Day: 19 April 2024

Linebacker (NZ) (Super Seth) will forever be a significant horse in the story of his sire’s stud career, but the chance presents on Saturday for the chestnut colt to enhance his chapter. The John O’Shea-trained colt will be striving to become the son of Dundeel’s first Group One winner in the $750,000 Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick. Linebacker was Super Seth’s first Australian winner, thanks to a debut Hawkesbury win on February 21, which he followed with victory in the Gr.3 Baillieu Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on March 30, which was Super Seth’s first Stakes success. Those…

Premiership-leading jockey Warren Kennedy was the first to crack the 100-win mark for the season at Matamata on Friday when guiding Lightning Dream to victory in the Auto Super Shoppe Matamata 1600. From her wide gate, Lightning Dream went back to settle towards the rear of the field for Kennedy before being asked to improve from the 400m and was presented wide at the turn where she continued to improve and ran out an eventual three-quarter length victor. “From the gate (9) she really struggled early, so I left her…

Robbie Patterson has already won twice as many Group and Listed races in 2023-24 as any other season in his career, and the New Plymouth trainer has three chances to add to that tally at Riccarton on Saturday. Patterson’s 44 wins so far this season include six at black-type level. Puntura strung together victories in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m), Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) and Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m), while Mary Louise won the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m), One Bold Cat captured the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m) and…

Local trainer Rosie Gibbs made a welcome return to the winner’s stall following Glimmer’s commanding debut performance in the Treadwell Gordon 1200 at Waverley on Thursday. The three-year-old filly jumped well from the ace barrier and was sent straight to the front by jockey Chris Dell where the pair dictated terms and ran out 2-1/4 length victors in front of a cheering home crowd. “I am absolutely thrilled,” said Gibbs, who was delighted to record her first victory in a decade. “She was only broken-in in August and then she…

Sailor Jack ended his campaign on a winning note at Waverley on Thursday and now the four-win gelding could be set to further his career in Australia next year if everything goes to plan. Sent out a $1.30 favourite in the Taranaki-Wanganui NZTBA (2200m), Sailor Jack lived up to his price when running out an 11-length victor under leading jumps jockey Shaun Fannin, who also prepares the gelding with his fiancé Hazel Schofer. “He has been racing very consistently all season in probably stronger company than what he met yesterday…

Gail Temperton is hoping her promising hurdler Harry Harrison can gain valuable fitness ahead of an exciting season with a resuming run in the Chillco (2850m) on Sunday at Hawera. The Haradasun gelding has become well-recognised for his diminutive stature, particularly in the latter stages of last season when he scored a winning hat-trick over the fences. Due to a low rating on the flat, the Foxton horsewoman was forced to enter Harry Harrison for Sunday’s restricted open contest as his first-up run, where his 70.5kg impost is decreased slightly…

Stephen Marsh has made a habit of excelling at this stage of the season with his emerging two-year-old talent, and the Cambridge trainer is hoping to continue that trend in Saturday’s Listed TAB Star Way Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie. Marsh, who also saddled juvenile first-starter Super Photon for a highly impressive victory at Rotorua on Wednesday, will be represented by Love Poem, Fillygizalook and Magna Memory in this weekend’s $100,000 two-year-old feature. Prior to this season’s rejig of the autumn’s juvenile black-type features in the northern region, this 1200m race…