Author: NZRacingDesk

After hard-luck stories in the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m) in both of the last two winters, Cork (NZ) (Complacent) made amends in style on Saturday with a $22 upset in the fillies and mares’ feature. Cork had already proven herself as a Tauranga specialist, winning three of her five previous starts at the track including a seven-length Rating 75 romp on the Tauranga Classic undercard in 2022. But the Bay Of Plenty’s midwinter black-type feature had proved frustratingly elusive. The 2023 edition was abandoned and rescheduled for Hawke’s…

Three-year-old gelding Taken (NZ) (Ardrossan) is proving quite the money spinner for connections, with a victory in Saturday’s Rod Johnson Handicap (1620m) at Flemington the fourth in succession for the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained galloper. The son of Ardrossan carried 60kg topweight under rider Craig Williams, but his push-button style and ability to race on-speed are attributes that go a long way towards winning, as he made it successive wins at Flemington. “He was obviously less dominant than last start but carried a lot more weight and he…

Topweight Conor O’Ceirin (NZ) (Dial A Prayer) enjoyed the 3kg claim of apprentice Liam Kauri, which allowed him to carry a manageable 58kg to a solid victory in the feature event at Riccarton on Saturday, the Greenwood Amberley Cup (1400m). The eight-year-old son of Dial A Prayer had earned his original 61kg handicap with nine career victories on the board along with two placings at stakes level, including running third in the 2023 Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at the venue. After doing his early racing from Robbie Patterson’s New Plymouth…

Five-year-old mare She’s Unusual (NZ) (Unusual Suspect) made the most of some cheap sectionals to lead her rivals a merry dance when winning the Elite Sand & Soil Handicap (1800m) on Saturday under an astute front-running ride by Tommy Berry. Prepared by John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, She’s Unusual was off and gone rounding the home bend and had just under two lengths to spare at the post from runner-up Gentileschi (Dundeel). A maiden winner in New Zealand for Fraser Auret, She’s Unusual was subsequently purchased by OTI Racing. She’s…

Apprentice jockey Ashlee Strawbridge gained her first victory at Cambridge on Wednesday and didn’t take long to make it two when she guided What A Charma (NZ) (Jimmy Choux) to success in the Seeka Kiwifruit Cup (2100m) at Tauranga on Saturday. In a race filled with drama where Bruno Queiroz – riding eventual runner-up Gallant Hero (Fast Company) – lost the use of his irons for the majority of the contest, Strawbridge was happy to bide her time aboard the Mark Irwin-trained runner at the back of the seven-horse field.…

Progressive three-year-old Stop The Rock (NZ) (El Roca) continued his climb through the grades when the Patrick and Michelle Payne-trained gelding ran out a solid winner of the Ken Cox Handicap (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday. The hard-fought victory came under a typically patient Billy Egan ride as the son of El Roca advanced his career record to three wins from four starts. A last start winner at Swan Hill, Stop The Rock came from midfield to narrowly defeat the favourite Shockletz (NZ) (Shocking) and bring up an early double…

Te Akau Racing’s powerful team of New Zealand two-year-olds brought up their 20th win of the season when Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) edged out El Vaquero (NZ) (Ferrando) in Saturday’s Bain McCall Memorial (1000m) at Riccarton. The $35,000 race was the fourth win from only a five-start career for Cool Aza Rene, who is now one of a trio of Te Akau two-year-olds to have won four races during 2024-25. Return To Conquer’s (Snitzel) unbeaten four-win haul culminated in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on Champions…

Talented galloper Honey Badger (NZ) (El Roca) provided her trainer Tony Pike with the perfect present on his return from a winter break in Fiji as she trounced her three-year-old rivals in the Aongatete Avo-Ject 3YO (1200m) at Tauranga on Saturday. Sent out as a dominating $1.80 favourite, the daughter of El Roca began well and settled on the back of pacemaker Pleasing before rider Michael McNab eased her to that runner’s outside approaching the home bend. After a brief tussle, Honey Badger bounded clear and scored by nearly four…

Stable newcomer Paradis provided a pleasant surprise for Foxton trainer Suzy Gordon on Friday with a first-up victory in the Aquashield Roofing Maiden (1600m) at Otaki. The daughter of Complacent had previously been in the Hastings stable of Fred Pratt and Caitlin Johnson, for whom she had recorded three placings from eight starts between November of 2023 and July of 2024. Friday’s race at Otaki was the five-year-old’s first appearance in almost a year, first start for her new stable and first time racing over a distance shorter than 2100m.…

Trainers Tony and Maddysen Sears will have two runners in Saturday’s Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m), with Kiwi bred Poetic Drama (NZ) (Proisir) joined by stablemate Red Wave (Red Dazzler), who won last year’s edition of the race. Six-year-old mare Poetic Drama, who extends to a middle distance for the first time has been performing well at her past two starts in stakes grade, including a luckless sixth in the Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) two weeks ago. “Last start she got stuck behind a wall of horses. Albeit, it was…