Month: February 2025

I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) is set to go beyond 1400 metres for the first time in nearly two-and-a-half years, with co-owner and co-trainer Peter Moody confirming next month’s Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) is his most likely next assignment. Moody reported on Tuesday that the six-year-old gelding has pulled up well from his first-up run on a Good 3 track at Caulfield last week in the G1 Futurity Stakes and said a month to the Ryder Stakes at Rosehill holds plenty of appeal. The previous time I…

Trainer Joe Pride is confident that Ceolwulf will take a significant step forward from his first-up performance as he prepares for Saturday’s Gr.1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick. Ceolwulf finished a close fourth behind Chris Waller’s Fangirl, Lindermann, and Via Sistina in the Gr.1 Apollo Stakes (1400m), running the fastest final 600m of the race in 32.63 seconds. Despite being beaten by 1.5 lengths, Pride believes the step up to the mile will bring out the best in his gelding. “I’m really happy with him and it’s good…

In an exciting move, the date for the NZB National Weanling Sale (thoroughbred) and NZB Standardbred National Weanling Sale (standardbred) has been finalised, with both weanling sessions selling on Thursday 26 June 2025 at Karaka. The joint sale date will see the thoroughbred session get underway in the morning, with the standardbred weanlings selling later that afternoon. “Both industries are in great shape at the moment, and the positivity from stakes increases and new initiatives across both codes is encouraging. It’s certainly given domestic buyers more confidence which was seen with the Kiwi spend…

Respected horseman Ralph Manning has been a prolific purchaser on gavelhouse.com over the years, and a pair of his bargain buys played starring roles on Australian racetracks on Saturday. Manning paid only $7,750 to secure Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) from a gavelhouse.com auction in August of 2020, while he bought Step Aside (NZ) (Redwood) for $2,300 a few months later. Fast-forward to Saturday, when the exceptional Mr Brightside added a ninth Group One win to his record with a typically tenacious performance in the Lamaro’s Hotel Futurity Stakes (1400m) at…

Prominent Australian owner Aziz “Ozzie” Kheir and global thoroughbred giant Coolmore won the world’s richest turf race, the A$14 million The Everest (1200m), in 2019 with Yes Yes Yes, and six years on they are teaming up once more in the hope of taking out another slot race. Last year, Kheir purchased a slot in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), to be run at Ellerslie on Champions Day, March 8, in the hope of running his own horses in the southern hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race. While he had a…

Talented filly Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) is set to bloom once more when she heads to Ellerslie next week to contest the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) after winning her 1100m trial at Taupo on Wednesday.  The three-year-old daughter of Savabeel has been a standout for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, winning three and placing in two of her six starts to date, including taking out last month’s $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m).  She is set to represent Te Akau Racing’s slot in next week’s NZB Kiwi…