Jump to content
Bit Of A Yarn

The Rest of the World


81,969 topics in this forum

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 244 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 278 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 173 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 207 views
    • Journalists

    Pedigree Insights: Recoletos

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 266 views
    • Journalists

    The Weekly Wrap: Quesnay Rises Again

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 1.1k views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 267 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 178 views
    • Journalists

    Laurel Pushes Stakes Back a Week

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 181 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 192 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 246 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 213 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 200 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 272 views
    • Journalists

    Showcasing Continuing to Thrive

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 208 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 243 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 303 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 373 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 319 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 233 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 292 views
    • Journalists

    Anodin Colt Takes the Chenes

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 276 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 430 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 387 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 269 views

Announcements



  • Posts

    • Unforeseen circumstances It would appear that Well Written's overwhelming dominance is likely to see no Oaks or Derby horses tempted into switching.  Hard case to make running for second. Unlikely any Aussie horses will make the trip, so other than Well Written, likely to be a poor field. But will still be spun as THE 3-year-old race 
    • Star sprinter Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) is slowly building towards an autumn return with the Gr.1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) on March 21 which will be held at Caulfield this year an early target. The six-year-old son of Per Incanto has an affinity for the Caulfield track and signed off his spring campaign with a brilliant win in the Gr.1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at the venue. The Ciaron Maher-trained Kiwi import has amassed $6.6 million in prizemoney to date, and the triple Group One winner has come back as good as ever according to regular rider Ethan Brown. “He’s flying. He had his first little run-up on Tuesday, and he has had a very long slow build-up,” Brown said. “They’re taking their time with him but he is as good as ever. He is just at a prime age now and he has proved himself over these last couple of preparations. “His whole demeanor has improved. He knows his job and he is very relaxed and he is unreal at the moment. Brown’s star has risen in tandem with Jimmy, and the 26-year-old hoop will take up a short stint in Hong Kong in late April, which will not clash with Jimmysstar’s campaign. “When I was growing up you would see these top-tier jockeys who follow these good horses through and to be in that position to follow one through is unreal,” Brown said. “I saw something the other day where Dan O’Sullivan rated him as Australia’s best sprinter. “That is quite a proud moment, I guess, to be able to stick with a horse like him. He has put me on the map, he has been very good to me.” A ten-time Group One winning jockey, Brown said he is looking forward to Jimmysstar clashing again with champion sprinter Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) in the A$20 million Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) in the spring. “He ran his heart out last year and would have made things interesting if he had drawn a gate,” Brown said. “I think he has come back as good as ever and hopefully he can show that this preparation and again next campaign for his Everest prep.” View the full article
    • Three-year-old filly Ultimate Habit (NZ) (Embellish) took an important step toward her tilt at the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday week with a strong trial win at Te Aroha on Wednesday. The Robbie Patterson-trained filly was a stunning last-start winner of the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) and is rated a $9 chance in the Oaks in a market headed by $1.90 favourite Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park). Ultimate Habit oozed quality when coming from last in an 1100m heat on Wednesday to win under her own steam in a trial against quality older horses. “I wanted to go to the Ellerslie trials on Tuesday but we couldn’t get a suitable trial there so I have had to come here to Te Aroha,” Patterson said. “She finished off nicely against some good horses, and she’s only three with a lot ahead of her in the future.” Patterson said Ultimate Habit had made good progress since her Lowland victory, which came at just start number four for the daughter of Embellish. “She’s progressed very well. She is a beautiful filly and easy to work with,” he