Author: NZRacingDesk

Exuberance (NZ) (Savabeel) has given New Zealand trainer Mark Walker something to smile about after a Group 1 defeat in New Zealand. Trainer Mark Walker was enduring a tough day at the office prior to the maiden victory of Exuberance at Cranbourne.  Walker was at Cranbourne on Wednesday having overseen trackwork on Tuesday in the lead-up to the Turnbull Stakes Day meeting at Flemington on Saturday.  In between races at Cranbourne, Walker was tuned in to watch Group 1 action from New Zealand where he witnessed Skew Wiff run second in the Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata.  “I thought…

The Turnbull Stakes at Flemington is a race that will shape the future of a number of spring hopes. The countdown is on towards the feature Cups and the Turnbull Stakes Day meeting at Flemington is moving day in many eyes.  The Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on Saturday is a race, in particular, that shines the light on the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 19 with Verry Elleegant (2020) and Incentivise (2021) winning at Flemington and then scoring again two weeks later.  It is for that reason many of the leading Caulfield Cup…

Robbie Patterson had his sights set on the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) for One Bold Cat (NZ) (The Bold One), but the gelding showed he can be just as impressive at a mile with a powerful victory in Wednesday’s Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata. One Bold Cat burst onto the scene with a decisive win in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m) last November, and he continued to feature prominently in the top-flight staying contests, placing behind Legarto and Campionessa in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m). Returning as…

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has today announced the resignation of Chief Executive Bruce Sharrock. “I joined NZTR with a genuine passion for racing and a determination to see us return to the glory days of the sport. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished over the past 30 months, and feel the time is right to step aside and let the team continue to execute this vision for the future,” said Sharrock who has served as CEO since April 2022. Sharrock will remain in his role as…

There was plenty of drama with the abandonment of last Saturday’s feature meeting at Hawke’s Bay, and that drama continued at the transferred meeting at Matamata on Wednesday in the running of the Gr.2 AHD Animal Health Direct – Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).  Short-priced favourite Captured By Love reared up as the gates were released, losing six lengths at the start, and what looked to be all chance in the three-year-old feature.  So Naïve took up the pace making role up front, while second favourite Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) was posted…

Group One performer To Catch A Thief is a maiden no longer after taking out the Betta Inspect It Premier (1300m) at Matamata on Wednesday.  The four-year-old gelding was having his first start for Joanne Surgenor, having previously been trained by Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall, for whom he placed in 10 of his 14 starts for the Matamata conditioners.  The son of U S Navy Flag was a standout juvenile, running third in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) and…

Five years after being bought on gavelhouse.com for just $5,000, stakes-winning mare Casino Princess(NZ) (Casino Princess) is being re-offered as a valuable broodmare prospect on Gavelhouse Plus.  Trained by the remarkable 93-year-old Cliff Goss, who shared ownership with his friend Darryl Heaphy, Casino Princess had only 13 starts for six wins, four placings and $141,360 in stakes.  “She did an amazing job for Dad in just a short career, winning six races up to Listed level,” Goss’s daughter Cherry Taylor said. “Had she not had a little bleed in trackwork…

There were some anxious moments for talented hoop Wiremu Pinn on Tuesday following an incident at the Waipa trials that could have placed his trip to Sydney this weekend in jeopardy.  “One just flipped over in the barriers and crushed me a bit at the back of the gates,” Pinn said. “My x-rays and scans are clean, I am just a little bit sore. I am just thankful nothing is broken.  “I will be alright to ride this week, I just thought I would have today (Wednesday) off, but I…

Singapore racing’s final chapter will be written in the S$1.38m Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) this Saturday, ending a proud history at Kranji that several New Zealanders have enriched with their skills and horses. Respected Kiwi trainers Laurie Laxon, Mark Walker, Stephen Gray, Bruce Marsh, Paddy Busuttin and Donna Logan have combined to win more than 3000 races in Singapore since the late 1990s. Many of those successes came from horses that were bred in New Zealand or sold through the Karaka sale ring. By 2014 Laxon had won nine…

Dan Meagher joined Michael Felgate on Racing Pulse ahead of the last ever Singapore racemeeting the Singapore Gold Cup where he will be represented by Lim’s Kosciuszko and Lim’s Saltoro.  Dan Meagher ahead of the last race meeting in Singapore – Racing Pulse with Michael Felgate – Omny.fm