The Rest of the World

The 156th edition of the Belmont Stakes (G1) was an unforgettable, first-of-its-kind experience.View the full article

Talented miler Lingjun Xiongfeng will start his six-year-old season in Monday’s Poverty Bay Turf Club Cup (1400m) at Taupo, which trainer Pam Gerard hopes will provide a rating boost in the lead-up to feature summer targets. Lingjun Xiongfeng made a big impression around this time last year with barnstorming last-to-first performances at Pukekohe on December 9 and Te Rapa two weeks later. In the latter, the grey romped home by five and a half lengths against an open-class field that included Group One winner Asterix. Gerard stepped Lingjun Xiongfeng up in class from there, finishing 10th in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m), sixth in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m), third in an open sprint at Ellerslie, fourth in the inaugural $350,000 Rangitoto Classic (1500m), ninth in the Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) and 13th in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m). Lingjun Xiongfeng has been off the raceday scene since the Easter in April, but trialled at Taupo on November 26. “I’ve been very happy with the way he’s come up in this preparation,” Gerard said. “He had that trial at Taupo last month, just for a quiet day out. “We were hoping to get him into the J Swap Sprint (Gr.3, 1400m) first-up, but he didn’t end up making the field. It’s been a bit of a challenge finding a suitable race for him, but we’ll kick him off at Taupo and then take it from there. “He’s very forward. Taupo might be a bit of a tricky track for him, because he’s quite a long-striding horse who’s not ideally suited to those tight corners. But I couldn’t be happier with his condition.” Lingjun Xiongfeng holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham on January 11, and Gerard is keen to make that trip if his first-up performance justifies it. “If he happened to be impressive at Taupo, you might see him head to Wellington,” she said. “This campaign is going to be all about targeting some of those nicer miles, and potentially a bit further than that later on as well. “It’s just difficult with his rating at the moment. He’s right down at the bottom of the open handicaps and often ends up on the ballot, while he gets too much weight in Rating 75 grade. So it’s not easy, but hopefully he can put some good performances on the board this time in and get that rating up a bit higher.” Lingjun Xiongfeng will be the only runner at Taupo for Gerard, but the Matamata trainer is looking forward to a talented two-pronged team at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. Last-start winner Romanoff will test his TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) credentials when he takes on a quality field of juveniles in the Gr.2 Skycity Eclipse Stakes (1200m). “Romanoff is a pretty talented individual,” Gerard said. “He’s got a mind of his own, as we saw when he ran out at Otaki last time, but he still got the win. “I’ve been happy with his work since then. He seems to have settled down, and that trip to Otaki might have given him a bit more confidence. “He’s drawn nicely in gate two for the Eclipse. We’ll cross our fingers that he runs a bit straighter this time, and I’m sure he’ll be a good chance if he does. “It’s an opportunity to give him a look around Ellerslie and see how he stacks up ahead of the Karaka Millions.” Talented sprinter Shoes will line up in the TAB (1200m). The speedy daughter of Derryn won three races in a row at Ruakaka, Te Rapa and Tauranga, then was beaten by 2.9 lengths by Luberon when seventh in a star-studded edition of the Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m). “It was a super run in that strong race at Counties last start,” Gerard said. “She’s a very talented mare who will get her black type in time. “Her ideal distance is probably 1100m, so stretching out over 1200m with that uphill run around Ellerslie might test her a little bit. But she’s drawn well and we’ll take a bit of weight off with Joe Nishizuka’s claim”. View the full article

