Westbury Stud-based sire Telperion made the best start possible to his stallion career when his first runner to the track was successful at Awapuni on Saturday. Stormy (NZ) (Telperion), a showy chestnut from the Tony Pike stable, showed plenty of grit and determination to win first-up over 1000m after waging a home straight war with fellow debutant Wakari (NZ) (Vespa). The two-year-old colt sat three-wide on the speed for most of the race before joining issue with Wakari at the 300m mark. The pair went at it tooth and nail…
Year: 2020
Beaver eyes up breakthrough win in Kaikoura
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Southland trainer Mark Shirley is hoping for some 2011 Rugby World Cup-type heroics from his first ever starter at Kaikoura on Sunday. Shirley, who trains in partnership with his wife Debbie, will line up Beaver in Race 4 at South Bay Racecourse, after two placings in his opening two starts down south. The horse is named after All Black Stephen Donald and Shirley says the horse has similar characteristics to the famous rugby player “He’ll never let you down”. But Shirley does have…
Clark ‘nervously excited’ about litter-brothers
Matt Clark is ‘nervously excited’ about the chances of his star litter-brothers Catch The Thief and Playlist at Sandown Park tonight.
Great Chase windfall to increase opportunities for Wood ‘n’ Crete clients
Last week the team at Wood ‘n’ Crete in Ararat were celebrating from afar when the greyhound they were designated in the TAB Great Chase Grand Final at The Meadows, Dr. Tucker (pictured), crossed the finish line first and won them $10,000. We have since got in touch with Wood ‘n’ Crete’s Russell Streeter to find out more about the organisation and how they plan to spend their windfall. Q. What does the TAB Great Chase mean to Wood ‘n’ Crete and why have representatives from the group attended the…
Tommy’s Topgun Trial
By order of the Peaky Blinders, or WA trainer Steve Withers, Tommy Shelby has hit Victorian soil and has earnt a rug in the invitational TAB Topgun field. The $150,000 to-the-winner Group 1 over 525m will be run at The Meadows on Saturday 7 November and is a part of the Metro Festival of Racing, which kicks off with the Hume Cup on Monday night. The box draw for the TAB Topgun field will be conducted on Monday night at The Meadows. The WA sensation, who is named after the…
NZ Bred Gr.1 Victoria Derby Aspirants
Below we take a look at the background of the six New Zealand bred runners in Saturday’s Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington. ALBARADO – Savabeel x O’Fille (O’Reilly) $7 Savabeel, a son of the legendary Zabeel, needs no introduction as a sire of Classic winners, one of which was 2011 VRC Derby winner Sangster. There’s staying prowess on the damside, too. O’Fille, a daughter of the versatile O’Reilly, never raced beyond 2100m – a distance over which she won the Gr.3 Trentham Stakes – and was Group One-placed over…
Johnson to miss 2000 Guineas
New Zealand Premiership-leading jockey Danielle Johnson will miss the first day of the New Zealand Cup carnival at Riccarton next month through suspension. Johnson admitted a breach of careless riding aboard Melodious in the Conaghys Pro-Abamec 1400 at Te Aroha on Wednesday and was subsequently suspended from the conclusion of racing on November 3 to the end of racing on November 10. As a result, Johnson will miss the ride on the Stephen Marsh-trained Bourbonaire in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m). He is currently…
Carston pays tribute to Ridley
Trainer Andrew Carston was thanking the late Neill Ridley following Caitlyn Jay’s win in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1400m) at Ashburton on Thursday. Ridley, who passed away from cancer earlier this month, was the mare’s former trainer. “When Neill got sick, he suggested to her owner Robin Laidlaw that he should send her to me to train,” Carston said. “Neill and I got on really well and I was honored to get her to train and so it was nice to get another win to repay his faith…
Waller hoping to bag home track spoils
Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller is hoping he can secure his home track’s biggest prize on Saturday when he lines-up Subpoenaed in the A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill. The daughter of Rip Van Winkle won the Gr.2 Golden Pendant (1400m) at the Sydney track two starts back before disappointing in the Silver Eagle (1300m) at Randwick when finishing sixth. Waller is looking forward to returning to Rosehill with the four-year-old but he said the rain-affected track is an unknown factor for his mare. “She was a little bit…
Oceanex given all clear
Kiwi-bred mare Oceanex has been given the green light to continue onto the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) on Tuesday. The daughter of Ocean Park had undergone a veterinary inspection on Thursday morning where Racing Victoria’s chief vet Dr Grace Forbes, along with co-trainer Mick Price and stable vet David Shepherd, were not happy with her action. Oceanex subsequently underwent a change in shoeing in a bid to relieve pressure on her heels, and the alteration has resulted in a drastic improvement. “We just put a three-quarter shoe on her, took…