Category: Featured

Former Irish galloper Rosso (Camelot) showed he will be a force to be reckoned with in some of the major staying races in New Zealand left to come this season when he took out the Rating 82 Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Premier (2600m) at Riccarton with ridiculous ease on Saturday. Trained by Michael and Matthew Pitman, the five-year-old son of Camelot started his career in his native Ireland where he was successful in one of his five starts before being exported to the Australian stable of Anthony and Sam…

Next month’s A$300,000 Listed Pakenham Cup (2500m) is on the radar for Skippers Canyon (NZ) (Belardo) after he collected his second Australian victory in come-from-behind style in the A$130,000 Sharp EIT Solutions Handicap (1700m) at Caulfield on Saturday. The Belardo gelding was imported by OTI Racing after 10 starts in New Zealand, including a maiden win over 2100m at Otaki in January. He also recorded three seconds and a third, along with a fourth in the $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m) and a fifth in the Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m). Skippers…

Owner-trainers Tim and Margaret Carter appear to have chosen an appropriate name for a filly they bought for just $700 on Gavelhouse.com. The Carters called their Complacent filly Rising Star (NZ) (Complacent), and on Saturday she collected the second win of her short career in the Laser Plumbing Waihi Beach 3YO (1400m) at Tauranga. Rising Star headed into the $40,000 race on an upward trajectory, having opened her winning account in a 1200m maiden at the same venue two weeks ago. Despite that last-start winning form, she was only the…

Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) took another confident step towards the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) as he dashed well clear of a batch of top-class operators in a barrier trial at Sha Tin on Friday. The world’s top-rated sprinter broke well and ran keenly before surging down the 1200m dirt straight in a brisk 1m 10.19s under regular rider Zac Purton. The run provided a final tune-up before the HK$5.35 million Gr.2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin on 23 November. It was a…

Lindsay Park could have saved the best for last in terms of stern tests for Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto) this Spring, but Ben Hayes is convinced he can mix it with star sprinters Jimmysstar and Angel Capital in Saturday’s A$1 million Gr.1 C F Orr Stakes at Caulfield. The Per Incanto four-year-old basically demanded a shot at the 1400-metre Group One. Evaporate heads in off a third placing in the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m), which was his main spring target, but Hayes was pleasantly surprised with how well he…

The snowballing success of the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale has been built on the internationally renowned skills of its vendors, whose efforts were rewarded with outstanding results at Karaka on Wednesday and Thursday. Sam and Hana Beatson’s Riversley Park claimed the title of leading vendor by aggregate for the ninth Ready to Run Sale in a row. They sold 34 horses for a total of $6.525 million, averaging $191,912 and with a top price of $675,000 for a Satono Aladdin colt out of Shezdelicious. “We had our…

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike will be chasing stakes success at both ends of the country on Saturday, with Agera (NZ) (Complacent) leading his northern charge at Tauranga. The six-year-old son of Complacent has been in a purple patch of form of late, winning five of his last seven starts, including last month’s Listed Matamata Cup (1600m). He went on to win the Feilding Cup (2050m) at Tauherenikau and will now get the opportunity to shoot for further stakes success when he steps back to a mile in the Gr.2 Gartshore…

A quartet of top-flight contenders on Saturday will give Stephen Marsh a decent shot at completing a memorable elite-level double at Riccarton. The Cambridge trainer’s hopes will rest on the dependable shoulders of Swiss Prince (NZ) (Swiss Ace) and his male counterpart Magic Carpet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) while fillies To Cap It All (Capitalist) and Little Black Dress (Snitzel) complete a quality attack. They give Marsh every chance in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) to complete a Classic clean sweep following Well Written’s demolition of her rivals in…

Well-related stayer Notabadspillane (NZ) Time Test) is on a mission to take care of unfinished family business at Riccarton on Saturday. The Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) has long been top of Shaun Phelan’s wish list and the Cambridge trainer has enjoyed a trouble-free preparation with the five-year-old son of Time Test. The Cambridge horseman’s charge has been in strong form ahead of his long-term target and his pedigree instills further confidence. He is a half-brother to New Zealand’s 2022-23 Champion Stayer and dual Oaks winner Pennyweka, with their…

A batch of quality northerners have landed in Christchurch ahead of Saturday’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 (Guineas) at Riccarton, and local hope Alottago (Tagaloa) will lead the southern defence. The son of Tagaloa hasn’t put a foot wrong so far in his six-start career, placing in all three of his starts as a juvenile, including the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) and Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m), before returning as a three-year-old where he won his next two starts before finishing runner-up in last month’s Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes…