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Lovely Rita on song at Waverley

There was plenty of emotion on display at Waverley on Wednesday when Lovely Rita (Keano) broke a two-decade winning drought for owner-breeder-trainer Alison Ross.The eight-year-old daughter of Keano was fair away from her wide gate, but jockey Madan Singh elected to press forward with his charge and captured the lead heading into the back straight. Lovely Rita set a strong tempo up front, opening up several lengths on the rest of the field and was able to maintain that advantage to the line...

New Zealand the Place for Success

A move to New Zealand and rekindling an old friendship may have led Robert and Kim de Courcy towards breeding the next Gr.1 VRC Derby winner.The couple under their Kinsale Bloodstock banner, bred Keeneland (Almanzor- Savabeel Star), the impressive winner of the Listed VRC Super Impose Stakes over 1800metres. A win that has propelled the gelding into second favouritism.Raced by Tommy Hepinstall and partners, Keeneland races in the distinctive lime green and blue colours carried by Tavistock and n...

Kiwi Chronicles - The Connection

The ownership trio of Bourke, Bourke and Piercy may race their charges in yellow and black but the colour purple might be more appropriate after a memorable week.One Bold Cat (The Bold One) saluted in the postponed and transferred Arrowfield Stud Plate (Gr 1, 1600m) last Wednesday, providing more than enough for the ownership to celebrate. Then four days on at Hawera the team’s celebrations were set to continue after The Hottie (Swiss Ace) prevailed in the Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 14...

Family double act booked for Windsor Park newcomer

Multiple Group One winner Mustang Valley (Vanbrugh) has joined her mother in the Windsor Park Stud broodmare band with both set to visit the Cambridge farm’s new stallion Paddington.The top-quality mare carried 60kg to victory in the open mile at Tauranga on Saturday in what was to have been her lead-up to another crack at the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m), but was found to have bled and has been retired.Bred by Windsor Park, who remained in the ownership group, Mustang Valley was trained ...

Under the Radar - Ellie Aykroyd

This month in BetaVet Under The Radar, we catch up with NZTR's Breeding Course Coordinator, Ellie Aykroyd and learn more about her role and background in the industry!Hi all NZTBA readers. I’m Ellie Aykroyd and I look after the Level 3 and Level 4 Equine Breeding certificates for NZTR and NZTBA. You may have seen my write ups on the block courses we do and those who have completed the course in the education section of this newsletter.Explain your role.My role being the breeding course coordin...

Stunning Epsom triumph for Ceolwulf

A two-time second placegetter at the elite level last autumn, Ceolwulf (Tavistock) put the spotlight firmly on himself with a stunning coming-of-age performance in Saturday’s Gr.1 TAB Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.The Tavistock gelding was bridesmaid behind Australia’s standout three-year-old of last season, Riff Rocket, in the Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Australian Derby (2400m). The stamina he showed in those two races may have made Saturday’s Gr.1 Metropolitan Handicap (2400m...

Hawera double caps dream week for connections

A special week got even better on Saturday for trainer Robbie Patterson and owner-breeders Eddie and Nicola Bourke and Allan Piercy.They teamed up for back-to-back victories at Hawera with The Hottie (Swiss Ace) in the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Belles Beau (Iffraaj) in the Energy Ford Hawera (1400m). That winning double came only four days after the rescheduled Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata on Wednesday, which Patterson, the Bourke...

Keeneland puts Busuttin and Young on Derby path again

New Zealand-breds have been a rich source of success for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young in Australian three-year-old staying features, and that trend continued in Saturday’s Listed ABC Bullion Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at Flemington.The expat Kiwi couple collected their third win in the A$175,000 Super Impose with the up-and-comer Keeneland (Almanzor), who followed in the footsteps of fellow Kiwi-breds Main Stage (2017) and Atmosphere (2014).Saturday’s success has Busuttin and Young work...

Cat’s bold run timely boost for Grangewilliam

How quickly fortunes can change in the bloodstock world have again been emphasised by the success of One Bold Cat (The Bold One) in the relocated Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata on Wednesday.The Robbie Patterson-trained six-year-old is a son of The Bold One, who until recently stood alongside the late Zed at Mark and Jane Corcoran’s Grangewilliam Stud.Understandably, spirits were low at the Waitotara farm following the passing of the Zabeel stallion, most notably the sire of the...

One Bold Cat pounces on Group One

Robbie Patterson had his sights set on the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) for One Bold Cat (The Bold One), but the gelding showed he can be just as impressive at a mile with a powerful victory in Wednesday’s Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata.One Bold Cat burst onto the scene with a decisive win in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m) last November, and he continued to feature prominently in the top-flight staying contests, placing behind Legarto and Campionessa in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stak...

Savaglee takes out drama-filled Hawke’s Bay Guineas

There was plenty of drama with the abandonment of last Saturday’s feature meeting at Hawke’s Bay, and that drama continued at the transferred meeting at Matamata on Wednesday in the running of the Gr.2 AHD Animal Health Direct – Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).Short-priced favourite Captured By Love reared up as the gates were released, losing six lengths at the start, and what looked to be all chance in the three-year-old feature.So Naïve took up the pace making role up front, while second...

Casino Princess returns to gavelhouse.com

Five years after being bought on gavelhouse.com for just $5,000, stakes-winning mare Casino Princess (NZ) (Casino Princess) is being re-offered as a valuable broodmare prospect on Gavelhouse Plus.Trained by the remarkable 93-year-old Cliff Goss, who shared ownership with his friend Darryl Heaphy, Casino Princess had only 13 starts for six wins, four placings and $141,360 in stakes.“She did an amazing job for Dad in just a short career, winning six races up to Listed level,” Goss’s daughter...

