Category: Featured

Charm Stone storms home to win Robert Sangster Stakes

AAP

Robert Sangster Stakes winner, Charm Stone. (Photo: George Sal – Racing Photos) Classy mare Charm Stone ($11) delivered on her enormous promise, storming home to claim the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on Saturday for trainers Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr and jockey Mark Zahra. Resuming from a spell after a strong Queensland campaign, Charm Stone settled near the rear after a patchy start but produced a dazzling turn of foot when it mattered most. Zahra, who had already picked up two Group wins earlier, including…

Benagil powers home to claim Group 1 Australasian Oaks

AAP

Group 1 Australasian Oaks winner, Benagil. (Photo: Jay Town – Racing Photos) Benagil confirmed her status as one of Australia’s premier staying fillies with a brilliant win in Saturday’s Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville. Trained by Glen Thompson and expertly ridden by Mark Zahra, Benagil, the $3.10 favourite with horse racing bookmakers, overcame a slow start to storm down the outside and score a dominant victory, delivering Thompson his first Group 1 success as a solo trainer. After settling near the tail of the field, Zahra was content…

Val Di Zoldo fends off rivals to claim Group 2 Travis Stakes

AAP

Val Di Zoldo winning the Group 2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. (Kenton Wright – Race Images) Val Di Zoldo’s victory in the Group 2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday showed what a difference a year can make. The $150,000 fillies and mares’ feature capped an autumn black-type double for the War Decree mare, who was a last-start winner of the Group 3 Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2050m) at Wanganui on April 5. It could hardly be a more different story to what happened in…

Betty’s black-type breakthrough heads big day for Furlong

NZRacingDesk

Local trainer Anna Furlong played a starring role at Riccarton on Saturday with a winning treble, headlined by Betty Spaghetti’s (Stratum Star) first black-type success in the Listed Daphne Bannan Memorial Great Easter Stakes (1400m). It was a deserved breakthrough for the Stratum Star mare, who had previously finished second in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m), fourth in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m), Warstep Stakes (2000m) and Hazlett Stakes (1400m), and fifth in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m). There had been a few ups and downs in Betty…

Loose Sally too strong in Warstep Stakes

NZRacingDesk

Statuesque three-year-old filly Loose Sally (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) once again showed her liking for tracks with plenty of give in them as she monstered her rivals in the home straight to claim victory in Saturday’s Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton. Trainer Shankar Muniandy brought her north from his Wingatui base for her second crack at a Riccarton three-year-old fillies feature after she finished an unlucky fifth in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) a fortnight earlier where she flew home after meeting trouble early in…

Ardalio completes winning treble for Marsh at Te Rapa

NZRacingDesk

While trainer Stephen Marsh may be away in Hong Kong putting the finishing touches on El Vencedor (NZ) (Shocking) in his bid to win the Gr.1 QE II Cup (2000m) on Sunday, he enjoyed a red-letter day at Te Rapa on Saturday as promising filly Ardalio (NZ) (Ardrossan) claimed the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) to bring up a winning treble for the stable. The three-year-old daughter of Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan had demonstrated her class when winning the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie on Karaka…

Lubeck continues winning run for Marsh 2YO’s

NZRacingDesk

The Stephen Marsh stable continued their white hot form of late with two-year-old filly Lubeck (Hanseatic) giving her rivals a galloping lesson as she dominated proceedings from the front when winning the Cambridge Raceway 2YO (1200m) at Te Rapa. The filly by former smart Australian juvenile Hanseatic jumped well from a mid-field barrier for apprentice Rihaan Goyaram after being a little hesitant to load away and worked to the front after 300m. Goyaram set up a steady pace on the filly before asking her to quicken rounding the home bend…

Sunrise romps at Randwick

NZRacingDesk

Trainer Mitchell Beer will look to raise the bar with Sunrise (NZ) (Charm Spirit) after the New Zealand-bred filly blew her rivals off the track in the A$120,000 Midway Handicap (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday. The Midway was the second start of a new preparation for the Charm Spirit filly, who resumed with a front-running romp by seven lengths over 1000m at Kembla Grange on March 22. Sunrise was sent out as a $1.80 favourite on Saturday and delivered more of the same. She was driven straight to the lead…

Riviera Rebel wins Group 3 Canterbury Gold Cup

AAP

Riviera Rebel winning Saturday’s Gr.3 Coca-Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) at Riccarton. (Photo: Ajay Berry – Race Images South) Riviera Rebel has been a special horse for rookie trainer Brooke Kincaid, who had her first taste of black-type success in Saturday’s Group 3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) at Riccarton. Kincaid went into partnership with Riverton trainer Graham Eade at the beginning of this season. Riviera Rebel quickly became her first winner with a Rating 75 victory at Riccarton on August 10, and on Saturday the talented gelding was in the…

Loose Sally a class above in Listed Warstep Stakes

AAP

Loose Sally victorious in Saturday’s Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton. (Photo: Ajay Berry – Race Images South) Statuesque three-year-old filly Loose Sally once again showed her liking for tracks with plenty of give in them as she monstered her rivals in the home straight to claim victory in Saturday’s Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton. Trainer Shankar Muniandy brought her north from his Wingatui base for her second crack at a Riccarton three-year-old fillies feature after she finished an unlucky fifth in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) a…