Category: Gallops

Well-respected Kiwi horseman Todd Pollard will join the training ranks next month after securing boxes at Eagle Farm in Brisbane. He departs Archibald Racing, where he has worked for the past five years and has led the Queensland operation for more than three-and-a-half years, producing consistent results for the operation. During his time as assistant trainer, Pollard worked closely with Group One winners Mo’unga, Zaaki, Bois d’Argent and Sunshine In Paris, as well as a number of other stakes performers. “I am very excited to announce that I am setting…

Impressive debut winner Waka has returned home to Surrey Farm, near Bulls, ahead of his second-up assignment at Wanganui on Saturday. The three-year-old son of Hello Youmzain was born and raised at the Rangitikei property of owner-breeders Christopher and Susanna Grace, whose familiar gold and green colours he carried to a dominant debut victory at New Plymouth last month. Trainer Mark Forbes was pleased with the win and said the gelding will continue to improve with time. “He has shown us a lot at home. He has still got a…

Promising filly Lucy In The Sky will launch her bid for higher age group honours when she resumes at Ellerslie. The Cambridge Stud-bred and raced daughter of Hello Youmzain will kick off in the Elsdon Park 3YO (1200m) on Sunday before she returns to stakes company. The Tony Pike-trained Lucy In The Sky made a good impression as a juvenile with a debut victory at northern headquarters. That form proved to be significant with runner-up Miss Ziggy subsequently placing in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1200m) and third placegetter Lollapalooza…

Riccarton trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman are prospecting gold in Kumara this weekend. The father-and-son duo are targeting Saturday’s Vernon & Vazey 0800 Truck Parts Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m) with Ocean Light and Charbano, and they are hoping they can get their hands on the spoils. The West Coast feature has been in the crosshairs for the Christchurch horsemen with Ocean Light and they are pleased with him heading into the race despite his last start unplaced run in the Kurow Cup (1400m). It was the five-year-old gelding’s first unplaced…

Kevin and Stephen Gray will be on a fact-finding mission when they head north to Ellerslie on Sunday. The Palmerston North trainers will return to the Auckland track with their promising three-year-old Loose Jewels, who will give them a gauge of his Derby credentials. The son of Turn Me Loose holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie in March, and while they believe he will stay the distance, he has yet to be tested over further than a mile in his five starts to…

New Zealand is in the fortunate position of having an outstanding group of young stallions starting to make their mark, and the progeny of these exciting up-and-comers will be in demand at Karaka 2026.  ACE HIGH  Ace High Rich Hill Stud’s Ace High is the sire of 62 winners from 106 runners, with four individual stakes winners including Molly Bloom (NZ) in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). Molly Bloom came from Ace High’s first crop and was bought for $150,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2022. The current season has seen She’s…

Lindsay Park is rarely without a cult horse in the stable and the gelding who has put up his hand as potentially the Hayes family’s next crowd favourite will chase a fourth-straight win this Saturday at Flemington. Touchdown (NZ) (Almanzor) is set to start odds-on favourite in the $130,000 Honouring Our Jockeys Plate, which is the second race on the card. It will be the first start at 2000m for the four-year-old, who has put together a hat-trick of wins on the Caulfield Heath track, and Will Hayes can understand…

Damian Lane will head to New Zealand for the rich Karaka Millions meeting later this month. The star Australian jockey has secured several key bookings and will ride Torture for Lindsay Park in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200 metres) on January 24. He’s also booked to ride Espionage (Zoustar) in the Group 1 Sistema Railway (1200 metres) for Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson. That name will be familiar for plenty of Australian racing fans, with Espionage a former highly-touted galloper in the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable. The horse…

Former classy youngster Super Photon returned to winning form at Tauranga on Thursday when taking care of a strong line-up in the Dane Crockford Ray White Greerton 1500. The four-year-old son of Super Seth had shown plenty of ability in his formative years, winning both of his starts as a juvenile, including the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1400m). He continued to please as a three-year-old, adding a further two wins to his tally before undergoing a wind operation late last season. He failed to fire in his…

Regally-bred gelding Sarti (NZ) (Snitzel) has a long way to go to live up to his breeding, but he made the perfect start to his career when winning impressively on debut at Tauranga on Thursday. A son of champion sire Snitzel and Group One-winning mare Guiseppina, Sarti was bred by Sir Peter Vela, under his Pencarrow Thoroughbreds banner, and races in his familiar blue and white silks for trainers Ken and Bev Kelso. The Matamata couple have taken a patient approach with the four-year-old, who has had three trials prior…