Category: Featured

A fresh face has joined the Central Districts riding ranks this week, with Hong Kong national Alan Lai commencing a six-month stint in New Zealand. The apprentice jockey has spent the last couple of years riding in South Australia under the tutelage of Morphetville trainers Leon MacDonald and Andrew Gluyas, and fellow South Australian horseman Jon O’Connor. Lai recorded 53 wins in Australia, with his highlight being three consecutive Outback Cups Series victories, including the City of Port Augusta Cup (2300m), Roxby Downs Cup (1800m) and Quorn Cup (1900m), aboard…

The NZB Yearling Sales are in the DNA of NZ horse racing, with 100 years of them to be celebrated in a few weeks. In a one hour special, Michael chats with two icons of the sales, Sir Peter Vela and Joe Walls, and looks ahead to some massive racing in January. Guerin Report – S2 Ep. 19 – 100 Years Of Yearling Sales

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The connections of last season’s gun three-year-old Savaglee have some pondering to do over the next few days. The Group One-winning stallion pleased in his first public hit-out of the season when placing in his 1100m trial at Ellerslie on Sunday, and now trainer Pam Gerard is contemplating where to kick-off The Oaks Stud-raced four-year-old. “I was really happy with him yesterday,” Gerard said. “He went to the line under a hold, he was never asked for anything, and it was just a nice day out. “He was a little…

A return to Ellerslie next week is on the cards for promising three-year-old King’s English following his win in the Elsdon Park 1200 at the Auckland track on Sunday. The Snitzel colt has shown plenty of ability on the track, placing in his first two starts before breaking through for his maiden victory over 1150m at Te Aroha in November. He was subsequently freshened by trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson and was backed into $2.50 for his resuming run over the weekend. In the hands of New Zealand’s leading…

Aaron Bidlake has never given Tulsa King’s lack of size a second thought, with experience teaching him good things can come in small packages. The Hastings-based horseman was thrilled with his flyweight charge’s run for second in the Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) at Ellerslie on Sunday to keep the Classic dream alive with the son of Staphanos. Tulsa King had collected a win and a runner-up finish in the Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1400m) from his previous six starts for Bidlake and is firmly on target for a crack at the…

Invincible Ibis remain locked on course for a HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on 1 February after an emphatic victory at Sha Tin on Sunday as Zac Purton dominated with five wins. Purton (59 wins) stretched his lead to 33 over Hugh Bowman (26) in a remarkable display of sustained excellence – and it could have been six wins had he not honoured a pledge to partner Beauty Bolt in the Class 3 (Restricted) Pak Shek Au Handicap (1600m), only to finish to second to another of his…

An unusual plan paid big dividends for the connections of Ammirati (NZ) (Savabeel) when the big gelding confirmed New Zealand Derby plans with a dominant victory in the Listed Trackside Gingernuts Salver (2100m) at Ellerslie on Sunday. With more than a month between his win in the Gr. 3 Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Otaki in late November and a fifth placing in last week’s Gr. 2 Levin Classic (1400m) at Trentham, trainer Stephen Marsh decided on an eight-day back up for Ammirati’s first middle-distance test. That proved a masterstroke as…

Brilliant wins at Ellerslie on Sunday by the Andrew Forsman-trained fillies Stromlinien (NZ) (Almanzor) and Chilling Out (NZ) (Savabeel) have set a platform for the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and 3YO (1600m) back at the Auckland track in two weeks’ time. A last-to-first finish in the opening race has all but secured a place in the Karaka Millions 2YO field for the previously unheralded filly Stromlinien. The $450,000 Karaka yearling purchase went into the 1200m race with a single trial placing back in September, but she put aside any…

Join a full team this week on Weigh In. Guy Heveldt, Aidan Rodley and Bruce Sherwin break down the action from the West Coast and get the backstory from Dutch jockey Floor Moerman who took out the Kumara Gold Nuggets. Weigh In, January 11