Venerable sprinter Mrs Chrissie (NZ) (Per Incanto) has won six races for trainer Ciaron Maher and has placed on a further nine occasions, but the six-year-old mare will make a rare appearance at Flemington this Saturday. Mrs Chrissie hasn’t been to Flemington since finishing fifth in an 1100m benchmark 70 in May 2023, and has primarily done her racing at Caulfield. The talented mare will contest an A$150,000 open handicap off a rating of 91 and enters in a fresh state. The daughter of Per Incanto will have her first…
Day: 16 June 2025
St Lawrence to step out for new stable
Cranbourne trainer Gavin Bedggood could unveil new acquisition St Lawrence (NZ) (Redwood) at Flemington on Saturday as a potential candidate for next month’s Listed Winter Championship Series Final. Formerly prepared by Ciaron Maher, the son of Redwood has won eight of 23 starts and a tick under A$1 million in prizemoney. The rising seven-year-old was recently purchased for $85,000 and transferred to Bedggood by passionate racehorse owner-breeder Paul Lofitis, of the Lofty Group. St Lawrence has tuned up with an impressive two-length 1300m Seymour trial win last Wednesday. “He might…
French Group One winner for Almanzor
Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor has been firing in Europe this year with a trio of Group Two winning three year-olds and one of those is high class filly Gezora, who soared to new heights when taking out the Gr.1 Prix de Diane (2100m) at Chantilly. Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Gezora won the Gr.2 Prix Saint Alary (2000m) at her previous start. She powered to the line to win by a length over the Aidan O’Brien trained Frankel filly Bedtime Story with two more fillies trained by…
Patch Of Stars makes it three in a row
The Manfred Man-trained Patch Of Stars looks one of the more progressive gallopers going through his grades after three successive Sha Tin victories over the past few months. The three-year-old son of All Too Hard is a graduate of the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale where he was purchased for NZ$800,000. A winner over 1400m on FWD Champions Day, Patch Of Stars was also an effortless winner in mid-May over the same distance under Zac Purton despite still learning his craft. Stepped up to Class 3 company on…
Planning begins for War Machine
The spring is War Machine’s oyster with its plethora of Group One sprint options for rising star War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel), according to his co-trainer Ben Hayes. Hayes said he will need to discuss War Machine’s program with his brothers Will and JD as well as his connections before a plan is mapped out for the Kiwi import. Hayes also predicted that the best was yet to come from the four-year-old son of Harry Angel. “The scary thing is the way he looks and the way he’s racing he’s…
Teaz continues family legacy at Matamata
Former race caller Jason Teaz has formed a successful career as a harness racing trainer, but it was in the thoroughbred code where he was able to fulfil a lifelong ambition at Matamata on Sunday. Teaz, the son of former thoroughbred trainer Basil Teaz, was lining up his first thoroughbred in more than three years when Out Of Sight entered the starting gates in the Slattery Contracting 1200m on Sunday. The four-year-old mare made it a memorable occasion, storming home down the middle of the track to score by an…
Who Knows the limit for talented Wanganui mare
Who Knows has announced herself as a serious staying mare through the winter, and Niall Quinn has a range of options to consider for her after she returns from a well-deserved break. A daughter of Redwood, Who Knows only debuted as a mid-season four-year-old, but over the last 18 months, she’s won four races, and Saturday’s winning performance at Wanganui may just be her best yet. Coming off a luckless last-start second to McKhan, the mare started a $2 favourite in the Bullocks Whanganui 2040, with Kate Hercock back in…
Gifted Pier continuing to do Mum proud
Pier’s latest black type success at Eagle Farm prompted major celebrations, but there was also a bittersweet side for connections of the high-class son of Proisir. He demolished his rivals in Saturday’s Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m) to further his record, which already featured three-year-old victories in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m). Pier is trained by the father and daughter combination of Darryn and Briar Weatherley with the former sharing in the ownership group with wife Lou, long-time friend Barry Wright and…
Michael House prevails in NZ Amateur Driving Championship
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk After a close run series, Michael House is New Zealand’s champion amateur driver. The series concluded at Addington yesterday with House and Bruce Hadley both tied on 16 points. A countback then couldn’t separate the pair as both drivers had one win, one second and a third over the four races at Cambridge (Thursday) and Addington (Friday and Sunday). According to the conditions of the Championship “should no winner be identified at the end of the initial count back then the winner…