Category: Featured

Join Guy Heveldt, Emily Bosson and Aidan Rodley as they look back at the racing week including the Barneswood Farm Stakes from Ashburton, Group 1 glory at Caulfield and even the champ Ka Ying Rising arriving at Randwick. Weigh In, October 12

Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) favourite Tajana (NZ) (Darci Brahma) warmed up for her next feature assignment with an exhibition gallop between races at Taupo on Friday. The Darci Brahma filly has had two starts as a three-year-old this season for two Group Three victories, capturing the Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at Ruakaka on August 16 and the Sunline Vase (1400m) at Ellerslie on September 20. Cambridge trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray are building her towards next Saturday’s Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie, which will be her…

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A notable New Zealand influence on Saturday’s stellar raceday at Caulfield culminated with A$3 million Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) success for South Island owner Glenn Ritchie and breeder Richard Rutherford. Autumn Boy carried Ritchie’s red, gold and blue colours to Guineas glory over runner-up Planet Red, who himself was a $260,000 purchase from the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale. Ritchie, who also races Saturday’s Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) placegetter Miss Ziggy, is the former owner of the Ritchies transport company. He made headlines earlier in the…

Just when it seemed like she might be slipping off the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) radar, Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) turned her spring around on Saturday and delivered a ninth win for Te Akau Racing in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. The powerhouse stable had previously won the South Island’s most important Guineas lead-up with King’s Chapel (2003), Sea Saint (2005), Princess Coup (2006), King’s Rose (2010), Abidewithme (2012), Costa Viva (2013), Cornflower Blue (2020) and Star Of Justice (2023). Cool…

An all-the-way victory in the A$1 million Gr.1 Might And Power Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday marked a career-defining triumph for New Zealand-bred gelding Globe. The weight-for-age feature was the first appearance at Group One level for the seven-year-old Charm Spirit gelding, who had previously won five of his 14 career starts headed by the Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m) last November. In his only previous attempt at the 2000m of Saturday’s big race, he had run third in the Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m). Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent…

Emerging stayer Court Of Appeal (NZ) (Eminent) is shaping up as a competitive lightweight chance in next month’s Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) after destroying her rivals in Saturday’s Vernon Vazey 0800 & Truck Parts Open (2200m) at Ashburton. The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared five-year-old mare was having the third run of her current campaign which opened with a win over 1600 metres on the poly-track at Riccarton last month before finishing midfield on the grass there a fortnight ago where a slow beginning put paid to…

Riccarton trainer Terri Rae flexed her potential New Zealand Cup Carnival firepower with an impressive double in $50,000 open handicaps at Ashburton on Saturday. Rae saddled Spot On Time (NZ) (Time Test) for a stylish first-up victory in the GD Jones Salute (1200m), then Sir Albert (NZ) (Savabeel) followed suit 35 minutes later and took out the McCrea Painters & Decorators Ashburton Cup (1600m) by two lengths. It was a welcome return to winning form for Sir Albert, who won six of his first 14 starts including five from nine…

Like most trainers at this time of the year, Stephen Marsh has spent plenty of time studying weather forecasts as he prepares to launch a ten-strong team from his Cambridge stable at the Rotorua race meeting on Sunday. With the track currently rated a Heavy9, Marsh is hoping some strong wind and plenty of sunshine over the next 24 hours will bring the rating back to at least a Slow7 which would see the majority of the ten acceptors take their place in their respective events. “We certainly had been…

Trainer Tony Pike admitted he had a real sense of satisfaction as he watched progressive mare Churchillian (NZ) (Churchill) return to winning form at Taupo on Friday at just her third run back from a substantial lay-off due to a hock injury she suffered late last year. It took a month for vets to determine she had suffered torn ligaments in a hock and needed a lengthy spell to recover from the mishap. Two quiet trials in August preceded a useful first-up run for seventh at Ellerslie in early September,…