Hilal has made an encouraging start to his stud career, with the Grangewilliam Stud stallion producing a strong result from limited representation at last week’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale. The first-season sire was represented by a colt out of the placed Pierro mare Drama Series, offered by Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore on behalf of Nearco Stud. The youngster attracted strong competition before selling to Paul Pertab Bloodstock for $65,000. Cunningham said the result reflected the quality of the colt, who had impressed from an early age. “I wasn’t surprised…
Month: June 2026
Entries Open for World’s Leading 2YO Sale
Entries for NZB’s 2026 Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs are now open via the NZB Portal, with the Sale to be held at the Karaka Sales Centre on 18 and 19 November. This year’s Breeze Ups are set to take place on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 October at Te Rapa. Graduates of this Sale have claimed 33 Group Ones and 115 stakes wins in the last five seasons, while Australia’s combined two-year-old sales have had just two Group One successes in that time. This season alone, the Sale…
Predominance on the comeback trail
Matamata trainer Benji King was on a high after Predominance’s (NZ) (Preferment) maiden victory at Arawa Park in December but he quickly came back down to earth in the following days when it was feared the gelding was all but lost. The four-year-old had suffered complications from an atrial fibrillation, with King praising the work of his father, Brighthill Farm principal Nick King, and vets for saving his life. “He had quite a serious health issue after that last run,” King said. “He had a heart fibrillation that went south…
Urenui to appreciate rain-affected going
Fine weather is forecast for Wellington ahead of Trentham’s postponed meeting on Thursday, but New Plymouth trainer Debbie Harris is hoping the track doesn’t dry out too much. Initially set to take place on Saturday, the meeting was postponed due to track conditions following heavy rain, and the track remains a Heavy10, which would ideally suit Harris’ wet track specialist Urenui (NZ) (Derryn), who will contest the Aztech Engineering 1500. The six-year-old son of Derryn will be second up following his fourth placing over 1360m at Wanganui a fortnight ago,…
Big guns clash on opening night of IDs 2026
By Adam Hamilton The first big clash of the Ladbrokes Inter Dominion series comes on the opening night when local superstars Leap To Fame and The Janitor go at it again. In a quirk of the field selection process, the two favourites for the $1 million final clash in the third of Saturday night’s heats (race six) at Albion Park in Brisbane. Leap To Fame again has an advantage from gate five with The Janitor directly outside him (gate six). It looks certain trainer-driver Grant Dixon will just keep pushing…
Stanaway fondly remembered
The New Zealand thoroughbred industry is mourning the loss of respected horseman Peter Stanaway, who passed away peacefully late last week following a short illness, aged 80. For decades, Stanaway was a familiar and highly respected figure throughout New Zealand’s thoroughbred breeding and racing industry. A prominent member of staff at Cambridge Stud under Sir Patrick Hogan for more than a quarter of a century, Stanaway was an outstanding horseman and often the man tasked with leading elite-level lots through the sales ring. “Peter Stanaway was a rough diamond. He…
Pride’s three-pronged Winter Stakes attack
Joe Pride has been the Listed Winter Stakes’ (1400m) dominant trainer in recent years and he will have three shots at another win this year. The Warwick Farm horseman will be represented by Cool Jakey (Pierro), Accredited (All Too Hard) and Poison Chalice (NZ) (Savabeel) in the $200,000 Listed event, which will be run at Rosehill this Saturday. Pride won the race last year with Estadio Mestalla (Galileo Gold), three years after first winning it with Taksu (Equiano) and he is happy with the team he has assembled despite the prospect of a stronger-than-usual edition. “They’ve…
Steeplechase hope at the top of his game
Versatile and dependable performer Never Look Back (NZ) (Shocking) will head Gail Temperton’s team of three at Thursday’s rescheduled Trentham meeting. The in-form son of Shocking will front up for the sternest test of his career in the Grant Plumbing Wellington Steeplechase (4900m), while Cocktail Lad runs in the Honouring West Coast Hurdles (2500m) and Name The Game (NZ) (Nom Du Jeu) tackles the Stephanie Murray Mortgages Maiden Hurdles (2500m). Never Look Back has performed with great credit in all three roles with four wins on the flat to his…
Phillips’ first training win a true family affair
Winton horseman Shane Phillips is still on cloud nine after recording his first training win at Wingatui on Sunday. Phillps joined his father, John, in partnership earlier this season, and while they had five placings from their previous 18 starts, a victory had remained elusive. That all changed on Sunday when they trekked north to Dunedin with their four-year-old gelding Woodlands (NZ) (Embellish), who finished off strong to claim the KB Contractors (1200m) by half a neck under apprentice jockey Sima Mxotha. “I am very happy to get my first…
Antipodean produces APlus performance in Cup
Antipodean (NZ) (Derryn) defied topweight and made light of a rain-affected track to score one of the best wins of his stellar career in the RM100,000 APlus Cup (Metro A – 1600m) at Sungai Besi today. Always consistent since coming on the scene in 2024, the Derryn galloper gave away at least 5kg (after claims) to his rivals and fought tenaciously to win by a neck. Banker’s Two Six (Toronado), who has won five of nine runs and beating Antipodean in his last start in May, started odds-on in the…