Mark Newnham has prepared his share of talented fillies and he says untapped three-year-old Sanstoc (NZ) (Tavistock) has the potential to be as good as any of them. Newnham has won Group One races with the likes of Nakeeta Jane and Maid Of Heaven, while Greysful Glamour, Harmony Rose, Scarlet Dream and Quintessa were all placed at the top level as three-year-olds. He can especially see parallels between Sanstoc and Scarlet Dream, who was also sparingly raced before finishing third in the 2019 Kembla Grange Classic and runner-up to Verry Elleegant in that year’s ATC Australian Oaks. “She’s as nice a filly as I’ve had going into…
Month: March 2022
Domestic Stallions to the Fore on Day One of Book 2
After a buoyant Book 1 Sale, selling continued steadily on Day One of Book 2 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka 2022 National Yearling Sales Series. Domestic trainers were active in the sale ring with strong demand for New Zealand’s quality line up of emerging sires, who accounted for six of the top 10 highest purchases on Day One of Book 2. The day’s highlight came when Roger James and Robert Wellwood of Kingsclere Stables secured Lot 756 for $180,000, a colt by exciting stallion prospect Vadamos, sire of recent Group…
Vadamos popular on opening day of Book 2
Rich Hill Stud stallion Vadamos provided two of the star turns during the opening day of the Book 2 session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales at Karaka on Thursday. With the oldest New Zealand crop of the son of internationally acclaimed sire Monsun just three-year-olds and featuring horses of the calibre of multiple stakes winner and Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) runner-up La Crique, the progeny of Vadamos are well in demand as evidenced by his results at Karaka so far this week. Respected Bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo…
New Zealand track ratings to align with Australia
Punters on both sides of the Tasman will benefit from a change being made to the New Zealand Track Ratings early next month. From Monday, 4 April the New Zealand Track Ratings will once again align with those introduced to Australia in 2014. While this move is part of NZTR’s shift to the Single National System, it is being implemented at this time due to the significant amount of work needed to update racing data around horses currently racing. Punters can therefore be comfortable that, when assessing form from 4…
Ritchie renews Jennifer Eccles connection
Shaune Ritchie is hoping lightning will strike twice after he added a new chapter in the Jennifer Eccles story by purchasing her full brother during the Book 1 sale at Karaka earlier this week. Jennifer Eccles was the outstanding filly of her year, winning the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) to finish off her three-year-old season after earlier capturing three Group Two titles while also finishing runner-up in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). Raced by the Challenge No.10 syndicate after being purchased by bloodstock agent Adrian Clark for…
Kiwi-bred full of running ahead of Newmarket
Trainer John O’Shea is happy with his star sprinter Lost And Running ahead of his tilt at the Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday. The Per Incanto gelding heads into the race off the back of winning first-up carrying 61kg in the Gr.3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Randwick last month. The five-year-old will carry five kilograms less in the Newmarket and O’Shea said he has been thriving since arriving in Melbourne for the spring feature. “This is a race we have always had on his radar,” O’Shea…
Moroney pleased with Book 2 purchases
International bloodstock agent Paul Moroney was unable to attend last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in the flesh, but he was pleased to be back this year as the border opened up to Kiwis returning home. After purchasing 11 yearlings out of the Book 1 session, Moroney was active again in the Book 2 session on Thursday, securing a handful of yearlings, including two six-figure purchases. Moroney went to $110,000 to purchase lot 690, the Time Test colt out of HGT Bloodstock’s draft, for his brother Michael’s Ballymore…
Crawford in the thick of the action on day four at Karaka
Regal Farm principal Shane Crawford was an active participant during the first three days of the National Yearling sale at Karaka and on Thursday he was at it again on the first day of the Book 2 sale. Crawford, along with Bond Li of Legend Bloodstock and Ross Lao and Andy Lau of Upper Bloodstock, combined to secure Lot 686, the colt by Inglewood Stud-based sire War Decree out of Savabeel mare Word Savvy for $150,000 from the Ralph Thoroughbreds draft. The colt comes from a family dear to the…
Williams looking to maintain recent momentum at Ellerslie
Trainer Peter Williams is pleased with the success he and wife Dawn have had with their Byerley Park stable in recent weeks and is looking to his five runners at Ellerslie on Sunday to carry on their good work of late. Their challenge will be headed by progressive mares Saint Alice and Slave To Love who will contest the Jarden 1600 and Royal Descent Stakes (1600m) respectively while exciting two-year-old prospect Desert Lightning will take on his biggest test when he tackles the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m). Rounding out the…
Des Riordan’s passing marks the end of a dynasty
A New Zealand racing dynasty has come to an end with the death last Sunday of popular Te Awamutu identity Des Riordan just weeks short of his 90th birthday. At age 15, Des and his younger brothers Noel (13) and John (11) left their New Plymouth home to take up jockey apprenticeships in Te Awamutu with Jack McDonald, who was to gain fame as the trainer of champion colt Mainbrace. The Riordan brothers went on to ride a combined total of 956 winners, with 570 of those credited to John,…