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Town Cryer tenacious in Thompson

It takes a talented galloper to run down Town Cryer (Tavistock), and her rivals were no match for the classy mare in Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham.The Tavistock mare had a career-best season last term, winning the Gr.3 Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Listed Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), alongside placings in the Gr.3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m)...

Kiwi mare Belclare takes full advantage of Invitation

Connections of multiple Group One winner Belclare (Per Incanto) have savoured a bumper payday as the seven-year-old daughter of Per Incanto proved too strong in the A$2 million Gr.2 The Invitation (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.Under a positive Tyler Schiller ride, Belclare had most of her rivals gasping a fair way from home and she sailed to a comfortable length and a quarter victory as the former Kiwi saluted at her third start for Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker.“I’m very lucky to get th...

Myers unleashes 2000 Guineas contender at Riccarton

Promising three-year-old He’s Lucid (Contributer) picked the ideal opportunity to break his maiden status and promote his chances for higher honours when he comfortably took out the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton.The statuesque son of Contributer had been well backed in all four of his starts to date which have yielded placings on three occasions including finishing third in the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at his two-year-old debut and also filling the same position two ...

Rebecca Donovan - Sunline Management Scholarship Final Blog

Rebecca Donovan shares her final blog from her 30 weeks abroad on the Sunline Management Scholarship. An extremely worthy recipient, Rebecca has given us great insight into her trip and has shared some remarkable experiences. Since arriving home, she has gone straight back into her role at Wentwood Grange, and we look forward to seeing what the future has instore for her. Over to you Rebecca...From the beginning, I was always most nervous about my stop in Hong Kong. I spent a few ...

Kiwi Chronicles - The Ghost of Tavistock

For the third Saturday in succession the late Tavistock (Montjeu) sired a Group 1 feature winner. The sequence, which began with the Epsom Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) won by Ceolwulf, was continued with the Livamol Classic (Gr 1, 2040m) won by Snazzytavi then completed with Ceolwulf's devastating run to deny the warm fan favourite Pride of Jenni (Pride of Dubai) in last Saturday's King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick. Here we are, nearly five years after Tavistock's tragic loss and we ke...

Auret strikes gold with first breeding endeavour

Marton horseman Fraser Auret has a number of Group One victories to his name as a trainer, but in the coming months he is hoping to add a maiden Group One breeding success to his record through the deeds of Hong Kong sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising.The exciting son of Shamexpress is on a path towards the HK$26 million Gr.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) in December, and continued his dream run to the feature sprint with a dominant victory in the Gr.2 Premier Bowl Handicap (1200m) at Sha Ti...

Last bid reaping major breeding rewards

Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson was running on empty when he had the final say on the well-related mare Temolie at the Gold Coast.Thompson was at the end of his budget with a closing bid of A$200,000 that secured the daughter of Star Witness at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale where she was offered by Edinburgh Park.“She was definitely on the list I had made before the sale and when I Iooked at her when I was doing the rounds at the sale she was a big, strong mare,” Thompson ...

Top weekend despite Everest disappointment

Lady Luck wasn’t riding on the shoulder of James McDonald aboard Cambridge Stud’s high-class mare Joliestar at Randwick, but the farm still had ample reasons to celebrate at the weekend.The Chris Waller-trained four-year-old was heavily fancied in the A$20 million The Everest (1200m) and ran home strongly for seventh after having no favours in the running.“It was a shame that she got shuffled further back than anyone would have liked and obviously ran on really well, but the race had got a...

Ceolwulf masters another major mile at Randwick

Two weeks after his brilliant Group One breakthrough in the Epsom Handicap (1600m), the New Zealand-bred rising superstar Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock) conquered an even stronger line-up over the same course and distance in Saturday’s A$5 million Gr.1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.Ceolwulf began his four-year-old season without any stakes wins to his name, but he hinted at a bright future at that level with runner-up finishes in the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Gr.1 Australian D...

