Category: Featured

David Haworth’s two runners at Trentham on Saturday are a pair of full-brothers – Orlov (NZ) (Sweynesse) and Subsonic (NZ) (Sweynesse). Haworth co-bred and shares in the ownership of both geldings, who are by Sweynesse out of the Guillotine mare Diamond Cut. “They’re both in on Saturday and they’re both really well,” Haworth said. “Hopefully there’s no more rain in the Wellington area and the track stays around that Soft7 mark. If it does, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them both run big races.” Seven-year-old Orlov is already a…

Andrew Forsman is hoping for a lucrative few weeks in Melbourne with his talented three-year-olds Yaldi (NZ) (Ardrossan), Mustang Morgan (NZ) (Preferment) and Prochester (NZ) (Proisir). The trio will all line up at Flemington on Saturday in races that are qualifying heats for the Winter Finals at the same venue on July 5. Yaldi’s assignment is the K. A. Morrison Handicap (1400m), which is a qualifier for the A$150,000 Silver Bowl Series Final (1600m). Mustang Morgan and Prochester are entered for Saturday’s Sir Henry Bolte Handicap (2000m), which is a…

Group One-winning mare Bonny Lass (NZ) (Super Easy) will head across the Tasman after being bought by Widden Stud for $480,000 on Gavelhouse Plus on Thursday. Bonny Lass was a Group winner as a two, three, four, five and six-year-old for owner-breeder Sandy Moore, co-owners Brent and Wendy Cooper and the Social Racing Starting Gates Syndicate. From the stable of Matamata trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall, her 26-race career produced eight wins, eight placings and $774,950 in stakes. Widden Stud principal Antony Thompson was thrilled to secure another quality…

Promising juvenile Towering Vision (NZ) (Circus Maximus) will aim to double his stakes-winning tally before heading to the paddock when he contests Saturday’s Listed SkyCity Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie. Towering Vision became the first stakes winner for his sire Circus Maximus when taking out the Listed Waikato Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m), a result that co-trainer Sam Bergerson had cautiously hoped for when heading to Te Rapa earlier this month. “We were quietly confident that he’d run well, we didn’t expect him to win but it didn’t come too much…

Anna Furlong’s small but select team couldn’t be in better form ahead of their engagements at Trentham on Saturday. The Riccarton trainer’s northern-bound team are all last-start winners and headed by Listed James Bull Rangitikei Cup (1600m) contender Iffididit (NZ) (Iffraaj). Penvose Lad will take on the open class sprinters in the Stout Roofing Handicap (1200m), while Canasta (NZ) (Ace High) lines up in the Harrison’s Carpet & Hard Flooring 3YO (1600m). Iffraaj five-year-old Iffididit capped off a solid run of form this preparation with his success over 1400 metres…

The countdown to NZB’s 2025 National Weanling Sale is underway, with a compact yet quality catalogue of 134 youngsters now available to view online at www.nzb.co.nz. Set to be held on Thursday 26 June at Karaka, the Sale offers an abundance of opportunity for both pinhookers and end users to secure quality stock, with the session a proven source of racetrack and investment success. Recent stakes-performers sourced from this Sale include Jedibeel (NZ) (Savabeel), Pivotal Ten (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns), plus Group One winners Pignan (NZ) (Staphanos), Callsign Mav (NZ) (Atlante), Jennifer Eccles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle), Karaka Millions 2YO winner, Tokyo…

Do You Just (So You Think) steps up to a more suitable distance at Ellerslie and a bold showing is expected from the colt in his juvenile grand final. The Wexford Stables representative will close out his campaign in Saturday’s Listed Skycity Champagne Stakes (1600m) ahead of a break. “We put him aside after a spring preparation and brought him back with these longer two-year-old races in mind,” said Andrew Scott, who trains in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan. “That’s what he is genetically bred to do, and we think as…

John and Karen Parsons had plenty of firepower on the truck to Wednesday’s Riccarton Park Synthetic meeting and their topliners delivered, collecting both open handicaps with Tumuch (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) and Miss Brittany (NZ) (Sacred Falls). The Balcairn couple picked up their first win on the card in the Speights Summit Ultra On Tap Rating 60 (1400m) with Sway Up (NZ) (Highly Recommended), and two races later, the talented Tumuch started as one of the shortest-priced favourites to step out on the course when contesting the Riccarton Park Function Centre…

Being on the wrong side of a photo finish in a feature race is nothing new to trainer Brad Widdup but he remains hopeful Jedibeel (NZ) (Savabeel) can bury memories of his narrow last start loss by winning the Doomben 10,000. The sprinter went down by a short half-head to Libertad in the Victory Stakes (1200m) last start, although if anybody was equipped to handle the disappointment, it was Widdup. His star mare Icebath was edged out in the 2020 Golden Eagle by Colette, the 2021 Doncaster Mile by Cascadian and then again by Superstorm in the Cantala Stakes the following spring. “I have been through a few of them,”…

Shaune Ritchie has opposing expectations for Nereus (NZ) (Savabeel) and Davideo when the stablemates line-up together in Saturday’s Gr.3 JRA Chairman’s Quality Handicap (2000m) at Doomben. The pair travelled from Ritchie’s Cambridge base to Queensland earlier this month and have settled in well to their temporary home at the Gold Coast Turf Club. “They travelled over together and they are beside each other in the box at home, so I think when they’ve got their mate beside them, they just seem to do so much better,” Ritchie said. “We took…