Day: 6 February 2025

Trainer Pam Gerard took plenty of convincing to head south to Tauherenikau with Reputation (NZ) (Iffraaj) on Thursday, but the long trip paid off with victory in the Listed Clubs NZ Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). Leading apprentice jockey Lily Sutherland was positive aboard Reputation from the jump, pushing forward to sit outside pacemaker Ruby Rocks (NZ) (Burgundy). Sutherland began to apply pressure from the 600m, which told on Ruby Rocks, and Reputation quickly had the lead. She had a two-length advantage on her rivals at the turn, which widened…

Enigmatic four-year-old Danjuro (NZ) (Saxon Warrior) has been a work in progress for trainer Peter Didham, but the penny may be starting to drop with the son of Saxon Warrior, who scored his second consecutive victory in the Central ITM Wairarapa Cup (2050m) at Tauherenikau on Thursday. The gelding settled off the pace for jockey Kavish Chowdhoory, who elected to shift to the inside when turning for home and weaved a path between leaders Richochet and Sailor Jack to score by a short head. “They went a good clip in…

Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) out to move clear of Lindsay Park legend with ninth Group 1 win. Mr Brightside will forever be a special horse in the careers of Ben, Will and JD Hayes, but he is presented with a chance to break new ground for Lindsay Park at Caulfield this Saturday. The seven-year-old son of Bullbars will chase a ninth Group 1 win when he resumes in the $750,000 C F Orr Stakes (1400m), in which victory would make him the most successful elite-level performer in the 77-year history of the training operation founded by Colin Hayes.…

Emma-Lee Browne is approaching the Colac Cup on Friday with a degree of trepidation as it will be Rhinoceros’ (NZ) (Vadamos) first time running over 2000 metres in his 41-start career. The six-year-old gelding has become a country cups king over summer with wins in the Dunkeld and Camperdown Cups among his past three starts and, although he is bred on staying lines, Browne said he has always wanted to race too keenly to get out in trip but has shown some signs of maturing. Browne said she still harbours…

Illness is likely to sideline Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall’s top quality mare Snazzytavi (NZ) (Tavistock) until later in the year. Cambridge Stud’s star performer was being prepared for a crack at Saturday’s Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa before the five-year-old daughter of Tavistock contracted a virus. “I’d say that her autumn is over, which means we’ll give her a good break and focus on the spring,” Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said. “She had a gallop on Tuesday morning and Warren Kennedy went down to…

The $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) is fast approaching, and the Canterbury Jockey Club’s contender Domain Ace (NZ) (Swiss Ace) will ready for the rich feature with a 1400m hit-out at Tauranga on Friday.  The Graeme and Debbie Rogerson-trained gelding secured his berth in the NZB Kiwi when placing behind Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November but failed to flatter when beating just the one runner home in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) at Ellerslie a month later.  He quelled some…