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…
Month: January 2025
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.…
Walker on weather watch ahead of Skew Wiff’s Telegraph tilt
Only one part of Skew Wiff’s build-up to the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday has not gone to plan for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, and it is a factor beyond their control. The Trentham track was rated a Soft6 on Friday morning, with MetService predicting heavy rain and possible thunderstorms and hail overnight. Any remaining showers are forecast to ease on the morning of the race. “We couldn’t be any happier with the horse, but we’re just a bit worried about that weather forecast,” Walker…
Wexford tackle Trentham features with small but select team
Wexford Stables are hoping their purple patch of form can continue at Trentham on Saturday where they will line-up three runners in two of the feature events on the card. Sassy Lass will start one of the best backed candidates in the Listed Lincoln Farms Marton Cup (2200m), while Waitak and Grail Seeker will tackle the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m). Sassy Lass has gone from strength-to-strength in a lengthy campaign that has resulted in four wins from 12 starts since March last year and she heads to Trentham off a…