Author: NZRacingDesk

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New Zealand-bred gelding Klabel (NZ) (Vadamos) capped a consistent run of form with a welcome return to the winners’ circle in the A$120,000 Listed Adelaide Galvanising Industries Christmas Handicap (1200m) at Morphettville on Saturday. The son of Vadamos has now had 31 starts for seven wins, 13 placings and A$586,220 in stakes. The Christmas Cup was Klabel’s first win since August 2024, but his 15 starts since then had produced six runner-up finishes, three thirds, two fourths and two fifths. Leading into Saturday, his 2025-26 preparation had been made up…

The Waikato Stud colours were to the fore at Cranbourne on Saturday when their talented homebred mare Sun Gift (NZ) (Savabeel) scored a last-gasp win in the A$130,000 Gatorade Handicap (2025m). The Benchmark 74 handicap was the fourth win of a 20-race career for Sun Gift, who has also finished second on seven occasions and has earned A$180,905. The Danny O’Brien-trained Sun Gift was second-up at Cranbourne on Saturday, having finished strongly for second over 1600m in her resuming run at Caulfield Heath on December 3. As a previous winner…

Well-related mare Watersports (NZ) (Ocean Park) added a second win to her record with a track-record-breaking victory in the A$80,000 Big Swing Golf Handicap (1500m) at Cranbourne on Saturday. The promising four-year-old is a half-sister to Grail Seeker (NZ) (Iffraaj), the winner of last season’s Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and Telegraph (1200m) for Matamata trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott. Grail Seeker will head to Trentham to attempt to defend that Telegraph title next Saturday. Watersports herself brought strong form credentials into her Benchmark 70 assignment at Cranbourne, having been…

There will be more than just the healthy $57,500 first placed cheque on the line for talented galloper Agera (NZ) (Complacent) when he contests the Harcourts Taupo Cup (2000m) at Taupo on Sunday. The race is the last event in the newly minted Northern Cups bonus, a series where the leading points scorer over seven Cup races will take out the winner-takes-all $50,000 bonus for accumulating the most points across those races. Agera currently sits atop the leaderboard with 10 points, secured with victories in the Listed Matamata Cup (1600m)…

Expat Kiwi jockey Daniel Stackhouse will once again answer the call of Riccarton trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman to ride their team at Trentham next month. The Melbourne-based hoop returned to New Zealand last month to ride Mystic Park (NZ) (Ocean Park) to victory in the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m) for the father-and-son team, and he will reunite with the six-year-old gelding in the Gr.2 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) on January 17. “He came over to ride Mystic Park to win the TAB Mile and I have asked him to…

Wexford Stables are daring to dream with their exciting juvenile filly Te Encuentro (Frankel) following her impressive debut victory in the SkyCity 1100 at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained filly won her sole trial over 800m at Pukekohe earlier this month and the Matamata horsemen were confident of a bold showing on debut. That confidence quickly waned after she was forced to settle at the rear of the field and raced flat for most of the journey. She continued to battle at the back of…

Kris Lees is happy to take a when however and whenever it comes and Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock) timing it well to win a second Gr.3 Summer Cup (2000m) to land a racecard double was just the Boxing Day fare he wanted.  A consistent performer but with a dearth of victories in 2025, the six-year-old gelding notched his first win since taking out the Listed Scone Cup (2000m) in May after winning the 2000-metre Summer Cup last year. “It has been frustrating this preparation,” Lees said. “He is more than capable on his day but…

Stakes targets are in the offing for consistent gelding Maldini after he scored the biggest win of his career when taking out the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Final (2400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. From his ace barrier, Maldini settled three-back on the rail for apprentice jockey Sam McNab and the pair enjoyed an economical trip throughout. Turning for home, much of the field elected to search for better footing towards the middle of the track, but McNab continued to hug the rail, which proved a decisive move, with Maldini…

An imperious performance by Rise Companions to waltz away with the prestigious Stella Artois 1500m Championship Final (1500m) has pundits questioning just where his ceiling could be. The statuesque five-year-old son of Capitalist was gunning for his third win in succession with victory in the final event on an action-packed Boxing Day card at Ellerslie and didn’t disappoint as he romped clear to win by nearly three lengths in the hands of Masa Hashizume. Those who supported the Simon and Katrina Alexander-prepared runner had some cause for concern when Rise…