonavena is heading back to Melton for a another shot at the title. The title has of course changed. The Great Southern Star was 2760m mobile back on February 1, 2020 when Oscar Bonavena sat parked and finished a brave…
Saturday’s free horse racing tips & quaddie picks | 4/1/2025
There are 13 horse racing meetings set for Australia on Saturday, January 4. Our racing analysts here at horsebetting.com.au have found you the best bets and the quaddie numbers for Gold Coast, Geelong, Randwick, Ascot & Darwin. Saturday’s Free Horse Racing Tips – January 4, 2025 Gold Coast Racing Tips Geelong Racing Tips Randwick Racing Tips Ascot Racing Tips Darwin Racing Tips As always, there are plenty of promotions available for Australian racing fans. Check out all the top online bookmakers to see what daily promotions they have. If you…
Group Three test for resurgent Field Of Gold
A change of scenery has worked wonders for Field Of Gold, who is in line to return to black-type company for the first time in almost two years in Saturday’s Gr.3 Rydges Wellington Airport Phar Lap Trophy (1600m) at Trentham. The son of Starspangledbanner is a half-brother to Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Sherwood Forest, and he showed plenty of talent himself through the early stages of his career. Field Of Gold’s nine-start campaign as a three-year-old produced three wins including the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m), and he was…
Real Class sold to Australian Bloodstock
This week’s Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) winner Real Class has been sold across the Tasman to Australian Bloodstock, but the promising filly may remain with her Byerley Park trainer Jenna Mahoney for a $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) campaign. Real Class has made a big impression in a career that spans only four starts dating back to early November. She finished eighth on debut at Pukekohe before scoring a stylish come-from-behind win in a 1600m maiden at Te Aroha on December 8.…
Moerman scores first winning ride
Apprentice jockey Floor Moerman kicked off the New Year in the best possible fashion at Riverton on Wednesday when recording her first win in the saddle aboard Three Ninety in the Carriers Arms Hotel Summer Cup (2147m) for local trainer Ebony Turner. “It was really cool to get that first win,” the 24-year-old Dutch national said. “I just wanted to jump her out and find a nice spot, and it worked out really well. Coming around the bend, I thought I was going to pop around them, but the gap…
Riot And Rose after another regional feature
Riot And Rose (NZ) (Pins) gets the chance to add another regional feature to his summer body of work at Geelong this Saturday. The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained gelding is one of the leading contenders for the day’s feature, the A$300,000 Coastal Classic (1700m). The son of Pins won the A$100,000 Wodonga Cup (1590m) on November 30 and A$150,000 Werribee Cup (1600m) on December 8 before a sixth placing in the Listed Lord Stakes (1600m) at the Caulfield meeting run on the Heath track on Boxing Day. Riot And Rose was noted by Racing Victoria vets to be lame coming…
Pike to play strong hand in Thames Cup
Cambridge trainer Tony Pike will launch a two-pronged attack on the feature event at Te Aroha on Saturday when he lines up consistent galloper Maldini and promising stayer Harlow Rocks in the Lockwood Coromandel Peninsula Thames Cup (1600m). Pike is pleased with both of his stable runners leading into the event, although he cautions that last season’s Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) runner-up Harlow Rocks is still in the early stages of her current preparation after recovering well from a knee injury that halted her three-year-old campaign.…