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Regally-bred colt to make debut at Rotorua

Regally-bred colt Magice has plenty of pressure to live up to his family name, but he will begin that challenge when he makes his debut in the Arawa Park Hotel 2YO 1150 at Rotorua on Wednesday.Bred by Waikato Stud, Magice is by the farm’s champion stallion Savabeel and out of Group Three winner Magic Dancer, making him a full-brother to Group One winner Noverre.Purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis out of Waikato Stud’s 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for $...

Lloyd Jackson - Kiwi Chronicles - 16th April 2024

Invoking memories of Phar Lap (Night Raid) for any comparison might be a sign of over-enthusiasm. The reverence surrounding Phar Lap places him in the untouchable category as he was in a world of his own in 1930 and has been ever since. Yet newspaper reports of his win in the Weight-for-Age King's Plate, staged at Flemington on March 8, 1930, are eerily similar to the performance from Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) which we all witnessed on Saturday at Randwick. A phenomenal powerhouse, Phar La...

Memorable week for Elsdon Park

Matamata thoroughbred nursery Elsdon Park have had a memorable week in Sydney with the progeny of young broodmare Daniela’s Magic, culminating in stakes success at Randwick on Saturday.While the eight-year-old daughter of Per Incanto never made it to the races, her progeny is more than making up for it, with her first foal, Panic, extending his record to four wins from six starts over the weekend when taking out the Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) for trainer Michael Freedman.Bred by Elsd...

Reserve met on blue-blood Stella Splendida

Bidding is now open for the 51 lots available on the latest gavelhouse.com fortnightly auction, which includes a former Te Akau Racing mare with outstanding pedigree credentials.Stella Splendida was bred by Sir Peter Vela’s internationally renowned Pencarrow Stud and has star power on both sides of her pedigree.Her sire Zoustar was himself a dual Group One winner from a nine-start career before embarking on a top-class stallion career at Widden Stud. He was Australia’s champion first-season ...

Nucleozor delivers ninth Welcome Stakes for Te Akau

The Listed Riccarton Park Function Centre Welcome Stakes (1000m) has been moved to a new position on the South Island’s racing calendar, but its first autumn running at Riccarton on Saturday brought no change to Te Akau Racing’s dominance of the two-year-old feature.The Welcome Stakes was previously run during the New Zealand Cup carnival in November, when Te Akau won it with Maroofity (2002), Xbert (2005), Encosta Diablo (2009), Bespoke (2010), Sassy ‘N’ Smart (2015), Al Hasa (2017), Av...

Matscot puts small stable in the spotlight in Southern Alps Challenge

The brand-new $350,000 TAB Southern Alps Challenge (1600m) was created with the goal of giving lower-profile southern stables their moment in the sun, and the inaugural running at Riccarton on Saturday could hardly have done that better.The race was won by the underrated local Matscot, whose trainer Sharon Robertson co-bred and part-owns the six-year-old with her partner Alan Reeves and fellow owner Ross Falloon.There are currently just six horses registered to Robertson’s Riccarton stable, wh...

Millar savours special win in Hawke’s Bay Cup

New Plymouth trainer Janelle Millar secured the seventh black-type win of her career in Saturday’s Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) at Otaki, and this one meant more than most.Millar also co-bred and part-owns the emerging stayer Testify Me, who added Saturday’s $120,000 feature to his last-start success in the New Zealand St Leger (2600m) at Trentham last month. In an even more special twist, Testify Me races in the colours of her late grandfather, the highly successful Stratford trainer Ja...

Pride Of Jenni steals Queen Elizabeth show

On a day of great racing at Randwick, bonny Trelawney Stud-bred mare Pride Of Jenni was the undoubted star with her dashing display to win the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) under another daring Declan Bates ride.The duo are an inseparable combination as Bates allowed the Ciaron Maher-trained Pride Of Jenni to do as she pleased. Upping the tempo substantially after the first furlong to run her rivals ragged, Pride Of Jenni had a remarkable margin of 91m on her rivals with 700m to run, ...

War Machine provides tonic for Moroney stable

A tough week for Ballymore Stables ended on a positive note after New Zealand-bred three-year-old War Machine ran away with the Listed Bendigo Guineas (1400m) on Saturday under the guidance of Jordan Childs.It had been a week since his trainer Mike Moroney was admitted to hospital and his long-serving right-hand man Anthony Feroce said the Guineas success will provide the trainer with a great boost.“It’s been a tough few days for everyone at the stable and so this is a great tonic,” Feroce...

Panic continues Freedman’s winning roll

The in-form stable of Michael Freedman notched another stakes success during the Championships when Panic scored a narrow victory in the Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.Freedman sent out Manaal to win the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Ducasse to win the Gr.3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on Day One of the Championships and was quick to claim further stakes glory on Day Two.A three-year-old son of Time Test, Panic was always prominent throughout under jockey ...

Alice Wilkinson - Irish National Stud Blog 3

The first week of spring has finally arrived here in Ireland! However the temperatures stayed at an all time low when we all woke up to snow. It was a truly beautiful yet freezing day. This day was my final day in Sun Chariot (the foaling unit).Turning out the mares into the snow was so beautiful and a memory that will be treasured. The week following I was in Kildare and Strawhall yards. Kildare is the home for vaccinated mares and foals and Strawhall is where resident mares stay until they are...

Derby path continues for Antrim Coast

Antrim Coast continued his upward Derby trajectory on Saturday, despite having to settle for second in the Listed Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Caulfield.The Stephen Marsh-trained three-year-old finished second behind Orchestral in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) in March and franked that form with a tough victory in the Gr.3 Alistair Clark Stakes (2040m) over Kiwi filly Quintessa at The Valley.Antrim Coast lined-up on Saturday at much shorter odds, but came off second-best to fellow Kiwi-b...

