Sarah O’Malley is no stranger to a comeback, and she completed another successful return to riding at Trentham on Saturday, guiding the Roger Allen-trained Subtle Tease to victory in the Happy Hire 1600. A multiple Group Three-winning hoop, O’Malley stepped away from the sport in mid-August to have her second child, a son who was born in February. Just three months later, she was back in the saddle and riding at New Plymouth late last month. The 25-year-old picked up a couple of placings over the past 10 days, and…
Author: NZRacingDesk
Feroce’s big spring targets
The Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) is back in its traditional timeslot this year and trainer Dom Sutton has the feature handicap in mind to launch Group One winner Feroce’s (NZ) (Super Seth) spring campaign. Feroce’s Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) triumph at the beginning of March gave Sutton his first elite-level victory early in his training career and the three-year-old gelding was then sent for a spell after his midfield finish later that month against older horses in the Gr.1 Australian Cup (2000m). While the Golden Eagle (1500m), which…
Hayes team banking on Q22 by Choice
While the focus of racing over the week ahead will be on the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), the Lindsay Park training team will be similarly honed in on the Gr.2 The Q22 (2200m) where Bankers Choice (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) lines up as a genuine chance. As the Hayes boys – Ben, Will and JD – await the 1400-metre Stradbroke barrier draw on Tuesday with race favourite War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel), Bankers Choice rises to a suitable distance in the $1.2 million Group Two event on the undercard. “He’s a very straightforward horse,” Ben said. “He came to us in great…
Winter Cup tilt in the offing for Charbano
A stakes tilt later in the winter is in the offing for Charbano if he can perform up to expectations in the delayed Dunstan Horsefeeds Waimate Cup (1600m) at Phar Lap Raceway on Tuesday. Initially set to be run on Sunday, the meeting was postponed due to heavy rainfall in the region, and trainers Matthew and Michael Pitman expect their stakes performer to lap up the Heavy10 track conditions. “He has always been competitive in races like that,” Matthew Pitman said. “He has placed in some pretty high-quality races and…
Kauri eyeing further success at New Plymouth
Central Districts apprentice jockey Liam Kauri has found some deserved good fortune this season and he hopes to continue that winning momentum at New Plymouth’s apprentice-only raceday on Tuesday. The 25-year-old has had a riding career limited by a number of injuries, but after returning from his most recent hiatus, he has ridden 14 winners and struck up a recent partnership with talented Wexford filly Tristar. Kauri’s latest success came at the Awapuni Synthetic on Sunday, where he partnered course specialist Doubtful Sound for his employer, Suzy Gordon. Since entering…
Pencarrow graduate continues family legacy
Pencarrow Stud’s foundation mare Richebourg has left a lasting impression on the Australasian thoroughbred landscape, with Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) victor Maison Louis further adding to that legacy with his Classic triumph at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The likes of Gr.1 Melbourne (3200m) and Caulfield Cup (2400m) heroine Ethereal, five-time Group One winner Darci Brahma, Group One winner Grand Echezeaux, and Group One performers Burgundy, Romanee Conti, Supera and Uberalles are descendants of the mare, and now Maison Louis can add his name to the esteemed list. “That was a…
Vale bloodstock agent Michael Wallace
The New Zealand and international thoroughbred industries are mourning the loss of Michael Wallace, who passed away in the United States on Saturday night. Wallace was a highly respected bloodstock agent who successfully ran his own business before an eight-year stint as the chief operating officer for the China Horse Club. During his tenure, they celebrated 44 Group One victories and he was a key player in the purchase of the Triple Crown winner and successful sire Justify for the group. He left the role in 2021 and more recently…
Pokuru Gold all power at Ellerslie
The ever-consistent Pokuru Gold (NZ) (Darci Brahma) completed a limited season in his customary fashion on Saturday at Ellerslie, dominating his rivals in the Join TAB Racing Club 1100. From the Te Akau Racing stable of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Pokuru Gold had appeared at the races just three times this term, one less than the number of starts he had as a three-year-old. But, the son of Darci Brahma has taken every opportunity, winning four races, and he started a second-fancy to Australian import Judicial in the Rating…
Sotirio strikes again in heavy Trentham ground
Progressive wet-track galloper Sotirio (NZ) (Wrote) extended his winning sequence at Trentham on Saturday, ploughing through the testing conditions to salute in the Hallmark and Stone 1300. Lightly raced through the spring and summer, Sotirio resumed at his favourite time of the year in early May and took out a competitive Autumn Sprint Final at Rating 65 grade. After reviewing the programme, his trainer Matthew Eales elected to continue that formula, heading to the trials before returning to Trentham on Saturday, where he started second-favourite behind Tisse. In the hands…
Bright future for promising hurdlers
They may have played second fiddle to Trentham’s jumping features on Saturday, but the maiden hurdlers delivered plenty of excitement in the first two races of the meeting, unveiling a number of up-and-coming prospects. In the opener, the Kevin Myers-trained Yolo (NZ) (Zed) was an odds-on favourite after finishing second behind Georgian Warrior on King’s Birthday at Te Aroha earlier in the week. The diminutive mare was one of the last to leave the barriers and jockey Corey Wiles was patient over the first couple of hurdles, before utilising her…