Apprentice jockey Ashlee Strawbridge gained her first victory at Cambridge on Wednesday and didn’t take long to make it two when she guided What A Charma (NZ) (Jimmy Choux) to success in the Seeka Kiwifruit Cup (2100m) at Tauranga on Saturday. In a race filled with drama where Bruno Queiroz – riding eventual runner-up Gallant Hero (Fast Company) – lost the use of his irons for the majority of the contest, Strawbridge was happy to bide her time aboard the Mark Irwin-trained runner at the back of the seven-horse field.…
Month: June 2025
Stop The Rock continues run of form
Progressive three-year-old Stop The Rock (NZ) (El Roca) continued his climb through the grades when the Patrick and Michelle Payne-trained gelding ran out a solid winner of the Ken Cox Handicap (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday. The hard-fought victory came under a typically patient Billy Egan ride as the son of El Roca advanced his career record to three wins from four starts. A last start winner at Swan Hill, Stop The Rock came from midfield to narrowly defeat the favourite Shockletz (NZ) (Shocking) and bring up an early double…
Cool Aza Rene lifts Te Akau to 20 two-year-old wins
Te Akau Racing’s powerful team of New Zealand two-year-olds brought up their 20th win of the season when Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) edged out El Vaquero (NZ) (Ferrando) in Saturday’s Bain McCall Memorial (1000m) at Riccarton. The $35,000 race was the fourth win from only a five-start career for Cool Aza Rene, who is now one of a trio of Te Akau two-year-olds to have won four races during 2024-25. Return To Conquer’s (Snitzel) unbeaten four-win haul culminated in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on Champions…
Honey Badger provides Pike with welcome back gift
Talented galloper Honey Badger (NZ) (El Roca) provided her trainer Tony Pike with the perfect present on his return from a winter break in Fiji as she trounced her three-year-old rivals in the Aongatete Avo-Ject 3YO (1200m) at Tauranga on Saturday. Sent out as a dominating $1.80 favourite, the daughter of El Roca began well and settled on the back of pacemaker Pleasing before rider Michael McNab eased her to that runner’s outside approaching the home bend. After a brief tussle, Honey Badger bounded clear and scored by nearly four…
Telfers Extend Premiership Lead with Addington Double
Steve and Amanda Telfer had a good night at Addington raceway last night, training two winners to extend their lead in the trainers premiership. C C Ardern smashed them in the Garrards Horse & Hound Handicap pace with driver Tim Williams. The gelding negotiated the standing start well, was restrained but unable to slot in for the first six hundred metres of the race. From there Williams made all the right moves to end up 1×1 from the one thousand metre mark before the field broke up at the quarter.…
New recruit makes perfect start for Gordon
Stable newcomer Paradis provided a pleasant surprise for Foxton trainer Suzy Gordon on Friday with a first-up victory in the Aquashield Roofing Maiden (1600m) at Otaki. The daughter of Complacent had previously been in the Hastings stable of Fred Pratt and Caitlin Johnson, for whom she had recorded three placings from eight starts between November of 2023 and July of 2024. Friday’s race at Otaki was the five-year-old’s first appearance in almost a year, first start for her new stable and first time racing over a distance shorter than 2100m.…
Ipswich Cup distance test for Poetic Drama
Trainers Tony and Maddysen Sears will have two runners in Saturday’s Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m), with Kiwi bred Poetic Drama (NZ) (Proisir) joined by stablemate Red Wave (Red Dazzler), who won last year’s edition of the race. Six-year-old mare Poetic Drama, who extends to a middle distance for the first time has been performing well at her past two starts in stakes grade, including a luckless sixth in the Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) two weeks ago. “Last start she got stuck behind a wall of horses. Albeit, it was…
Ashburton to host “Harness 5000” in December
A $720,000 race day has been announced for Ashburton Raceway this December. A total of 12 finals will be held but they will be only open to trotters and pacers whose sire stood for an advertised retail service fee of $5,000 or less in the breeding season of conception. The “Harness 5000” finals will be for 3YO, 4YO and 5YO and older Fillies and Mares and Colts, Geldings and Entires for both gaits. Each final will carry a stake of $60,000 and will be limited to a field size of…
Kumanovo Delivers at Cambridge After Testing Road Back
by Jordyn Bublitz It was a rewarding night at Cambridge Raceway for trainer Owen Gillies and the connections of Kumanovo, as the mare notched her second win in just three starts. Driven confidently by Zachary Butcher, Kumanovo showed a strong turn of foot to take out the Gavelhouse.com Handicap Trot, validating Gillies’ belief in her ability. It’s been a bit of a journey getting the daughter of Father Patrick back to the races, and Gillies couldn’t be prouder of how she’s coming to hand. “She’s been a hard horse to handle, and it…
Drying track good news for honest Grebeni
The Listed Civic Stakes (1400m wasn’t always the first choice for Grebeni’s next start, but co-trainer Sterling Alexiou believed it might just prove the right fit. The son of Ocean Park was being aimed towards the Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday week, however, Alexiou and training partner Gerald Ryan had a rethink and opted to send him around at Randwick this Saturday instead. “It wasn’t really the plan to run this Saturday. He was going to go to Eagle Farm (Saturday week) and run in the Tatt’s Mile, but we were just a little bit concerned…