By Jonny Turner Brookies Player gets the perfect chance to break back into the winner’s circle at Ascot Park on Wednesday. The six-year-old plummets down in grade into a very winnable race for trainers Ross and Chris Wilson in Race 3, Selling Call Craig At Harcourts Mobile Pace (4.37pm). To take advantage of it, Brookies Player must turn around a run of being out of the money since September of last year. The nine race winner and $1.60 favourite looks a big chance of doing just that given the pacer…
Month: March 2025
Express Yourself returns for Lightning Handicap at Trentham
Express Yourself will resume in next Saturday’s Listed Bill Tito Book Repair Specialist Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Trentham. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) New Zealand punters are set to get their first glimpse of Group One performer Express Yourself in more than a year when she heads to Trentham next weekend to tackle the Listed Bill Tito Book Repair Specialist Lightning Handicap (1200m). Following her runner-up effort behind Mercurial in last year’s Group 1 Telegraph (1200m), and subpar unplaced run in the Group 2 Westbury Classic (1400m) at…
$1.65M colt Hostility makes anticipated raceday debut
Record-breaking colt Hostility will make his debut at Matamata on Wednesday.Photo: Trish Dunell There’s plenty of anticipation ahead of regally bred colt Hostility’s raceday debut at Matamata on Wednesday. Purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis out of Kiltannon Stables’ New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale draft for $1.65 million last November, there has been much fanfare surrounding the sale topper over the last few months. By I Am Invincible, and out of Group One-winning mare Shillelagh, Hostility has won both of his trials to date, and trainers…
New export fee from June 1, 2025
An export fee is being introduced for New Zealand horses heading to China. Harness Racing New Zealand advises a fee of $300 plus GST per horse will be effective from June 1, 2025. From January 1, 2026 the full export fee will apply. “The fee has largely been introduced to offset the administration costs involved in processing these transactions, ” says HRNZ’s Head of Racing and Wagering Matthew Peden. In recent years around 80 New Zealand horses have been exported to China annually. The fees will be collected by the…
McKay stablemates facing off in Cup
Stablemates and full-siblings Giacomo and Santa Catalina will go head-to-head for the first time in Wednesday’s Holster Engineering Lally and Symes South Waikato Cup (2000m) at Matamata. The elder of the pair, six-year-old Giacomo (NZ) (Puccini), has four race wins under his belt and has been a model of consistency this campaign, placing behind the likes of Willydoit, Balance Of Power and most recently, Doddle at the course on March 1. Peter McKay, who trains the gelding in partnership with his son Shaun, applauded the last-start effort after being taken…
Industry honours Mike Moroney
There were many sincere words spoken at the memorial service for Mike Moroney in the mounting yard at Flemington on Tuesday. Each word was fittingly heartfelt and honest and each served as a reflection of the trainer’s immense personality. Younger brother Paul described Moroney as ‘a champion person’ and a ‘bloody good bloke’ in his eulogy, before reminding those who attended the service and those who watched it live on Racing.com, that these traits were not false or forced. He said his brother never gave hollow lip service but always…
Entries Open for 2025 National Weanling Sale
Entries for NZB’s 2025 National Weanling Sale are now open, with the Sale set to be held at the Karaka Sales Centre on Thursday 26 June. Continuing as a dedicated weanling only format, the Sale is a happy hunting ground for those searching for their next pinhook success story or racetrack star. The Sale also offers breeders an attractive platform to sell their young stock to a strong international and domestic audience, with the added bonus of Karaka Millions eligibility. In an exciting move, the National Weanling Sale will be held on…
Doctor aims for ATC Derby
Trent Busuttin concedes the New Zealand Derby winner Willydoit is superior to his three-year-old Thedoctoroflove (So You Think), but the trainer is not backing away from a potential return bout in the Gr.1 ATC Derby in Sydney next month. “You can’t worry about one horse,” Busuttin said on Monday. “Things can go wrong, and they are all there to be beaten. “The other horse is a better horse than ours, but you can’t muck around with your horses’ campaign because of one horse, so he’ll be there doing his best…
Express Yourself set to strike in Lightning
New Zealand punters are set to get their first glimpse of Group One performer Express Yourself (NZ) (Shamexpress) in more than a year when she heads to Trentham next weekend to tackle the Listed Bill Tito Book Repair Specialist Lightning Handicap (1200m). Following her runner-up effort behind Mercurial in last year’s Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m), and subpar unplaced run in the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m) at Ellerslie, she tested her talent in Australia for interim trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr. She raced on four occasions out of their Cranbourne…
High-priced juvenile set to make debut
There’s plenty of anticipation ahead of regally-bred colt Hostility’s (I Am Invincible) raceday debut at Matamata on Wednesday. Purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis out of Kiltannon Stables’ New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale draft for $1.65 million last November, there has been much fanfare surrounding the sale topper over the last few months. By I Am Invincible, and out of Group One-winning mare Shillelagh, Hostility has won both of his trials to date and trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson are looking forward to stepping him…