Author: NZRacingDesk

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Trainer Ciaron Maher and the Ozzie Kheir-John O’Neill ownership group have had a stellar run with New Zealand imports in recent times, and Sunshineinmypocket (NZ) (Proisir) put his hand up as another one to watch with his come-from-behind victory in Saturday’s A$130,000 Sportsbet Same Race Multi Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield. That owner-trainer combination has celebrated three Group One victories in 2025 with their Per Incanto geldings Jimmysstar (NZ) and Gringotts (NZ). Jimmysstar took out the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and All Aged Stakes (1400m), while Gringotts won the George Ryder Stakes…

Caulfield has been a happy hunting ground for Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) in recent weeks, and the reigning Australian Horse of the Year produced another spectacular front-running performance at that venue in Saturday’s A$175,000 Listed Tile Importer Anniversary Vase (1600m). The Ciaron Maher-trained Pride Of Jenni has now had 38 starts for 10 wins, 12 placings and A$10.44 million in stakes. She was a triple Group One winner in last season’s Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), Champions Mile (1600m) and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m). The daughter of Pride Of…

A pair of New Zealand-breds drew clear to fight out a thrilling finish to the A$150,000 Evergreen Turf Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday, with Rogan (NZ) (Super Seth) edging out Stylish Secret (NZ) (Sweet Orange) to score an upset win. The Cliff Brown-trained Rogan went into the three-year-old race under the radar, having recorded one win and one placing from his eight career starts beforehand. His maiden win came over 1600m at Kilmore on April 5, and he followed that up with close fourth under 61kg in a Benchmark…

Emerging stayer Immediacy (NZ) (Tarzino) backed up his last-start victory at Mornington on April 19 with a repeat result in Saturday’s A$150,000 MRC Chairman’s Club Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield. The New Zealand-bred Immediacy is trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young and has now had 12 starts for five wins and A$479,790 in stakes. Immediacy made an exciting start to his career with wins in all of his first three starts including the Gr.2 Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield in February of 2024, but then the Tarzino gelding’s form began…

A smart win by the New Zealand-bred Oak Hill at Caulfield on Saturday marked a changing of the guard. Oak Hill was guided through the early stages of his promising career by New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductee Mike Moroney, who passed away in February. Moroney’s partner Karen chose Lindsay Park trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes to take over Ballymore Stables’ Flemington operation. Moroney’s former training partner Glen Thompson is now training in his own right and won last Saturday’s Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) with Benagil, while racing…

A week after missing out on a black-type opportunity at Awapuni, Cannon Hill (NZ) (Ardrossan) eased his connections’ disappointment with victory in the Prezzy Card Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. Cannon Hill was entered for the ANZAC Mile (1600m) on last Friday’s card at Awapuni, which was abandoned after one race. That Listed feature was rescheduled for Wanganui two days later, but many of the northern raiders were withdrawn. That led to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing increasing the stake of Saturday’s Prezzy Card Mile at Te Rapa to…

The expected wet-track form was suddenly thrown out the window when wild weather forced Saturday’s Riccarton meeting to be moved to the Polytrack, but class shone through in the three open handicaps on the card. Tumuch (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) took out the Avon City Ford Easter Cup (1600m), Buoyant (NZ) (Dalghar) won the Bush Inn Open Sprint (1200m) and Star Ballot (NZ) (Tarzino) ran away with the Hornby Club Founders Cup (2200m). The trio won those races by a combined margin of 11 and three-quarter lengths. The surface switch proved…

Handsome two-year-old Towering Vision (NZ) (Circus Maximus) broke his maiden status in the best possible fashion when he took out the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) in a torrid finish at Te Rapa. The win also provided his sire Circus Maximus, the European triple Group One winner who stands at Windsor Park Stud in Cambridge, with his first Southern Hemisphere stakes winner from his first crop on the track in Australasia. Having just his third start and second run since a summer break, Towering Vision settled nicely for…

In a week where wild weather affected a number of race meetings it was the aptly named Force Of Nature (NZ) (Savabeel) that continued a stellar run of form with victory in the Modern Transport Group (1200m) at Te Rapa. The Andrew Forsman-prepared son of Savabeel went into the Open 1200m contest off a winning performance in rating 75 company at the venue back in April, that kicked off his autumn campaign on the best possible note. Apprentice Tristan Moodley had the four-year-old travelling sweetly throughout on Saturday and angled…