Month: April 2025

Dan Meagher is pondering a first-up Group One tilt with Singapore pin-ups Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec) and Lim’s Saltoro (NZ) (Shamexpress). The gallopers, who boast 12 Gr.1 wins in Singapore between them, have returned with Meagher to Australia and are in work at his Pakenham base. Both are slated to trial at Caulfield on Thursday, after which the trainer will make a call about whether either horse travels to Adelaide for next month’s A$1 million Gr.1 Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville. A combination of the set-weights-and-penalties conditions of the race, as well…

Leonard Stewart celebrated a winning double on Sunday from the comforts of his home in Timaru, with Miss Miranda (NZ) (Time Test) and Vague (NZ) (Tobique) collecting each of the open handicaps at Ascot Park. The pair were Stewart’s only runners at the meeting, with Miss Miranda taking her place in the Editor’s Cut Sports Bar Handicap (1200m) off the back of a narrow defeat to Tikki at Gore last month. The daughter of Time Test showed her customary early speed, finding the lead under Samantha Wynne and running along…

A technical video fault meant very few got to see Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) jumpout at Flemington last Friday morning, but co-trainer Will Hayes was happy to confirm the 800-metre test was a worthy exercise with a view to racing in Hong Kong later this month. “We’re really happy,” Hayes said at Caulfield on Saturday. “It was just a shame there was a technical fault in the trial so no one else got to see it. “It was a classic first trial (800m) for us. Craig (Williams) just fell on…

The team review Day One of the Championships where the Kiwi’s were again to the fore. Plus, we review the domestic action and look forward to Awapuni returning. Weigh In, April 6

Talented galloper Duncan Creek (NZ) (Super Easy) showed his prowess over ground at Wanganui on Saturday, giving Patrick Campbell the confidence to press on to the Listed Valley D’Vine Restaurant Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) in a weeks’ time. A previous winner over 1200m and 1400m, Duncan Creek looked right at home last start in his first attempt over the middle-distance trip, finishing third behind Orlov and Tshiebwe. Stepping back to Rating 75 company, he was allocated the 61kg topweight, with two kilograms of relief courtesy of Jim Chung’s claim. Contesting…

Champion harness racing trainer Mark Purdon turned his talents to the galloping code on Saturday at Ellerslie, winning his first thoroughbred race with Buster Shaw (NZ) (War Decree). With over 2600 victories to his name preparing standardbreds, Purdon took on a new challenge in mid-2023, stepping into the thoroughbred industry in the South Island, before moving to his new base at Matamata. Among his first runners was Buster Shaw, a four-year-old by War Decree who narrowly missed scoring during New Zealand Cup Week in 2023, and had been lightly-raced since…