Anderton recognised for lifelong commitment to thoroughbred industry

Brian Anderton, a doyen of South Island racing and breeding, has been recognised for his service to the thoroughbred industry when bestowed life membership to the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association at their AGM on Monday.Arguably no person has made a greater impact on the southern breeding and racing community than the White Robe Lodge founder and principal, who has left a lasting legacy on the region’s thoroughbred industry.Horses have always played a pivotal role in Anderton’...

Kiwi Chronicles - Lost and Found

Stud book produce records can unlock interesting stories. Some need detective work and one came into play after Evaporate (Per Incanto) strode to a convincing win in the Bill Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at The Valley last Friday night. The race was notable for Per Incanto (Street Cry) as the third horse, Rue de Royal, is also by the Little Avondale Stud stallion. Both were bred by Little Avondale Stud with the latter bred in conjunction with Buzz Williams.The Stutt Stakes was Evaporate�...

Schick’s thoroughbred achievements honoured

Nelson Schick’s decades of contributions to the breeding and racing industries have been acknowledged with Life Membership of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.A driving force behind the rise of Windsor Park Stud as a domestic and international brand, he was honoured at Tuesday’s annual meeting in Cambridge.“The industry has been very good to us and I’m very proud to have been made a Life Member, it’s a huge privilege,” Schick said.“I’ve been around for a while...

Desert Lightning strikes at Sandown

Elite New Zealand racehorse Desert Lightning (Pride Of Dubai) has made a perfect start to the next chapter of his career, capturing Saturday’s Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m) in his second start for new trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman.Desert Lightning was a five-race winner and million-dollar earner in New Zealand for the now-retired training team of Peter and Dawn Williams. He finished fourth in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old and second in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2...

Stutt Stakes success for Evaporate

Smart three-year-old Evaporate (Per Incanto) has maintained his rich-vein of form with a comfortable victory in the Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on Friday night.Trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes continue to build the confidence of the good looking son of Per Incanto, who has now won four races in succession.After a winless two-year-old season, Evaporate bounced off a maiden victory at Cranbourne at the beginning of the season to win a pair of Saturday races at The Valley before tak...

Casino Princess retired

Talented mare Casino Princess (Casino Prince) has been retired from racing.The six-year-old daughter of Casino Prince has been a model of consistency for her trainer Cliff Goss, winning six of her 13 starts, highlighted by an impressive victory in the Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m) in June.Earlier this month, the mare demonstrated all of her class to win an open mile at Matamata, but the race ended up being her swansong after bleeding for the second time in a limited racing career.“She b...

Hello Youmzain doubles European Group tally

The good times continue to roll for Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain, with his first crop Northern Hemisphere representatives breaking new ground.The multiple Group One-winning son of Kodiac is the only freshman sire in Europe to have produced a brace of Group winners following the latest success of Electrolyte.It was a richly deserved victory for the Irish-bred colt in the Gr.3 Prix Eclipse (1200m) at Chantilly at the weekend after his narrow defeat in the Gr.2 Royal Ascot Coventr...

Jay Bee Gee dominant in Metric Mile

Hunterville gelding Jay Bee Gee (Complacent) is going from strength to strength as a spring seven-year-old, collecting the first two black-type wins of his career within the first two months of the 2024-25 season.The son of Complacent had showed promising signs with five wins from 17 starts as a five and six-year-old, but he hit new heights when he edged out Freeze Frame and Bradman in a thrilling three-way photo finish to the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on August 3.Saturday’s Gr...

Positivity earns Caulfield Cup spot

A tenacious victory in Saturday’s A$200,000 Gr.3 Catanach’s Jewellers MRC Foundation Cup (2000m) at Caulfield has earned Kiwi mare Positivity (Almanzor) a golden ticket into next month’s Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).The MRC Foundation Cup offers a ballot-free Caulfield Cup entry for its winner every year, and the top-quality mare Jameka scored memorable wins in both races as a spring four-year-old in 2016.Positivity is also a four-year-old on an upward trajectory. The daughter of Cambri...

Here To Shock books Big Dance ticket

A career-best year for Here To Shock (Shocking) continued with a third Group victory in Friday’s A$250,000 Gr.3 Australian Bloodstock Cameron Handicap (1600m) at Newcastle, and in the process the New Zealand-bred gelding booked himself a ticket into a A$3 million feature in November.The son of Shocking came into 2024 with seven wins to his name from a 25-start career, with his solitary black-type success coming in last year’s Listed Golden Mile (1600m) at Bendigo. He has taken that reco...

Vale Zed

Grangewilliam Stud stallion Zed, the sire of 11-time Group One winner and Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) heroine Verry Elleegant, has passed away, aged 22.“He suffered a bout of colic and the only option was surgery,” Grangewilliam Stud principal Mark Corcoran said.“At his age, we just didn’t want to do that to him and unfortunately, we made the decision to euthanise him.”The well-bred son of Zabeel had just four starts on the track before initially joining the stallion roster at Little Av...

Exciting spring instore for The Oaks Stud

New Zealand Cup week at Riccarton Park in November could prove to be an exciting one for The Oaks Stud.Farm principal Dick Karreman’s blue and white silks were already favoured to feature prominently in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), but now they may also be a major contender in the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) seven days later.Homebred filly Raziah has put her hand up for the three-year-old feature following her win in Saturday’s...

Belle strikes second stakes winning blow

Windsor Park Stud graduate Grinzinger Belle (Shamexpress) produced another quality first-up performance at Flemington to add to her stakes record.The Danny O’Brien-prepared representative was successful in last season’s Gr.3 Vanity Stakes (1400m) off a break and successfully resumed in the Gr.2 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.She is a mare close to the trainer’s heart as he guided her sire Shamexpress to victory in the Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) before he retired to Wind...