The two-year-old race staged by the Levin Racing Club at Otaki every November has a proven record of unearthing top-level talent, and Te Akau Racing is hoping for more of the same with Sunday’s Levin Jumpouts 2YO (1100m) winner Kinnaird. The late-spring juvenile event boasts four subsequent Group One winners among its list of winners in the last 17 years alone, starting with the 2008 winner Eileen Dubh, who returned to take out the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) on the same raceday in 2009. The 2009 and 2020 winners, Jimmy…
Category: Gallops
Provence confirmed for TAB Mufhasa Classic
Stephen Marsh has his sights set on further feature-race success, with his proven performer Provence (NZ) (Savabeel) confirmed for Saturday’s Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham. The Cambridge trainer took his black-type tally for the first four months of the season to seven when Ammirati (NZ) (Savabeel) claimed a bizarre win in Sunday’s Gr.3 Jennian Homes Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Otaki. In a dramatic final 50 metres, fellow Cambridge-trained three-year-old Road To Paris (NZ) (Circus Maximus) shied at the winning post with victory in sight, dropping rider Masa Hashizume…
Stakes double for Westbury roster
New stakes winners for resident stallions Redwood and Tarzino were celebrated by Westbury Stud at the weekend. The former’s homebred daughter Pulsatilla (NZ) (Redwood) produced a dominant performance to land the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m) at Ellerslie while Tarzino’s strapping son Tshiebwe (NZ) romped home in the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m). The Shaun and Emma Clotworthy-trained Pulsatilla is also owned by stud principal Gerry Harvey and will follow a path toward the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m). “She was always a nice filly and is out…
Crocetti primed for summer sprints
A sparkling gallop between races at Ellerslie on Saturday has completed Crocetti’s preparation for another round of major summer sprints. The speedy five-year-old cruised through his 1000m exhibition to the satisfaction of trainers Danny Walker and Arron Tata and regular rider Warren Kennedy. “They timed him to run 58 seconds and change, which I find hard to believe, but the main thing is the way he did it,” Walker said. “Warren was very happy with him. “He’s all set for the Concorde (Gr.3, 1200m) at Pukekohe on Saturday, and the…
Farag’s Jericho double delight
Aaron Purcell’s iron stayer Farag (NZ) (Sacred Falls) has etched his name into Jericho Cup folklore, winning the marathon 4415-metre feature for the second year running under jockey Will Gordon, who claimed the race for a third time. The son of Sacred Falls, heavily backed from $3.50 into $2.70 late, carried the top weight of 70kg but was able to settle close to the speed with cover throughout. With the race run entirely on the course proper due to concerns with the steeplechase course ground across Alfred and Tozers Road,…
Hyperbolic delivers emphatically at Rosehill
The Brad Widdup-trained Hyperbolic (NZ) (Proisir) ran out a ready winner of the Captivant @ Kia Ora Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday as the daughter of Proisir recorded her first metropolitan success. Ridden by Tommy Berry, Hyperbolic jumped from barrier 2 and stalked the favourite Maid Of Moolah (Capitalist) and Bravissima (Deep field) and when presented mid-stretch pounced to score by a length and three-quarters. Sporting the colours of Mulberry, Hyperbolic has now won four of her 12 starts and placed on another four occasions for Widdup, who watched…
Major Beel back in ATC Cup
Gr.1 Australian Derby winner Major Beel (NZ) (Savabeel) was back winning at stakes level when landing the Listed ATC Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained son of Savabeel has been a winner at benchmark level since his Derby triumph but hadn’t troubled the scorer for the past 12 months. Sent out a firming $21 chance, Major Beel out-toughed well-fancied stablemate Shangri La Spring (Castelvecchio) to score by a length and a quarter in the hands of Rachel King. “He’s been quite consistent and needed…
Prolific winner Here To Shock snares another
An inch-perfect ride by Mark Zahra has aided warhorse Here To Shock (NZ) (Shocking) to add another stakes win to his belt as the Group One winner defeated the fast-closing Persian Spirit in the Listed Testa Rossa Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday. Prepared by the Lindsay Park team of Ben, Will and J D Hayes, the eight-year-old gelding lumped 60kgs as he notched career win number 14. Zahra went straight to the front on the son of Shocking and had most of his rivals gasping rounding the final bend…
Blacklist fires in Country Classic
Five-year-old gelding Blacklist (NZ) (Redwood) has provided connections with a quick return when winning the TAB Country Classic (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Identified by Queenslander Luke Berger, Blacklist has had four trainers throughout his career, starting as a Waipa trial winner for Cody Cole before joining Ciaron Maher, then Richard Laming before a private sale to Queensland Luke Berger and joining the stable of Mudgee trainer Mack Griffith. “When he walked in the door, we worked out a program, and this was his mission,” Griffith said. “A race…
Hustler too strong in Zipping Classic
Five-year-old mare She’s A Hustler (NZ) (Ace High) continues to meet every challenge, defeating more seasoned rivals at weight-for-age in the Gr.2 Zipping Classic (2400m) at Caulfield on Saturday. The Grahame Begg-trained mare dug deep under regular rider Jordan Childs to defeat this year’s Gr.1 Australian Cup (2000m) winner Light Infantry Man (Fast Company) as she emphatically ticked the mile and a half box. The New Zealand import has never finished out of the top two in 11 career starts, with seven victories to her name to go with four…