said. “She came home in 32.7 (for the last 600m) the other day over 2100m. They just don’t do that, so she’s something special and if we can get her to relax over the 2400m at Ellerslie, she’s going to give Ohope Wins a run for her money, I hope.” Patterson knows what it takes to prepare a New Zealand Oaks winner, having saddled last year’s winner Leica Lucy (NZ) (Derryn), who also progressed from a win in the Lowland Stakes. Equally pleased with Wednesday’s hit-out was rider Craig Grylls, who said the filly handled going right-handed for the first time with aplomb. “That was a really nice trial today,” he said. “She’s improved again. I was thinking that dropping back to an 1100 metre trial today that she might be a little bit flat. “The objective was to let her have a go around this way and it was a shame they deleted the open heats from Ellerslie yesterday so Rob’s decided to come here and I think it’s been well worth the trip. “She got around this direction with no problem and just relaxed well. All I really did was bring her into the clear with 250m to run and she’s picked them up nicely. “She’s a pretty smart filly and it looks like she’s continuing to improve so I’m really looking forward to the Oaks in a couple of weeks’ time.” Ultimate Habit was bred by Hawke’s Bay couple Graham and Isabell Roddick and stems from the same family as 11-time Group One winner Rough Habit. View the full article
    • Tyro trainer Benji King has enjoyed the reflected glory from unbeaten filly Well Written (Written Tycoon), but on Saturday he will be out to generate his very own headlines with the star of his small team, Mid Ocean (NZ) (Ocean Park). King has become well known for selecting Well Written from a Melbourne weanling sale and on-selling her a year later to Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh through Dylan Johnson Bloodstock. Instead of being disappointed about the one that got away, he has taken a positive attitude by celebrating what Well Written has achieved this season. More importantly, he’s been making definite progress as he establishes his own training operation from stables leased from the Matamata Racing Club, having prepared six winners from less than 50 starters. At Saturday’s big local meeting he’ll bid for his first stakes win with Mid Ocean in the Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (1400m) for a special client. Mid Ocean, the winner of two of her seven starts, the most recent of those at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, races in the historic colours of her breeder, Henrietta, the Dowager Duchess of Bedford. “Through my family I’ve known Henrietta for as long as I can remember and it’s a privilege to now be training for her,” he said. “She was the first person to give me a go when I decided to go training and for all sorts of reasons it would mean so much to see Mid Ocean run well on Saturday.” Matamata’s headline race, the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), was sponsored for several years by the Duchess of Bedford in memory of her late husband Robin, the Duke of Bedford. Just as significantly, the Duchess is also a good friend of Matamata’s Chittick and O’Sullivan families and was particularly close to the late Lisa Chittick, after whom Saturday’s fillies and mares’ feature is named. King is realistic about his chances of winning with Mid Ocean, who is closely related to the Bloomsbury Stud-bred Tavistock and descends from the iconic broodmare Mrs Moss. “She’s definitely got ability and we believe she deserves her chance in a race like this, but as a two-win horse she has a number of more proven horses to beat, and that wide draw (13) won’t help. “I’m trying to keep the emotion out of it, but I would love nothing more than to win this race for Henrietta, who’s very excited about the weekend. “On the positive side, Mid Ocean showed what she’s capable of when she beat a strong progressive field on Boxing Day and nothing went her way when she finished third at Ellerslie last month. “She’s not the sort of horse to star on the training track, but her Tuesday gallop was probably the best I’ve seen her work and the feedback from Sam (Collett) confirmed that. “We’ll need a race with plenty of speed so that she can hopefully slot in somewhere, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if she was to get amongst it, provided she gets the right run.” Mid Ocean apart, other members of King’s 10-horse team have been in good form this summer with the promise of more to come. Last-start Ellerslie winner Burnerphone (NZ) (Microphone) will line up on her home track later this month, and fellow lightly raced winners Predominance (NZ) (Preferment) and Empressive (NZ) (Eminent) are back from time out. King produced a likely sort in Savile Row three-year-old My Gabriel (NZ) (Savile Row) to win a trial first time of asking at Ellerslie on Tuesday, while a recent addition is former Australian galloper Blesstas (The Autumn Sun), the winner of three provincial races. “She’s by The Autumn Sun and is half-sister to a South Australian Derby winner, so it’s great to be given a chance with a horse that seems to have a fair bit going for it,” King said. View the full article
    • sigh, no wages coming in....   behavior often driven by wasting...   maybe you don't realize the unbidden behind many of your raves!!  I could continue, but na, I just be backing off...  
  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...