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Early signs encouraging for Little Avondale

A warm early welcome for Little Avondale Stud’s draft at Karaka has further fuelled its New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale expectations.The Masterton farm has the utmost faith in the quality of its Book 1 consignment and private opinions have been vindicated since the travelling team arrived on site.“The horses arrived late Sunday morning and they all settled in really well,” farm principal Sam Williams said.“We were parading on Monday and we had 16 in total, which for a Monda...

Unheralded

Proving the point that no one knows from where the next good horse will emerge, two unheralded sires, The Bold One (Fastnet Rock) and Vespa (Elusive Quality), took centre stage at Trentham on Saturday.One clue as to who might bag the Wellington Cup (Gr 3, 3200m) was available as the runners were loading. A long way away up the 1200–metre shute you would need a powerful pair of binoculars to notice the name ‘The Bold One’, sire of the eventual winner Mary Louise. His name is featured among ...

Timely win in Desert Gold Stakes for Sudbina

It was a timely win by Sudbina in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham last Saturday, with co-breeder and part-owner Haunui Farm gearing up for a busy week ahead of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales at Karaka, which kick-off on Sunday.The win also broke more than a half century drought in the race for the Chitty family, bringing even more satisfaction to Haunui Farm Managing Director Mark Chitty.“Winning a time-honoured race like the Desert Gold is fantastic. My gra...

Downey’s mare the gift that keeps on giving

An $8,000 purchase in 2003 has continued to pay dividends for Gareth Downey over two decades later, when the filly’s son won the inaugural $350,000 The Oaks Stud Remutaka Classic (2100m) at Trentham last Saturday.Downey, a former General Manager of Valachi Downs Stud, relocated to take up the same role at Lindsay Park Racing in 2022, and was near speechless after watching The Odyssey charge to the post from his Australian base.“The only trouble we’re having is coming back down to earth aft...

Lynskeys toasting Puntura’s Group One success

Taranaki couple Carole and John Lynskey are enjoying some time down in Queenstown this week toasting the success of their Group One winner Puntura following his victory in the Thorndon Mile at Trentham last Saturday.It was the 11th win of his career, and continued a purple patch of form this preparation, with his Group One triumph following successive wins in the Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) at Riccarton in November and Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Trentham last month.The...

Racetrack performance the key for Cunningham

Curraghmore principal Gordon Cunningham is quick to share what drives him as he prepares to present another quality draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale when it kicks off at Karaka at 10am this coming Sunday.The name Curraghmore is synonymous with some of the best Australasian racetrack performers of the past three decades with horses such as Efficient, Unforgotten, Mighty Boss, Tofane, First Seal, Ruthless Dame, No Compromise, Kovalica and Kahma Lass just some of the many ...

Aberlour takes thrilling Gore Guineas

Promising filly Aberlour (Mongolian Falcon) added plenty of value to a future breeding career when she won a tooth and nail battle against the heavily supported Hakadecree to capture the Listed Liquorland Gore Guineas (1335m).The daughter of former Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) winner Mongolian Falcon had won stylishly in maiden company on her home track on New Year’s Day for Riverton trainer Kelvin Tyler, with many prepared to say she would take the jump to stakes company in the fea...

James and Wellwood go one better in Desert Gold

Roger James and Robert Wellwood turned their Wellington Cup Carnival fortunes around with an impressive victory by Sudbina (Almanzor) in the Gr.3 New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday.Sudbina’s Desert Gold heroics came seven days after a frustrating afternoon of near-misses for the Cambridge trainers on the opening day of the carnival last weekend. They saddled Zabmanzor for a second placing in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m), a long head behind Quintess...

