Category: Featured

Dreamtime (NZ) (Time Test) is the only horse to have lowered star two-year-old Lara Antipova’s flag in a public hit-out, and all eyes will be on the Simon and Katrina Alexander-trained filly when she makes her debut at Pukekohe on Wednesday. The daughter of Time Test beat Lara Antipova in an 800m trial at Ellerslie last October, with Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson’s gun filly going on to win all three of her raceday starts to date, including the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) and Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m),…

NZ Stallion Awards The Centaine Award Sire whose NZ-conceived progeny have the highest earnings worldwide. The Dewar Stallion TrophySire whose progeny have the highest combined earnings in Australia and New Zealand. The Grosvenor AwardLeading Sires by earnings in New Zealand. NZ-bred Winners 🇲🇾 Malaysia (February 18) RHYTHM OF ZEN (NZ) 2020 by Time Test (GB) out of Perfect Beat (AUS) by Magnus (AUS); Breeder: Jamieson Park Ltd; Auckland; NZ; Race: Selangor TC Class 5A H. 1020; Sale: 2022 National Yearling Sale – Book 1 V: Jamieson Park $37500 P: Lilywhites Lodge;…

Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick has barely had time to draw breath just lately, but on Monday he found a brief window to reflect on what has been a landmark period for his family’s Matamata nursery. That all began 10 days ago with the announcement that unbeaten Group One winner Return To Conquer (Snitzel) will take up duties at Waikato this spring, followed a day later by a first stakes success for resident sire Banquo (Written Tycoon) when his son Justin Case (NZ) won the Gr.3 Fairview Matamata Slipper (1200m),…

There are Group One goals on the horizon for Single Choice (Anders) after the Ready to Run Sale graduate’s impressive come-from-behind victory in the A$300,000 Gr.2 Stow Storage Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday. Single Choice (Anders) was offered by Riversley Park at the 2024 Ready to Run Sale, where Cumani Racing bought him for $80,000. His eight-start career has now produced three wins, three placings and A$294,150 in prize-money. Trainer Matt Cumani has always had a high opinion of Single Choice, and the gelding showed promising signs in the…

South Australia is the new home of Group One-winning rider Ashvin Goindasamy, who has made the shift south from Queensland after a six-month stint.  Originally from Mauritius, Goindasamy started his apprenticeship and won eight Stakes races in New Zealand, the highlight being the 2021 Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall’s Tiptronic (NZ) (O’Reilly). He was based on the Gold Coast when first coming across the ditch, but with city opportunities tough to come by there, Goindasamy is trying his luck further south. “I’ve come over for…

OTI Racing’s $27,500 Karaka yearling purchase Kazaru (NZ) (Embellish) added significant value to her CV with victory in the A$150,000 Listed Kevin Sharkie Tasmanian Oaks (2100m) at Launceston on Friday. Kazaru was offered by Cambria Park in Book 2 of Karaka 2024 and was bought by OTI in partnership with Phill Cataldo Bloodstock. The emerging filly has now had seven starts for two wins, two placings and A$153,150 in stakes. Stakes-placed as a two-year-old in the Listed Oaklands Plate (1400m), Kazaru began her three-year-old preparation with a sixth at Seymour…

Promising filly Summer Schemer (Dirty Work) crowned a memorable recent run of results for Highden Park when she made the perfect start to her career at Ellerslie on Saturday. The Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained two-year-old continued a hot roll for Libby and Sam Bleakley’s Manawatu-based sales preparation and agistment operation. “It’s been a great month for us with the little racing team we’ve got, we’ve been spoiled,” Libby Bleakley said. “We’ve got Kids Got Gears (Magnus) with Nayton Mitchell in the South Island and he ran sixth last week…

Ohope Wins (NZ) Those prospects looked decidedly shaky at the home turn, however, when Ohope Wins was languishing fourth-last and a dozen lengths from the lead. But jockey Joe Doyle was fully aware of the incredible engine he had idling underneath him. He angled Ohope Wins to the outside in the straight and turned her loose. Ohope Wins came with giant strides down the straight and blazed past her opposition. She didn’t stop there either, drawing away to win by two and a quarter lengths. “When you get to ride…

Group One winner Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) was back in the winners’ circle at Taupo on Sunday, with an elite-level assignment now firmly in her sights. The daughter of Written Tycoon has mixed her form this season, with her last appearance in the Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa in December producing an unplaced result. She was subsequently freshened and took care of a small but select field in Sunday’s Rabobank Cup (1400m), giving trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson the confidence to press onto next month’s…