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Kiwi Chronicles - Blanket Finish

At the 200–metre mark of Saturday’s Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m), a blanket covered the first five runners. The winner, Provence (Savabeel), was fifth but had not made her final move, a sprint that saw her level up to Qali Al Farrashah (Almanzor) at the 100 metres. These two fought out the finish, the lead see-sawing during the final strides which favoured Provence in the last stride by a half-head. Most judges viewed the race as an even affair and were proved correct. At the post a leng...

Westbury a major Karaka player again

Westbury Stud will offer sizeable Book 1 and 2 drafts at Karaka later this month, showcasing their own stallion roster and with variety added by choice offerings of leading Australian-based sires.The Gerry Harvey-owned operation is always strongly represented at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and the 2025 consignment will continue that trend with quality and quantity.“There’ll be a few withdrawals, as there always are, but we’ll end up with 70-odd or more so it’s a big...

Blueblood fillies lead Haunui’s Karaka offering

Haunui Farm will head to Karaka next week with a 51-strong draft for New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales, led by a number of blueblood fillies in Book 1.“We have got a very nice draft of Book 1 yearlings and we have got some pretty special fillies in that draft,” Haunui Farm managing director Mark Chitty said.Lot 345, the Savabeel filly out of Group Three performer Symphonic is set to garner plenty of interest, being a full-sister to multiple Group One winner and last season�...

Bonningtons excited about Champions Day prospects

Plenty of people in the New Zealand racing fraternity are looking forward to the inaugural Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8, but none more so than Rayner and Lynn Bonnington.The $1.25 million Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) will be one of eight stakes races on the action-packed card, and the West Auckland couple, who breed and race under their Little River Thoroughbreds Partnership banner, look to have a strong contender for the classic.Farm graduate Mustang Morgan (Preferment...

Mustang Morgan a popular winner in Gingernuts Salver

In a nail-biting finish to Sunday’s Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m), the roar of adoring connections was heard in the Ellerslie grandstand when maiden galloper Mustang Morgan (Preferment) was found victorious.Coming into Sunday’s feature, Mustang Morgan had been improving through the distances and finished third behind Bourbon Proof over a mile at Matamata last month, setting him up for the three-year-old staying contest.The Andrew Forsman-trained galloper started among the middle mark...

Provence caps huge day for Spratt

A coming-of-age performance by Provence (Savabeel) in the Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) capped a feature treble at Trentham on Saturday for leading jockey Sam Spratt.The 40-year-old had previously won the Listed Star Group Wellesley Stakes (1100m) on To Cap It All and the Gr.2 Top Kat Roofing Levin Classic (1400m) with standout three-year-old Savaglee.Spratt, who also recorded another black-type treble on the first day of the New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton in November, has now...

Savaglee brilliant in Levin Classic

Class three-year-old Savaglee (Savabeel) stepped out for the first time since his devastating victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) in November and absolutely destroyed a small but handy field in Saturday’s Gr.2 Top Kat Roofing Levin Classic (1400m) at Trentham.Confidently expected to win despite the eight week absence from race day action, the punters elect at $1.60 never looked in danger of defeat once regular pilot Sam Spratt had him away nicely from a wide barrier and t...

O’Leary colours strike again in Trentham Stakes

A remarkable run for owner-breeders Humphrey and Fiona O’Leary kept on rolling at Trentham on Saturday with a last-to-first performance by Whangaehu (Proisir) in the Gr.3 Life Direct Trentham Stakes (2100m).It was the second black-type success in the last three starts for Whangaehu, who won the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) on November 30 and then finished third in the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup (2300m) on December 21.The red and white colours of the O’Learys have also been carried to victory in l...

Winning breeding confidence at Jamieson

Further top-flight success on the home front and an overseas double has boosted spirits at Jamieson Park ahead of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.Farm graduate Grail Seeker (Iffraaj) doubled her tally at elite level with her dazzling victory in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham last Saturday, her first appearance since she won the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m).The Jamieson Park-bred and sold Holymanz then starred in Australia with his successful defence of his Coastal C...

Further stakes success for long-time associates

A long-standing breeding partnership has come up trumps again with a daughter of Ace High their latest success story.Rich Hill Stud and Scott Williams’ Bloodstock Resources bred My Lips Are Sealed, who triumphed in Saturday’s Gr.3 Phar Lap Trophy (1600m) at Trentham, where the four-time winner finished a close second in last season’s Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m).Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, My Lips Are Sealed was sold through Rich Hill’s 2022 draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’...

Grail Seeker soars to Telegraph triumph

Within the space of just two starts as a four-year-old, Grail Seeker (Iffraaj) has announced her arrival as one of the brightest stars in New Zealand racing.A first-up winner of the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings back at the beginning of September, the Iffraaj mare lined up for her first race in 119 days at Trentham on Saturday and blew her rivals away again in the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m).It was the 40th win of a standout season for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, ...

Ruby Rocks upsets in Marton Cup

Outsider Ruby Rocks (Burgundy) overcame plenty of pre-race drama to register her biggest career victory when she led all the way to upset at odds of $61 in Saturday’s Listed Lincoln Farms Marton Cup (2200m).Trainer Roger Allen and the eight-year-old mare had to endure a horror journey to the Trentham track from their Opaki base after a serious motor vehicle accident left them sitting in traffic as the Remutaka Hill section of State Highway Two was closed for several hours.Allen only arriv...

My Lips Are Sealed secures valuable stakes win

A black-type victory eluded My Lips Are Sealed (Ace High) by the barest of margins in the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Trentham last season, but the talented mare returned to Wellington on Saturday and went one better in the Gr.3 Rydges Wellington Airport Phar Lap Trophy (1600m).The daughter of Ace High showed plenty of early promise as a three-year-old, scoring a first-up victory by two and a half lengths at Avondale in September of 2023. She was unsuited to the Good4 track conditions whe...

