Author: NZRacingDesk

The countdown to NZB’s 2025 National Weanling Sale is underway, with a compact yet quality catalogue of 134 youngsters now available to view online at www.nzb.co.nz. Set to be held on Thursday 26 June at Karaka, the Sale offers an abundance of opportunity for both pinhookers and end users to secure quality stock, with the session a proven source of racetrack and investment success. Recent stakes-performers sourced from this Sale include Jedibeel (NZ) (Savabeel), Pivotal Ten (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns), plus Group One winners Pignan (NZ) (Staphanos), Callsign Mav (NZ) (Atlante), Jennifer Eccles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle), Karaka Millions 2YO winner, Tokyo…

Do You Just (So You Think) steps up to a more suitable distance at Ellerslie and a bold showing is expected from the colt in his juvenile grand final. The Wexford Stables representative will close out his campaign in Saturday’s Listed Skycity Champagne Stakes (1600m) ahead of a break. “We put him aside after a spring preparation and brought him back with these longer two-year-old races in mind,” said Andrew Scott, who trains in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan. “That’s what he is genetically bred to do, and we think as…

John and Karen Parsons had plenty of firepower on the truck to Wednesday’s Riccarton Park Synthetic meeting and their topliners delivered, collecting both open handicaps with Tumuch (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) and Miss Brittany (NZ) (Sacred Falls). The Balcairn couple picked up their first win on the card in the Speights Summit Ultra On Tap Rating 60 (1400m) with Sway Up (NZ) (Highly Recommended), and two races later, the talented Tumuch started as one of the shortest-priced favourites to step out on the course when contesting the Riccarton Park Function Centre…

Being on the wrong side of a photo finish in a feature race is nothing new to trainer Brad Widdup but he remains hopeful Jedibeel (NZ) (Savabeel) can bury memories of his narrow last start loss by winning the Doomben 10,000. The sprinter went down by a short half-head to Libertad in the Victory Stakes (1200m) last start, although if anybody was equipped to handle the disappointment, it was Widdup. His star mare Icebath was edged out in the 2020 Golden Eagle by Colette, the 2021 Doncaster Mile by Cascadian and then again by Superstorm in the Cantala Stakes the following spring. “I have been through a few of them,”…

Shaune Ritchie has opposing expectations for Nereus (NZ) (Savabeel) and Davideo when the stablemates line-up together in Saturday’s Gr.3 JRA Chairman’s Quality Handicap (2000m) at Doomben. The pair travelled from Ritchie’s Cambridge base to Queensland earlier this month and have settled in well to their temporary home at the Gold Coast Turf Club. “They travelled over together and they are beside each other in the box at home, so I think when they’ve got their mate beside them, they just seem to do so much better,” Ritchie said. “We took…

Hollie Wynyard has consistently matched up with the country’s best in her first solo season of training and she’ll chase a deserved stakes success when her talented youngsters contest Saturday’s Listed SkyCity Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie. Prior to the current racing season, Wynyard trained for almost a decade in partnership with Johno Benner, winning a pair of Group Ones and a Karaka Million three-year-old crown in the process. When Benner decided to step back from training, Cambridge-based Wynyard took over the reins in full capacity and has since produced…

The Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal-trained pair of The Cossack (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) and Suliman (NZ) (Redwood) will make their much-anticipated return to racing in the John Turkington Forestry/Waipine Logging Bulls Country Cup (2200m) at Trentham on Saturday. The Cossack has been off the scene since injuring a suspensory ligament when preparing to clash with archrival West Coast (NZ) (Mettre En Jeu) in last year’s Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) at Riccarton. The 11-year-old gelding has undergone a rigorous rehabilitation programme and his trainers have been pleased with his progress. “We spelled…

Group Two performer Marroni (NZ) (Makfi) has placed at stakes level over a mile on two occasions, and he will be seeking to improve on those results in Saturday’s Listed James Bull Rangitikei Cup (1600m) at Trentham. While in the care of former trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, the son of Makfi was victorious in the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup (2250m) and placed in the Gr.2 Easter Handicap (1600m), before placing in the Gr.2 Japan Trophy (1600m) while under the sole care of Forsman. Following a couple of unplaced runs…

Kundabung, a three-year-old gelding trained by Chris Waller, secured his maiden win in commanding fashion on the Kensington track at Randwick on Wednesday. The son of Super Seth surged from off the pace to claim victory in the 1400m Drinkwise Plate, defeating fellow Super Seth gelding So Long Farewell, by 1.5 lengths. Bred by Waikato Stud, Kundabung is out of the O’Reilly mare O’Dianne, making him a half-brother to Listed winner Avebury, who won at Caulfield last week and Gr.1 Queensland Derby placegetter Paternal. Despite his evident talent, Kundabung has…

Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young are maintaining a conservative approach with rejuvenated gelding Immediacy (NZ) (Tarzino). The four-year-old son of Tarzino runs in this Saturday’s Gr.3 Chairman’s Handicap (2000m) at Doomben in preference to the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) a week later. Immediacy has comfortably won his past two starts, taking his record to five wins from 12 starts, and is among the early nominations for Saturday week’s weight-for-age $1 million event over 2000m, which Busuttin felt was just a little bit out of reach for this stage of his…