Year: 2021

2021 Mackinnon Stakes Winner Is Zaaki; McDonald Enjoys Record 10th Melbourne Cup Carnival Win

AAP

Jockey James McDonald continued his outstanding Melbourne Cup Carnival completing a Group 1 double on the day at Flemington and celebrating a record 10th victory for the week on Zaaki in the $2 million Mackinnon Stakes (2000m). Zaaki was back to his best winning the 2021 Mackinnon Stakes to hand jockey James McDonald a record 10 Melbourne Cup Carnival wins. Photo: Steve Hart. After disappointingly missing out on a run Group 1 $5 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) having been scratched the morning of with an elevated temperature, Zaaki produced…

All roads lead to the New Zealand Cup for Mr Intelligence

NZRacingDesk

Topweight Mr Intelligence (NZ) (Niagara) gave his rivals weight and a beating as he provided the perfect dress rehearsal for next weeks’ Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) when he took out the traditional lead-up event, the Listed Nautical Boat Insurance Metropolitan Trophy (2500m) on Saturday. Tapanui-base trainers Nikki and Barrie Blatch brought the lightly raced six-year-old son of Niagara north to Riccarton in recent weeks as they furthered the Cup preparation for their charge, who had been rounding into good form as evidenced by a gritty run for…

Stakes quinella for Marsh at Te Rapa

NZRacingDesk

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh maintained the winning roll he has been on of late when he produced the quinella in the feature race at Te Rapa on Saturday, the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m). Punters had expected Run To Perfection (Sepoy) to be the leading light for Marsh however it was stablemate Raposa Rapida (Foxwedge) who threw everyone a curveball when he sat wide throughout before holding out the late charge of Run To Perfection to take out the event. The seven-year-old was having his first run since finishing sixth…

Babylon Berlin too quick in Riccarton dash

NZRacingDesk

Speedy mare Babylon Berlin (All Too Hard) got her spring campaign off to the best possible start when she proved too slick for her rivals in the Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton. The Ben Foote-trained daughter of All Too Hard had shown she has a touch a class about her during a three-year-old campaign where she finished in the top three in nine of her ten starts, winning four times including the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) in her last start before being put aside for a…

Darley Sprint Classic 2021 Winner is Nature Strip by 3 Lengths

AAP

Jockey James McDonald drew level with Brett Prebble winning nine races across a Melbourne Cup Carnival following an electric win aboard the world’s best sprinter Nature Strip in the Group 1 $2 million Darley Sprint Classic (1200m). Displaying once again his terrific ability down the iconic Flemington ‘Straight Six’, the now seven-year-old produced a breathtaking performance on the back of his win in the $15 million The Everest (1200m) in Sydney. It was the fifth straight year the Darley Classic winner came out of The Everest, Nature Strip having also…

AUDIO: The Hawk’s Topgun insights

Editor BOAY

RSN’s Ron Hawkswell, the voice of the TAB Topgun, caught up with fellow race caller Victoria Shaw ahead of tonight’s 2021 version of Australia’s richest invitational race, which carries a $150,000 first prize. The Topgun was first run in 1993, which Ron reminisced produced a memorable dead heat between Golden Currency and Worth Backing, while some of the other great chasers to win the race include Rapid Journey (1998), Bombastic Shiraz (2003), El Grand Senor (2010) and Fernando Bale (2015). greyhoundracingvic · TAB Topgun preview with Ron Hawkswell “You’ve really…

In Lala Kiwi; out Mr. Fix It

Editor BOAY

Lala Kiwi has gained a start in tonight’s TAB Topgun (525m) following the scratching of fellow Victorian sprinter Mr. Fix It, who has pulled up with minor soreness after a gallop on Friday. Trained by Andrea Dailly, Lala Kiwi comes into Box 4, the draw she had when snaring the Group 3 Cranbourne Classic in August. Lala Kiwi is the only female in the TAB Topgun, which will jump at 9.17pm. The Watchdog had tipped Mr. Fix It to win the TAB Topgun, with the form expert’s selections now changed…

Josh Dickie’s winning finale

NZHarnessNews

As fitting farewells go this was right up there. Last night at Alexandra Park Josh Dickie saluted the judge with his very last drive before heading over to Australia tomorrow morning. And it was a close run thing with Getn Wiggy Withit just lasting in Race 8 to win by a nose from Ruby Mach. “I thought I’d actually got beat,” says Dickie, “she ran past me but to my horse’s credit he fought hard.” “It’s nice to win any race but it was great to bow out like that.”…

Daily Mail: Need for speed in TAB Topguns

Editor BOAY

There will be a State of Origin-type feeling at The Meadows this evening as the best sprinters and stayers trained in Victoria and New South Wales contest the two G1 TAB Topguns. Victorian-trained Do It (G1 winner – 4 from 7 Box 1), Aston Rupee (dual G3 winner – 16 from 29), Tiggerlong Tonk (dual G1 winner – 42 from 92) and Lala Kiwi (G3 winner – 4 of last 7) go against NSW-trained Zipping Kyrgios (G2 winner – won last 6), Wow (G1 winner – 26 from 44), Bandit Ned…

Bettor Twist wins fans in defeat

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton SUPERSTAR Kiwi filly Bettor Twist is winless in two Aussie runs, but she’s building beautifully. While she dominated at home, Bettor Twist has bumped into a genuinely stellar crop of Aussie fillies for her Breeders Crown raid. For the second time in as many starts, she was beaten by emerging local Beach Music. On both occasions, Beach Music has drawn better and found the lead, while Bettor Twist has had to sit parked both times. This time, in a Crown heat at Bendigo last night, she was…