Category: Featured

Andrew Bobbin enjoyed the spotlight of training Duke Of Bedford (NZ) (Tavistock) to win the Brierly Steeplechase and Grand Annual Steeplechase double at Warrnambool last week that he’s already planning on repeating the dose next year. Bobbin decided to stay in Warrnambool on Thursday night and celebrate his dashing fencer’s success and was only finding his voice again on Sunday morning. “I had a good night on Thursday night. It’s my career highlight, so it was worthy of a celebration,” Bobbin said. The Grampians Racing trainer has been doing his…

Pogacar (NZ) (Eminent) has a fair way to go to live up to his namesake, but he continued his pleasing progression with a maiden victory over 1200m on Riccarton’s synthetic track on Saturday. Named after World Champion cyclist Tadej Pogacar, who has won three editions of the Tour de France, Pogacar had shown early promise for trainer Ross Beckett, having placed in two of his three previous career starts. The three-year-old son of Eminent continued his upward trajectory at Riccarton on Saturday where he was having his first raceday start…

Awapuni trainer Mike Breslin is looking forward to heading to Hawera on Tuesday with a team of five runners, all of whom he expects to put in good showings. The meeting will be held at the Taranaki track after the scheduled Sunday meeting at Otaki was postponed and transferred following an inspection that found the track surface was not safe for racing. Breslin believes the current Soft7 reading for the Hawera surface will play into the hands of his team, with several preferring a better winter track as opposed to…

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Trainer Ciaron Maher and the Ozzie Kheir-John O’Neill ownership group have had a stellar run with New Zealand imports in recent times, and Sunshineinmypocket (NZ) (Proisir) put his hand up as another one to watch with his come-from-behind victory in Saturday’s A$130,000 Sportsbet Same Race Multi Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield. That owner-trainer combination has celebrated three Group One victories in 2025 with their Per Incanto geldings Jimmysstar (NZ) and Gringotts (NZ). Jimmysstar took out the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and All Aged Stakes (1400m), while Gringotts won the George Ryder Stakes…

Caulfield has been a happy hunting ground for Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) in recent weeks, and the reigning Australian Horse of the Year produced another spectacular front-running performance at that venue in Saturday’s A$175,000 Listed Tile Importer Anniversary Vase (1600m). The Ciaron Maher-trained Pride Of Jenni has now had 38 starts for 10 wins, 12 placings and A$10.44 million in stakes. She was a triple Group One winner in last season’s Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), Champions Mile (1600m) and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m). The daughter of Pride Of…

A pair of New Zealand-breds drew clear to fight out a thrilling finish to the A$150,000 Evergreen Turf Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday, with Rogan (NZ) (Super Seth) edging out Stylish Secret (NZ) (Sweet Orange) to score an upset win. The Cliff Brown-trained Rogan went into the three-year-old race under the radar, having recorded one win and one placing from his eight career starts beforehand. His maiden win came over 1600m at Kilmore on April 5, and he followed that up with close fourth under 61kg in a Benchmark…

Emerging stayer Immediacy (NZ) (Tarzino) backed up his last-start victory at Mornington on April 19 with a repeat result in Saturday’s A$150,000 MRC Chairman’s Club Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield. The New Zealand-bred Immediacy is trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young and has now had 12 starts for five wins and A$479,790 in stakes. Immediacy made an exciting start to his career with wins in all of his first three starts including the Gr.2 Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield in February of 2024, but then the Tarzino gelding’s form began…