Rich plan for Group winner’s dam

The emergence of Bourbon Empress (Proisir) has gone a long way toward confirming a future plan for Highline Thoroughbreds.The Stephen Marsh-trained daughter of Proisir was bred by Cam and Eva Heron’s Cambridge operation and her victory in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mie (1600m) has all but decided the way forward for the mare’s dam Amiga Mia.“She’s got an Ardrossan colt at foot and we’ve left her empty this year and thought we’d wait and see what happens with Sulabella, who has won five,...

Hemlock Stone delivers Perth Cup boilover

New Zealand-bred gelding Hemlock Stone (Dalghar) defied $81 odds to score a stunning come-from-behind victory in the A$1 million Gr.2 Perth Cup (2400m) at Ascot on New Year’s Day.The Dalghar gelding is trained by Grant and Alana Williams for syndicator Belhus Racing, and he was bought for just A$11,000 from Book 2 of the 2021 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. His 21-race career has now produced seven wins, four placings and A$765,990 in stakes.Hemlock Stone was a late starter, beginning...

Son of Sun shines in Queen Elizabeth

Progressive stayer Son of Sun (Tavistock) continued his golden run at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day when taking out the Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) in the hands of in-form hoop Matt Cartwright.The five-year-old son of Tavistock had won four of his six prior starts at the Auckland venue, including the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers Championship Qualifier (2100m) last month.His record on the track didn’t evade punters attention, who backed him into $5.50 favouritism for Wednesday’s st...

Bourbon Empress all class in Rich Hill Mile

Trainer Stephen Marsh believed he had two live chances going into the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) at Ellerslie on New Years Day, and that judgement proved spot on as his lightweight runner Bourbon Empress (Proisir) downed a talented line-up of milers to claim victory.The four-year-old daughter of Proisir had caught the eye when finishing a hard charging second in the Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final (1500m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, notably a race that stablemate and race rival Prove...

Classy win by promising filly in Ellerslie feature

Promising filly Real Class (Vadamos) has put herself firmly into $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) calculations following her victory in the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.The daughter of Vadamos settled midfield for jockey Rory Hutchings, who elected to improve his filly three-wide from the 800m mark and hit the lead within 200m. Her rivals were looming on the turn, but Real Class was able to show her tenacity and repe...

Sweet start to New Year for Bergerson

Central Districts filly Too Sweet (Satono Aladdin) lived up to punters expectations when she downed a handy field in the Gr.2 SKYCITY Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.Brought north by trainer Roydon Bergerson after winning on debut at Trentham back in October and then finishing second at that venue in early December, the daughter of Rich Hill Stud stallion Satono Aladdin closed as the $3 Fixed Odds favourite for the first stakes race of the New Year after some inspired late ...

Tavi Time snares Summer Cup

Talented five-year-old Tavi Time (Tavistock) edged out Osipenko in a thrilling finish to the Gr.3 Summer Cup (2000m) at Randwick on Boxing Day.The Kris Lees-trained son of Tavistock was ridden by Jay Ford and carried a somewhat luxury weight of 53kgs after lumping big weights in handicaps at his past two outings, having previously run well when fourth in the A$3 million Big Dance (1600m).Coming from midfield, Tavi Time had to wait to clear rivals heels and wore down fellow Kiwi bred Osipenk...

Hitabell provides Marsh with Boxing Day double

A brilliant front running ride by Courtney Barnes and a never say die attitude from her mount Hitabell (Embellish) provided trainer Stephen Marsh with a Boxing Day double as the trio combined to claim the Gr.2 Hallmark Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie.Marsh, who had produced Provence to win the Westbury Stud Royal Descent Stakes (1400m), had given Hitabell a short freshen up after the filly produced a similar winning performance in the Listed O’Learys Fillies Stakes (1340m) at Wan...

Snazzytavi reigns in Zabeel Classic for Cambridge Stud

This year’s phenomenal rise of Snazzytavi (Tavistock) was fittingly capped off in the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day, but another star mare didn’t let her away with an easy victory in the Ellerslie feature.Snazzytavi, owned by race sponsors Brendan and Jo Lindsay, has been carefully handled by trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall, having just her 15th start on Thursday. The mare’s eight victories to date included the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m), Gr.1...

Yaldi comes out on top in blockbuster Auckland Guineas

In a blockbuster edition of the Gr.2 Shaw’s Wire Ropes Auckland Guineas (1400m), outsider Midnight Edition (Wrote) and favoured runner Yaldi (Ardrossan) went to the line as one, with the latter securing the Boxing Day feature in a protest.Yaldi had been an impressive juvenile, winning on debut before placing at stakes level in Australia. The imposing galloper had done little racing in his three-year-old season, making his first appearance since August when finishing a narrow second t...

About Time gets moment to shine in Dunstan Final

About Time (American Pharoah) was a rising star in the staying ranks as a three-year-old, and 12 months later, the Cambridge Stud mare collected another holiday feature with a powerful display in Dunstan Stayers Championship Final (2400m) on Boxing Day.The daughter of American Pharoah had burst on to the scene in December last year, placing in the Listed Trevor and Corallie Eagle Memorial (1500m) and winning the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) on New Year’s Day.She was spelled after...

Pivotal Ten takes Wingatui feature

Progressive filly Pivotal Ten (Ten Sovereigns) completed an impressive hattrick of victories when she proved too tough on a testing Heavy 10 Wingatui surface to capture the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m).Ridden by her trainer Samantha Wynne, the daughter of Ten Sovereigns had broken her maiden status on a Slow 7 surface at the venue back in October over 1200m before repeating the dose at Timaru a month later.Given time to get over that run. Wynne presented the filly in superb condition...