Month: December 2025

The Canterbury Jockey Club have announced Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Romanoff (NZ) (Belardo) as their representative for the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day, 7 March 2026. When purchasing their slot for the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race, the Club decided to use it as an added incentive to compete in their two elite-level three-year-old features over New Zealand Cup Week – the $600,000 Group 1 Barneswood Farm 53rd New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and $700,000 Group 1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 53rd New…

The Canterbury Jockey Club have announced Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Romanoff (NZ) (Belardo) as their representative for the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day, 7 March 2026. When purchasing their slot for the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race, the Club decided to use it as an added incentive to compete in their two elite-level three-year-old features over New Zealand Cup Week – the $600,000 Group 1 Barneswood Farm 53rd New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and $700,000 Group 1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 53rd New…

Group One-winning sprinter Crocetti is back on track for a tilt at the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham in a fortnight following a setback earlier this month. The five-year-old gelding, who last raced in the A$5 million The Quokka (1200m) in Perth in April, was making pleasing progress in his build-up over spring, winning his 1100m trial at Te Rapa in September before he was set to head to Pukekohe to tackle the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes (1200m) a fortnight ago. However, the son of Zacinto’s temperature spiked earlier in…

The Chris Waller-trained John Dory contests the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday, with the progressive galloper installed a $3 favourite for the three-year-old contest. The son of Ace High broke maiden ranks in November when winning at Canterbury over 1550m and was a game runner-up in the City To Surf 3YO (1600m) at Doomben at his most recent outing, when giving four kilos to winner Nightline whom he meets again on Saturday at set weights. “He is a really nice progressive horse,” Waller said. “I…

Latrelle and Old Bill Bone may not be ideally suited by the conditions of the Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Trentham, but there’s belief they can rise to the occasion. They will give trainer Cody Cole a decent hand in Saturday’s Bramco Granite & Marble-sponsored feature sprint at Trentham where he also has black-type contenders Atmospheric and Silhouette. Latrelle and Old Bill Bone will be tested at weight-for-age company, earning the step up after performing well at handicap level. “They’re obviously not that well suited, but I had a…

Former Cantabrian Penvose Lad is loving life in the deep south. Formerly trained by Riccarton horsewoman Anna Furlong, the now five-year-old gelding won three races before joining Ebony Turner’s Riverton barn in search of more forgiving footing in spring. “I got approached by his owners. They felt that the tracks were getting too hard for him up there (Canterbury) and if he was going to be travelling south for softer track conditions, he may as well be trained down here, and I was the lucky one that got the phone…

Promising stayer She’s A Hustler (NZ) (Ace High) could be another galloper who could make a cameo appearance at the Sydney Autumn Carnival. Just as Tony and Calvin McEvoy are considering a return to racing for Caulfield and Melbourne Cups champion Half Yours in the All Aged Stakes, She’s A Hustler’s trainer Grahame Begg is pondering bringing her back at Randwick. Begg said he is looking at the Gr.1 Queen Of The Turf (1600m) for fillies and mares at Randwick on April 11 for his last-start winner of the Gr.2…