Author: NZRacingDesk

The beaten Blue Diamond Stakes favourite Field Of Play (Deep Field) will continue his racing career in Hong Kong. Co-trainer Trent Busuttin confirmed on Monday the Blue Diamond Prelude winner was going into quarantine ahead of his flight to his new base in Hong Kong instead of heading up to Sydney for a potential tilt at the Golden Slipper Stakes. “We’d like to have him around, but when they are owned in Hong Kong it’s always on the cards one way or the other,” Busuttin said. “It looked like we…

Hours after Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) dazzled in the $3.5m NZB Kiwi (1500m) and Jedibeel (NZ) (Savabeel) won Sydney’s Group Two Challenge Stakes (1000m), the A$150,000 Listed Swan Draught Bunbury Cup (2019m) produced Saturday’s third stakes-winning Karaka graduate by Savabeel. Captain Pluto (NZ) (Savabeel) was offered by Rich Hill Stud in Book 1 of Karaka 2021, where he failed to meet his $150,000 reserve. He has now earned A$358,765 from a 25-race career that has produced six wins and 10 placings. Captain Pluto went into Saturday’s Bunbury Cup with admirably consistent form this preparation. His eight…

Hollie Wynyard has a pair of Trentham features in sight for her talented fillies This Time Girl and Archaic Smile after top performances across the North Island over the weekend. Wynyard’s immediate focus on Saturday was at Ellerslie, where her promising stayer This Time Girl was among the key chances in the Gr.3 Sunline Vase (2100m), and put in a game runner-up performance behind race-favourite and eventual winner Island Life. The $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) has always been at the forefront of Wynyard’s…

A stunning family double for Tony Rider on Champion’s Day elevated the Milan Park principal into rare territory. Rider was still coming to terms on Monday with the enormity of events at Ellerslie where his homebred Savabeel sisters Provence and Damask Rose landed massive feature event blows. The former won the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) and three races later Damask Rose also produced a dashing performance to claim the inaugural running of the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m). “It was amazing and very, very special. It seems…

Raymond Connors has collected every major two-mile prize in New Zealand, and now he is dreaming of a possible tilt at Australasia’s most coveted staying scalp, the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m). The Bulls horseman has long held aspirations of winning the race that stops a continent, and his breeding and racing endeavours have reflected that, with Connors having a plethora of success in New Zealand staying and jumping features. Trav’s victory in the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday completed New Zealand’s feature staying set for Connors, who…

Nine-time Group One champion Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) has jarred up out of Saturday’s Gr.1 All-Star Mile (1600m), but, in encouraging news, is still well on track to race in Hong Kong next month. Mr Brightside fought courageously for a narrow second behind Tom Kitten (Harry Angel) in the new Group One, but co-trainer Ben Hayes said on Monday it was obvious the seven-year-old felt the firm track, which had been upgraded to a Good 3 less than half an hour before the race. “He jarred up out of the…

Classy juvenile Landlock turned a few heads when pushing million-dollar colt Return to Conquer right down to the wire in Saturday’s Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), but the performance came as no surprise to his trainer Cody Cole. The son of Merchant Navy was a debut winner and placed in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) before a storming run into fifth in the $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). Despite this, the gelding was heavily underrated in last Saturday’s $550,000 juvenile feature, starting at $41 while Return To Conquer dominated…

Trainers Simon and Katrina Alexander have always felt distance would be La Crique’s best friend, and they will give her the opportunity to step up over ground when they head to Australia with her later this month. The daughter of Vadamos kept her perennial bridesmaid tag firmly intact over the weekend, bested by the barest of margins by in-form gelding El Vencedor in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie, extending her elite-level runner-up sequence to four. Despite going down for the fourth straight time on Saturday, La…

Robert Dennis already has the leader in the Southern Cups Bonus Series in Loftys Gift, but it was another member of his stable, Sacred Dream (NZ) (Sacred Falls), who took out the penultimate race on Sunday, the Caldwell Contracting Wyndham Cup (2000m). Loftys Gift won last Saturday’s Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) at Wingatui, and in her absence at Gore, that gave other runners an opportunity to gain points before she returns for the Riverton Cup (2147m) next month. Ascot Park-based Dennis had Sacred Dream, Vino Valentino and Stolen Magic…

Guy, Emily & Jayne look back on a landmark day in New Zealand racing in this 90 minute special. They are joined by Reece Trump from Te Akau to talk about bringing up the Group 1 century for the team as well as Damask Rose taking out The NZB Kiwi. Shaun Clotworthy also reflects on Willydoit’s emphatic victory in the Derby. So much racing action, so little time. Weigh In – Champions Day Special