Former Kiwi provides Begg with stakes triumph

Talented mare Niance (Swiss Ace) landed some valuable black-type for connections when prevailing in the Listed Alinghi Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.The former Kiwi has won four of her five starts since crossing the Tasman to join the stable of Cranbourne trainer Grahame Begg.Despite having not been seen on raceday since May, Niance was sent out a $3.20 favourite. Given a tactically brilliant ride by Jordan Childs, the jockey took his opportunity to pocket key rival Isthmus, who e...

Lekvarte flashes home in Angst Stakes

Kiwi-bred mare Lekvarte (NZ) (Reliable Man) collected the third Group Three win of her career with another barnstorming come-from-behind performance in Saturday’s A$250,000 James Squire Angst Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.Previously the winner of the Gr.3 Belle of the Turf Stakes (1600m) and Gr.3 Aspiration Quality (1600m), the Joe Pride-trained Lekvarte has now earned A$923,330 from a 31-start career that has produced nine wins and five placings.The six-year-old resumed with a strong-finishing f...

Aeliana bursts through for Reginald Allen success

Aeliana (Castelvecchio) tepped straight from midweek racing to the big stage on Everest Day on Saturday, scoring a brilliant win in the A$250,000 Gr.3 Bisley Workwear Reginald Allen Quality (1400m) at Randwick.The New Zealand-bred filly made her debut with a fourth at Hawkesbury on August 1, then cleared maiden ranks with a stylish performance on the Kensington track on August 14. In her only other start, Aeliana ran sixth at Warwick Farm on September 4.Saturday’s three-year-old fillies�...

Meet the Breeder - Brendan and Jo Lindsay

This week in Dunstan Horsefeeds Meet the Breeder, we catch up with Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay after a very successful week with Ceolwulf (Tavistock) winning the Gr.1 TAB Epsom and the following weekend Luberon (Embellish) taking out the Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes.How did you get into thoroughbred breeding?J’Adane is a mare that has a special place in our hearts. She was from the last crop of Danehill and we purchased her as a yearling at Karaka. While she only won one race, sh...

Group One performance ticked for Sass Bomb

Kim Reid has always seen something special in Hi Yo Sass Bomb (Complacent), and the mare rewarded her trainer for persistence with an impressive runner-up finish in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Te Rapa last Saturday.A daughter of Complacent, Hi Yo Sass Bomb showed promise in her opening two starts before breaking her wither, keeping her away from the race track for over 12 months. When she returned in mid-2023, the mare flew through the grades, going from breaking her maiden to finishing ...

Kiwi Chronicles - Caught Napping

As of 7:45pm NZDT, the lead piece for this week’s edition appeared to lean heavily towards the clear-cut win by Snazzytavi (Tavistock) in the Livamol Classic (Gr 1, 2040m).After 800 metres of the Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) there was no reason to change course but in the space of 220 metres and an electrifying last-to-first burst by Antino (Redwood), a new lead emerged.Blake Shinn’s experience was key when he correctly judged a slackening pace, setting Antino alight from the 800 metres. Th...

Hallmark-bred galloper strikes Australian stakes success

Mark Baker anticipated Nikau Spur (Proisir) would be a horse that would only improve with time, and he has continued to be proven correct as the evergreen galloper collected the Listed Queensland Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.In the care of Toowoomba trainers Corey and Kylie Geran, Nikau Spur has won five races in the past 18 months, capped off with an impressive effort in the staying feature, much to the delight of his former owner in Baker.“When he got shuffled back to last on t...

Spencer continues family legacy for Schumacher

Taranaki horseman Aidan Schumacher has put his faith in the family of his foundation broodmare Mini Manday over the last few decades, and his loyalty paid off in a big way on Saturday when Spencer (Derryn) took out the Gr.3 Valley D’Vine Restaurant Spring Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa.The Derryn gelding had been a revelation over winter, posting three wins and a runner-up result in the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m), and went one better on Saturday, scoring by 1-1/4 lengths over Geriatrix in the ...

