Author: NZRacingDesk

A pair of promising youngsters are set to make their debut for Cambridge trainer Chad Ormsby at Avondale on Wednesday, but track conditions may scupper plans for one of them.  Two-year-old gelding State Of Valour (NZ) (Sword Of State) impressed when winning his 730m trial at Te Rapa last month and is set to make his first raceday appearance in the Tulloch Café 2YO (1000m).  Ormsby has been pleased with the way the Cambridge Stud-bred and raced juvenile has progressed and he is looking forward to kicking off his career…

David Hayes expects Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) to improve significantly ahead of Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) on 18 October after the world’s highest-rated sprinter finished third under Zac Purton in a 1000m barrier trial at Royal Randwick in Sydney on Tuesday morning. Pitted against potential The Everest rivals Overpass, Joliestar and Angel Capital as well as Gr.1 King Charles III Stakes (1609m) contenders Fangirl and Mr Brightside and The Golden Eagle (1500m) entrant Linebacker, Ka Ying Rising was kept under restraint by Purton throughout as the pair coursed wide.…

It’s part two of Michael’s chat with Craig Williams. This week they go deep on the Aussie jockey’s career, his preparation, the Melbourne Cup, Hong Kong, the NZ industry, and his bests. Guerin Report – S2 Ep.6 Craig Wiliams Part.2

Robbie Patterson had high Classic hopes for Read About It (NZ) (Wrote) last season before his rising young star’s progress was halted by illness. The New Plymouth trainer believed the son of Wrote was a genuine Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) prospect until the two-time stakes winner was laid low with breathing issues. “He was one of the most promising young horses I’ve had for sure, and then he started to make a bit of noise,” Patterson said. “He got some growths in his upper airways, and we treated him…

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Mick Price has not overestimated Globe’s (NZ) (Charm Spirit) ability by considering a start in this Saturday’s Gr.1 The Might And Power (2000m) at Caulfield, but the trainer sees advantages in the $1 million Group One for his gelding. The seven-year-old son of Charm Spirit was one of just nine entries for the 2000-metre weight-for-age event when they closed at midday Monday. Taking on the likes of Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) and Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock) will be a major step up on the open handicaps in which he has been beaten this time in, but he looks the race’s lone leader,…

Sailor Jack impressed trainers Shaun and Hazel Fannin with his trial victory at Awapuni on Monday, and they have their fingers crossed their home track will be back in commission for his first major test of the season. The five-win gelding took out his 1400m heat in the hands of Chris Dell, beating a handy field, which included last-start Group One winner Quintessa. It was the eight-year-old gelding’s fourth trial this time in, with his trainers searching for better footing. “We were really happy with him,” Hazel Fannin said. “This…

Adverse weather has forced multiple Group One winner Quintessa to take an unorthodox route to next Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m), with the mare appearing at the Awapuni trials on Monday afternoon. Prepared by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson at Matamata, Quintessa got her preparation off to a flying start winning the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m), but she was scratched from the second leg of the triple crown (Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile, 1600m) at Te Rapa, avoiding the heavy surface. With a task of getting her to the Livamol three…

Bulb General continued his electric form in Hong Kong to bring loftier targets into play for the son of Embellish. Trained by Jamie Richards, he completed a hat-trick of victories when he put away his Class 3 rivals with ease over 1200 metres at Sha Tin in the hands of Zac Purton. The four-year-old is taking winning strides toward the lucrative Four-Year-Old Classic Series – the Hong Kong Classic Mile, Hong Kong Classic Cup and Hong Kong Derby. “We’ve got some nice targets for him if he keeps progressing. He…

Darren Danis is developing a knack for making a comeback from career-threatening injuries, but he is hoping his run of serious injuries is now at an end. In 2017, Danis broke his back in a race fall, but made a relatively quick recovery, returning to raceday riding just eight months later, while last November, he was met by a similar fate when involved in an incident at the Waipa trials where he sustained a fractured C4 and C5 vertebrae, leading to a lengthy time on the sidelines. It has been…