Day: 30 July 2025

White Robe Lodge’s Jack Stewart was recognised with the Mary Lynne Ryan Young Achiever Award at Saturday’s National Breeding Awards in Karapiro, highlighting his growing impact on New Zealand’s breeding and racing landscape. Stewart represents the next generation of White Robe Lodge, carrying forward the proud legacy of his parents Wayne and Karren Stewart, and grandparents Brian and Lorraine Anderton at the iconic North Taieri stud and racing operation. Involved across all areas of the business — from foaling and yearling preparation to stallion management and sales, Stewart is a…

Welcome to July’s Entain Edition Tomorrow marks the end of the 2024-25 New Zealand racing season — the second full racing season of Entain Australia and New Zealand delivering racing and sports wagering to New Zealand. The last two years and two months have brought many changes and improvements to every aspect of the betting experience for Kiwis, and now — with the ‘legislative net’ betting law changes passed late last month — the building blocks are very much in place for all parties involved in the strategic partnership to…

Gail Temperton hasn’t made too many trips south over the years with her horses, but a quality hurdler made this year’s Grand National Festival of Racing too good of an opportunity to pass up. The Foxton horsewoman will be represented in Saturday’s Avon City Ford Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) by Never Look Back (NZ) (Shocking), a first-season jumper who made a big impression when defeating a top field in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles (3000m) earlier this month. The homebred son of Shocking has come through his Woodville triumph well, giving Temperton…

Promising galloper Wallen is making good progress toward a return to racing following an untimely setback. The rising six-year-old son of Tarzino made a strong start to his career with a brace of wins and five placings from eight appearances before he was sidelined by a suspensory injury. Wallen’s highlight performance was his victory in the inaugural running of last year’s $350,000 Sir Patrick Hogan Karapiro Classic (1600m) at Te Rapa. The gelding is prepared at Cambridge by Shane Crawford, who with partner Kara Waters are also leading Ready to…

There is no shortage of serious contenders in Saturday’s Racecourse Hotel and Motor Lodge Koral Steeplechase (4250m), and Marton trainer Dan O’Leary will saddle two of those in Te Kahu (NZ) (Zacinto) and Captains Run (NZ) (Nom du Jeu). Captains Run made the journey south last year, finishing third in both the Koral and Grand National Steeplechase (5600m), while his talented stablemate and former Great Northern Steeplechase (6500m) winner Te Kahu was recovering from a minor injury that put him out after winning the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4900m) in July.…

Southern representative Riviera Rebel (NZ) (Pure Champion) will be out to extend his golden run at Riccarton Park this Saturday when he contests the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 128th Winter Cup (1600m). The rising five-year-old son of Pure Champion has had five starts at the Christchurch track for three wins, including the Gr.3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) in April, and Riverton trainers Graham Eade and Brooke Kincaid are hoping he can extend that to four on Saturday. “He seems to love Riccarton, I am not sure why,” Eade said. “If…