Category: Featured

It was a sentimental moment at Te Rapa on Saturday when Don’s Legacy broke through for his maiden win in the Noverre Mile (1600m) for owner-trainer Dennis Nunn. The six-year-old gelding was bred by Nunn’s close friend Don Wilson and was gifted to Nunn by Wilson’s widow Dorothy Wilson following his passing five years ago. Nunn took a patient approach with the Bullbars gelding’s development, and was rapt to get the victory at his 12th start. “It has been a while coming,” Nunn said. “It was great to get the…

Four-time Gr.1 winner and European superstar, PADDINGTON, has had his first Southern Hemisphere foals arrive on the ground at Windsor Park. “Both his foals are outstanding” commented Rodney Schick. “They have substance and quality. His own attributes are evident in his foals.” Paddington ex. Black QueenPhoto: supplied Paddington ex. The Flying MulletPhoto: supplied First on the ground was a colt from a Mastercraftsman mare, The Flying Mullet. This chestnut colt is from a medium-sized mare from the family of Her Royal Highness and Kingsguard. He is correct, has leg and strength. I’m thrilled with him”.…

Cody Cole is happy to play a waiting game with Landlock before confirming the three-year-old’s main goals for the season. The Matamata trainer has circled the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) on September 6 as the talented son of Merchant Navy’s resuming run and will firm up plans after the Ellerslie race. Landlock performed well in top company last term with a debut win and runner-up finishes in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m). In between times, he was fifth in the $1 million…

Lhasa proved he is more than a synthetic track specialist when he nearly caused an upset when finishing runner-up in Saturday’s Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa. The Hellbent gelding has recorded six of his seven career victories on the polytrack, and it was his sole victory on the grass at Trentham back in March that enticed owner-trainer Mark Treweek to try his charge on the turf once more. He selected the Foxbridge Plate as his target, and Lhasa went into the race in good form, having won two…

Palmerston North trainers Kevin and Stephen Gray had a near perfect weekend, with four of their five runners collecting winner’s cheques. Ready Response (Better Than Ready) was their sole representative at Hawera on Saturday. He ran third on debut at the track a fortnight ago and the father-and-son duo were confident he could go two better in the Canter 4 Cancer Maiden 1400, and he duly delivered, running out a one length victor over Amazing Son. “He went well first-up and we just sent him back to where he ran…

A broken finger on his right hand will have last season’s National Jockeys’ Premiership winner Craig Grylls out of action on raceday for the next few weeks. Grylls fractured the middle finger on his right hand in a trackwork incident last week and while he shook it off as a minor issue at the time, it wasn’t until he tried to fulfil his next raceday commitments that the extent of the injury became known. “I did it at trackwork and didn’t really think much about it, although it was quite…