Former stakes-winning New Zealand two-year-old Saltcoats has hit his groove in Australia, completing a winning double with a stylish performance in Saturday’s A$160,000 TAB Handicap (2000m) at Randwick. The son of Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan began his career in the Cambridge stable of Samantha Logan, where his three New Zealand starts produced a win in the Listed Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m) and a placing in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1200m). He was subsequently sold to a syndicate headed by prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir, with breeder Lib Petagna retaining a share of the ownership. Saltcoats went winless in his first six starts in Australia, but placed in three of them including a third in the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill in March. The four-year-old broke through with a minor upset in a 1400m Benchmark 88 at Randwick on December 14, and he was sent out as a $2.60 favourite on Saturday to deliver a repeat result over 2000m. Saltcoats duly delivered and became the fourth winner on the Randwick card for jockey Nash Rawiller, who produced a confident ride on the gelding from an inside gate. He settled in seventh and moved away from the fence well before the home turn, presenting his mount out wide on the track at the top of the straight. Saltcoats moved through his gears and accelerated, bursting into contention at the 200m mark and asserting his superiority in the closing stages to win by just over a length. “He’s a nice horse,” Rawiller said. “If he keeps going around in these races for a while longer and getting his rating up a bit more, I think there’ll be a Group race in him a bit further down the track. Even a race like the Caulfield Cup (Gr.1, 2400m) could be something they could aim at with him next spring. I think he’s got a lot of upside.” Now trained by Chris Waller, Saltcoats has had 11 starts for three wins, five placings and A$292,790 in stakes. “I think he’s a horse that’s turned a corner,” Waller said. “He got some confidence from his good win last start. “Nash rode him perfectly today – as confident as you’ll ever see a jockey riding. He popped out at the 1000m to take risk out of the equation, and the horse was too strong.” Saltcoats is out of the lightly raced Savabeel mare Savanite, a half-sister to the Gr.2 Waikato Gold Cup (2400m) winner Singing Star, who in turn is the dam of Group Three winner Miss Selby. Saltcoats has continued an outstanding week for Ardrossan, who stands for a service fee of $20,000 at Waikato Stud. His promising three-year-old son Yaldi captured the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, followed by a notable Australian double for the stallion on Saturday afternoon. A few hours before Saltcoats’ success in Sydney, potential Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) contender Beau Dazzler scored an emphatic win in the A$160,000 Eagle Way (2100m) at Eagle Farm. He has now won three of his 12 starts, including black-type successes in last season’s Listed Phelan Ready (1000m) as well as the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) earlier this month. View the full article

Neither a wide draw nor a talented field of rivals at Phar Lap Raceway on Saturday could stand in the way of Ears Back (NZ) (Jakkalberry), who took her career earnings past $200,000 with a tenacious performance in the Craigmore Sustainable Holdings Timaru Cup (1600m). The time-honoured $80,000 feature was the seventh win of a 31-race career for the Jakkalberry mare, who has placed on another five occasions and has banked $221,660. She has shown a particular affinity for the metric mile, where her 22 starts have produced six wins and five placings. Ears Back arrived at Phar Lap Raceway on Saturday on a nine-race winless streak dating back to the Southland Stakes (1400m) at Ascot Park in February, but she had shown promising signs earlier this season with a pair of second placings at Ashburton in October and November. The six-year-old was checked in the straight when 10th, only 2.7 lengths from the winner Kopua, in the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m) at Riccarton on November 13, then struggled to see out the distance when a last-start sixth in Ascot Park’s Southland Crystals (2200m) on December 14. The step back down to 1600m brought her back to the peak of her powers on Saturday, despite jumping from gate 12 in a 13-horse field. Jockey Tina Comignaghi drove Ears Back forward from that wide barrier, sliding up into second spot within the first 100m of the race. She cruised around the track in the slipstream of the front-running The Radiant One before pouncing at the home turn and taking command. Ears Back kicked away and stole a big break on the field with 200m remaining, and despite beginning to tire in the final few strides, she held all of her chasers at bay. Ears Back still had a length and a half up her sleeve at the line, with Jimmy Five, Tumuch and Richard Stomper filling the minor placings with two noses between them. The 1600m were run in a quick 1:34.80 on a Good4 track. Ears Back is trained at Rangiora by John Blackadder, who also shares in the ownership. “She’s really well named, Ears Back,” he said. “That’s her style and she’s a bit of a handful at times, but it’s all worth it, isn’t it? “She was a bit of a disappointment up over ground last start, but we freshened her up after that and knew she was pretty well right. Today was the plan. “She’s won six races over a mile now, so she loves that distance. It’s a really good result, thanks to a great ride by Tina. I have to thank all of the staff as well. I’m a bit overwhelmed, actually.” The Timaru Cup was Comignaghi’s first raceday ride on Ears Back. “I know that she’s always shown that sort of ability,” she said. “It was a strong field today, so it was a good effort to beat them the way she did. “She kicked at the turn and I was hoping they wouldn’t be able to catch me before the line. She kept trying so hard and held on well. “John Blackadder does a good job with his horses, and he’s got a very nice mare on his hands here.” One of the only things missing from Ears Back’s CV is black type, with the Timaru Cup having lost its Listed status last season. Ears Back finished a close fourth in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m) at Wingatui in February, beaten by less than two lengths by Perfect Scenario, Dazzling Miss and Times Ticking, and that Otago showpiece again holds appeal as a potential target later in the season. View the full article

