Author: NZRacingDesk

The Christchurch Casino South Island Racing Awards were presented during a function at Riccarton Park Racecourse on Friday, with standout three-year-old filly Pivotal Ten (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) named Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old. The Samantha Wynne-trained daughter of Ten Sovereigns had seven starts last season for five wins including three at stakes level. She won the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui on Boxing Day, then romped home by six lengths in the Listed Gore Guineas (1355m) and by eight and three-quarter lengths in the Listed Southland…

Faraglioni’s retirement has left a big hole in Josh Shaw’s stable this season, but the Group One performer’s half-sister Chart The Stars (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) has started to do her bit to continue the family legacy. Chart The Stars opened her winning account in the second start of her career in the Hoult Contractors & Crowley Forge Master Farriers (1200m) on the Awapuni synthetic track on Sunday. The four-year-old was sent out as one of the outsiders of the five-horse field at $13.30, but she went straight to…

This week join Guy Heveldt, Emily Bosson and Bruce as they review a fantastic day of racing at Riccarton and turn their eyes across the Tasman to some bold performances from some spring stars. Weigh In, September 14

Saturday’s two $50,000 open handicaps at Riccarton were won by a pair of former Matamata horses who seem to be loving their new lives in the South Island. The Sefton Tavern Open Sprint (1200m) was taken out with a stylish first-up performance by Candycane, while Cognito continued his career renaissance with his second straight Riccarton win in Saturday’s NZ Horse Ambulance Winter Appeal Open (1800m). Candycane (NZ) (Pins) began her career in the Matamata stable of Glenn Old, for whom she had 19 starts for a win, three seconds and…

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Talented New Zealand-bred gelding Golden Path (NZ) (Belardo) staked his claim for higher honours later in the spring with a strong-finishing victory to close out Saturday’s Flemington card. The six-year-old son of Belardo was second-up in the A$150,000 Ronald McDonald House Charities Trophy (1700m), having resumed with a third over 1600m at Caulfield on August 16. Golden Path had a far from easy task on Saturday from the extreme outside gate in a 19-horse field and with topweight of 61kg on his back, but he still proved superior. Blake Shinn…

Group One warrior Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) became the first three-time winner of the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) with a powerhouse all-the-way victory in the A$750,000 Flemington feature on Saturday. It was the 10th Group One victory for the Bullbars gelding, who has had a total of 46 starts for 20 wins, 15 placings and A$17.97 million in prize-money. Mr Brightside beat Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) by a length and a half to claim his first Makybe Diva win in 2023, then defended that title against Pride Of…

The A$300,000 Jericho Cup (4600m) could be on the radar for Yolo (NZ) (Zed), who continued her return to form with a four-length runaway in Saturday’s NZB Airfreight Road to Jericho (3210m) at New Plymouth. Saturday’s race carried a ballot-free entry into the Jericho Cup at Warrnambool on November 30, with NZB Airfreight offering a $5000 equine airfreight credit to the winner if they embark on that trans-Tasman mission. The Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained Nassak Diamond used the New Plymouth qualifier as a springboard to Jericho Cup success two…

Darby Racing’s new recruit Nkosi (Shamus Award) collected his second win from three Australian starts with a dominant front-running performance in the A$160,000 TAB Handicap (1800m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The Bjorn Baker-trained four-year-old made a winning Australian debut at Wyong last month, scoring by four lengths over 1600m, then finished seventh in a 1500m race at Rosehill on August 30. The step up to 1800m proved to be ideal for the New Zealand import, who was sent forward by jockey Dylan Gibbons and controlled the race from the front.…

Exciting three-year-old Miss Starlight (NZ) (Sweynesse) thrust her name squarely into contention for future Group One honours when she destroyed a quality field of fillies in the time-honoured feature race at Riccarton on Saturday, the Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) The unbeaten daughter of Sweynesse went into the contest with a pair of wins on the Riccarton synthetic track under her belt but no one was sure how she would take the leap to the grass surface. The John and Karen Parsons owned and bred filly answered that question…