By Jonny Turner John Morrison will have his busiest day as a trainer at Oamaru on Sunday when lining up five horses from his stable. There will be no rest for the junior driver, who will take five outside drives at the meeting, which will see him compete in all ten races. Morrison rates Standout, who steps out in his stable colours in race 10, as one of his best winning chances. The five-year-old had his first run back after being freshened when seventh at Methven last weekend. Morrison was…
Year: 2020
Hummer ‘compresses’ Horsham record
The aptly named Spring Hummer has really been ‘humming’ lately. And his ‘noise’ got louder when the speed sensation broke Horsham’s 410-metre track record yesterday. Trained at Balliang by Lisa Delbridge, Spring Hummer ($1.90F) clocked a flying 22.78sec – lowering Kipling’s 22.84sec mark by around one length. “He’s been running well, but the record came as a bit of a surprise,” Lisa said. “I was watching the race at home and Mark (Lisa’s husband) said ‘that’s fast you know; I think it may be the track record’.” WATCH: Spring Hummer…
Good vibes at the Great Chase.
Although the TAB Great Chase in Cranbourne has been postponed this year due to COVID-19, Michele Burns and the team at Cerebral Palsy Education Centre have a daily reminder of the time they won $1,000 in prize money. The Cerebral Palsy Education Centre, located in Glen Waverley, provides physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology (individually or in multidisciplinary groups), and they also enable families to access essential equipment they need in their daily lives. The $1,000 they won three years ago has enabled the centre to purchase vital items to…
NZB Ready To Run breeze-ups online
More than 250 two-year-olds galloped down the home straight at Te Rapa Racecourse earlier this week for New Zealand Bloodstock’s annual Ready to Run Sale Breeze-ups. With significant importance placed on Breeze Up footage for buyers this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, NZB made the decision to lengthen their traditional Breeze Up clip format and offer vision of the mounting yard prior to horses breezing. The 2020 Breeze Up clips were extended to include additional footage near the 600m mark to capture horses before they fully extended into their…
Weight relief for Sheezallmine
Sheezallmine (NZ) (Super Easy) will be vying to add another Group Three victory to her resume when she lines-up in the Red Badge Spring Sprint (1400m) at Hastings on Saturday. The Daniel Miller-trained mare finished fifth first-up under 62kg at Hastings last start and Miller said She will appreciate the 9kg weight relief this weekend. “It’s (53kg) going to be a big help after having to lug around 62 kilos last start,” Miller said. “I thought she went a good race, she was held up for quite a while at…
Weight the only concern for Kiwi mare
Verry Elleegant’s (NZ) (Zed) camp couldn’t be any happier with the multiple Group One winner heading into the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) this weekend. The Chris Waller-trained mare has won two of her three starts this preparation, including the Gr.1 Winx Stakes (1400m) first-up and the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) last start. The daughter of Zed will jump from barrier eight on Saturday, but her connections are slightly concerned about their star mare being lumbered with 55kg. “Everything is going according to plan,” former trainer and part-owner Nick Bishara said.…
Spratt sidelined
Jockey Sam Spratt has a suspected broken collarbone sustained at the Avondale trials on Thursday. The 35-year-old, who has ridden nine winners so far this season and has 905 career wins to her name, including 17 at Group One level, will be side-lined in the near future and forgoes her six rides at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Supera out of Livamol
Group One performer Supera (NZ) (Savabeel) won’t take her place in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) after being scratched on Friday morning as a result of a minor foot issue. “The track or draw had nothing to do with the decision to scratch her, it’s just a minor foot issue,” said Ken Kelso, who trains in partnership with his wife Bev. The Sir Peter Vela-owned mare finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings in the first leg of the Hawke’s Bay Triple Crown before finishing sixth in…
Weigh In returns
New Zealand’s only television show dedicated to news and reviews of the thoroughbred industry returns on Monday. Weigh In will screen live at 8pm on Monday nights after a new 30-programme series was commissioned by some of the biggest names in New Zealand racing. TAB NZ no longer makes racing magazine shows as their mandate has changed to primarily driving turnover to maximise profits to return to the industry. But the thoroughbred racing industry will now have weekly review shows through the support of those involved in the industry, a…
Inside draw a boost for The Chosen One
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel) has snuck into the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) for the second year in a row. The Group Two-winning stayer finished ninth in last year’s Caulfield Cup after drawing barrier 18, but this year will start from a much more favourable barrier two. The son of Savabeel is an $81 chance for Saturday’s feature, having finished seventh in the Gr.2 Herbert Power (2400m) over the same course and distance last week. “The inside draw means he doesn’t have to get…