Category: Featured

Tony Pike couldn’t have wished for a smoother lead-up with Cream Tart (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) ahead of the filly’s sternest challenge at Riccarton. The Cambridge trainer can’t fault the daughter of Hello Youmzain’s condition or form going into Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). “This is the race we targeted and her preparation couldn’t have worked out better, I think she’s peaking at the right time,” Pike said. She is one of a trio of runners the stable will line-up on the opening day of the New…

Group One performer Jaarffi (NZ) (Iffraaj) will be seeking a breakthrough stakes victory at Pukekohe on Saturday when she contests the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m). The six-year-old daughter of Iffraaj was in fine form earlier this year when runner-up in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day before returning to the Auckland track on Champion’s Day in March to fill the same position in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). She returned this spring with a first-up seventh placing in the Gr.3…

Steely Man scored the second victory and the biggest cheque of his career when he took out the $75,000 NZB Ready To Run Sale Trainers Series 1600 (1600m) at Ellerslie on Tuesday. Owned by harness racing trainer John Dickie, the five-year-old races in his familiar silks and is trained by his partner Lynda German, who was rapt to see her grey gelding first past the post at the Melbourne Cup Day meeting. The son of Embellish showed plenty of promise last season when placing in his first three starts before…

Champion trainer Ciaron Maher prepared the Big Dance trifecta as Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) showed there is no substitute for sheer class with his second successive win in the $3 million feature race at Royal Randwick on Tuesday. Gringotts made light of his 62kg impost under a brave but brilliant Nash Rawiller ride to beat Vivy Air in a repeat of the stable exacta from 12 months ago. But Maher, who was at Flemington for the Melbourne Cup, went one better with a memorable 1-2-3 podium finish for the stable as early leader Lugh held on for the minor placing.…

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh was a relieved man following El Vencedor’s (NZ) (Shocking) return to winning form in the Gr.3 Elsdon Park Balmerino Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Tuesday. The reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year was a standout in autumn, winning four consecutive Group One races before heading to Hong Kong where he was unplaced in the Gr.1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m). He returned this season to finish fifth and seventh in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) and Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) respectively before finishing runner-up in…

A sharp front-running performance by headlined a dominant afternoon for trainers Brian and Shane Anderton at Wingatui on Melbourne Cup Day. The local father-and-son training partnership won three races through the card, all of which they quinellaed, including the feature Grand Casino Open Handicap (1400m) where they had a trio of runners engaged. Inflamed (NZ) (Ghibellines) had been slightly disappointing first-up but was still fancied in the market, closing third-favourite behind Bouyant and Martell, while her stablemates Mayor Of Norwood and Capo Dell Impero were the outsiders resuming over a…

Sisters Sophia Nolan and Hanna Orting recorded the first win in their fledgling training partnership in impressive fashion at Ellerslie on Tuesday, courtesy of exciting gelding Golden Wings (NZ) (Super Seth). The four-year-old son of Super Seth and Group One-winning mare Xanadu had shown plenty of promise, undefeated in his three trials and was runner-up in both of his starts prior to Tuesday’s Yourride 1200. He rocketed out of the gates in the sprint for jockey George Rooke, who immediately pressed forward with his charge to take up the lead.…

Pam Gerard is a bundle of nerves as she gets ready to shoot for her second consecutive victory in next week’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. The Matamata trainer won last year’s edition with standout colt Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel), and this year she is set to line-up Affirmative Action (Yes Yes Yes), who shortened into $3.80 favouritism for the race following his victory in the Show By SkyCity 1400 at Ellerslie on Tuesday. The son of Yes Yes Yes hadn’t raced since his…

The Hickmott family already has its name etched in the history of the Melbourne Cup, with Robert having trained two winners of the historic race, but on Tuesday it was time for other family members to experience what it is like winning on the day. This time it was his son Josh who experienced the thrill of part-owning a Melbourne Cup Day winner after Party Crasher (NZ) (Ocean Park) claimed the Benchmark 80 (2000m), which was trained by Rob Hickmott’s younger brother Michael. Josh works as a bloodstock manager for…

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