Patterson and Grylls enjoys red letter day at Trentham

Trainer Robbie Patterson has had his New Plymouth stable firing on all cylinders of late but even he couldn’t believe he would pick up the two feature events at Trentham on Saturday.Rider Craig Grylls, a close friend of Patterson, shared in the top drawer double as he guided statuesque gelding Puntura to victory in the Gr.1 Harcourts Team Group Thorndon Mile (1600m) before combining with Mary Louise (The Bold One) to take out the time honoured Gr.3 NZ Campus of Sport and Innovation Wellington ...

Puntura powers to Thorndon Mile glory

A first-time winner at Group Three and Group Two level in his previous two starts, Puntura (Vespa) took his career-best campaign to even greater heights in Saturday’s Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham.Even before the start of this breakthtaking breakthrough season, the Taranaki gelding had been a grand performer for his owner-breeders Carole and John Lynskey. He had won eight of his 28 starts, including three in Queensland, and had banked more than $230,000 in stakes. But it tur...

The perfect week does exist

If winning the Gr.1 J R & N Berkett Telegraph at Trentham with Mercurial (Burgundy) wasn’t exciting enough, the ownership group were celebrating another win with his half-sister Our Turn (Turn Me Loose) at Te Rapa on Wednesday.According to part-owner Andrew Flexman it’s been a pretty amazing week.“It’s very exciting,” enthused Flexman, “as owners and breeders we are tickled pink.”“It’s incredible and beyond our wildest dreams to win a group one. We all aspire to that b...

Meet the Breeder - Denise Howell

This week in Dunstan Horse Feeds Meet the Breeder, we catch up with Denise Howell who bred Listed Gingernuts Salver winner Renegade Rebel. Denise has a rich history in the industry and has had some great success to go with it.Tell us the story of Renegade RebelThe reason Regalia went to El Roca was that I value Russell Warwick’s friendship and I think he is very good at breeding and selecting stallion for mares so that is why she went there. I put him in their draft for the yearling sales and ...

Storm Boy revives memories of mighty mare Seachange

There are obvious similarities between Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Storm Boy and his granddam, the champion racemare Seachange, according to The Oaks Stud General Manager Rick Williams.“They have a similar racing action the way he gets down low to the ground, just like his grandmother,” Rick Williams told RaceForm this week.“I have been watching him go through from his first start and it’s been great actually, he is shaping up to be a very special horse and it just brings back good...

Under The Radar - Anna Miles

This month's BetaVet Under The Radar unsung hero is Anna Miles. Anna is a woman of many talents who not only serves on our Council but also runs the South Island Foster Foal Service free of charge. We caught up with this busy lady who devotes so much of her time to our industry.Explain your many roles and what it is you do with the SIFFS (South Island Foster Foal Service)?My husband Michael and I run an agistment and spelling farm (Pear Tree Farm) in the middle of the South Island and I am estab...

Mary Shan provides sister with multiple updates

The emergence of Mary Shan this season has been welcomed by Prima Park who will offer her sister as Lot 393 at the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.The Waikato farm sold the quality filly at Karaka in 2022 to Andrew Forsman for $180,000 and under the Cambridge trainer’s guidance has met and matched the best of her age group.The daughter of Almanzor was runner-up in both the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) and in between times was an unlu...

Rebecca Donovan - Sunline Management Scholarship Recipient

Growing up in the Far North where her parents bred Clydesdales Rebecca Donovan had no idea about the thoroughbred industry or where it could take you.Rebecca is the latest recipient of the NZTBA’s Sunline International Management Scholarship, after spending four years working in various roles in the industry and is understandably delighted about working overseas.“I am extremely thankful for this career and life-changing opportunity,” she enthused, “I am so excited to see what this trip b...

Renegade Rebel all the way in Gingernuts Salver

Emerging three-year-old Renegade Rebel (El Roca x Regalia) stepped up from a last-start maiden win and scored a determined front-running victory in Sunday’s Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) at Ellerslie.The El Roca gelding has made marked improvement with every start since finishing at the tail of a five-horse field in his only appearance as a two-year-old last April.He joined Cody Cole’s Matamata stable in the spring and resumed with a close second in a 1400m maiden race at Te Aroha on Nove...

