Category: Gallops

The progeny of New Zealand’s top stallions consistently make their mark across Australasia and Hong Kong, and there is no better place to secure this season’s crop of their yearlings than Karaka 2026. ALMANZOR Almanzor  Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor has been in incredible form in recent weeks, with four new Group winners since November 22 including his latest Group One winner. Having previously made his mark as a classic sire through the deeds of Group One Victoria Derby (2500m) winner Manzoice, Almanzor has shown a different kind of influence through these last few weeks. First Five (NZ)…

Just one week out from the iconic TAB Karaka Millions Raceday, where NZB graduates will take to the track for their share of $4.6m in stakes, NZB has unveiled new custom made trophies for winning connections of the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) races. Crafted by master jeweller Nicola (Nic) Cerrone, director and creative mind behind Melbourne-based Cerrone Jewellers, the trophies are stamped with his signature artisan craftmanship that has earned him a loyal following for more than 50 years. The ownership group in both sale…

Saturday’s final event at Rosehill is the biggest test of Cross Tasman’s (NZ) (Super Seth) career, but it is also an audition for bigger things later in the year. The Super Seth four-year-old is a horse that Randwick trainers John O’Shea & Tom Charlton can see lining up in rich races next spring. The gelding is after a hat-trick of wins to start the prep and Charlton keen to see how he performs at his first start in Saturday metro grade. “Ideally, if everything goes to plan, he might be one we’ll…

Warwoven (Sword Of State), the raging favourite for Saturday’s Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m), is in doubt for the A$3 million race after exhibiting signs of lameness on the eve of the event. As is custom prior to the Magic Millions feature, Queensland stewards carried out Friday morning veterinary inspections and Warwoven was found to be lame in the off foreleg. The Sword Of State colt’s stablemate Masvingo (Zourstar), who is owned in similar interests, was also lame, in the near foreleg, with the Bjorn Baker-trained pair to be given until early Saturday…

In the midst of an experience they would never wish to relive, Gareth Downey and Mel Gamble found solace last Saturday when Chica Mojito finally got the win she deserved in the A$500,000 The Lakes Mile at Wyong. Unfortunately the former New Zealand couple weren’t able to enjoy the action at one of the biggest fixtures on the New South Wales track, committed instead to the challenges of the north-east Victoria bushfires involving their workplace, Lindsay Park Racing. The Hayes family’s private training and spelling property at Creightons Creek, 150 kilometres north-east of…

Matamata trainer Pam Gerard has doubled her representation in the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), with Slot Holder Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR) announcing Affirmative Action (AUS) (Yes Yes Yes) as their representative in the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race. The Yes Yes Yes gelding will join stablemate Romanoff (NZ) (Belardo) in the Champions Day feature at Ellerslie on 7 March, after he secured the Canterbury Jockey Club’s slot after beating Affirmative Action by the barest of margins in the $700,000 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 53rd New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at…

Stephen Nickalls had the ride of a lifetime several years ago with his quality filly Llanacord, and now he is hoping he has found another. The daughter of Contributer won the 2021 edition of the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) before placing in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham. She then crossed the Tasman where she was 10th in the Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) before she was runner-up in the Gr.3 SA Fillies Classic (2500m). Five years on and Nickalls believes he has a filly that fits the same mould…

Group One hope The Dirty Dee will spearhead a strong team at Trentham for Robbie Patterson and unlike a number of trainers, he’s unconcerned about the prospect of rain-affected ground on Saturday. The New Plymouth conditioner is bullish about the chances of his daughter of Derryn in the Gr.3 NZB Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) as she works her way toward the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Ellerslie. “A wet track definitely won’t worry her, and I gave her a good jump-out on Monday and she…

Freddie Time has been Southland trainer Kelvin Tyler’s sole representative in the north over the last couple of months, but the Southland trainer has sent up some reinforcements as he looks to plunder the spoils on offer at Trentham in the coming weeks. “There is a bit of safety in numbers, I have brought some nice horses up,” Tyler said. “They are big and strong fields though, so we certainly aren’t getting ahead of ourselves.” Stakes performer Prince Alby has returned north to target the Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation…

Ready to Run Sale graduate Speed Dragon (NZ) (Darci Brahma) delivered a milestone moment for his trainer Francis Lui with a spectacular come-from-behind victory in the A$4.2m Group Three January Cup (1800m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday.  Speed Dragon, who was passed in at the 2021 Ready to Run Sale, has now had 16 starts in Hong Kong for four wins, a placing and HK$9.8m in stakes – the equivalent of more than NZ$2.1m, which is over 10 times his reserve at the Ready to Run Sale. The six-year-old’s stunning finish from…