Hockey

And completely out of business for this girl yet we allow worse every day in racing with nothing evidently being done about it here.      

The decision to buy Victory Roll (NZ) (Belardo) for just A$2250 has paid dividends for the new connections of the Kiwi-bred three-year-old, who scored a hard-fought win in Saturday’s A$120,000 TAB Highway Plate (1800m) at Randwick. After starting his career with four unplaced starts in Queensland, the Belardo gelding was offered in an Inglis Digital online sale in March and was purchased by Goulburn trainer Pat Murphy. Victory Roll has won three of his six starts since then, banking more than A$90,000 for his new owners. “One of his owners, Jimmy Bergin, suggested I buy him,” Murphy said. “He told me he’d stay all day and the best was yet to come and he was spot on. “He paid us back when he won his first start at Wagga and now he’s added a Goulburn win and a Highway victory, so we’re over the moon. There’s still plenty more to come too.” Victory Roll was ridden to Saturday’s win by Rachel King, who slid her mount forward to sit on the outside of the leader before going for gold at the home turn. Victory Roll took a clear lead into the straight, but he looked vulnerable when the well-supported County Kilkenny (Fast Company) loomed on his outside with 200m remaining. Victory Roll responded to that challenge and lifted again, holding on to win by a head. “When County Kilkenny came at me, I thought I still had something to give,” King said. “Having the blinkers on, he just needed to get a sight of the horse. I let him drift out towards him, and when he got sight of him, he found again.” Victory Roll was bred by Transtasman Breeders Pty Ltd and has continued a remarkable season for the former Haunui Farm shuttle stallion Belardo. Since August 1 last year, Belardo’s southern hemisphere crops have produced 69 winners from 146 runners, including stakes winners Belardo Boy (NZ), Golden Path (NZ), Belardi (NZ) and Southern Warrior (NZ). The dam of Victory Roll is the Redoute’s Choice mare Invisible Coin, whose five winners from six foals to race also include the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) winner Gypsy Goddess (NZ) (Tarzino) and Listed placegetter Bitcoin (NZ) (Tarzino). View the full article

Enigmatic galloper Reign It In (NZ) (Scared Falls) returned to winning form after a frustrating twelve-month period for both the horse and his trainer Roydon Bergerson when he took out the Levin Truck Services-sponsored Open 1200m at Otaki on Saturday. The five-year-old son of Sacred Falls had won the corresponding event at the meeting in 2023 but since then his form had tapered off badly as Bergerson tried to coax him out of the slump. A promising first-up sixth at Woodville back in May had Bergerson encouraged his charge was on the way back to his best however he managed to beat just a combined two runners’ home in his next two starts. Bergerson wasn’t sure what to expect on Saturday but breathed a huge sigh of relief as Reign It In sat three wide outside the pacemakers Old Town Road (NZ) (El Roca) and Tavis Court (NZ) (Tavistock) before angling to the outside fence for apprentice Jim Chung, who had been aboard in last year’s victory. In a desperate finish Reign It In stuck his nose in front at the right time to defeat a brave Prioress (NZ) (Proisir) with Tavis Court battling well for third. Bergerson was shaking his head afterwards as he discussed the temperamental nature of the horse. “I wouldn’t like to play cards with the bugger,” Bergerson said. “He has always had ability and he got the job done today as he deserved it. “He just needed to get on a heavy track, and I did say to Jim just ride him the same way you did last year. “I had said to my kids he should be winning open handicaps every second week when the tracks get heavy and thank god he has today.” Chung was beaming as he expressed his thanks to Bergerson for giving him the ride on the horse. “I am so happy to ride a winner for Roydon,” he said. “Today I tried to do the same thing as I did last year. The track is really good (for the horses) as it’s heavy and I just had to get him rolling quite early and he did it.” Owned by the Reign It In Racing syndicate, which includes a number of Bergerson’s family, Reign It In has now won five of his 31 starts and over $129,000 in prizemoney. The win was also the first leg of a treble on the day for Chung who was also successful aboard Farravallo (NZ) (Belardo) and Make Time (NZ) (Makfi) later on the programme. View the full article

