Author: NZRacingDesk

Craig Grylls’ near-unassailable lead in the national jockey’s premiership was given a further boost early at Matamata on Wednesday, with deserving maiden winner Viva Glam (NZ) (Savabeel) featuring in his winning treble. After guiding home Stephen Marsh’s well-bred filly Alacritous (NZ) (Dundeel) and stablemate The Exponent (NZ) (Shocking), Grylls combined with the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Viva Glam, a filly having her sixth start in the MBS Advisors 1200. The daughter of Savabeel started a $4 favourite and found a comfortable spot in midfield through the running, while Born…

The Oaks Stud has announced its 2025 stallion line-up, headlined by U S Navy Flag, who will stand for $12,500 + GST.   A son of War Front out of Misty For Me, U S Navy Flag is a proven performer on the track and at stud, with 141 winners globally, including five stakes winners, headed by Group Two winner The Pendragon and Group Three winner So Naïve.   Joining him is The Chosen One, standing at $4,000 + GST. A son of Savabeel, The Chosen One earned $2.7 million in prize…

Te Akau’s David Ellis joined RSN after being inducted into the New Zealand racing Hall Of Fame. CLICK TO LISTEN TO AUDIO

New Zealand syndicator Go Racing looks like they have struck gold once again from the same source following Alacritous’ (NZ) (Dundeel) impressive maiden victory in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1200m) at Matamata on Wednesday.  The two-year-old daughter of Dundeel is a half-sister to last season’s New Zealand Champion Two-Year-Old Velocious, and following her win in last year’s Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) for trainer Stephen Marsh, Go Racing’s Albert Bosma went to Karaka to purchase her sibling for $300,000.  Subsequently named Alacritous, the filly was entrusted to the care of…

Darryn and Briar Weatherley are dreaming of Group One glory once again with their star galloper Pier (NZ) (Proisir), who is bound for Queensland after an impressive exhibition gallop at Matamata on Wednesday.  Pier’s journey as an elite racehorse has been far from smooth, from the highs of winning a Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) as a three-year-old, to the lows of multiple injury lay-offs over the past 18 months. The Weatherleys have exercised plenty of patience during this time and were very nearly rewarded upon his most-recent return…

Quality three-year-old Super Photon (NZ) (Super Seth)  will be the master of his own destiny in Melbourne with his length of stay to be determined by his performance on Saturday.  The stakes-winning son of Super Seth will run in the Silver Bowl Series Heat 1 (1400m) at Flemington with Jordan Childs booked for the ride.  “He’s going great and flew over this morning after he had galloped beautifully on Tuesday morning,” trainer Stephen Marsh said.  “He’s on an open ticket over there, whether that be one run or two.  “We’ll…

Riccarton trainer Andrew Carston will have a strong hand at his home track’s synthetic meeting on Thursday, with 10 stable runners to go around. He will have a three-pronged attack in the Book A Suite Mid-Winter Xmas Races 21 June Rating 65 (1400m), spearheaded by Tough Time. The five-year-old gelding was in pleasing form over summer, winning his last two outings, and will look to pick up where he left off when first-up on Thursday, where he will jump from barrier five with jockey Leah Hemi aboard. “He was really…

Hurdle racing’s new star The Cunning Fox (NZ) (Reliable Man) will not try to replicate his super jumping form on the flat, with the emerging grey galloper to miss Saturday’s Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington. Co-trainer Patrick Payne said on Tuesday he has decided the Australian Hurdle (3900m) at Sandown on June 1 is a better option, rather than racing on the flat at Flemington. “He’s come through Warrnambool really well and I nominated him (for the Ramsden) just to have a look, but I just think we will…

Talented Lindsay Park filly Chase Your Dreams (NZ) (Contributer) will press on to the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) next month after running second in the SA Fillies Classic (2500m). The $2.80 chance was beaten home only by Danny O’Brien’s Litzdeel but her run despite doing plenty wrong was pleasing to her training trio. “She still ran a credible second doing a few things wrong, we just need to iron those things out,” JD Hayes said. “She just hung in on the straight, which was a bit annoying and she was…

Will Featherstone is the latest English jumps jockey to answer New Zealand’s call, travelling across the world to further his riding career on Kiwi soil. The 21-year-old has family roots in racing, following in his father’s footsteps in becoming a point-to-point jockey, and he has been race-riding for the past four seasons, while working under Jamie Snowden. “I’ve always ridden horses, I can’t remember a time that I didn’t,” Featherstone said. “I got into racing pretty much straight away really, I’ve always wanted to be a jockey because my Dad…