Trainers Ben and Ryan Foote collected an early winning double at Tauranga on Saturday with a pair of gallopers that look destined for bigger things. While he may have only had two rivals in the opening event on the card, two-year-old colt Vega For Luck put on a confident front-running display to take the victory on debut, backing up an impressive win at the Te Rapa trials last month. Ben Foote had noted before the race that he had opted to start his charge primarily to capitalise on an opportunity…
Author: NZRacingDesk
Keeneland puts Busuttin and Young on Derby path again
New Zealand-breds have been a rich source of success for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young in Australian three-year-old staying features, and that trend continued in Saturday’s Listed ABC Bullion Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at Flemington. The expat Kiwi couple collected their third win in the A$175,000 Super Impose with the up-and-comer Keeneland, who followed in the footsteps of fellow Kiwi-breds Main Stage (2017) and Atmosphere (2014). Saturday’s success has Busuttin and Young working backwards from next month’s Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m), which the stable won with Savabeel gelding Sangster back…
Hawera double caps dream week for connections
A special week got even better on Saturday for trainer Robbie Patterson and owner-breeders Eddie and Nicola Bourke and Allan Piercy. They teamed up for back-to-back victories at Hawera with The Hottie in the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Belles Beau in the Energy Ford Hawera (1400m). That winning double came only four days after the rescheduled Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata on Wednesday, which Patterson, the Bourkes and Piercy won with One Bold Cat. “I thought any win here today would top the week…
Grace opens New Zealand account in Egmont Cup
Visiting Australian jockey Harry Grace recorded his first win in New Zealand with a dominant performance by Sacred Pearl in Saturday’s NZFLL Egmont Cup (2100m) at Hawera. The 25-year-old crossed the Tasman to continue his long-running association with Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) contender Rolls, who he guided to a second placing in the Team Wealleans Premier (2000m) at Matamata on Wednesday. Grace is making the most of his Kiwi stint with a number of other rides, including a bold fourth aboard $80 longshot Lightning Jack in the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud…
Three cheers for impressive Tauranga winner
There was no mistaking the most popular victory at Tauranga when promising three-year-old filly Sexy And I Moet had the grandstand rocking as she glided to the winning post in the Ultimate Mazda 3YO (1300m) for her connections, the Heels & Hooves Syndicate #2. The eye-catching daughter of Pierro is raced by a large group of ladies that includes several experienced racegoers and industry participants alongside a host of those experiencing their first venture into horse ownership. Trainer Stephen Marsh alongside bloodstock consultant Dylan Johnson put the syndicate together and…
Positivity going from strength to strength
Andrew Forsman always intended to aim Positivity at Saturday’s Gr.3 Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington, but the Cambridge trainer has been caught off guard by what his rising star stayer has already achieved this spring. The Almanzor mare has made a big impression in her first two starts as a four-year-old, running second in the Listed Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) before securing a ballot-free entry into the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) with her tenacious last-start victory in the Gr.3 MRC Foundation Cup (2000m). That stellar start to the spring caps a…
Turnbull test for Sharp ‘N’ Smart
Graeme Rogerson has seen promising signs that Sharp ‘N’ Smart is rediscovering the form that earned him Horse of the Year honours as a three-year-old, but Saturday’s Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington will put his resurgence to the test. The Redwood gelding won five of his eight starts as a three-year-old, three of them at Group One level. He captured the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) in Sydney, then defeated older rivals in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) before completing his elite treble in the New Zealand Derby (2400m). He…
Kosi vs Saltoro in Singapore finale
The curtain will come down on 182 years of racing in Singapore on Saturday with the 100th and final running of the Singapore Gold Cup. Renamed the S$1.38m Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) for the final edition, the race will be run at 10:40pm New Zealand time as the last of ten races. For the host of participants at the magnificent Kranji facility, it will be a bitter-sweet feeling as a sell-out crowd of more than 10,000 cheer on the local racing stars, only to see the state-of-the-art training and…
Schofield out to continue family record in Epsom
Chad Schofield will be bidding for his share of the family bragging rights when he attempts to join his father Glyn on the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) honour roll. Schofield has picked up the mount on $6 equal favourite Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock) and regards the Joe Pride-trained gelding as his best chance yet to emulate the feat of his jockey father, who won the 2013 renewal on Boban (Bernardini). “That would be nice and it’s definitely the best ride in the Epsom that I’ve had,” Schofield said. “My first ride on him will be Saturday,…
Breeding giant Waikato Stud secure NZB Kiwi slot
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) is excited to announce that leading thoroughbred nursery, Waikato Stud, has secured a coveted slot in the NZB Kiwi (1500m). As a powerhouse in New Zealand’s breeding and racing industry, Waikato Stud is no stranger to success both on and off the track. With the addition of a slot in the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race, they are looking to expand their already impressive portfolio of achievements. “It’s such an exciting time for the New Zealand thoroughbred racing industry as a whole and we are…