A thrilling victory for ghostly grey Hula Beat (NZ) (Redwood) in Saturday’s feature race at Te Rapa, the Callinan Family Taumarunui RSA Gold Cup (2200m), has provided trainer Stephen Marsh with a much-desired goal that he set himself at the start of the 2023-24 racing season. His stable topped $5 million in stakes won for the first time in his training career to date, a massive achievement in its own right, however Marsh had made no secret of his desire to hit the three-figure mark in wins for the third season in a row. With runners at both Otaki and Te Rapa on the day it took until the sixth event on the Te Rapa card for Marsh to strike and it was a close-run thing as Hula Beat held out race favourite Diamond Jak (NZ) (Jakkalberry) by just a head with last year’s winner Enchanted Elle (NZ) (Jakkalberry) close up in third. Superbly handled by apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll, who was having his first ride aboard the five-year-old gelding, Hula Beat settled well back in the early running before making ground between runners approaching the home turn. Lawson-Carroll squeezed him expertly between runners at the 300m and he shot to the front before holding out the late run by Diamond Jak to claim his fifth career victory. Marsh was all smiles as he described the atmosphere during the race from a large group of his friends and supporters who had gathered at Te Rapa with him. “We have had a few people here on course and in the box with us and it’s fair to say it erupted a bit,” Marsh said. “It does mean a lot as it was going to be a tough battle and I’m rapt for the team and everyone involved. “It’s just nice to go out with this for the year as I would hate to end on 99 wins. “This horse has been going really well and we wanted him to go back (in the running) which he did. “It was a beautiful ride by Ace, and I said to him just get his breathing right and he did. I was worried he would get squeezed out of a gap, but he rode a beautiful race, a mature race. “I’m not one for going the early crow and Allan Sharrock went twice and said we were home, so I nearly jumped in his arms after the race. “It was actually a bit tighter than I thought but the place erupted after the decision which is just great.” Marsh was unsure of where he would take the son of Redwood next although he was certain the promising stayer could improve further. “I will get today over and done with, but he has had a brilliant campaign,” he said. “He got a bit crook early doors but has come back well. “He loves the wetter tracks, and he loves Te Rapa and going left-handed although he has won going right-handed at Te Aroha, so we will just keep him going through (the grades).” Bred and raced by Gerry Harvey under his New Zealand Thoroughbred Holdings banner, Hula Beat is the last foal of unraced Zabeel mare Limbea (NZ). His granddam Dancing Hula (NZ) (Three Legs) is a half-sister to multiple Group One winner Love Dance (NZ) (Kaapstad) while he is also closely related to Gr.1 Railway Handicap (1200m) placegetter Tip The Wink (NZ) (Stravinsky). The victory took his career record to five wins from 23 starts and over $112,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Apprentice rider Lily Sutherland followed her pre-race instructions perfectly to land rugged four-year-old Opawa Jack (NZ) (War Decree) an impressive winner of the Open 1600m event on the card at Otaki on Saturday. The Chrissy Bambry-prepared galloper had won three of his six starts in his current campaign and came into the event off the back of a win over the same distance at Wanganui earlier in the month. Sutherland and Bambry had walked the track prior to the first race and hatched a plan to have her guide the son of War Decree wider in the home straight to capitalise on potentially firmer footing than was available against the inside rail. Sutherland followed instructions to perfection as she set up a muddling pace on the $3.10 race favourite and angled to the outside fence rounding the home bend. Eventual runner-up Sacred Pearl (NZ) (Sacred Pearl) followed her out there and the pair settled down to a decent tussle with Opawa Jack maintaining a strong gallop to land the major prize in the contest. Bambry was thrilled with the victory for a horse she believes has plenty more in store for him. “I didn’t know if there was a heap of speed in the race, but Lily knows him well and we walked the track this morning looking for the best ground and that’s exactly where she went,” Bambry said. “He still has a lot of maturing to do but he has come on heaps in this prep and he’s a good one.” Sutherland gave plenty of praise to her mount who she believes will be even more potent on a firmer surface. “He just bowls along at his own speed in front and he was going good enough to come out (wide),” she said. “He doesn’t like a wet track but is just going so well at the moment and I just tried to get as far out as I could for better ground as it’s pretty wet today.” Sutherland is in a decent fight for the National Apprentice Jockey premiership title with Niranjan Parmar as they go toe to toe with just two race days in the current season to go. Tied at the start of the day on 50 wins apiece the victory aboard Opawa Jack put Sutherland in front early in the day with racing left to come at Waverley on Sunday and Tauranga on Wednesday. Bred by southern racing legend Brian Anderton and his late wife Lorraine, Opawa Jack is out of the Nom Du Jeu mare Serve De Aunt (NZ) and has now won six of his 23 career starts. View the full article