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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...

Pike and Cartwright combine for another three-year-old feature

A hard-fought victory by Raziah (Niagra) in Saturday’s Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton Park provided trainer Tony Pike and jockey Matt Cartwright with a second feature three-year-old success within the space of a week.Pike and Cartwright teamed up seven days earlier at Hastings to take out the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) with all-the-way winner Poetic Champion. Saturday’s Canterbury Belle brought a different style of win by Ra...

Grinzinger Belle runs rivals ragged in Let’s Elope

New Zealand-bred mare Grinzinger Belle (Shamexpress) made a bold start to her spring campaign with a commanding front-running performance in Saturday’s A$300,000 Gr.2 Furphy Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) at Flemington.The daughter of Shamexpress led all the way for a black-type win over the same course and distance in the Gr.3 Vanity Stakes (1400m) in her first-up run in the autumn, and trainer Danny O’Brien repeated the same formula fresh up in the fillies and mares’ feature on Saturd...

Mr Brightside defends Makybe Diva crown

The remarkable story of Kiwi-bred champion Mr Brightside (Bullbars) rolled into his seven-year-old season with a historic defence of his title in the A$750,000 Gr.1 Crown Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.The Bullbars gelding became the first back-to-back winner of the weight-for-age feature since it was renamed in honour of the great Makybe Diva in 2007. Under its previous name, the Craiglee Stakes, the repeat winners were Chicquita (1950-51) and Sailor’s Guide (1956-5...

Jamieson Park offers well-credentialled mares on gavelhouse.com

Fresh from celebrating Group One glory with Grail Seeker (NZ) (Iffraaj) in the Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings last weekend, emerging player Jamieson Park is set to have further industry impact with the sale of four well-credentialled mares in the latest fortnightly auction on gavelhouse.com.Jamieson Park bred Grail Seeker and sold her for $130,000 as a yearling at Karaka in 2022. Her victory in the first Group One race of the New Zealand season increased her earnings to $413,465 from a rapid...

Rebecca Donovan - Sunline Management Scholarship Blog - September

Rebecca Donovan updates us on her final travels throughout the UK before she embarks on her journey home, but not before gaining experience at both Jamie Richards Racing in Hong Kong and Kick Collective in Australia.It has officially been 6 months that I have been living in a dream in the UK and Ireland. Sometimes it’s still a bit hard to digest that I have been so lucky to receive this opportunity. Since I have last updated you all, I have completed my placement at Roger Varian’s Carlburg s...

2024 NZB Ready To Run Cataloge live!

The 2024 edition of the world’s best sale of two-year-olds is now only 71 days away, and NZB is excited to unveil another stellar catalogue for the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka.Showcasing both quality and quantity, an exceptional selection of 404 two-year-olds will go through the Karaka sale ring during the globally renowned two-day sale in November. Boasting the right pedigrees, physiques and sale preparations to follow in the footsteps of the incredible Ready to Run Sale roll of honour that h...

Another highlight for super sire Per Incanto

Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto has reached another memorable milestone in his decorated stallion career.The leading son of Street Cry sired his 400th individual winner on Sunday when the Masterton nursery’s homebred Rue de Royale was successful for trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy at Bendigo.While it was the three-year-old’s maiden victory, he showed his quality last season with runner-up finishes in the Gr.2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), the Inglis Millenium (1100m) and the A$1 ...

Vale Contributer

The Davison family and the team at Mapperley Stud are in mourning after the shock loss of their good friend and Group One-producing sire Contributer.The champion son of High Chaparral was starting his ninth season at the Matamata farm but sadly passed away on Sunday morning.A dual Group One winner on the racetrack, Contributer was crowned Champion Australian Middle-Distance Horse of the Year in 2015 following a brilliant autumn campaign where he won the Gr.2 Apollo Stakes (1400m), Gr.1 Chip...

Poetic Champion scintillating in three-year-old debut

A brilliant return to racing in Saturday’s Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) at Hastings sent a clear message that Poetic Champion (Super Seth) will be a force to be reckoned with in three-year-old ranks this season.The Super Seth gelding showed bright promise as a juvenile, winning by six lengths on debut last October before finishing third in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m), second in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), sixth in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200...

Cartwright strikes Group One gold in New Zealand

Matt Cartwright announced his arrival among the top echelon of New Zealand’s jockeys with a stunning treble on the opening day of the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival at Hastings on Saturday, culminating in a giant-killing Group One win with Grail Seeker (Iffraaj) in the Tarzino Trophy (1400m).Formerly a leading apprentice in Victoria, Cartwright decided at the beginning of the season to move across the Tasman in search of better opportunities as a senior rider. Barely a month later, the 22-...

Lion’s Roar wins Wyong Cup

Venerable galloper Lion’s Roar (NZ) (Contributer) has added the Listed Wyong Cup (2100m) to his trophy cabinet for trainers John O'Shea and Tom Charlton.Ridden by Jason Collett, the son of Contributer sat off the leader Camaguey throughout before getting the better of his rivals in the home straight despite lumping 59kg topweight.The seven-year-old gelding had just over half a length to spare over Luncies (Iffraaj), with the Gr.1 VRC Derby winner Manzoice (Almanzor) back in third.A Group One w...

Almanzor secures permanent residency at Cambridge Stud

Former shuttle stallion Almanzor’s flying days are now behind him, with Cambridge Stud announcing their Group One-producing sire will remain a permanent resident of New Zealand.A deal has been brokered with their northern hemisphere partners Haras d'Etreham to secure the full breeding rights of the son of Wootton Bassett, with the French stud farm agreeing his future best lay in the southern hemisphere."After six seasons of shuttling it is logical for us to accept the offer from Cambridge Stud...

Wentwood Grange graduate flying the Kiwi flag

Cambridge thoroughbred nursery Wentwood Grange were thrilled to watch farm graduate Quintessa add to her burgeoning record when victorious first-up in the Gr.3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday.Bred by Peachester Lodge principals Graham and Linda Huddy, Quintessa was born and raised at Wentwood Grange, who offered her through their 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft where she was purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $170,000.She won her sole start as a...

Wrote a firm favourite with breeders and buyers

Wrote continues to find favour with breeders and the tried horse market also remains strong for the progeny of High Chaparral’s Group One-winning son.The Highview resident’s flagbearer has been his daughter and Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner Pulchritudinous while his son Read About It gives every indication he will be a major player at the elite level this season.Trainer Robbie Patterson has his sights set on the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) with Read About It who claimed the Listed ...

Legacy to continue for Monovale mare

Monovale Farm have found plenty of excitement watching homebred gelding Rise At Dawn succeed across the Tasman, particularly with the next of his dam’s progeny about to hit the track in the farm’s colours.Bred by Monovale principals Joe and Max Smithies, Rise At Dawn was sold to Lindsay Park Bloodstock for $90,000 at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne, and has continued to flourish in the care of trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes.After winning on debut, Rise At Dawn has establi...