Shaune Ritchie was beaming after Jennifer Eccles’ (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) 1050m trial at Ruakaka on Tuesday. He was delighted to see last season’s Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner relax in her heat and run on well to finish fourth against a quality line-up. “We are delighted with her,” said Ritchie, who trains in partnership with Colm Murray. “Jason (Waddell, jockey) is at his getting ready weight, so the mare was probably giving a little weight away to some key horses. “The Bostonian is a genuine Group One sprinter…
Author: Editor BOAY
Vaughan duo kick-off spring preparations
Southland trainer Lisa Vaughan is on the hunt this season to secure an elusive stakes victory with seven-year-old mare Shirley Maude (NZ) (Fully Fledged). The daughter of Fully Fledged placed in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) at just her second career start and finished runner-up in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Weight For Age (1600m) in February, and Vaughan would dearly love to go one better this season. “Each year she has just gone from strength-to-strength, we have been really lucky with her,” Vaughan said. “Hopefully this season she will…
Savvy Lad primed for Flemington target
Trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young are looking forward to lining up Savvy Lad in the Rubaroc Handicap (1410m) at Flemington on Saturday after his pleasing first-up run at Caulfield last month. The Savabeel four-year-old finished third behind Mystery Shot and Wicklow Town over 1400m and his connections are hoping he can break through for his first win in Australia this weekend. “Savvy Lad was unlucky first-up, he got beaten by a couple of smart horses, but he ran third after copping a severe check at the 600m and was…
Wyndspelle on parade
Group One winner Wyndspelle will be on parade at the Hawera racecourse on Saturday ahead of his debut season at stud. The son of Iffraaj will be on show to the public between races two and three, with breeders encouraged to speak with Grangewilliam Stud Principal Marc Corcoran on the day about the discounted fee on offer and the limited number of lifetime breeding rights available. A winner of the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), Wyndspelle competed in top-flight races across five seasons, performing with distinction in both Australia and…
Derby aspirations for Wertheimer
Former Kiwi three-year-old Wertheimer (NZ) (Tavistock) didn’t take long to make his presence felt across the Tasman. The son of Tavistock won first-up over 1300m at Cranbourne on Wednesday for trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young and they were fairly confident heading into his fresh-up assignment. “He has come over from Andrew Campbell and has been here a few weeks,” Young told Racing.com. “He has adapted really well and he worked really nicely the other day with Savvy Lad. “We thought he would go a great race today. He hasn’t…
When Harry met Lee, starring Mr Malek
Trainer Lee Freedman sent an ominous warning when he said that Mr Malek (NZ) (Swiss Ace) is among the horses who have thrived at his stables during the lockdown. To think the Swiss Ace four-year-old had been among the most progressive horses at Kranji before the coronavirus brought the curtains down for three months, fans can look forward to more sparks at his racing comeback in Saturday’s S$70,000 Class 3 Division 1 race over 1200m. Oscar Racing Stable’s rising star reeled off a four-in-a-row from Restricted Maiden class to Class…
Lightning then the ‘Thunder’
Feel The Thunder gets his racing moniker from American pop rock band Imagine Dragons and one of their three top songs of the 2010s – “Thunder”. But will he leave his rivals ‘thunderstruck in the Healesville Super Sprint (1-4 Wins) final over 300 metres on Sunday? His Cape Woolamai owner-trainer Pasquale ‘Pat’ Derubeis is hoping ‘the rumbling thunder of success’ is coming. Feel The Thunder (May ’18 Allen Deed x Indi Allen) won his heat in 16.89sec – at $15.90! – last weekend. It was his first win at Healesville…
Vet visits given the ‘all clear’ under new restrictions
With regard to the Victorian Government’s latest set of restrictions, the Australian Veterinary Association offers the following advice: There are no restrictions on clients attending veterinary clinics – even if the veterinary clinic is not within a 5km radius of their home. Seeking veterinary care is considered ‘health and care’ and is therefore exempt from curfew hours – although appointments should be made within curfew hours, with emergency consultations only outside curfew hours. It is advisable to seek confirmation of a veterinary appointment via a letter, email or text message…
Bosson eager for race day return
Leading New Zealand jockey Opie Bosson is looking forward to his imminent return to raceday riding. Bosson rode 18 horses for Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards at the Cambridge Stud trials late last month at Te Rapa and he plans on making a return to race day riding on August 12 at Taupo. “My fitness is pretty good,” Bosson said. “I’m still working-out in the gym at Te Akau and I’m much lighter than I was at the same time last season. “I’ve been riding a lot of nice horses…
Australian targets for Oaks winner
Group One winner Sentimental Miss will head across the Tasman this spring to try and add to her burgeoning CV. “It was always the long term plan for her to go to Australia for her five-year-old season,” Go Racing principal Albert Bosma said. “Given COVID-19, it now looks like it will be the least depth to spring racing in Australia for a long while, perhaps since the equine flu. There will be a limit on northern hemisphere horses coming down and restrictions on horses moving inter-state. “She’s last year’s Oaks…