Times Ticking provides MacGregor with Trentham tonic

Popular Opaki trainer Alby MacGregor was full of emotion as he welcomed his stable favourite Times Ticking (Tavistock x Laoghaire) back to the winners’ enclosure after a thrilling victory in the Gr.3 Mode Technology Trentham Stakes (2100m).MacGregor, who is in his mid-seventies, hasn’t enjoyed the best of health in recent times but was on hand to see his pride and joy register his eleventh career success with a determined finish in the hands of Joe Doyle.The well fancied Sagunto and rid...

Spratt scripts Telegraph upset with Mercurial

Sam Spratt teamed up with arguably New Zealand’s most improved racehorse to land a boilover victory in Saturday’s Gr.1 JR & N Berkett Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham – her third time triumphing in a meeting that once came close to claiming her life.Saturday’s Telegraph heroics aboard Mercurial (Burgundy x Roxette) came some 21 years after Spratt suffered severe head injuries in a shocking fall in an undercard race on Telegraph Day on January 25, 2003. She not only recovered but la...

Pike dominates early stakes races at Trentham

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike made a flying start to racing at Trentham on Saturday when he produced the winners of the first two stakes races on a day featuring five black type events.Just one race after promising filly Archaic Smile dominated her two-year-old rivals in the Listed IRT Wellesley Stakes (1100m), underrated mare Churchillian (Churchill x Fond du Couer) produced a dogged effort to take out the Gr.3 Dixon & Dunlop Anniversary Handicap (1600m).Rider Lily Sutherland had the fou...

Quintessa completes Levin Classic treble for Te Akau

Te Akau Racing’s dominance of the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Levin Classic (1600m) continued at Trentham on Saturday with Quintessa (Shamus Award x Chaquinta) clinging on in an unforgettable finish.Those familiar tangerine colours have towered over the $500,000 three-year-old feature in recent times, collecting five wins since 2017 including all of the last three in a row.Former Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards provided the first three of those victories with Hall Of Fame in 2017, Age Of Fire in 2...

Buying approach realises Magic time for Kiwi breeder

Ainsley Downs Stud’s policy of purchasing older mares in Australia has been rewarded with another feature race contender across the Tasman.The Courtney Howells-bred Vianarra will take aim at The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) and win, lose or draw the Te Kauwhata nursery is delighted to have a representative in the A$3 million feature.“I don’t know if any New Zealand breeders have managed that and it shows that you never know where the next good one is coming from,” h...

Canheroc rewards owner-breeders with overdue stakes win

Last Saturday’s Listed Marton Cup winner Canheroc provided his Taranaki owner-breeders with some overdue success after generations of placing their faith in their broodmare band.“We were due one,” said Aidan Schumacher, who bred the six-year-old gelding with his brothers Kieran and Brian, the latter having since passed away.“We have been in this game for over 40 years and had this family for that long. The fillies are all worthwhile breeding from, and they have produced bread and butter ...

Dominant Canheroc justifies Wellington Cup late entry

A day after his connections took a leap of faith with a late nomination for the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m), emerging stayer Canheroc (El Roca) rewarded their confidence with a powerful lead-up performance in the Listed Marton Jockey Club Marton Cup (2200m) at Hastings on Saturday.Canheroc had risen steadily through the North Island’s staying ranks in recent months, culminating in a close third behind subsequent Group Three winner Trust In You in the Dunstan Feeds Stayers’ Championship ...

Fitting win in Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes

It was a fitting win in the inaugural Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2050m), formerly known as the Royal Stakes, at Pukekohe on Monday, with the Cambridge Stud-bred and owned About Time (American Pharoah) taking out the fillies feature named after the farm’s founder.Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay were trackside to welcome back their filly, and trainer Lance Noble said it was a sentimental win for the couple, who purchased Cambridge Stud off the legendary horseman.“He (...