Luberon caps top weekend for Stud in Sweynesse thriller

Cambridge Stud’s outstanding weekend continued at Rotorua on Sunday, with their exciting mare Luberon (Embellish) adding a valuable black-type success to her name in the Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes (1215m).The previous day at Te Rapa, Snazzytavi carried the prominent yellow and black-chequered silks to victory in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) for Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall, and it was the turn of the Stud’s private trainer Lance Noble in the feature sprint, where Luberon was rated...

Nikau Spur dominant in Queensland Cup

Former Kiwi galloper Nikau Spur (Proisir) has provided Toowoomba trainers Corey and Kylie Geran with their first stakes success when running out a dominant winner of the Listed Queensland Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.The eight-year-old son of Proisir has finished runner-up in the past two editions of the Toowoomba Cup (2000m), including a checkered-run when second at to Red Wave prior to Saturday’s triumph.Ridden by James Orman, Nikau Spur came from midfield and took inside runs ...

Mile proves no issue for quality mare Grinzinger Belle

Bold front-running mare Grinzinger Belle (Shamexpress) has further embellished her already impressive record with victory in the Gr.3 Catanach's 150 Years Vase (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday.Prepared by Danny O’Brien, Grinzinger Belle is a daughter of in-form sire Shamexpress, a son of O’Reilly whom O’Brien trained to win the Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m).Ridden by Damian Lane, Grinzinger Belle ran solid splits in the mid-stages of the race and had just enough in the tank to withs...

Stakes success for rising star Jimmy

Exciting prospect Jimmysstar (Per Incanto) made a one-act affair of the Listed Weekend Hussler Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday when powering to a two and a quarter length victory.The Ciaron Maher-trained son of Per Incanto claimed his first stakes victory and the lightly-tried former Kiwi looks to have plenty more instore.Sent out the $2.30 favourite, Jimmysstar was ridden with supreme confidence by jockey Blake Shinn, who was happy to travel wide throughout before giving the five-y...

Raziah brilliant in Ashburton feature

North Island raider Raziah (Niagara) produced a brilliant burst of speed to make it back-to-back victories at stakes level when she took out the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton on Saturday.Fresh off success in a slogging finish to the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton last month, the Tony Pike-prepared filly looked to be in a power of trouble when back on the fence and a conservative six lengths off the leaders rounding the home turn.Despite collecting a b...

Spencer claims first stakes victory

Spencer (Derryn), the find of the winter sprinting ranks, showed he could be just as effective on better going when he claimed a decisive victory in the Gr.3 Valley D’Vine Restaurant Spring Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.The Erin Hocquard-trained five-year-old put three victories in a row together during the winter before finishing runner-up in the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) back in July.The son of Derryn was thereabouts in his next three starts but was left alone by punters on Sat...

Snazzytavi stuns in Livamol romp

A trophy that slipped through Brendan and Jo Lindsay’s grasp in their early days of racehorse ownership now has pride of place in the Cambridge Stud trophy cabinet, thanks to a stunning coming-of-age performance by Snazzytavi (Tavistock) in Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Te Rapa.The Lindsays’ foundation mare J’Adane went agonisingly close to winning the 2007 edition of the spring showpiece, where she was beaten by a whisker by superstar mare Princess Coup.Multiple Group ...

Antino stunning in Toorak

The Tony Gollan-trained Antino (Redwood) trounced his rivals to win the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) under a masterful ride by Blake Shinn at Caulfield on Saturday.The striking son of Redwood had six and a half lengths to spare over runner-up Craig with Perth raider Alsephina finishing third.Antino had been around the mark in elite company with placings behind Pride Of Jenni and Mr Brightside at his previous two outings.After a slow beginning Antino came from last, looping the field prior t...