A return to winning form by Bankers Choice in Saturday’s A$150,000 Big Max Buggies Handicap (2040m) at Moonee Valley put the cherry on top of a special few weeks for his breeders and part-owners, Ross and Corrine Kearney. Under their Okaharau Station banner, the Kearneys also bred and race Bankers Choice’s full-brother Checkmate. That promising three-year-old has had four starts for two wins and two placings, including a dominant victory in the Listed Armacup 3YO Stakes (1500m) on November 30 and a strong-finishing third in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) on Boxing Day. But despite the exciting emergence of Checkmate and a placing in last year’s Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) by half-sister Jodelin Gal, Bankers Choice remains the headline act of the family. The Mongolian Khan gelding has been a black-type winner in both New Zealand and Australia, capturing the Gr.3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) at Trentham for the Kearneys before a majority ownership share was sold to clients of trans-Tasman trainer Mike Moroney. Bankers Choice then relocated to Australia, where he has won the Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) and placed in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m), Gr.2 Crystal Mile (1600m), Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m), Gr.2 Zipping Classic (2400m) and Gr.3 JRA Plate (2000m). Bankers Choice had gone winless in 20 starts dating back to his Ballarat Cup win in November of 2022, but 19 of those appearances had been at Group or Listed level. The seven-year-old took a big step down in class on Saturday, albeit with an increase in weight to 58.5kg, and he turned his form around with an outstanding front-running performance. Drawn in gate eight among a 13-horse field, Bankers Choice and jockey Daniel Stackhouse found himself caught four wide going into the first turn. Stackhouse took the initiative and allowed his mount to stride forward, taking the lead with more than 1400m remaining. Bankers Choice never surrendered that advantage, kicking away at the corner and coming into the straight with a two-length lead up his sleeve. The challengers tried to reel him in, but Bankers Choice kept finding and held on by just under half a length. From 40 starts, Bankers Choice has now recorded seven wins and seven placings. He has earned more than A$1.1 million in stakes for the Kearneys, who now share ownership alongside a syndicate headed by Ballymore Stables and Rupert Legh. The accomplished gelding’s resurgent performance on Saturday was a welcome sight for Moroney and his training partner Glen Thompson, who were represented at Moonee Valley by racing manager Anthony Feroce. “He looks terrific and has been working the house down, but he’s been racing poorly,” he said. “He dropped right down in class today. He’s been racing in Group One company, so this is the weakest field he’s met for almost two years. “He’s had a few little excuses and bits of bad luck in this campaign. Today our instructions to Daniel were to ride him where he was happy, and Daniel told us not to be surprised if he tried something different. He pushed forward after getting caught wide, and it was probably the winning move. “Today was probably D-Day after a very frustrating run with the horse. We wanted to see something from him today, or else we might have had to make some hard calls. We saw the real Bankers Choice today, which was good.” View the full article