Stellar month for Temperton

Manawatu horsewoman Gail Temperton has experienced a stellar month, which got even better on Saturday when her homebred mare Royal Flower attained black-type when placing in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m) at Trentham.While the outsider in the field for Saturday’s contest, Royal Flower’s result didn’t come as a surprise to Temperton, who was delighted to earn some black-type with her mare.“It is always good for a mare, especially as I am a breeder ...

Blandford family full of stakes success stories

An investment in an English mare more than 30 years ago is continuing to reward Blandford Lodge, with a homebred descendant successful on the opening day of The Championships at Randwick.The John O’Shea-trained Good Banter appreciated the step up in distance to claim the Gr.3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) and double her winning tally from a handful of appearances.“It was fantastic to get a win on that day, it was really good and being by Tavistock out of that family she was always going to be a...

Flying Handicap caps huge day for Pinn

Jockey Wiremu Pinn put the icing on the cake of his most successful day in the saddle when he guided Bradman to an upset victory in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) at Trentham on Saturday.The win came 35 minutes after Pinn won the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) aboard Move To Strike. That was Pinn’s second Group One win and came more than two years after his Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) win with Mascarpone.Pinn is forming a special...

Ormsby strikes again with Classic upset

Waikato horseman Chad Ormsby is making a habit of landing major prizes at Trentham with three-year-olds that he was unable to sell at the Ready to Run Sale.Ormsby scored an $18 upset victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic (2100m) with Outovstock, who he bought for $50,000 as a yearling at Karaka before passing him in with a $150,000 reserve at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale.A similar script produced Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) glory on March 16 with Pulchritudinous, who was...

Favourite prevails in Breeders’ Stakes

Fresh from an incredible interstate double in Australia last weekend with Orchestral and Mark Twain, the Roger James and Robert Wellwood stable picked up another black-type feature in New Zealand this time when race favourite Apostrophe ($3.50) claimed victory in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m) at Trentham.The lightly raced six-year-old mare enjoys the spacious surroundings at the venue having won and been placed twice in three starts there with those two ...

Nereus rises to Awapuni Gold Cup challenge

Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray continued an outstanding season with their stayers when up-and-coming star Nereus powered home to win the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) at Trentham on Saturday.The Cambridge-based training partnership completed a rare double in March with two-mile specialist Mahrajaan victorious in the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) and Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m), and look to have another staying star on their hands with four-year-old Nereus.The son of Savab...

Captain adds to envious record in Easter Cup

A ground saving ride by Thomas Stockdale paved the way for the Paul Preusker-trained Captain Envious to upset the applecart when he prevailed in a thrilling finish top the Gr.3 Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield.The son of Savabeel went into the race after two less than impressive efforts to open his autumn campaign with punters sending last year’s Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) winner out at odds of better than $32 on the tote.He looked to be travelling easily in midfield against the fence for Stoc...

Here To Shock adds a new string to his bow

Racing on or near the pace has been a hallmark through most of Here To Shock’s career, but the talented New Zealand-bred changed things up at Caulfield on Saturday and powered home from off the pace to win the Gr.3 Victoria Handicap (1400m).The accomplished six-year-old drew the outside gate in a field of 11 for Saturday’s A$200,000 feature, and rider Daniel Stackhouse elected to ease back and settle in the back half of the field as Edison set a solid pace in front.Here To Shock had only fou...

Gold Wolf heads Kiwi-bred quinella at Caulfield

Promising three-year-old staying prospect Gold Wolf showed he could be a contender for the Gr.1 South Australian Derby (2500m) next month when he produced a strong finish to tip out fellow kiwi-bred galloper Antrim Coast in a thrilling conclusion to the Listed Elvis Thurgood Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Caulfield.The David and Coral Feek-prepared son of Tivaci has come along in leaps and bounds of late after breaking his maiden status over 1600m at Moe in December. His continued development w...

Good Banter too tough in Adrian Knox

With a hard-fought victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 TAB Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) at Randwick, Good Banter completed a trans-Tasman feature double for three-year-old progeny of former Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock.Good Banter became Tavistock’s 50th individual stakes winner – a tally that had reached 48 less than two hours earlier when Outovstock won the Gr.3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic (2100m) at Trentham. In between times, six-year-old mare Apostrophe became the 49th black-type winn...

Desperado gets Caulfield victory in driving finish

Former Kiwi galloper Desperado lived up to his name when he produced a desperate finish to take out the Robert Taranto Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.Initially prepared in New Zealand by Brian and Shane Anderton where he was successful in his fourth of five starts, the now six-year-old son of Ghibellines was purchased by a group of Australian and Kiwi owners that includes many of the same names who were involved in another former Anderton runner in Ablaze who numbered the 2019 Jericho...

Super Seth two-year-old maintains perfect record

An outstanding few weeks for Waikato Stud’s freshman sire Super Seth continued at Caulfield on Saturday with the unbeaten Feroce winning the A$150,000 Vale John Russell (1200m).Feroce now boasts a two-from-two record and is one of two first-crop winners in Australia so far this season for Super Seth. His other Australian winner is the exciting Linebacker, who has also been successful in both of his starts including last Saturday’s Gr.3 Baillieu Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill. Linebacker is being...

2024 Online Yearling Sale Live on Gavelhouse Plus

NZB's 2024 National Online Yearling Sale is now live, with the quality 100-lot catalogue available to view on Gavelhouse Plus.For the fourth year, the digital edition to NZB’s National Yearling Sales Series is set to be conducted on the premium online platform Gavelhouse Plus with bidding closing on Wednesday 17 April from 6pm (NZT).  All unbroken yearlings purchased from the National Online Yearling Sale are eligible to be nominated for NZB’s lucrative Karaka Millions Se...