Category: Featured

Hollie Wynyard has consistently matched up with the country’s best in her first solo season of training and she’ll chase a deserved stakes success when her talented youngsters contest Saturday’s Listed SkyCity Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie. Prior to the current racing season, Wynyard trained for almost a decade in partnership with Johno Benner, winning a pair of Group Ones and a Karaka Million three-year-old crown in the process. When Benner decided to step back from training, Cambridge-based Wynyard took over the reins in full capacity and has since produced…

The Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal-trained pair of The Cossack (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) and Suliman (NZ) (Redwood) will make their much-anticipated return to racing in the John Turkington Forestry/Waipine Logging Bulls Country Cup (2200m) at Trentham on Saturday. The Cossack has been off the scene since injuring a suspensory ligament when preparing to clash with archrival West Coast (NZ) (Mettre En Jeu) in last year’s Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) at Riccarton. The 11-year-old gelding has undergone a rigorous rehabilitation programme and his trainers have been pleased with his progress. “We spelled…

Group Two performer Marroni (NZ) (Makfi) has placed at stakes level over a mile on two occasions, and he will be seeking to improve on those results in Saturday’s Listed James Bull Rangitikei Cup (1600m) at Trentham. While in the care of former trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, the son of Makfi was victorious in the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup (2250m) and placed in the Gr.2 Easter Handicap (1600m), before placing in the Gr.2 Japan Trophy (1600m) while under the sole care of Forsman. Following a couple of unplaced runs…

Kundabung, a three-year-old gelding trained by Chris Waller, secured his maiden win in commanding fashion on the Kensington track at Randwick on Wednesday. The son of Super Seth surged from off the pace to claim victory in the 1400m Drinkwise Plate, defeating fellow Super Seth gelding So Long Farewell, by 1.5 lengths. Bred by Waikato Stud, Kundabung is out of the O’Reilly mare O’Dianne, making him a half-brother to Listed winner Avebury, who won at Caulfield last week and Gr.1 Queensland Derby placegetter Paternal. Despite his evident talent, Kundabung has…

Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young are maintaining a conservative approach with rejuvenated gelding Immediacy (NZ) (Tarzino). The four-year-old son of Tarzino runs in this Saturday’s Gr.3 Chairman’s Handicap (2000m) at Doomben in preference to the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) a week later. Immediacy has comfortably won his past two starts, taking his record to five wins from 12 starts, and is among the early nominations for Saturday week’s weight-for-age $1 million event over 2000m, which Busuttin felt was just a little bit out of reach for this stage of his…

Craig Grylls’ near-unassailable lead in the national jockey’s premiership was given a further boost early at Matamata on Wednesday, with deserving maiden winner Viva Glam (NZ) (Savabeel) featuring in his winning treble. After guiding home Stephen Marsh’s well-bred filly Alacritous (NZ) (Dundeel) and stablemate The Exponent (NZ) (Shocking), Grylls combined with the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Viva Glam, a filly having her sixth start in the MBS Advisors 1200. The daughter of Savabeel started a $4 favourite and found a comfortable spot in midfield through the running, while Born…

The Oaks Stud has announced its 2025 stallion line-up, headlined by U S Navy Flag, who will stand for $12,500 + GST.   A son of War Front out of Misty For Me, U S Navy Flag is a proven performer on the track and at stud, with 141 winners globally, including five stakes winners, headed by Group Two winner The Pendragon and Group Three winner So Naïve.   Joining him is The Chosen One, standing at $4,000 + GST. A son of Savabeel, The Chosen One earned $2.7 million in prize…

Te Akau’s David Ellis joined RSN after being inducted into the New Zealand racing Hall Of Fame. CLICK TO LISTEN TO AUDIO

New Zealand syndicator Go Racing looks like they have struck gold once again from the same source following Alacritous’ (NZ) (Dundeel) impressive maiden victory in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1200m) at Matamata on Wednesday.  The two-year-old daughter of Dundeel is a half-sister to last season’s New Zealand Champion Two-Year-Old Velocious, and following her win in last year’s Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) for trainer Stephen Marsh, Go Racing’s Albert Bosma went to Karaka to purchase her sibling for $300,000.  Subsequently named Alacritous, the filly was entrusted to the care of…

Darryn and Briar Weatherley are dreaming of Group One glory once again with their star galloper Pier (NZ) (Proisir), who is bound for Queensland after an impressive exhibition gallop at Matamata on Wednesday.  Pier’s journey as an elite racehorse has been far from smooth, from the highs of winning a Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) as a three-year-old, to the lows of multiple injury lay-offs over the past 18 months. The Weatherleys have exercised plenty of patience during this time and were very nearly rewarded upon his most-recent return…