Author: NZRacingDesk

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Liberami (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) opened up more options for his trainer Robbie Griffiths when he stretched out beyond 1600m for the first time in his career and took out Saturday’s A$130,000 Murray Cox Handicap (1800m) at Flemington. The New Zealand-bred gelding brought a rich vein of autumn form into the Benchmark 84 handicap, with his four previous starts producing second placings over 1300m and 1500m at Sandown, a third over 1600m at Bendigo, and a last-start Benchmark 70 victory over 1600m at Sandown. He looked well placed at the…

The Queensland Winter Carnival is proving to be a happy hunting ground for Imperialist (NZ) (Churchill), who collected his second Brisbane black-type prize in Saturday’s A$250,000 Gr.3 HKJC World Pool Rough Habit Plate (2000m) at Doomben. The New Zealand-bred son of Churchill opened his winning account in the Listed The Phoenix (1500m) at Eagle Farm last June, which was only the third start of his career. The Chris Waller-trained gelding had gone winless in nine races since then, but collected three placings earlier in his three-year-old season, including the Gr.2…

Emma-Lee and David Browne’s victory in the A$300,000 Listed Lexus Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington on Saturday was enormously valuable in more ways than one for the Kiwi couple. A first black-type success for their homebred mare Basilinna (NZ) (Staphanos) carried plenty of value in itself, but the Andrew Ramsden also guarantees its winner a ballot-free spot in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) in November. “I’m a bit overwhelmed actually,” Emma-Lee Browne said. “Now we just have to wrap her up in cotton wool, and then we can be back…

Visiting Brazilian hoop Bruno Queiroz is making every post a winner in his local riding stint by adding a maiden New Zealand stakes success to his bag of tricks as he guided gallant mare Francee (NZ) (Iffraaj) to a thrilling victory in the Listed James Bull Rangitikei Cup (1600m) at Trentham. Queiroz, who had ridden for Kiwi trainer Stephen Gray during a successful Singapore excursion after leaving his native Brazil, joined Gray in New Zealand earlier this month and immediately made an impact by riding a winner on his first…

Promising three-year-old Celestial Wonder (Xtravagant) showed plenty of courage as she put in a resolute finishing burst to take out the Evergreen Bloodstock (1100m) at Ellerslie. The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared filly had looked good during her opening campaign, where she won her second start before being put aside for a spell after finishing runner-up behind Hitabell (NZ) (Embellish) in the Listed O’Learys Fillies Stakes (1340m) in November. A narrow defeat over 1200m at Te Rapa in her first start of a new campaign was followed by a midfield…

A masterful front-running ride by Warren Kennedy and a powerhouse performance from Do You Just (So You Think) turned Saturday’s Listed Skycity Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie into a one-horse race. The pair led every step of the way in New Zealand’s longest two-year-old race and romped home by six and a half lengths. Do You Just has always been held in high regard by his Matamata trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, and after being unplaced in two early-season appearances in November and December, he made a promising return…

Saturday’s Stout Roofing (1200m) was the second year in a row that Erin Hocquard has used a May meeting at Trentham as a first-up assignment for Spencer (NZ) (Derryn), and the Waverley trainer’s stable star has struck gold on both of those occasions. A Rating 75 sprint at Trentham on May 25 provided a winning start to Spencer’s campaign last winter, and the son of Derryn went on to collect another three wins, including the Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa in October. He was also runner-up in the…

Progressive galloper Sterling Express (NZ) (Shamexpress) made it a winning double at Ellerslie to open his current campaign when he took full advantage of a superb Warren Kennedy rails-hugging ride to capture the Network Visuals (1400m). The four-year-old gelding had suggested he was reaching a new peak in this preparation after he dashed clear first up at the venue in open-class company over 1200m. Up to a more favoured 1400m trip on Saturday, the son of Shamexpress was one of the main chances in a very even contest that saw…

Saturday’s Harrison’s Carpet Hard Flooring 3YO (1600m) at Trentham brought the curtain down on Coulthard’s (NZ) (Redwood) three-year-old season and hinted at an even brighter future as a four and five-year-old. The Lisa Latta-trained Coulthard has made a favourable impression in his first racing preparation, which kicked off with a second and a fifth from his first two appearances in December and January. He was a three-length maiden winner at Waverley in February in his third start, then was beaten by a nose when second at Wanganui in March. A…