Author: NZRacingDesk

The late Mike Moroney always believed Coeur Volante (NZ) (Proisir) had the potential to be a Group One winner.  As a three-year-old, Coeur Volante started favourite in the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield, finishing fourth to Joliestar (Zoustar), while placegetters in that race were subsequent Group One winners Kimochi (Brave Smash) and Skybird (Exosphere).  Coeur Volante was Moroney’s last winner when successful in the Gr.3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in February before dying in his sleep just days later.  Under the care of Glen Thompson, Coeur Volante did not run again at Group One level until this…

With Jim Chung’s two-kilogram claim reducing his weight to 57.5kg, Bradman will attempt to break a year-long absence from the winners’ circle in the MJH Engineering Limited Whyte Handicap (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday. The Pins gelding has won eight races and more than $317,000 in stakes, but has endured a frustrating run through the last 13 months. Since his last victory in a 1400m open handicap at Trentham in May of last year, Bradman has run second in the Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m), fourth in the Listed Opunake…

Leading thoroughbred nursery Cambridge Stud has committed their full support for NZB’s 2026 National Yearling Sales Series, with the announcement they will be selling 100% of their yearling stock at Karaka.  Karaka 2026, which marks the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand, will debut a new format that features condensed quality throughout Book 1 and Book 2 and the introduction of a third session, the Karaka Summer Sale.  Cambridge Stud has a long-standing history of selling yearlings, dating back to their debut at Trentham during the 1978 National Yearling…

Darryn and Briar Weatherley are hoping a quick back-up into Saturday’s Gr.3 Tattersall’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm might bring a change of fortunes for Dark Destroyer. The winner of five races and more than $640,000 in stakes, headed by the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) in the spring of 2022, Dark Destroyer struggled to find his best form in a 10-race preparation as a five-year-old last season. He showed promising signs last month with a second placing in the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m), earning a trip across the Tasman alongside…

Cambridge trainer Samantha Logan has had success campaigning horses in the South Island before, and she is hoping following a similar blueprint will pay off with I’ll Hava Semillon, who will bid to breakthrough for her maiden win in Sunday’s KB Contractors (2200m) at Wingatui. Stablemate Wry Smile campaigned in the south over summer, scoring his maiden win at Riccarton in January before placing at Wingatui a month later. The four-year-old gelding was based at trainer Krystal Williams’ Burnham base, and Logan has once again called on her lifelong friend…

Simon and Katrina Alexander could be in for a healthy payday when they head to Ruakaka on Saturday with a couple of leading chances in the ITM/GIB Northern Winter Championship Finals. The husband-and-wife training duo have two warm favourites in Major Major and Acapelago, who will both be vying to secure the $60,000 purse on offer in their respective finals. Seven-year-old Pins gelding Major Major has won two of his last three starts and will meet a similar line-up in Saturday’s ITM/GIB Whangarei Gold Cup Stayers’ Final (2100m), for which…

Champion jumps jockey Shaun Fannin has tasted success in the Grant Plumbing Wellington Steeplechase (4900m) on two occasions, and on Saturday he will attempt to claim his first title as a trainer. The Awapuni horseman will ride his rising stable star Jesko, who is making waves in the jumping scene, having won a hurdle race before transitioning to the bigger fences where he has accrued a faultless record, winning both of his steeplechase starts, including the Manawatu Steeplechase (4000m) at Trentham earlier this month. He will return to the Upper…

Zeefa Zed’s record hasn’t always emulated his talent, and John Wheeler is hoping the gelding can put his true ability on display in Saturday’s Norm Bevan Memorial Maiden Steeplechase (4000m). A 10-year-old by Zed, Zeefa Zed has won seven races including one over the hurdles last season, but hasn’t kicked off this term how Wheeler would have anticipated, losing the rider at Te Rapa on two separate occasions. “He’s a bit of an arrogant horse, but also he’s a pretty good horse that hasn’t had a lot of luck,” he…

Tony Pike found it difficult to split his juvenile charges the last time they took each other on and it’s the same story at Ruakaka. The Cambridge trainer has form runners Boombox and Ashoka in Saturday’s ITM/GIB 2YO Championship (1200m), in what will be a rematch of their Ellerslie meeting earlier this month. On that occasion, it was the former who held bragging rights, but it wouldn’t come as any surprise to Pike if Ashoka was able to reverse that result. “He was good at Ellerslie, he just kept drifting…

The first progeny of Windsor Park Stud stallion Profondo made a favourable impression during the NZB National Weanling Sale at Karaka on Thursday. The son of Japanese super-sire Deep Impact was himself a A$1.9 million yearling and won the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) in Sydney as a three-year-old. He commenced his stud career at Windsor Park in 2023 and has served books of 177 and 173 mares in his first two seasons. Thursday’s catalogue featured four weanlings from Profondo’s first crop. They all sold for a total of $250,000,…