Fresh from giving one Ellerslie Group One race a big shake, Steven Cole is hoping to do so again next weekend. Cole’s three-year-old Iffie Shows (NZ) (Showcasing) finished fifth at huge odds in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), and the Byerley Park trainer is hoping to do even better when Magneto (NZ) (Showcasing) contests the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) for two-year-olds at Ellerslie this Saturday. Magneto has improved with each start since finishing eighth on debut in the Listed Counties Bowl (1100m) in November. He finished third behind Quattro…
Month: March 2021
New home away from home for Marlborough Cup
The Kam Transport Marlborough Cup (2000m) will have a new home away from home this year when its 100th running is held at Riccarton on Thursday. The Marlborough Racing Club (MRC) were set to celebrate the milestone event at its home track of Waterlea last year, however, the COVID-19 enforced lockdown put a halt to those plans. With the Marlborough track absent from the racing calendar this season, MRC President John O’Brien said he has been grateful to a number of entities, particularly the Canterbury Jockey Club, for assisting in…
Roz, Jimmy and George. In both camps happily.
Anyone that has spent some time at a GAP activation over the last few years will know Roz Russell and Jimmy. They’ve been diligently and enthusiastically turning up to events all over the state to talk to people about the joy of owning greyhounds, often spending hours in the car from Shepparton just to spread the good word. Although Roz had the opportunity to get involved with greyhounds in her childhood home in Wollongong, where she lived a few minutes from the Bulli greyhound track, she admits she never went…
Updated Breeding Exemption Application Form
GRV has undertaken a review of the Breeding Exemption Application Form and released a new form which includes Code of Practice requirements. The new form will be compulsory from 1 June 2021.
Blinkers do the trick with Night Raid in Adelaide
Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr trained Night Raid takes out the Listed Matrice Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on Monday. Three-year-old filly Night Raid will be kept to sprinting after defeating older horses in the Listed Matrice Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on Monday. It was a masterstroke by part-owner Sheamus Mills who found Monday’s race and encouraged Melbourne trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr to send Night Raid to Adelaide. Wearing blinkers for the first time under the guidance of Jamie Kah, Night Raid (+240) raced to a three-quarter…
Sydney beckons New Zealand Derby winner
Twenty-four hours on from winning the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) with Rocket Spade (Fastnet Rock) on Sunday, trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott were basking in the glory of a job well done. The training duo quite rightly celebrated the blue riband victory with close friends and family in Matamata on Sunday night after leaving a strangely quiet Ellerslie, which conducted the feature meeting a day later than planned under COVID-19 alert level 2 conditions. “It was a really satisfying win and great for the whole team at Wexford,”…
Options open for Tokorangi
Trainers Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard have plenty of options to mull over with Group Two-winning filly Tokorangi (NZ) after the daughter of Redwood finished seventh in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) on Sunday. The filly was forced down onto the rail and didn’t get the rub of the green in the Derby on a deteriorating Slow7 track. “Conditions were probably a little bit worse than what she wanted,” Moroney said. “She jumped away well but then didn’t get a lot of luck early. The horse on the…
Entriviere demolition a consolation for Gray
Kevin Gray didn’t train the winner of the Gr.3 King’s Plate (1200m) at Ellerslie on Sunday, but he still took some comfort from the result, having bred race victor Entriviere (NZ) (Tavistock). For the second time in the space of a couple of months, the Gray-trained Rock ‘N’ Affair (NZ) (Rock ‘n’ Pop) has ventured to the Auckland track and clashed with Entriviere, coming off on the worse side of the ledger on both occasions. Having finished fourth to the lightly-tried daughter of Tavistock in the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m)…
Regan Todd eyeing up big targets for Shut Up N Dance
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk North Canterbury trainer Regan Todd isn’t one to get too carried away but he concedes that Shut Up N Dance is “pretty exciting”. Todd had success on Friday and Sunday at Addington, both with daughters of Art Major. The eye-catching Shut Up N Dance (Art Major – Dance N Delight) made it two from two while Play Philly (Art Major – Shezaball) took out the Group Three Downbytheseaside Leonard Memorial Stakes On Friday Shut Up N Dance won by nearly four lengths. She…
Job done for Williamsons across the ditch
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News desk Star Kiwi trotter Majestic Man will return to New Zealand tomorrow (Tuesday) after his Group One-winning raid concluded in Sydney on Saturday night. But his champion driver Brad Williamson is still weeks away from following suit. “The horse raced phenomenally and Brad did a sterling job,” says trainer and proud dad Phil Williamson from his Oamaru base, “we were thrilled.” Utilising his trademark speed off the gate the six-year-old Majestic Son gelding banked over $150,000 in just over a month. He had six…