Category: Featured

Richard Didham maintained the perfect strike rate with a pair of ex-Hastings gallopers at Oamaru on Sunday, headlined by Candle’s (NZ) (Super Easy) success in the Glenmoa Farms Ltd River Plate Trophy (1200m). Candle, alongside her stablemate Speed Dial (NZ) (Time Test), was formerly in the care of Hawke’s Bay conditioners Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos, and the mare joined Didham’s Aylesbury stable recently after collecting three wins in the north. The daughter of Super Easy covered extra ground to finish a respectable eighth in her debut for Didham earlier…

Group One winner Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) has continued to improve with each campaign and connections expect that to again be the case as the rising six-year-old closes in on his seasonal return. After capturing the Big Dance (1600m) and The Gong (1600m) at the end of last spring, Gringotts returned in the autumn to claim the scalps of Fangirl and Ceolwulf in the Gr.1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m). He ended his preparation with a midfield finish in the Gr.1 Doncaster Mile, beaten less than two lengths, and trainer Ciaron…

Progressive colt El Vaquero (NZ) (Ferrando) completed the southern juvenile season on a winning note at Oamaru on Sunday, outclassing his rivals to claim the One Smart Coffee (1200m). The striking son of Ferrando had over raced when fancied on debut back in April, but since, has shown good improvement, going down by narrow margins on two occasions to Te Akau filly Cool Aza Rene. There was no Cool Aza Rene in the field at Oamaru and El Vaquero comfortably held favouritism, closing at $2.10 over fillies Ripa Time ($6)…

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Handy mare Shelbyrock’n (NZ) (Rock ‘N’ Pop) continued the winning run of pacemakers at New Plymouth on Saturday when she streeted her rivals by more than fifteen lengths in the last race on the card, the Seaton Park 1600 (1600m). The 2023 Interprovincial (1600m) winner on the track has always been a difficult customer to head off when she can get terms to her liking out in front and rider Ellie Sole made full use of the seven-year-old mare’s front running ability as she led clearly from the minute the…

The rookie pair of Joshua Brown (NZ) (Dalghar) and his owner-trainer Lance Gussey took out one of New Zealand racing’s biggest winter prizes in Saturday’s $120,000 Listed Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth. Things have happened quickly for Joshua Brown, who made his debut only 15 months ago in April 2024, and also for Cambridge-based Gussey and his wife Angela. With only five horses in work, Gussey now boasts four wins from just 20 career starters. Gussey is continuing the thoroughbred legacy of his late father,…

New Plymouth trainer Tawhiti Hina saddled back-to-back winners on his home track on Saturday with full-sisters Za Spirit (NZ) (Charm Spirit) and Charm Zafarm (NZ) (Charm Spirit). Hina has seven horses in training and had won nine races in his career before Saturday’s dream afternoon. He had trained two winners in a day once before, with Side Piece (NZ) (Jon Snow) and Summer Breeze (NZ) (Zed) combining for a pair of victories in $17,000 maiden races at Waverley on April 21. But Saturday’s heroics in races worth $50,000 and $40,000…

Ace Lawson-Carroll completed his first 50-win season with an early double at Rotorua on Saturday, including a perfectly judged front-running ride on Diomedes (NZ) (Echoes of Heaven) in the Arawa Park Hotel Rotorua (1560m). The 20-year-old apprentice went into Saturday’s meeting with 48 wins to his name from 609 rides this season. That put him in 17th on the national premiership. He was ranked fourth among apprentices behind Lily Sutherland (64 wins), Triston Moodley (52) and Amber Riddell (50). Lawson-Carroll moved to 49 with a four-length victory on favourite Moelle…

A well timed run by rider Michael McNab aboard the lightly raced Jelly Roll (NZ) (Swiss Ace) paved the way for the four-year-old to break his maiden status in spectacular style at Rotorua on Saturday. The Samantha Logan-trained and owned son of Swiss Ace was having just his third start and had looked a galloper of some promise when finishing fourth in both of those efforts. With the Heavy 10 rated Rotorua track expected to play in favour of those handy to the pace for the first few races, the…

The tenacity displayed by Snazzytavi during her stellar racing career has stood her in good stead in a battle off the track. The Cambridge Stud-owned mare has been fighting an acute case of laminitis for months, but now the signs indicate she is on the road to recovery. “While she remains at Matamata Veterinary Services, a dedicated team of vets and farriers have painstakingly repaired her laminitic feet and she is finally heading in the right direction,” Chief Executive Officer Henry Plumptre said. “We acknowledge the care and dedication shown…