Month: November 2020

The win of Aegon (NZ), a son of the late Sacred Falls, in last Saturday’s Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) provided cause for triumphant reflection from powerhouse breeders Waikato Stud. Bred and sold by the Matamata nursery, Aegon has come a long way in a short time for trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, with the latter joined in the ownership by the Zame family. The unbeaten three-year-old defeated Bourbonaire (NZ) (Darci Brahma) in a close finish, reminiscent of their Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) tussle back in September,…

Cambridge visitor Hypnos (NZ) (Reliable Man) showed a good turn of foot to put his rivals to the sword when winning the Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) at Riccarton on Wednesday for Roger James and Robert Wellwood. Sent out the $4.10 favourite, the five-year-old gelding enjoyed a cosy run behind the leaders under leading jockey Danielle Johnson and was extracted at the right time to score by a length and a half from Tobilicious (NZ) (Natural Destiny), with Communique (NZ) (Redwood) in third. The son of Reliable Man entered the…

War Affair (NZ) (O’Reilly) has waged his last battle on the tracks. The 2014 Singapore Horse Of The Year has been retired to Malaysia at the ripe old age of 10. Despite his well-documented health issues, mainly of respiratory nature, the son of the late stallion O’Reilly has enjoyed a long and successful career at Kranji spanning over eight seasons, kicking off the first as a juvenile champion in 2013. Whilst War Affair has not visited the winner’s enclosure for more than three years, he was still going around in…

Horsham trainer Paul Preusker has elected to spell his staying star Surprise Baby (NZ) (Shocking) and as a result he will bypass the Gr.2 Zipping Classic (2400m). Preusker said he wasn’t completely satisfied with Surprise Baby’s gallop on Wednesday morning at Hamilton and he didn’t accept with him for the Sandown Group Two race. “He had a stretch out and he wasn’t quite where I wanted him to be,” Preusker said. “He’s not 100 per cent and it’s probably the right time to put him out and chase a bit…

Emotions were running high after venerable galloper Prince Oz (NZ) (O’Reilly) landed a knock-out blow in the Gr.3 Lindauer Stewards Stakes Handicap (1200m) at Riccarton on Wednesday. Sent out a $31 chance, the nine-year-old gelding wound back the clock to win the Stewards Stakes for the second time in his career, having saluted for trainer Neill Ridley in 2018, who prepared the son of O’Reilly to win on eight occasions, including seven in succession. Ridley, 67, who had cancer, died peacefully at his home last month, 13 days after he…

Four-year-old mare Aimee’s Jewel (NZ) (Proisir) scored a stunning win in Wednesday’s Gr.3 Valachi Downs Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton under a gem of a ride from Lisa Allpress. Prepared at Stratford by Trudy Keegan, the daughter of Proisir was having just her fifth raceday start. Snagged back to the rear of the field from a tricky draw (barrier 11), Allpress saved ground closer to the rails before presenting the mare inside the final furlong, finishing over the top of her close relation Irish Girl (NZ) (El Roca) with…

Comeback trainer Katrina Alexander is hoping to cap a fairytale return to racing when saddling Tinker Mcphee (Nostradamus), the $3.10 favourite, in Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. The Matamata horsewoman reapplied for her trainer’s licence last season in partnership with husband Simon to fulfil the request made by her son Jackson shortly before his passing in June last year from melanoma skin cancer. Alexander is pinching herself that after a five-year hiatus from racing she enters with a leading Group One chance so soon…