Author: NZRacingDesk

Tony Pike is hoping to collect two wins in quick succession with Agera (NZ) (Complacent), who will back up from Saturday’s success into the Richard Bright Memorial (1550m) at Cambridge Synthetic on Wednesday. A son of Complacent, Agera faced a decent task in a fresh state at Te Rapa in early July when finishing fifth, but he was back in firing form a month later at the Waikato venue. Stepping up to a mile, Agera was given a comfortable run midfield by jockey Matt Cartwright before coming out on top…

Mark Oulaghan is among the most successful and humble figures in New Zealand jumps racing, a sport that witnessed a history-making performance by his stable star West Coast (NZ) (Mettre en Jeu) last Saturday at Riccarton Park.   West Coast collected a phenomenal third-straight Grand National Steeplechase (5600m), an achievement never before achieved in the 149-year history of the event, while his younger stablemate Berry The Cash (NZ) (Jakkalberry) also went back-to-back in the Grand National Hurdles (4200m).   Reflecting on a successful week in Christchurch, Oulaghan was pleased to defend the…

Bevan and Robyn Wilson celebrated an almost perfect day at Riccarton with a family that has served them so well for decades. The Ashburton owner-trainers won races on Saturday with homebred half-brothers Victor Rouge and Victorian Charm while their half-sibling Lord Darci finished runner-up. “We were very pleased with the way they all went, they had been racing well apart from Lord Darci who had a bit of a hiccup in the Winter Cup (Gr.3, 1600m),” Bevan Wilson said. “It was nice to see him bounce back in a bit…

Two New Zealand sourced horses fought out a exciting finish in the $300,000 Raffles Cup at Kranji on Sunday with Lim’s Saltoro (NZ) (Shamexpress) doing what few people thought possible by holding off Lim’s Kosciuszko in a epic contest. It was a remarkable feat given the last-start Singapore Derby (1800m) winner was at his first attempt in the weight-for-age race. Furthermore, his stablemate and 2023 two-time Raffles Cup winner Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec), who was bred by Trelawney Stud, was undefeated in four starts this year and was justifiably sent out…

Bill Thurlow’s top performers are still waiting in the wings ahead of the spring racing period, but that didn’t stop the Waverley horseman from picking up an impressive double at Woodville on Sunday. After finishing a narrow second in the opener with Towrope, Thurlow collected his first winner of the meeting with progressive mare Ziggy Khan (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) in the Beale Trucking (2200m). The five-year-old daughter of Mongolian Khan was having just her sixth start and broke maiden status a fortnight ago at Waverley, with the step-up to Rating…

Glen Massey horsewoman Shelley Wright was rapt to kick off her season on a winning note at Te Rapa on Saturday, courtesy of progressive stayer Endean Ace (NZ) (Tarzino). A gelding by Tarzino, Endean Ace had been knocking on the door to break maiden status with two strong efforts over a mile and 2100 metres this campaign, closing a $4.70 second-favourite to Hootie Johnson ($3.50). Contesting the Waikato Draught 2100, Endean Ace was trapped wide from an outside barrier in the early stages under apprentice Ngakau Hailey, who soon found…

A classy field of some of the best and brightest gallopers in New Zealand racing went around in an open 1100m trial to kick proceedings off at Te Rapa on Saturday. For most, the trial provided the perfect opportunity to test fitness levels ahead of their looming spring assignments with a number of eye-catching runs, none more so than the first three home in the contest. Leading sprinter/miler Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) led comfortably throughout with rider Triston Moodley having a good grip on the five-year-old entire the length…

Master Marko (NZ) (Contributer) continued to make an impression since returning to New Zealand at Riccarton Park on Saturday, picking up his second victory in four starts with a decisive display in the Heatstore Open Handicap (1400m). The son of Contributer is owned by trainer Kelvin Tyler and his wife Vanessa, who campaigned him across the Tasman for just shy of two years after he placed in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) as a three-year-old. After collecting four wins racing in Queensland, Master Marko returned to his homeland in the…

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Richard and Chantelle Jolly’s See You In Heaven (Divine Prohet) has made the best possible start to her campaign, dominating the Gr.3 Behemoth Stakes (1200m) first-up at Morphettville on Saturday. A strong field of mostly locals assembled for the A$150,000 contest, and while the Group Two-winning mare started favourite ($3.30), a 10-month gap between runs and a recent lacklustre trial saw plenty of money head elsewhere. But even off this break, See You In Heaven proved a class above, sitting wide with cover before peeling out in the straight and…