Frankie Lor led last season’s dirt course standings with 10 wins and, on Wednesday night at Sha Tin, the trainer is represented by a formidable outfit in seven of the nine races as apprentice Nichola Yuen makes her debut in Hong Kong with five rides. Two wins last Sunday lifted Lor’s tally this term to 31. Yuen, who experiences Hong Kong racing for the first time after overseas training, rides Fun N Fun Together (NZ) (Charm Spirit) for Lor in the third section of the Class 4 Ma Tau Wai…
Month: March 2026
Hayley all set for Southern Guineas challenge
Star southern filly Hello Hayley (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) is on target to become the first horse in two decades to complete the Southern 3YO Guineas Triple Crown in the rescheduled Listed Gore Guineas (1200m) at Riverton on Saturday. Hello Hayley was the winner of one of her five starts ahead of the originally scheduled Gore Guineas on February 1, only for the meeting to be abandoned when a horse slipped in the opening race. The Hello Youmzain filly has made massive strides in her two starts since, winning the Listed…
National Online Yearling Sale Catalogue Now Live
NZB’s 2026 National Online Yearling Sale is now live, with the quality 104-lot catalogue available to view on Gavelhouse Plus. Bidding will open on Friday 10 April and close from 6pm (NZT) on Tuesday 14 April. National Online Yearling Sale graduate Well Written has earned over $2.6MIn just its sixth year, this digital edition of NZB’s National Yearling Sale has already claimed multiple successes on the racetrack, with just 169 runners claiming an impressive 159 wins on the track, including unbeaten Group One winner, TAB Karaka Millions 3YO and NZB…
Kneebone kicking goals early in training career
Nick Kneebone has hit the ground running in his first full season of training, highlighted by his first Group One result last weekend when Speed Demon (NZ) (Yes Yes Yes) ran home well to finish third in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1200m) at Trentham. The son of Yes Yes Yes had won one of his previous four starts, and while confident of a bold showing in Saturday’s juvenile feature, Kneebone was rapt to see Speed Demon belie the racing pattern of the day when roaring home from the…
Stablemates set to clash
By Jordyn Bublitz Ōtaki trainer Wendy Devenport returns to Palmerston North Raceway today with a handy two-pronged attack, but this time there’s no dividing line, her pair will meet head-on in Race 2, the Masonic Motel Mobile Pace. It follows a mixed bag on Sunday, where her stablemates The Elite Athlete and Who’s Your Dragon produced vastly different narratives. The Elite Athlete arguably should have gone close to featuring in the finish, only to have his chances undone at a crucial stage. Copping a heavy check at the 400m when…
Fortune Tree wins Tunku Gold Cup
The up-and-coming Fortune Tree (NZ) (Ardrossan) got up by a nose from last-start winner Duma (NZ) (Too Darn Hot) in an exciting finish in the RM300,000 (S$97,300) Tunku Gold Cup (1,200m) at Sungai Besi on March 29 for trainer Richard Lim. Despite drawing an outside gate, Fortune Tree duly rewarded Lim and owner Lee Swee Eng for their trust and patience in him. Ridden by Aify Yahaya for the first time, Fortune Tree found himself in midfield shortly after jumping, albeit three wide after being unable to cut across in…
Time out for Te Akau’s new Group One stars
Initial discussions following Saturday’s Group One double by Seize The Day (I Am Invincible) and Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel) have confirmed that both Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained stars will head to the spelling paddock ahead of new season campaigns. That had already been established before Belle Cheval’s nail-biting win in the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill, whereas immediate options for Seize The Day remained open after his runaway performance in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. “Belle Cheval has already been floated down to…
Hoskin fulfilling childhood dream
Reflecting on winning her first stakes race on Saturday, South Auckland trainer Kylie Hoskin couldn’t help but think of how proud her younger self would be. While horse-mad as a child, she didn’t grow up around horses and kept her dream alive by getting lost in books about them. While unable to have a pony herself, the pull became too strong and Hoskin took matters into her own hands, approaching a few local trainers and she began to assist Neville Atkins in her spare time. “I am not from a…
Little Lady on target for Breeders’ Stakes
Genuine filly Lady Iris (NZ) (US Navy Flag) will bid to crown a rewarding preparation with an overdue stakes success. The Stephen Marsh-trained three-year-old is at the tail-end of her preparation and will head toward her final outing of the season in winning form. The daughter of U S Navy Flag accounted for a competitive age group line-up at Trentham on Saturday and will chase the first black-type victory of her career before a deserved break. “She’s only small, but she is as game as they come and was great…
Jimmysstar no certainty for TJ Smith run
The second favourite for the Gr.1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) is no certainty to take his place this Saturday with Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) having to prove himself in his work after a rare unplaced failure last week at Caulfield. Trainer Ciaron Maher said at Flemington on Saturday that he would travel to Sydney in the morning to watch Jimmysstar go through his paces on the track at Warwick Farm after his William Reid Stakes run, which Maher termed “a bit of a head-scratcher”. “I’ll just want to see how…