Author: NZRacingDesk

Racing is set to return to Te Aroha next week after the club successfully completed the return to racing protocols on Wednesday. The course held a set of nine trials, with 59 horses from the Cambridge, Matamata, Te Awamutu and local Te Aroha training centres attending. Through the latter part of winter, several scheduled meetings at Te Aroha were transferred to other venues to allow for extensive renovations to further progress the track surface and profile functionality. “Over the course of the renovation project, we have completed extensive work on…

There is a distinct Kiwi flavour to the 191-strong nominations for December’s LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR), headlined by New Zealand-bred Australian stars Antino (NZ) (Redwood) and Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars). Antino, a son of Westbury Stud stallion Redwood, was an impressive last start winner of the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield earlier this month and the Tony Gollan-trained six-year-old is now in line to head to Hong Kong to tackle the HK$36 million (NZ$7.7 million) Gr.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m). Multiple Group One winner Mr Brightside…

Ellerslie’s Saturday meeting will mark the start of a career for one exciting Tony Pike-trained galloper in Storm Front (NZ) (Snitzel), while another, Not Guilty (NZ) (Not A Single Doubt), will commence her final campaign on the racetrack. The winner of last year’s Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m), alongside multiple placings at Listed and Group Three level, Not Guilty has been a consistent campaigner in the Pike stable, and with nothing left to prove, has been put in foal. “She’s a stakes winner and has been a very good mare to…

Group Three performer Waihaha Falls (NZ) (Sacred Falls) has returned to the care of co-breeder and part-owner Guy Lowry and is set to make his New Zealand debut for the Hawke’s Bay trainer at Trentham on Sunday.  Lowry bred the now seven-year-old gelding in partnership with Waikato Stud, and the gelding showed a lot of early promise, winning a 1000m trial at Foxton, which persuaded the partnership to send the son of Sacred Falls over to Sydney to race for trainer John O’Shea.  He was a consistent performer across the…

Cody Cole will spend most of his long weekend in the Central Districts with representatives across two meetings, including his early Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) contender Landlock at Trentham. The Merchant Navy juvenile made a winning debut at Wanganui in late September, adding an all-important $23,000 to his stakes earnings ahead of a bid at the $1 million feature in January. Kelly Myers was aboard when he just bettered a game Princess Elsa in the race, and she remains in the saddle for Sunday’s Graham’s Painters 900. “He’s come through…

Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) will be out to overturn his narrow defeat in last year’s Cox Plate when he heads to The Valley for this year’s edition. Champion jockey Craig Williams did something at ‘Breakfast With The Best’ at Moonee Valley that he rarely does, ride Mr Brightside in a track gallop.  Williams has been associated with Mr Brightside since the gelding’s third career start, riding him in 34 of his 38 starts and in 15 of his 17 victories.  The pair has combined in six Group 1 wins and will chase a seventh in the Cox…

Well-performed staying mare Par Tee (NZ) (Verdi) collected her second victory in the space of six days at Gore on Wednesday, powering home to win the Kevin Coyle Memorial (2000m). The daughter of Verdi had started a warm favourite in the Rating 75 2200m contest last Friday at Wingatui, where she was far too strong for her rivals, drawing away by three lengths under Ruvanesh Muniandy. Stepping into open company, Leda Beck, who trains the mare out of Winton, opted to remain with an apprentice in Donovan Cooper, decreasing her…

Promising filly Acapelago (NZ) (Belardo) will face her sternest test to date when she heads north to Ellerslie on Saturday to contest the Gr.2 Windsor Park Stud Soliloquy Stakes (1400m).  The three-year-old feature has attracted a strong line-up, including Group One performer Archaic Smile, Group Two performer Love Poem, and last start Group Three winner Alabama Lass, and trainers Simon and Katrina Alexander are keen to see how their filly measures up this weekend.  Acapelago heads into the race in good form, having downed subsequent winner Levakia two starts back…

Sandy Cunningham has eyes on a major upcoming domestic prize rather than another trip to Victoria with her proven stayer Noble Knight (NZ) (Ghibellines). The Riccarton trainer’s focus is on next month’s Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) and her in-form seven-year-old will have his final lead-up on his home track this Saturday. Noble Knight will step out in the NZB Airfreight Road To Jericho (3000m), but there’s no chance a victory would convince part-owner Cunningham to set sail for The Jericho Cup (4600m) at Warrnambool on December 1.…