Leonard Stewart has made his presence felt on Waimate Cup Day in recent years, and the highly respected Timaru horseman is looking forward to another edition of the feature winter meeting at Phar Lap Raceway on Sunday. Stewart saddled Take The Deel to win the Dunstan Horsefeeds Waimate Cup in 2021 and Vague to repeat that result in 2022. The race was run over 2200m in both of those years but has subsequently changed to 1600m. Stewart had three runners in the 2023 edition, which was won by Zelenski. In…
Month: June 2025
Weather key for Samuel Langhorne
With Victoria in desperate need of rain, trainer Michael Kent is hopeful of getting through the early part of the Flemington meeting with not too much falling. Kent has Samuel Langhorne (NZ) (Shocking) engaged in the opening race at Flemington on Saturday, the TAB We’re On (2520m) and the trainer does not want the track to be too rain-affected. On Friday the track was rated a Soft 6 with showers developing, while on Saturday the Bureau Of Meteorology is forecasting a 95% chance of between 3 and 9mm of rain. “He’s not a wet tracker, so I’ll be…
Another age-group target for Acapelago
Two weeks after an impressive win in a 1400m three-year-old race at Te Rapa, Te Awamutu trainers Katrina and Simon Alexander are sticking to a similar formula with talented filly Acapelago at Ellerslie this weekend. The daughter of Belardo scored a commanding victory on May 24, dominating from the front in the hands of jockey Kelly Myers and keeping herself well out of the reach of placegetters Ziggy Stardust and Renovations. The Alexanders will stick to age-group company and 1400m on Saturday, saddling Acapelago in the Sistema (1400m). “I’ve been…
Winter Final in the offing for promising juvenile
Byerley Park trainer Steven Cole will head to Ellerslie with a quartet of runners on Saturday, and he is particularly upbeat about the chances of Pacific Breeze in the Network Visuals 1200. The two-year-old son of North Pacific has pleased Cole with his progression since making his debut at Te Aroha in February, and he will use Saturday’s assignment as a qualifier for the $60,000 ITM/GIB 2YO Winter Championship Final at Ruakaka later this month. “I am really happy with him, he trialled up well at Waipa the other day…
Forsman three-year-olds continue Melbourne campaigns
Andrew Forsman has four runners spread across three venues on Saturday, including a pair of three-year-olds at Flemington who will try to follow up strong last-start performances at the Melbourne track. Yaldi will step up in distance to contest the Darren Galley Mile (1600m), in which he will carry 60kg and will be ridden by Declan Bates. The winner of the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, Yaldi was a last-start third placegetter over 1400m at Flemington on May 17. He carried 59.5kg in that race and…
Pike’s hand forced at Ellerslie with young talent
Tony Pike will have a quartet of runners by necessity rather than design in Saturday’s two-year-old contest at Ellerslie. The Cambridge trainer will be represented by trial winners Arthur, Ashoka, Boombox and Happy Youmzain in the Network Visuals Juvenile (1200m). “It was never the intention to run four together, but they are all nice, progressive two-year-olds that I want to give a run to,” Pike said. “They can then have a break with race day experience under their belts going into their three-year-old seasons. “This is probably the last chance…
Big task ahead for Spencer in Ellerslie debut
After a stunning fresh-up performance at Trentham, Spencer has another task on his hands as he carries topweight in his first appearance at Ellerslie on Saturday. The emerging star of last winter, Spencer swept through the grades in a campaign that was headlined by a breakthrough victory in the Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m) in October. Resuming with a rating of 94 at Trentham last month, Spencer carried 58kg after a three-kilogram claim, but that didn’t stop him from dominating his lesser-weighted rivals with considerable ease. Erin Hocquard, who prepares the…
Telfers fancy their chances at Alexandra Park tonight
By Michael Guerin Steve Telfer knows one of the hottest runs in New Zealand racing history has to end soon. But that may not be tonight. Telfer and his sister Amanda trained a staggering 18 winners harness racing winners in a 10-day space up to last Sunday, more winners than a lot of successful stables train in an entire season. It is possible an equine stable has put up similar numbers before, maybe on a circuit dominated by one trainer, but good luck trying to find it. The blitz saw…
The Lazarus Effect’s vying for four from four at Addington tonight
By Jonny Turner Rival camps have plenty to worry about ahead of The Lazarus Effect putting his unbeaten record on the line at Addington on Friday night. On exposed form, the pacer looks incredibly hard to beat in his attempt to make it four-from-four for trainer-driver Bob Butt in Race 1, the TAB 2nd and 3rd Bonus Cash Back Mobile Pace (5.05pm). He’s a $1.35 favourite. The Lazarus Effect was explosive in his return to racing at Winton late last month, charging to an easy victory in slick time against…
Shannon resigns as Entain boss
Entain’s New Zealand and Australia boss Dean Shannon is stepping down. He will depart the company by June 30 and will be replaced in the interim by former Tabcorp executive Andrew Vouris. Shannon says the decision to leave was to allow the business to enter a new phase, declaring “it was the right time for change.” In 2023, with Shannon at the helm, Entain began a 25 year strategic arrangement with the TAB to run its business in this country. Last year it added betcha to its portfolio. “We acknowledge…