Group One winner Smokin’ Romans broke a two-year win drought in style on Saturday with a black-type success at the scene of his biggest triumph. The Ghibellines gelding went into Saturday’s A$300,000 Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington as a nine-time winner from a career spanning 39 starts. However, he had not won since taking out the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington in October of 2022. The eight-year-old turned back the clock in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes under a front-running ride from Ben Melham. He held the chasers…
Author: NZRacingDesk
Sprint series adding more sizzle to summer racing
Off the back of the success of last season’s middle-distance bonus series, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Entain Australia & New Zealand have this season launched the Champion Sprint Series, sponsored by Sport Nation. The series will run alongside the revamped Rich Hill Champion Middle Distance Series, with the final races of each series culminating on Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8, also home to the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m). Points will be allocated to the first four placegetters of each race in the respective series, with…
Te Akau hoping stars align at Riccarton
It’s not very often that Te Akau Racing take the underdog tag into any race, particularly the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), but that’s the case this weekend with their representative When Stars Align. The trans-Tasman operation has a strong record in the Riccarton feature, having won seven previous editions – Noverre (2021), Embellish (2017), Xtravagant (2015), Rock ‘N’ Pop (2011), Tell A Tale (2008), Darci Brahma (2005) and King’s Chapel (2003) – with current co-trainer Mark Walker having trained the latter three. Draci Brahma…
Dusty Road tackles another Te Rapa feature
Te Rapa has brought the best out of Dusty Road with a career-high run of form in recent months, and owner-trainer Graeme Cameron is hoping to extend that sequence with another bold performance in Saturday’s Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m). The Shamexpress gelding put together back-to-back wins at the Hamilton track earlier in this campaign, taking out a 1400m open handicap on July 27 and adding a 1200m open handicap on August 10. He blotted his form line with a seventh at Matamata in early September, but bounced back in…
The Radiant One to uphold carnival tradition
A fresh-up tilt at Saturday’s Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton will give The Radiant One an opportunity to add to a proud New Zealand Cup Carnival legacy. The Radiant One races in the yellow, green, black and pink colours of her respected owner-trainer-breeders the Dennis brothers, who have been a mainstay of the South Island industry through more than five decades dating back to their foundation mare The Pixie. The Woodlands siblings have celebrated countless successes throughout the South Island, North Island and Australia since then, and…
Dunell Celebrates Breeding Triumph on Melbourne Cup Day
Well-known racing photographer Trish Dunell had a day to remember on Tuesday, recording success as a breeder on racing’s biggest stage at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day. Following a busy day plying her trade at the Ellerslie races, Dunell was able to watch Fancify take out the Gr.3 The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) in the hands of Joe Bowditch for trainer Michael Hickmott. Dunell had raced the daughter of Niagara up until recently before selling to a client of Hickmott’s, and while disappointed she wasn’t able to enjoy…
Crocetti Shines in Pukekohe gallop
Group One star Crocetti(NZ) (Zacinto) moved a step closer to his return to racing with a pleasing exhibition gallop between races at Pukekohe on Thursday. The son of Zacinto was one of the standouts of New Zealand’s three-year-old crop last season, winning six of his seven starts including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Sarten Memorial (1400m), Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) and Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). His only defeat in that campaign was a runner-up finish behind Bonny Lass when he took on older horses in the…
Emerging mare heads Kiwi-bred trifecta on Oaks Day
New Zealand-breds finished first, second and third in the A$150,000 Good Friday Appeal Trophy (2000m) on the Crown Oaks undercard at Flemington on Thursday, headed by a lightly raced mare whose star is on the rise. The aptly named Alma Rise(NZ) (Almanzor) recorded her third win from only a six-start career in Thursday’s Benchmark 80 handicap. The Almanzor mare has placed in all of the other three, including a runner-up finish in the Listed VRC St Leger (2800m) in April, and has now earned A$203,125 in stakes. Alma Rise was…
Hi Yo Legacy continues for Reid’s family
Hi Yo Legacy(NZ) (Per Incanto) is the latest success story for Kim Reid out of her family’s late broodmare Hi Yo Wassup, with the five-year-old producing an impressive victory on debut at New Plymouth on Wednesday. A quiet trial at Foxton prepared Hi Yo Legacy for his first raceday appearance over a mile, where he settled back in the field early under George Rooke. The gelding loomed into contention turning for home and kept finding in the closing stages, powering away from the remainder of the field by 3-3/4 lengths.…
$1million NZB Kiwi Bonus Up for Grabs
Dear Trainers and Owners, The NZB Kiwi (1500m) is set to introduce a new era in New Zealand racing. With over $4.5 million in stakes and bonuses, the race aims to boost domestic racing with a significant prize pool and attract international attention. Alongside the base prizemoney of the NZB Kiwi, an additional $1 million in bonuses is up for grabs each year across several iconic New Zealand and Australian lead-up races, with allocations for the bonus pool split as follows: $600k for 1st, $250k for 2nd and $150k for 3rd. With this added bonus, the NZB Kiwi…