Author: NZRacingDesk

Riccarton’s Listed Lindauer Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) is a special race on the calendar for local trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman, who won the $140,000 sprint showpiece again on Saturday with a remarkable performance from a rising star. Mystic Park became the Pitman stable’s sixth Stewards’ Stakes winner in the last 17 years, joining Coup Bloomsbury (2007), Coup Align (2009 and 2010) and El Chico, who won it as a seven-year-old in 2011 and again as an 11-year-old in 2015. With those previous winners along with Group One speedsters like Enzo’s…

A perfect ride by Nash Rawiller has aided Harlow Mist to record her fourth career victory for trainer John Sargent when successful in the Bella Group Midway Handicap (1600m) at Newcastle on Saturday. The four-year-old mare by Contributer was back in the winner’s circle for the first time in just over 12 months, having campaigned in elite company as a three-year-old. Group Two placed in the Wakeful Stakes (2000m) last spring, Harlow Mist had been building towards a win with a good fifth in the A$500,000 Four Pillars (1500m) at…

Promising mare Bella Waters indicated she is on the right path to success in some of the upcoming major summer feature events when she came from last to secure victory in the Gr.2 Gartshore Tauranga Stakes (1600m) at Tauranga. Carrying the colours of Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay, who bred and race her, the Moira and Kieran Murdoch-prepared five-year-old was having just her second start in a new campaign after signing off her four-year-old season with success in the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) back in May. A decent…

The emerging rivalry between exciting fillies Alabama Lass and Captured By Love swung back in Captured By Love’s favour with an outstanding performance in Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm 52nd New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. The Matamata-trained stars clashed for the first time in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) on their home track in February, where Captured By Love beat Alabama Lass by a length and three-quarters. That was the only defeat from the first five career starts for Alabama Lass, who went on to string together three…

Apprentice Sima Mxothwa would have had his heart in his mouth with 250m to run in Saturday’s Laser Plumbing Waihi Beach (1400m) at Tauranga. Trainer Allan Sharrock entrusted the four kilogram-claiming apprentice with the ride on race favourite Sumi in the open 1400m contest and up until the closing stages of the contest Mxothwa had done most things right on the seven-year-old mare. Having let the daughter of Atlante find her rhythm towards the back of the field, Mxothwa began to track up behind runners approaching the home bend. Sumi…

New Zealand-bred four-year-old Ruakaka Raider landed a last-stride victory when successful in the Vale Colin McKenna (1700m) at Caulfield on Saturday for trainer Cindy Alderson. The gelded son of Redwood raced midfield with cover and was given a perfect ride by Daniel Stackhouse as he found a gap mid straight to dash through and collar the favourite Hiyaam Proud on the line. It was the first city win for the progressive gelding, who has now won three of his six starts, which will no doubt prove a tonic for trainer…

Former Kiwi galloper Jimmysstar(NZ) (Per Incanto) will step up to Group One company for the first time on Saturday when the lightly-raced son of Per Incanto contests the Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday. The winner of two of his three starts in New Zealand for Hastings trainer Guy Lowry, a majority share in Jimmysstar was sold to clients of Ciaron Maher in September of last year and the chestnut has continued on an upward trajectory for his new connections. Now the winner of seven of…

Riccarton racegoers could be in for a treat on Saturday when they get to witness one of the burgeoning rivalries in New Zealand racing come to a head. Exciting fillies Alabama Lass and Captured By Love will go head-to-head for just the third time in the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), with the ledger currently being one win apiece. The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Captured By Love asserted her dominance in their first meeting when taking out the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) last season, while…

New Zealand raider Dionysus(NZ) (Ocean Park) will attempt to secure stakes success for his connections when he heads to Newcastle on Saturday to contest the Listed The New Zealand Bloodstock Beauford (2300m). Cambridge trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood had found it hard to place the seven-year-old gelding in New Zealand and looked offshore for potential targets and felt the Beauford presented as an ideal race. “He was getting to the stage where he was hard to place here. He was high up in the handicaps and he is possibly…