Author: NZRacingDesk

Join a full team this week on Weigh In. Guy Heveldt, Aidan Rodley and Emily Murphy break down the action from stakes racing at Trentham. They also rewind back to last Sunday at Ellerslie where some key contenders went around ahead of Saturday’s Karaka Millions race night. Weigh In, January 18

Queensland trainer Liam Birchley is no stranger to success in the richest two-year-old race in New Zealand, the $1million TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), and he is hoping to replicate the winning feeling next weekend as he prepares to line-up a pair of quality fillies in the Ellerslie dash for cash. Birchley produced Sister Havana (NZ) (General Nediym) to win the 2010 edition of the event and followed that up again in 2015 with Hardline (NZ) (Showcasing) after first finishing second with Sarge In Charge (NZ) (Golan) in 2009. His…

Stakes targets are looming for well-related filly Quello Dolce (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) after she posted her second successive win in the Aztech Engineering LTD Sprint (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday, but she will have to wait until ANZAC Day to get her chance at black-type. Bred by Westbury Stud General Manager and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Chairman Russell Warwick and his wife Lesley, Quello Dolce is by U S Navy Flag and out of Group One winner Il Quello Veloce, and she is raced by the couple in…

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Progressive four-year-old Cross Tasman (NZ) (Super Seth) recorded his fourth victory at start number seven when landing the TAB Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill for the in-form stable of John O’Shea and Tom Charlton. The son of Super Seth was perfectly positioned one-out and one-back under Dylan Gibbons and put his rivals to the sword when presented at the top of the straight, going on to score by three and a quarter lengths. The winning rider reported the gelding didn’t relish the Heavy 8 conditions but was a class above his…

A sage ride by Michael Dee has aided Supernima (NZ) (Super Seth) to claim a gutsy victory in the Thank You Volunteers Trophy (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday. The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained son of Super Seth had a declared change of tactics with the intention to settle further back. But Dee summed up the situation perfectly after jumping away well and there being little to no pressure on leader Prancing Spirit (Sir Prancealot), electing to roll forward and sit outside the pacemaker as the contest turned into a…

The Nathan Doyle-trained Aroha Stone (NZ) (El Roca) scored a deserved victory in the Thank You Noel Cuthbert Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The four-year-old daughter of El Roca was partnered by Regan Bayliss who said the mare relished the Heavy 8 conditions and atoned for a luckless effort at Randwick a fortnight ago. Aroha Stone defeated the favourite Changing Colours (The Autumn Sun) by three-quarters of a length to notch the fourth win of her career from 15 starts with a further five minor placings. “I really liked…

Former Kiwi Bella Montagna claimed a deserved metropolitan success when landing the Ranvet Handicap (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Given a perfect ride by Josh Parr, the four-year-old daughter of Belardo overcame barrier 12 to find the fence midfield and tracked into the race effortlessly on the rain-affected track, going on to score by a length and a half from Forbidden Riff and Bestower. The victory continued the good partnership between stable and rider, with Parr successful on his past three rides for…

Expat Irish jockey Joe Doyle scored an emotional victory in front of his visiting parents at Trentham on Saturday when taking out the Gr.2 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) aboard Doctor Askar (NZ) (Derryn). The pair settled off the pace early and had just three runners behind them when turning for home, but Doyle guided his charge out wide where he was able to chase down Marotiri Molly (NZ) (Per Incanto) to win by half a head. “I got a good drag into it off Pitman’s horse (Mystic Park (NZ) (Ocean…

Classy southern stayer Mayor Of Norwood (NZ) (Ghibellines) showed he will be more than a runner’s chance in the Gr.3 NZ Campus of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham in a fortnight when he lumped the topweight of 61kgs to a comprehensive victory in the Skevingtons Waikouaiti Cup (2200m) at Wingatui on Saturday. The Brian and Shane Anderton-prepared seven-year-old had taken the 2025 version of the race and was looking to go back-to-back, albeit with an extra 2.5kgs on his back for regular pilot Corey Campbell. Punters felt…