Category: Featured

Father-and-son training duo Kevin and Stephen Gray finished the Wellington Cup meeting with a bang on Saturday when their gelding Anderson Bridge (NZ) (Savabeel) surged to victory in the Douro Cup (1600m). Race favourite Afternoon Siesta jumped well and was sent straight to the front by jockey Kelly Myers, while Bruno Queiroz was content to settle three-back in the running line aboard Anderson Bridge. They loomed three-wide at the turn and quickly ranged up alongside the leader, with the pair going head-to-head in the concluding stages, but it was Anderon…

Awapuni trainer Mike Breslin has plenty to mull over in the coming weeks as he hatches an autumn plan for his quality stayer Crouch (NZ) (Tarzino). The six-year-old gelding put in another strong effort at Trentham on Saturday to post his second successive runner-up result in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m), and Breslin is now hungry to try and go one better in next year’s edition. “He has gone huge again. Running second two years in a row is a good effort,” Breslin said. “Tina (Comignaghi) has ridden him both…

Join a full team this week on Weigh In. Guy Heveldt, Bruce Sherwin & Aidan Rodley break down the action from Wellington Cup day at Trentham, feature racing from Ellerslie and a look ahead to The NZB Kiwi. Weigh In, February 1

Exciting stayer The Precursor (St Jean) literally monstered his rivals to claim an impressive victory in the $350,000 Life Direct Remutaka Classic (2100m) at Trentham on Saturday. The statuesque five-year-old towers over most of his race rivals and made good use of that impressive frame to stretch away from fellow Cambridge visitor Roctave over the concluding stages of the contest after enjoying a trouble-free run just behind the pace for rider Masa Hashizume. The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-prepared son of the ill-fated stallion St Jean, who took out the…

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NEWSLETTER

Palmerton North mare Manzor Blue (NZ) (Almanzor) caused a major upset when taking out the Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham on Saturday. The five-year-old daughter of Almanzor had previously only raced up to rating 75 grade and was taking a massive jump up to Group company on Saturday, a step punters thought was too far and they let her drift out to an 86-1 outsider. From her outside draw she was taken straight to the back to settle at the rear of the…

Seven-year-old mare Wrote To Arataki (NZ) (Wrote) landed her second Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) three years after her first, with a strong front-running success under Dean Yendall at Caulfield on Saturday. The Matthew Williams trained daughter of Wrote has competed in the race in four consecutive years, with fourth and third placings in the mare’s feature between her 2023 and 2026 victories. Wrote To Arataki had a length to spare over fellow Kiwi bred mare Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel), with Bossy Benita (So You Think) in third. Williams said…

Taranaki visitor Special Sakura (NZ) (Staphanos) upset the applecart when she led from go to whoa to bring up just her third career victory, and first at black-type level, when winning the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) at Ellerslie. The four-year-old daughter of Novara Park stallion Staphanos had finished close up in second behind Romilly (NZ) (So You Think) in a rating 75 contest at the course when brought north by trainer Janelle Millar on New Year’s Day. Millar produced stable star Final Return (NZ) (Reliable Man) to run a…

Trainer Mick Nolan’s Stylish Secret (NZ) (Sweet Orange) produced a plucky front-running performance to deny in-form mare Sun Gift (NZ) (Savabeel) when winning the Ule Hoof Oil Handicap (2400m) at Caulfield on Saturday. Given a perfect ride by apprentice Luke Cartwright, Stylish Secret enjoyed a breather mid-race and filled up the lungs enough to stave off the challenge of Sun Gift as the pair cleared out by more than three lengths from third-placed American Wolf (NZ) (Tivaci). The diminutive son of Sweet Orange carried just 52.5kg after Cartwright’s claim and…

Robbie Patterson looks to have another serious Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) contender on his hands following Ultimate Habit’s victory at Trentham on Saturday. The promising daughter of Embellish broke through for her maiden win in the Gr.2 Jennian Homes Lowland Stakes (2100m), a race Patterson won last year with Leicy Lucy before she won the Oaks, and he is looking forward to shooting for back-to-back wins in the Classic at its new home of Ellerslie next month. “We are definitely going to go to the…