Author: NZRacingDesk

Matamata is set to host the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) for the second time in three years after a slippery track forced the abandonment of Saturday’s blockbuster race meeting at Hastings. The second day of the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival had promised so much, with quality fields set to compete under blue skies. But a short burst of rain late on Friday afternoon created a slippery layer on the surface of the track, which was rated Good4 on Friday and Soft5 on Saturday morning. The effects of that moisture…

Elite New Zealand racehorse Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai) has made a perfect start to the next chapter of his career, capturing Saturday’s Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m) in his second start for new trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman. Desert Lightning was a five-race winner and million-dollar earner in New Zealand for the now-retired training team of Peter and Dawn Williams. He finished fourth in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old and second in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at three, then went to a…

Love Poem propelled herself up the fixed-odds market for the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) with a dominant first-up performance at Te Rapa on Friday. The highly talented Snitzel filly was a stakes placegetter in all of her three starts as a two-year-old. She was runner-up to Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) on debut in the Gr.3 Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m), then finished third behind Captured By Love and Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). In her only other start, she ran second to…

Evergreen galloper Green Luck showed there was still plenty of life left in his ten-year-old legs as he downed his younger rivals to take out the Waimakariri Businesses North Canterbury Cup (2000m), the feature event at Riccarton on Saturday. The former Hong Kong galloper arrived in New Zealand back in 2022 after commencing his career in Australia, where he was successful in two of his three starts before heading to Hong Kong where he won another six races and more than $1million in prizemoney. Once in New Zealand he joined…

Nine-year-old warhorse Times Ticking (NZ) (Tavistock) upstaged his younger rivals with a brilliant first-up performance in Saturday’s Marshall Batteries Open Handicap (1400m) at Riccarton. The $50,000 feature marked the beginning of a seventh season of racing for the Tavistock gelding, who had not been seen on raceday since he ran seventh in the Easter Cup (1600m) on May 4. Coming up against a talented line-up on a Good3 surface that might be expected to be too firm for his liking, Times Ticking was somewhat overlooked as an $11.70 sixth favourite…

Talented New Zealand import Firestorm (NZ) (Satono Aladdin)  improved her perfect four-year-old record to two-from-two with another impressive win at Rosehill on Saturday, heading a Kiwi-bred trifecta in the A$160,000 EGroup Protective Services Handicap (1900m). Firestorm showed promise on both sides of the Tasman as a three-year-old last season, finishing sixth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) before relocating to Australia and running fourth in the Gr.3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m), third in the Listed Princess Stakes (1600m), third in the Gr.3 Drinkwise Mile (1600m) and midfield in…

Put on the spot in a pre-race interview trainer Kenny Rae was asked which of his two runners was the best winning chance in the third race on the card at Riccarton, the Prides Easifeed – Nobby Bussell Memorial Two-Year-Old (800m). Rae didn’t falter as he claimed War Decree filly Eliza James (NZ) was the better option over Vanbrugh colt Sailor Sam (NZ) and so it proved as jockey Jasmine Fawcett was merely a passenger throughout as Eliza James blew her rivals off the track with a sustained burst of…

Unique Ambition took on black-type company over a range of distances as a three-year-old last season, but trainer John Sargent believes her first-up win in Saturday’s A$120,000 Midway Handicap (1300m) at Rosehill will be a step towards a successful campaign as a miler. The New Zealand-bred daughter of Tavistock was a winner at Newcastle and Scone last season, and she also finished 10th in the Gr.2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m), 10th in the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m), eighth in the Gr.3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m), 10th in the Gr.3 James…

Trainer Mark Walker achieved another notable milestone when Age of Discovery (NZ) (Savabeel) bolted home in the Rangiora New World Guineas Trial (1400m) at Riccarton. The win was victory number 2000 for Walker in a stellar career that has seen him dominate in New Zealand and Singapore for Te Akau Racing whilst he is also quickly establishing his presence for the Te Akau team from their Cranbourne base in Australia. One of the hallmarks of Walkers mentorship has been his uncanny ability with the younger horses and Age Of Discovery…

Smart three-year-old Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto) has maintained his rich-vein of form with a comfortable victory in the Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on Friday night. Trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes continue to build the confidence of the good looking son of Per Incanto, who has now won four races in succession. After a winless two-year-old season, Evaporate bounced off a maiden victory at Cranbourne at the beginning of the season to win a pair of Saturday races at The Valley before taking the step up to…