A bold move before the home turn carried Kiwi-bred gelding Regal Lion to victory in Saturday’s A$130,000 John Duff & Co The Lester (2025m) at Cranbourne. Previously a Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) winner and Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) placegetter, Regal Lion headed into Saturday’s Benchmark 84 handicap after running sixth at Moonee Valley on October 3 and at Caulfield on October 15, winning the Mortlake Cup (2000m) on November 1 and finishing fourth in last Sunday’s Moe Cup (2050m). The seven-year-old was a $17 longshot for Saturday’s race, but…
Category: Gallops
Nicholas captures Counties Cup with mid-race masterstoke
Comeback jockey Elen Nicholas took her career to its greatest heights yet with a masterful ride aboard Final Return (NZ) (Reliable Man) to take out the Gr.3 MyRacehorse Counties Cup (2100m) at Pukekohe on Saturday. A horror run of injuries has forced Nicholas to spend more time on the sidelines than in the saddle during her apprenticeship, but she has made a triumphant return this season to sit in eighth place on the national premiership with 21 wins. She ranks second among apprentices behind only Amber Riddell with 25. The last seven…
Qali Al Farrasha on top in Breeders’ Stakes
Perennial black-type bridesmaid Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor) shed that unwanted tag in outstanding fashion when she downed a quality line-up of mares in Saturday’s Gr.2 Dunstan Horsefeeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe. The five-year-old daughter of Almanzor has been desperately unlucky on several occasions at the highest level, having been stakes-placed six times in her 16-start career, with four of those coming in Group One features. The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared galloper has always looked to be a stayer of real promise and just 12 months earlier had…
Ardalio sets up stakes-winning farewell for Asano
Kozzi Asano signed off his brief New Zealand homecoming with a winning treble at Pukekohe on Saturday, headed by black-type success aboard Ardalio (NZ) (Ardrossan) in the Gr.3 Haunui Farm Counties Bowl (1100m). Originally from Japan, Asano arrived in New Zealand in 2017 and became champion apprentice two years later. He racked up a total of 336 wins, 20 of them at stakes level, before departing during the 2023-24 season for a successful stint in South Korea. The 30-year-old returned to his Cambridge home earlier this season and rejoined Kiwi raceday riding…
Grid Girl goes back-to-back with Cranbourne success
New Zealand-bred mare Grid Girl boasts a perfect two-from-two record so far as a five-year-old, having added Saturday’s A$150,000 Rosemont Stud Fillies & Mares Pendant (1400m) at Cranbourne to her first-up victory at Kyneton on November 5. Previously the winner of four of her 16 starts, the daughter of Time Test resumed as a $1.90 favourite at Kyneton and produced a performance worthy of those short odds as she romped to victory by eight lengths. Saturday’s second-up assignment was significantly tougher, facing a talented field of mares under set weights…
Spencer salutes first-up for new stable
Quality sprinter Spencer (NZ) (Derryn) showed all his fighting qualities when he dug deep to earn his ninth career win in one of the feature events at Wanganui on Saturday, the Manawatu ITM 1340. The six-year-old son of Derryn was having his first run from the Matamata stable of Peter and Shaun McKay after doing his previous racing in the care of Erin Hocquard at Waverley. Unsighted since finishing midfield at Trentham last month, last season’s Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m) winner paraded in fine order before Saturday’s contest, with plenty of attitude…
De Armas seals Karaka Millions berth with stylish stakes victory
A professional display from speedy Otaki visitor De Armas (NZ) (Ardrossan) paved the way for a decisive victory in the first stakes race on Saturday’s Pukekohe programme, the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m). Trainer Johno Benner trekked north with the daughter of Ardrossan, who went into the race off the back of an 850m trial victory at Foxton earlier in the month, following a winning debut on her home track in September. Benner had been content to give his charge plenty of time to get over that win on a testing Heavy10…
Wallbank keen on Midnight Edition’s home track prospects
Not even a wide draw can dent Bruce Wallbank’s enthusiasm at the prospects of his talented sprinter Midnight Edition (NZ) (Wrote) in the Gr. 3 Haunui Farm Counties Bowl (1100m) at Pukekohe on Saturday. Midnight Edition came up with barrier 11 in the 16-horse field for his home-track feature, but that includes two balloted runners drawn inside him. “He’ll end up jumping from eight or nine with scratchings and if anything, the way he races the draw might benefit him,” Wallbank said. TAB odds-setters adopted the same philosophy when they…
Sunrise heralds new dawn for fledgling partnership
Training partners Mitchell Beer and George Carpenter are hoping to deliver the Kembla Grange locals a feature race win when they saddle up speedy mare Sunrise (NZ) (Charm Spirit) in the Gr.3 The Warra (1000m). With no Kembla-trained horse contesting the A$1 million Gr.3 Gong (1600m) this year and fellow local Cani Cancan (Russian Revolution) a $151 outsider for The Warra, $5 second favourite Sunrise appears the best chance for the Illawarra community to land one of the main races. Formerly based at Albury, Beer relocated to the provincial track two years ago and in September this year, Carpenter became…
Dates Confirmed for 2026 National Online Yearling Sale
The dates for NZB’s National Online Yearling Sale have been confirmed for 2026, with the Sale set to be held on leading online auction platform Gavelhouse Plus. The catalogue will be available to view online from Tuesday 31 March, with bidding set to open on Friday 10 April and closing from 6pm (NZT) on Tuesday 14 April. A significant benefit of the digital catalogue is that all lots offered in the National Online Yearling Sale are eligible to be nominated for the lucrative Karaka Millions Series. Just nine short months after they make…