Category: Featured

Te Akau Racing have continued their dominant run, securing their 12th New Zealand Trainers’ Premiership this season with a tally of 131 wins, 27 clear of nearest rival Stephen Marsh. It’s the second season Sam Bergerson has trained alongside Mark Walker, and he was thrilled to keep his 100 percent premiership strike-rate intact. “I am very fortunate in the fact I joined Mark in a time where the stable has been so strong, and we have got a fantastic team of staff, horses and owners,” Bergerson said. “I have the…

The finalists for the 2024–25 New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards – sponsored by Sport Nation have produced some fascinating matchups, with voters facing the challenge of comparing standout performers across a variety of form lines, particularly in the two-year-old, three-year-old and sprinter-miler categories. 2024–25 Finalists Champion Two-Year-Old – sponsored by Entain Australia & New ZealandLa Dorada, Return To Conquer Champion Three-Year-Old – sponsored by TAB New ZealandAlabama Lass, Captured By Love, Damask Rose, Leica Lucy, Savaglee, Willydoit Champion Sprinter-Miler (up to 1600m) – sponsored by Taylor Perry…

Champion jockey Craig Grylls takes an uncomplicated approach to his riding and that will again carry over to the new season. The 35-year-old had the 2024/25 New Zealand Jockeys’ Premiership parcelled up well in advance of the term’s end with 141 winners, with runner-up Michael McNab on 86. “I’m really chuffed, it’s good when everything works out and there’s been a lot of travelling and I wouldn’t say it’s been easy, but it’s been very rewarding and I’m absolutely stoked,” Grylls said. Such was his lead, the Matamata-based Grylls was…

Jumping has always been Stephen Nickalls’ main passion in racing, and while he is heading to the South Island’s premier jumping carnival on Saturday, flat racing will be his priority. The Manawatu trainer is heading south with his Group One performer Chase (NZ) (Zed), who will tackle the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 128th Winter Cup (1600m) on the opening day of Riccarton’s Grand National Festival of Racing. The rising 10-year-old gelding earned his ticket south with a 1-3/4 length victory over a mile at Hawera a fortnight ago and a…

Dictation (NZ) (Tavistock) will be looking for redemption when he heads to Riccarton Park on Saturday to contest the Avon City Ford Sydenham Hurdles (3100m). The son of Tavistock had the race all but won last year, leading by five lengths with one hurdle to go, but he stumbled over the last, dislodging jockey Hamish McNeill. Trainers Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal were disappointed to lose the race at the final hurdle, and they are keen to rectify that result 12 months later. “He should have won it last year,…

From last on the turn under riding, OTI Racing’s Kiwi import Skippers Canyon (NZ) (Belardo) has unleashed a wicked turn of foot to score with authority in his Australian debut at Sandown on Wednesday. Most recently seen contesting the Group 2 Avondale Guineas, the now Phillip Stokes-trained gelding was ridden out to win a recent 1200-metre jumpout, but looked in need of further than Wednesday’s 1400-metre assignment. But things set up as well as they could have when Betwitchery ($6) set a fierce tempo, although backers wouldn’t have been confident…

White Robe Lodge’s Jack Stewart was recognised with the Mary Lynne Ryan Young Achiever Award at Saturday’s National Breeding Awards in Karapiro, highlighting his growing impact on New Zealand’s breeding and racing landscape. Stewart represents the next generation of White Robe Lodge, carrying forward the proud legacy of his parents Wayne and Karren Stewart, and grandparents Brian and Lorraine Anderton at the iconic North Taieri stud and racing operation. Involved across all areas of the business — from foaling and yearling preparation to stallion management and sales, Stewart is a…

Welcome to July’s Entain Edition Tomorrow marks the end of the 2024-25 New Zealand racing season — the second full racing season of Entain Australia and New Zealand delivering racing and sports wagering to New Zealand. The last two years and two months have brought many changes and improvements to every aspect of the betting experience for Kiwis, and now — with the ‘legislative net’ betting law changes passed late last month — the building blocks are very much in place for all parties involved in the strategic partnership to…

Gail Temperton hasn’t made too many trips south over the years with her horses, but a quality hurdler made this year’s Grand National Festival of Racing too good of an opportunity to pass up. The Foxton horsewoman will be represented in Saturday’s Avon City Ford Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) by Never Look Back (NZ) (Shocking), a first-season jumper who made a big impression when defeating a top field in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles (3000m) earlier this month. The homebred son of Shocking has come through his Woodville triumph well, giving Temperton…

Promising galloper Wallen is making good progress toward a return to racing following an untimely setback. The rising six-year-old son of Tarzino made a strong start to his career with a brace of wins and five placings from eight appearances before he was sidelined by a suspensory injury. Wallen’s highlight performance was his victory in the inaugural running of last year’s $350,000 Sir Patrick Hogan Karapiro Classic (1600m) at Te Rapa. The gelding is prepared at Cambridge by Shane Crawford, who with partner Kara Waters are also leading Ready to…