Author: NZRacingDesk

Golden Path (NZ) (Belardo) is proving a wonderful advertisement for Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr Sydney arm and the trainers are hoping he can continue to fly the flag at Randwick. The gelding will be chasing a hat-trick of wins in Saturday’s Premier’s Cup Prelude (1800m) after following up a Randwick 2000m success in May with a dominant performance in the Listed McKell Cup (2000m) in June. He hasn’t raced since, but Price has given the horse a barrier trial to top up his fitness, albeit leaving plenty of room for improvement. “I think he’s…

Mark Oulaghan reigned supreme with his star jumpers West Coast (NZ) (Mettre en Jeu) and Berry The Cash (NZ) (Jakkalberry) during the Grand National Carnival last year, and the Awapuni horseman is back and favoured to repeat his heroics on Saturday. West Coast has won the last two editions of the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge 149th Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) among a collection of other prestige titles, and he will attempt to become the first horse in history to go three-in-a-row. His southern campaign kicked off strongly winning the key…

Captains Run (NZ) (Nom du Jeu) flew under the radar in last year’s Great Northern Steeplechase (6500m) and nearly caused a big upset, and he is heading into Saturday’s Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) with a goal of going one better. Dan O’Leary, who bred, owns and prepares Captains Run out of Marton, has quietly built the gelding’s fitness up during the jumps season this year, with a closing third behind West Coast (NZ) (Mettre en Jeu) and Country Bumpkin in the Koral Steeplechase (4250m) last…

Talented winter galloper Spencer (NZ) (Derryn) will aim to continue on his upward trajectory at Te Rapa on Saturday, lining up in the Fulton Hogan 1200. The son of Derryn has made nearly every post a winner this campaign, with three consecutive victories over 1200m culminating in a highly commendable second placing behind winter topliner Belardo Boy (NZ) (Belardo) in the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) last month. His trainer Erin Hocquard had contemplated a trip to Riccarton Park to contest the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) last Saturday, but with just…

Last year’s Tarzino Trophy Day at Hastings will live long in the memory of Sam Bergerson. Just a month into entering a training partnership with Mark Walker at Te Akau Racing, Bergerson recorded his first Group One victory courtesy of Skew Wiff in the Tarzino Trophy (1400m), while on the undercard, Tokyo Tycoon and Quintessa added to his stakes-winning haul when taking out the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) and Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1400m) respectively. “It was an incredible day. We had four winners that…

Dual Group One winning mare Prowess (NZ) (Proisir) sold for $1,452,500 online on Thursday via Gavelhouse Plus after a protracted bidding war. The quality daughter of Proisir was trained by Roger James and Robert Wellwood for a family syndicate headed by Dean Skipper, and won eight of her 12 starts including five consecutive black-type victories as a three-year-old. Prowess was a $230,000 yearling purchase at Karaka in 2021 from the draft of breeders Hallmark Stud, and she turned that into more than $3 million when incorporating her $1,452,500 sale price…

Flemington trainer Simon Zahra will be hoping that history can somewhat repeat itself when Duke Of Hastings (NZ) (Sacred Falls) lines up at The Valley on Saturday. The six-year-old is due to contest the Domsafe Handicap (2500m) and as Zahra pointed out, there is a precedent with the horse using The Valley as a tool to return to winning ways. “He found form at this meeting last year, he ran a really nice fourth and then came up and won his next start,” Zahra said. “He enjoys the track, hopefully…

The $100,000 TAB 2000 was tailor-made for a horse like Heart Of Gold(NZ)(Niagara), and the Sam Mynott-trained gelding simply dominated the feature at Cambridge Synthetic on Thursday. There are few horses around the country with a synthetic record like Heart Of Gold, with each of his six race victories coming at the Cambridge venue, initially for Darryn and Briar Weatherley before moving to Mynott’s stable over the summer period. Mynott earmarked the innovation race early in his current preparation and his sterling form on the surface continued in the lead-up,…

Group One placed colt Linebacker(NZ) (Super Seth) will be back in action soon with the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained three-year-old set to be aimed at a series of elite level races this spring. The son of Super Seth won two of his three starts as a juvenile with a four-length debut victory at Hawkesbury followed by victory in the Gr.3 Baillieu (1400m). Linebacker then finished a hard-fought second behind star colt Broadsiding in the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m). “He will trial next Friday,” Charlton told RSN. “He’ll have two…

Leading jockey Lisa Allpress will be on the sidelines for an indefinite period after suffering a broken vertebra following a fall at Riccarton Park on Wednesday. Her mount, Pretending, broke down after crossing the line in the Elmwood Trading Co Maiden (1200m), dislodging Allpress, with the fall resulting in her injury. She subsequently underwent surgery at Christchurch Hospital on Thursday morning and her husband, Karl Allpress, said she has come through it well. “She is in Christchurch Hospital, and she has just got out of surgery,” he said. “She broke…