El Vaquero (NZ) (Ferrando) made such an early impression on Riccarton trainer Michael Pitman that he didn’t hesitate to purchase the colt’s sister at Karaka earlier this year. The handsome son of Ferrando has justified his handler’s opinion with sharp improvement on an unplaced debut with a top effort for a last start second. El Vaquero was caught wide at Wingatui from the outside gate and fought gallantly to the post and will bid to go one better in the Bain McCall Memorial 2YO (1000m) on his home course on…
Year: 2025
Six of the Best from the Trials – June 19
These 6 horses have trialled pleasingly in recent weeks and this week they head back to the racetrack. Duchess Of Kent (3f Art Major – Galleon’s Honour) Tr. L Pearson Rewarded her followers at Invercargill (2/6/25) with an easy front running maiden win at only her 4th start in a 1:58MR, last 800m in 57.0 Had previously won a trial (16/5/25) at Winton so the win was not unexpected. Since her raceday victory, she has been back at the Winton workouts where she showed her customary gate speed to lead &…
Pinseeker, Bet N Win Step Out at Menangle Ahead of Inter Dominion
by Adam Hamilton Jonny Cox is looking forward to launching his Aussie campaign with the exciting Pinseeker at Menangle on Saturday night. Cox and Pinseeker arrived in Sydney late yesterday (Tuesday) along with the David and Stacey White pair Bet N Win and Betterthancash, who also step-out at Menangle on Saturday. Pinseeker (gate four) will clash with Betterthancash (three) over a mile in the opening race on Saturday. “I don’t know a lot about the form yet, but it looks a good starting point because we’re racing a class below…
Princess Sadie and Joyride Return in Silk Road Series
by Jonny Turner Wyndham punters will need to choose between outstanding age-group form and rock-hard fitness on Thursday. Princess Sadie will line up in a Silk Road Trotting Series heat, her first start since signing off an excellent three-year-old season in December. Just two starts ago, the now four-year-old mare ran second behind superstar Aussie Keyang Zahara in the Group One New Zealand Trotting Oaks. It looks outstanding form to bring to Young Quinn Raceway, even if the trotter has a 20m handicap to overcome. While her class can’t be…
Balle Team Lines Up Two at Cambridge as Neita Leads the Charge
by Jordyn Bublitz The father-daughter duo of Derek and Neita Balle have two runners set to take the stage tonight at Cambridge Raceway. A relatively new partnership, Neita admits she didn’t quite believe her dad when he first offered to train together. “We were having a laugh a few months ago when I jokingly asked him when we were going into partnership,” she said. “He told me, ‘Whenever you want to,’ and I laughed it off.” “Three months down the track, he walked into the barn and asked if I wanted to go…
Strawbridge salutes judge for the first time at Cambridge
Growing up watching her mum in the saddle lit a fire in Ashlee Strawbridge to become a jockey, and at Cambridge on Wednesday she realised a dream when riding home her first winner. That win came aboard the locally-trained Cheap Sav, and Strawbridge showed the maturity of a more seasoned rider when biding her time at the rear of the field in the Saddlery Warehouse 1300 before unleashing her charge out wide to run over the top of her rivals to score by a long neck over Oban. Indentured to…
Here To Shock’s elite-level aims
After Here To Shock (NZ) (Shocking) returned his best season as a racehorse as a seven-year-old gelding, owner and syndicate manager Rob Slade is banking on him continuing that upward trajectory. “He’s getting better with age. He’s very lightly raced for a seven-year-old gelding as he has had only 37 starts and most horses his age would be in the 55-to-60-starts bracket,” Slade said of Here To Shock, who has won 13 races and $2.8 million in prizemoney. Here To Shock is back in work and being aimed first-up at…
Knobelas carries Ascot colours to success
Knobelas (NZ) (Belardo) has continued the winning form of OTI Racing with victory in a race at Sandown, hours after the colours were worn to success at Royal Ascot. Docklands gave OTI Racing one of their biggest victories when successful in the opening race of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting, the Queen Anne Stakes over the straight mile course on Tuesday night (Australian time). Knobelas won over a similar trip in the OTI Racing colours, taking out the Stow Storage Solutions Handicap (1600m) at Sandown on Wednesday. Prepared by Mick…
Stakes-winning juvenile sold to Hong Kong
A month after his barnstorming stakes victory at Ellerslie, smart juvenile Do You Just (NZ) (So You Think) has been sold and will continue his racing career in Hong Kong. The son of So You Think showed promise through his two-year-old season, but it wasn’t until the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) in mid-May that he showed his true colours, leading up and spacing his rivals by 6-½ lengths. That performance came as little surprise for co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan, who shared in the ownership of Do You Just with Waikato Stud,…
Platinum Diamond top Castletown prospect
Lisa Latta will hold a strong hand in Friday’s two-year-old feature at Otaki, with Platinum Diamond (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) tipped as her top seed. The Awapuni trainer will have able back-up in the Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) with Brutiful Lass and Platinum Pantheon also in contention. Platinum Diamond has earned top billing from the stable after the highly encouraging start the daughter of Hello Youmzain has made to her career. The filly made late ground to run fourth at her Hawera debut in early May and then…