Andrew Forsman has won every Group One race for three-year-olds in New Zealand apart from the Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), and the Cambridge trainer hopes Kitty Flash(NZ) (Ace High) might be the filly to give him his missing piece at Riccarton on Saturday. During his highly successful partnership with Murray Baker, Forsman picked up three wins in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) with Turn Me Loose (2014), Madison County (2018) and Aegon (2020). The pair won the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) on two occasions…
Author: NZRacingDesk
Love Poem Targets Second Group One Opportunity
Well-bred filly Love Poem will take on some of the best of her generation for the second time in a week when she lines up in Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm 52nd New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. The daughter of Snitzel is backing up from last Saturday’s Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), in which she ran a gallant second behind standout colt Savaglee. “I thought it was a brilliant run,” trainer Stephen Marsh said. “She was just beaten by the season’s benchmark three-year-old. We went up and had a…
Aeliana Shines as a Star from Day One
Denise Martin didn’t need to be asked twice when Chris Waller called her about a potential yearling purchase out of New Zealand in early 2023. For starters, Waller and the Star Thoroughbreds managing director have formed a formidable combination on the track, teaming up with G1 winners Espiona, Foxplay and Invinciella. Incidentally, the filly in question was closely related to Star’s pin-up mare Invincibella and came highly recommended by Waller’s bloodstock consultant Guy Mulcaster. Lot 582 at the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale was a daughter of first-season sire Castelvecchio and…
Moody Prepares Wish for Extended Distances
After spending the past two years in a lucrative sprinting mode, I Wish I Win(NZ) (Savabeel) will return to racing in 2025 with a readjusted aim of establishing himself over longer trips. Co-trainer Peter Moody said I Wish I Win will return to work next week with the plan to test him out over further in a campaign which could culminate in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick over 2000m. “We’ve had a couple of cracks at sprinting, he’s been very good at it but now we’ll put him over…
Rue de Royale Sets Sights on the Sapphire Stakes
With two of the eight runners in Saturday’s Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, Tony and Calvin McEvoy are hopeful their charges can be the ones to serve it up to Golden Slipper runner-up Coleman. The Ballarat-based duo will saddle up Rue de Royale(NZ) (Per Incanto) and Cavity Bay in the $500,000 contest and Tony McEvoy is confident his colt in particular, who placed behind Evaporate(NZ) (Per Incanto) and Henlein two starts ago in the G2 Stutt Stakes, can make his presence felt back to 1400 metres. While…
Latta Aims to Add to Her Winning Record at Riccarton
Awapuni trainer Lisa Latta is no stranger to big-race success during New Zealand Cup Week, and she will have chances in each of the three feature events at Riccarton Park on Saturday. The Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) will come first, with Latta’s progressive filly Connello(NZ) (Time Test) bringing victories in her last two starts to the elite-level contest. The most recent of those was in open three-year-old company at Trentham in the hands of Tina Comignaghi, who retains the ride. “I’m looking forward to getting her…
Weather playing a key role for Orlov
David Haworth will be keeping a close eye on weather conditions at Trentham on Friday, with the Pullman Hotel Melbourne (1600m) a hopeful lead-in to a shot at stakes level for his talented gelding Orlov(NZ) (Sweynesse). The seven-year-old son of Sweynesse resumed stylishly at Otaki last month, finishing second to well-performed mare Sumi. Haworth, based at Foxton, avoided starting on the heavy surface at Trentham in his next assignment, a decision he will continue to follow if the track deteriorates in the next 24 hours. “I was thrilled with him…
Costae Pursues Dream Outcome for New Group
Emerging filly Costae(NZ) (Ribchester) has taken the rarest of avenues to the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton, where she will bid to deliver a dream result for a new ownership group. The daughter of Ribchester successfully progressed through a poly-track path before an impressive last-start victory at Ellerslie to book her place in Saturday’s Barneswood Farm-sponsored Classic. Trained by Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray, Costae placed in her first two runs on the Cambridge Synthetic track before she won on the Awapuni all-weather. “She was purchased by…
Weight-for-Age Conditions a Better Fit for Ladies Man
New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock is pleased he made a late change to the spring itinerary of Ladies Man(NZ) (Zed), who will now line up in the Gr.2 Gartshore Tauranga Stakes (1600m) on Saturday. The winner of seven of his 29 starts headed by the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings last year, Ladies Man was originally entered for the Gr.3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham on October 27. However, his rating of 105 would have seen him carry 60kg in that event while most of his rivals had 53kg…
Jamie Richards ends winless sequence at Happy Valley, Zac Purton slots double
Tested by the travails of a challenging season, Jamie Richards combined with Zac Purton to end a frustrating run of outs at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (13 November) with a rare piece of good fortune before the last three races of the meeting were abandoned because of weather-related safety considerations. Richards ended a 47-race run of outs when Lucky Touch(NZ) (Sweynesse) landed the second section of the Class 4 Lung Cheung Handicap (1650m) – the second race on the card – before Hong Kong Jockey Club officials decided to…