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    How to spend $20 on the TAB Topgun

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    Bandit Ned’s Topgun siege

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    Pike searching for Guineas Gold

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    Vernazza set to make raceday return

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    Lofty ambitions for promising filly

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    Williams to warm up for Cup Day

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    Addington Weekly : Nov 5

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    Selections | Rangiora – Today

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    • I was watching the other day from somewhere and thought "that is much much better" due to the angle I think it was.
    • One of three horses saved from a feedlot by Resolute Racing last year, Awesome Hawaiian's debut victory at Churchill Downs Nov. 12 was a win for rescue horses.View the full article
    • After a solid effort in a race such as the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1T) in mid-October, it's not unusual for the connections to give that 3-year-old filly some time off to prepare for the following year's campaign. View the full article
    • Pre-post favourite Affirmative Action will have to overcome a wide gate and a lighter than intended preparation in his shared bid to defend the stable’s title in Saturday’s Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m). Trainer Pam Gerard prepared Savaglee to romp home in last season’s Al Basti Equiworld Dubai-sponsored Classic at Riccarton and will be double-handed in her attempt to go back-to-back in the age group feature. While Affirmative Action boasts the higher profile, barnmate Romanoff has also come into serious contention following two sound lead-up efforts. Their southern flight was delayed a day and they landed in Christchurch on Thursday morning without incident and in tip-top order. “They both travelled well, so we’re happy they got there safe and sound and they’re both in good form,” Gerard said. Affirmative Action will jump from barrier 15 under regular rider George Rooke and won the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) from the outside barrier two runs back before further success at Ellerslie. “He doesn’t know much different with a wide gate, so if we don’t tell him he won’t know,” Gerard said. “I’m still learning a bit about him really, it’s hard to get a line on him as he’s such a laid-back fellow that you might think hasn’t got any more in the tank, but George (Rooke, jockey) assures me there’s plenty left. “He just jumps and puts himself there in his races and completely buttons off.” The son of Yes Yes Yes has won two of his three starts, and in an ideal world, would have had one more outing ahead of Riccarton. “I would have liked to have got another run under his belt going into the Guineas, but it just wasn’t available to us so we’ve done the best we can and hopefully it’s good enough,” Gerard said. Belardo gelding Romanoff was a juvenile winner last term and opened his three-year-old campaign when third on a heavy track at Rotorua. He then showed his versatility with another placing behind race rivals Swiss Prince and To Cap It All on top of the ground in the Gr.2 James & Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m). “He’s very well and he’ll get the mile, no trouble at all,” Gerard said. “His run at Tauranga was amazing, he was the only horse to make up ground from behind all day, and he wasn’t far off them. “He is quite under-estimated, and he’s done nothing wrong at all this time in. “He’s very light and nimble and is walking on air at the moment, he’s absolutely flying.” View the full article
    • Shaune Ritchie hopes his decision to bypass the fillies’ feature at Riccarton with Tajana will pay off on Saturday when she takes on the boys in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m). The daughter of Darci Brahma has been one of the best in her age group this spring, winning the Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and Gr.3 Sunline Vase (1400m) before finishing third in the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) to Well Written. While the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) had been on Ritchie’s radar for Tajana, he and training partner Colm Murray opted to avoid running against Well Written last Saturday and that was justified when she bolted in over the mile. “I think the decision to run her against the colts was justified by the emphatic way that Well Written buried them in the 1000 Guineas,” Ritchie said. “I very much doubt we would’ve been able to beat her especially from the draw she had in the race. “We compare ourselves with Lollapalooza who ran a good second, so I think we’ve made the right call to take on the colts. “In saying that, we’re walking into the unknown with the colts.” To be ridden on this occasion by Craig Grylls, Tajana will have side winkers on for the first time when she jumps from barrier three. “We’re adding side winkers to sharpen up that turn of foot that she’s got, it would be nice if she could race a little bit handier, but the Riccarton straight allows you to be able to relax back in the field,” Ritchie said. “There are a lot of options for Craig Grylls to take, he had a good feel of her at Ellerslie on Melbourne Cup Day in an exhibition gallop and he was thoroughly impressed with her. George (Rooke) has elected to ride the colt (Affirmative Action) which we respect, but I don’t think we’ve lost anything in getting a genuine Group One jockey in Craig Grylls on. “She is in superb order, I doubt we could’ve presented her in better condition for what is her grand final and she’s going to take all sorts of beating on Saturday. I believe you’ll see the best presented order of Tajana on Saturday, she’s as well as we can get her and I think you’ll find a peak performance come out. “She’s done all her fast work at home and she’ll just have a quiet canter at Riccarton on Friday morning. She’ll be ready to rock and roll on Saturday.” Ritchie’s attention will also be on Tauranga on Saturday, where multiple Group winner Nereus resumes in the Happy Hire Cup (1400m). “He’s carrying a lot more condition than he has at any point in time, he’s never been an overly big or gross horse, he’s always been relatively athletic,” Ritchie said. “He has run cheeky races fresh, he’s run third in an Open 1400m much to our surprise last preparation so with a stronger version of himself, he can go a cheeky sort of race here. “We’re getting three kilos off with Sam McNab as well because the 60 kilos is an impost. “He’s been a great flagbearer for the stable and his best trips are around that 2000 to 2400m mark, so his main targets will be some of those summer cups.” Ritchie is hoping to see an improved effort second-up from Alaskan in the Devan Plastics 1600 after the mare disappointed in her resuming run, having finished sixth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) last term. “She’s the sort of horse that we thought could be a New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) hope this time last year, the wet tracks have hindered her program as they have done for a lot of them this spring but having said that, her trials and first up run were sub-standard at best,” he said. “We just backed off her a bit and took our time and she seems to be working on the training tracks with a lot more willingness, so she’ll be an interesting runner. She certainly hasn’t missed any work, but she appears to have turned the corner, she certainly needs to improve on that first up run as we are looking for more from her. “If she does return to that late three-year-old form we expect her to get through the grades over ground, but we need to see a vast improvement from that run which was some time ago.” View the full article
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