Month: May 2025

Foxton trainer Gail Temperton will have a two-pronged attack in the postponed Foxton New World Foxton Cup (2100m) at Hawera on Tuesday, but each of her representatives have two very different paths ahead of them. Group Three performer Royal Flower (NZ) (Proisir) is dropping back from stakes grade after placing in the Gr.3 Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2050m) at Wanganui last month, and Temperton has been pleased with her this time in, having placed in her last two outings following a five-month break from racing. “She always does her best and…

Promising youngster Towering Vision (NZ) crowned a successful couple of days for Windsor Park Stud when he credited resident sire Circus Maximus with his first Southern Hemisphere black-type winner. The farm graduate claimed top honours in Saturday’s Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa a day after the farm hosted another top edition of their annual Rugby, Racing and Beer Sale at Riccarton. Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Towering Vision is a first crop representative of Galileo’s triple Group One winner Circus Maximus. “This is…

Group One-winning mare Campionessa (NZ) (Contributer) has been retired from racing and will be offered at Magic Millions’ Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale later this month. Bred by Mapperley Stud principal Simms Davison, Campionessa was passed in as a yearling at Karaka, and again the Magic Million Gold Coast National Yearling Sale. Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis was Johnny-on-the-spot on the Gold Coast and offered Davison $60,000 for the filly, which he duly accepted. It would prove to be an astute purchase by Ellis, with the daughter of Contributer…

Trainer Tony Gollan is not expecting a performance from Antino (NZ) (Redwood) like his Gr.1 Toorak Handicap win this Saturday at the Gold Coast, but he is holding out hope for one later in the campaign. The classy Redwood gelding will round out his preparations for the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) on May 24 in the Gr.2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast. Antino resumed with an 11th placing in the All Aged Stakes but Brisbane’s premier trainer is confident his stable star can again produce a performance akin…

Andrew Bobbin enjoyed the spotlight of training Duke Of Bedford (NZ) (Tavistock) to win the Brierly Steeplechase and Grand Annual Steeplechase double at Warrnambool last week that he’s already planning on repeating the dose next year. Bobbin decided to stay in Warrnambool on Thursday night and celebrate his dashing fencer’s success and was only finding his voice again on Sunday morning. “I had a good night on Thursday night. It’s my career highlight, so it was worthy of a celebration,” Bobbin said. The Grampians Racing trainer has been doing his…

Pogacar (NZ) (Eminent) has a fair way to go to live up to his namesake, but he continued his pleasing progression with a maiden victory over 1200m on Riccarton’s synthetic track on Saturday. Named after World Champion cyclist Tadej Pogacar, who has won three editions of the Tour de France, Pogacar had shown early promise for trainer Ross Beckett, having placed in two of his three previous career starts. The three-year-old son of Eminent continued his upward trajectory at Riccarton on Saturday where he was having his first raceday start…

Awapuni trainer Mike Breslin is looking forward to heading to Hawera on Tuesday with a team of five runners, all of whom he expects to put in good showings. The meeting will be held at the Taranaki track after the scheduled Sunday meeting at Otaki was postponed and transferred following an inspection that found the track surface was not safe for racing. Breslin believes the current Soft7 reading for the Hawera surface will play into the hands of his team, with several preferring a better winter track as opposed to…