Author: NZRacingDesk

Leonard Stewart celebrated a winning double on Sunday from the comforts of his home in Timaru, with Miss Miranda (NZ) (Time Test) and Vague (NZ) (Tobique) collecting each of the open handicaps at Ascot Park. The pair were Stewart’s only runners at the meeting, with Miss Miranda taking her place in the Editor’s Cut Sports Bar Handicap (1200m) off the back of a narrow defeat to Tikki at Gore last month. The daughter of Time Test showed her customary early speed, finding the lead under Samantha Wynne and running along…

A technical video fault meant very few got to see Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) jumpout at Flemington last Friday morning, but co-trainer Will Hayes was happy to confirm the 800-metre test was a worthy exercise with a view to racing in Hong Kong later this month. “We’re really happy,” Hayes said at Caulfield on Saturday. “It was just a shame there was a technical fault in the trial so no one else got to see it. “It was a classic first trial (800m) for us. Craig (Williams) just fell on…

The team review Day One of the Championships where the Kiwi’s were again to the fore. Plus, we review the domestic action and look forward to Awapuni returning. Weigh In, April 6

Talented galloper Duncan Creek (NZ) (Super Easy) showed his prowess over ground at Wanganui on Saturday, giving Patrick Campbell the confidence to press on to the Listed Valley D’Vine Restaurant Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) in a weeks’ time. A previous winner over 1200m and 1400m, Duncan Creek looked right at home last start in his first attempt over the middle-distance trip, finishing third behind Orlov and Tshiebwe. Stepping back to Rating 75 company, he was allocated the 61kg topweight, with two kilograms of relief courtesy of Jim Chung’s claim. Contesting…

Champion harness racing trainer Mark Purdon turned his talents to the galloping code on Saturday at Ellerslie, winning his first thoroughbred race with Buster Shaw (NZ) (War Decree). With over 2600 victories to his name preparing standardbreds, Purdon took on a new challenge in mid-2023, stepping into the thoroughbred industry in the South Island, before moving to his new base at Matamata. Among his first runners was Buster Shaw, a four-year-old by War Decree who narrowly missed scoring during New Zealand Cup Week in 2023, and had been lightly-raced since…

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Emma-Lee and David Browne planned to use Saturday’s A$130,000 Robert Taranto Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield as a lead-up to a country cup for Rhinoceros (NZ) (Vadamos), but the New Zealand-bred gelding had other ideas and rattled home for a $31 upset win. The six-year-old headed into Saturday’s race with a strong run of form away from the bright lights of metropolitan racing. He had won the Dunkeld Cup (1800m) in November and the Colac Cup (2000m) in February, followed by a fourth in the Echuca Cup (1400m) and a last-start…

New Zealand-bred filly Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) secured a special place in the 164-year history of the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) with a stunning five-length blitz in the A$2 million classic at Randwick on Saturday. Aeliana became only the 10th filly to win the Australian Derby, and one of just two in the last 35 years. The other filly to win the race during that period was fellow New Zealand-bred Shamrocker (NZ) (O’Reilly) in 2011. The Chris Waller-trained Aeliana burst on the scene in the spring with back-to-back wins in the…

For the second year in a row, Horsham trainer Paul Preusker has won the A$200,000 Gr.3 Tobin Brothers Celebrating Lives Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield with a New Zealand-bred. Preusker won the race with Savabeel gelding Captain Envious (NZ) (Savabeel) last year, and on Saturday he secured a repeat result with Tarzino five-year-old Torranzino (NZ) (Tarzino). The Easter Cup was Torranzino’s third start in his current preparation, having run a bold first-up fourth behind Deny Knowledge in the Listed Victoria Gold Cup (2000m) in late February before a close last-start…

After taking on elite opposition all season, Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) stepped down in class and scored a deserved victory in the Elsdon Park (1300m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. The $65,000 open handicap was the first time Sacred Satono has raced below Group or Listed level in his five-year-old preparation. His seven previous starts produced a seventh in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m), third in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), second in the Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m), fourth in the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes (1200m), second in the Gr.1 Telegraph…