Exciting sprinter Twain (NZ) (Per Incanto) will head to the spelling paddock off the back of an impressive performance in Saturday’s Bayleys Country Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa. The four-year-old son of Per Incanto has proven to be a winning machine since commencing racing in July last year, with five victories from just eight starts before lining up on Saturday. Trainer John Bell has made no secret of his regard for Twain and was confident of another big effort provided he mastered the left-handed way of going at Te Rapa…
Year: 2025
Harrison drives first winner for “new” boss
By Jordyn Bublitz Driving a winner at Cambridge Raceway last night was a “first” for junior driver Alicia Harrison. She drove For Always Arden to take out the Ferguson Racing Thanks Owners and Clients Mobile Pace and while it was her third win since returning to racing after being out of commission for a year due to shoulder surgery it was her first for her “new” boss Tony Herlihy since joining his stables in April. “I was looking for a change, and the chance to work for Tony came…
Northview Ocean “jogs” to maiden victory at Invercargill
By Jonny Turner Northview Ocean completed an epic journey to the winner’s circle at Ascot Park on Thursday. The win may have seemed like a routine victory for the mare, who justified her strong backing when scoring for trainer Tyler Dewe, driver Mark Hurrell, and breeder-owner Cleland Murdoch. But over the past year, Northview Ocean’s chances of even making it to the races looked bleak at times. After making a strong start to her career, the pacer was found to have a cracked pelvis bone, with her condition quickly deteriorating.…
Weanling sale success stories
Presenter-driver-trainer Brittany Graham knows a thing or two about racing on both sides of the Tasman and now that the Queenslander is working for Trackside in this country she’s (reluctantly) agreed to write a weekly column. by Brittany Graham With less than two weeks until the annual NZB Standardbred National Weanling Sale, it seemed the perfect opportunity to reflect on some of the more ‘shrewd’ purchases out of that sale ring. This year’s event will be run alongside the thoroughbred sale, which opens the opportunities to an even wider audience…
Angels ride with War Machine
Rising star War Machine will start the popular elect in Saturday’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, carrying not only the hopes of punters and his connections, but the heartfelt weight of two powerful legacies. The four-year-old has won five of his 12 starts since being purchased from New Zealand including his two outings from his new quarters with trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Jockey Tim Clark will sport a black armband on Saturday in the A$3 million feature in memory of two pivotal figures who helped shape…
Uderzo targets Te Rapa repeat
Three weeks on from a dominant performance over the same course and distance, Uderzo (NZ) (Vadamos) will return to Te Rapa on Saturday in search of a repeat result in the Skycity Hamilton Mile (1600m). Uderzo has been a strong performer throughout an 11-start campaign as a six-year-old this season, including a third in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) in January and a huge finish from the back of the field for fourth in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) in April. But the Vadamos gelding’s first win of the…
Former northerners give Dennis strong hand at Oamaru
Ascot Park trainer Robert Dennis will head to Oamaru on Sunday with four leading chances, all of whom began their careers in the North Island. Dennis will be represented by the formerly Karen Fursdon-trained Vino Valentino in the Female Jockey Tribute Day (2200m), the former Lauren Brennan runner Sir Sterling in the Donna Wilson (1400m), the formerly Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Forseti in the Debbie Henderson (1200m), and the ex-Andrew Forsman runner Magnastar in the Debbie Kennedy (1200m). Sir Sterling performed to a high level in the north, winning…
Angels ride with War Machine
Rising star War Machine will start the popular elect in Saturday’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, carrying not only the hopes of punters and his connections, but the heartfelt weight of two powerful legacies. The four-year-old has won five of his 12 starts since being purchased from New Zealand including his two outings from his new quarters with trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Jockey Tim Clark will sport a black armband on Saturday in the A$3 million feature in memory of two pivotal figures who helped shape…
Spark ignited in Singapore star
Former Singapore superstar Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec) may have found his old spark, as he prepares for his second Australian start on Saturday. The Dan Meagher-trained seven-year-old was a potential starter in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm this weekend, but a logistical issue led to that plan being aborted and instead, he’ll line up at Sandown in a 1400-metre handicap en route to the Winter Championship over 1600m at Flemington. Lim’s Kosciuszko finished third in the Listed Straight Six at Flemington at his Australian debut, where he raced…
Ka Ying Rising rated the world’s best on turf
Kiwi-bred sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising’s (NZ) (Shamexpress) star continues to rise, with the son of Shamexpress rated the world’s best turf horse in the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. Bred by Marton horseman Fraser Auret under his Grandmoral Lodge Racing, the four-year-old gelding has been an unstoppable force for trainer David Hayes in Hong Kong, winning 13 of his 15 starts in the competitive racing jurisdiction. He is undefeated in the current term, recording eight successive victories, including the Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), Gr.1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee…