Category: Gallops

Chris Wood acknowledges his emerging three-year-old That’s Gold (Lucky Vega) will have a fight on his hands in the Gr. 2 Jimmy Schick Shaw’s Auckland Guineas (1400m), but he’s still taking a positive approach to the Boxing Day challenge. The Ellerslie feature is dominated by unbeaten filly Well Written, who heads the TAB final field market at $1.35 with course specialist Affirmative Action at $4.20, while That’s Gold, chasing a hat-trick after his last-start win in the Gr. 3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m), is the $16 fourth favourite. “This is pretty…

Promising two-year-old Ka Ron (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) was unfortunate not to have made the perfect start to his career and will have the opportunity on Boxing Day to make amends. The Allan Sharrock-trained youngster was narrowly beaten on debut and will bid to go one better in the SkyCity 2YO (1100m) at Ellerslie and in the process book a return for a far more lucrative prize at northern headquarters. Ka Ron currently sits in 15th spot in order of entry to the Karaka Millions (1200m) to be run for $1…

Trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson are hoping a return to the right-handed way of going will help Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor) bounce back to winning form at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. The homebred mare was eye-catching when winning the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) in that direction at Pukekohe fresh-up last month, but failed to flatter when a beaten favourite in the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa earlier this month. Bergerson admitted to being perplexed by her subpar showing but has been pleased with…

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Kelvin Tyler is excited about the future with Freddie Time after he came within a nose of victory in last Saturday’s Gr.3 Manawatu Cup (2300m) at Trentham. The four-year-old son of Time Test showed plenty of ability last season, winning on debut at Riverton on New Year’s Day before placing in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1600m) and running fourth in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2100m). The Riverton horseman thought enough of his gelding to campaign him in Australia over winter, and while he was unplaced in his sole start across…

No-one knows better than Lance O’Sullivan what it takes to win the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m), which is as good a recommendation as any around the engagement of James McDonald for Tomodachi in the Trentham Group One sprint. During O’Sullivan’s storied jockey career, encompassing 12 premierships and 62 Group One wins in his homeland as well as international majors for a career tally of 2,479, the Telegraph stands like a beacon. O’Sullivan rode the winner of the famous Trentham sprint a record six times and last January he joined his…

Young Cambridge Stud stallion Sword Of State has landed another timely winning blow across the Tasman. The son of Snitzel is two for two in Australia, with his first representative Torture claiming the Listed Debutant Stakes (1000m) for Lindsay Park and at Randwick on Saturday his second runner Warwoven scored on debut. Not to be outdone, associate sire Almanzor is also on a hot run, with Argo and Rambling On combining for a Te Rapa double, Touchdown and Roadcone scored at Caulfield and Lux Libertas was an impressive winner at…

Cranbourne-based trainer Gavin Bedggood has travelled to New Zealand in preparation to saddle his first international runner.  Bedggood and Kingswood (Roaring Lion) departed Melbourne on Saturday night to prepare for the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.  The trip to New Zealand is two-fold, an attempt to land an elusive Group One win which in turn may secure the entire a home at stud.   “He’s a stallion with a good pedigree page, but he’s not a sexy horse in Australia,” Bedggood said.  “I think he would be commercial in that environment, so if he was able to go over there and jag one,…

Tomasina’s (NZ) (Darci Brahma) victory in the Dynes Transport Tapanui Cup (1335m) at Gore on Sunday couldn’t have come at a better time for owner Stanley Jones. He is in hospital recuperating from surgery after breaking his leg this week and trainer Sabin Kirkland said his mare’s win would be a great tonic for Jones. “I am very happy, especially for the owner’s sake,” Kirkland said. “He fell over and broke his femur this week, so he is in hospital and had a major operation. I am sure he was…

Mark Newnham reached a significant milestone on Saturday at Sha Tin as leading Karaka graduate, Invincible Ibis (Hellbent), passed yet another crucial test on his march towards the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) – the opening leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series – on 1 February. Celebrating his 100th Hong Kong training win with the young gun’s victory in the Class 3 Poinsettia Handicap (1600m), Newnham joined Caspar Fownes at the top of the trainers’ championship on 25 victories this term over Danny Shum (23 wins) and David…