Wandering Eyes

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Passenger (Ulysses {Ire}) will miss the G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday week as he continues his recovery from a setback which ruled him out of Royal Ascot. Sparingly raced as a three-year-old when his standout efforts included an unlucky-in-running third in the G2 Dante Stakes at York and a narrow victory in the G3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor, Passenger looked an improved model when returning from nearly nine months off with a smooth win in the G2 Huxley Stakes at Chester in May, beating the subsequent Wolferton Stakes winner Israr (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) by a length and a half in course-record time. That performance suggested Passenger has what it takes to be a major force at the top level as a four-year-old and his connections are optimistic that his return to action will prove worth the wait as they now turn their attentions to the second half of the season. “Sandown will come too soon for Passenger and we're now just playing it all by ear,” said Alan Cooper, racing manager for the Niarchos family's Flaxman Stables Ireland. “We entered him yesterday in the Juddmonte International [at York] and Sir Michael will make his recommendations in due course. “He was all set to run at Ascot in the Prince of Wales's Stakes but he got a temperature which knocked him out of Ascot unfortunately and these biological things can take a bit of time to get over. He's getting back on track. The horse will tell Sir Michael and we will go from there. “It's a good form line [with Israr] and we look forward to seeing Passenger back on track.” The post Passenger Forced to Miss City Of Troy Clash in Coral-Eclipse appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There will be a maximum of eight runners in Sunday's Irish Derby at the Curragh with Aidan O'Brien's Epsom third Los Angeles heading the four-strong assault on the race for Ballydoyle. O'Brien will also be represented by Grosvenor Square, Euphoric and The Euphrates in the mile-and-a-half showpiece. The defection of Chief Little Rock and Agenda means there will be a maximum of eight runners in a race where the supplemented Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly heads the market at odds of 11-10. A statement published on the Coolmore website read, “Ballydoyle have confirmed that Los Angeles, Grosvenor Square, Euphoric and The Euphrates will all likely take their place. “Los Angeles will look to make it back-to-back successes in the Classic under Ryan Moore following Auguste Rodin's authoritative win in 2023.” It continued, “Declan McDonogh will ensure a good even pace aboard Euphoric with Wayne Lordan and Dylan Browne McMonagle aboard the other pair. “With the request that Ballydoyle run four in the race and with four other likely starters, this will hopefully ensure field size to support the World Pool.” O'Brien will cover half of the eight-runner field, with Keeper's Heart, trained by Ger Lyons, David Menuisier's Sunway, the Roger Varian-trained Matsuri and James Fanshawe's ante-post market leader Ambiente Friendly completing the line-up after his fine second to City Of Troy at Epsom. The post Los Angeles Heads Four-Pronged O’Brien-Trained Assault On Irish Derby – Ballydoyle Runners Make Up Half Of The Field appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Sussex Stakes and the Prix Jacques le Marois are likely targets for G3 Jersey Stakes winner Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}), according to Richard Brown, advisor to the colt's owners Wathnan Racing. After placing in the 2,000 Guineas followed by a gallant effort to finish a narrow second to his Richard Hannon-trained stablemate Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) in the Irish equivalent, Haatem was deserving of his big day in the sun back over seven furlongs at the royal meeting. Haatem is now set to return to the distance that saw him perform so admirably in Classic company earlier in the season and although keen to avoid a third clash of the year with St James's Palace Stakes-winning Rosallion, a return to the highest level is on the cards. Brown said, “He will go back up to a mile almost certainly and I think we will explore further in time. “I think we will try to avoid Rosallion but all options are open at this stage. I would imagine he will go back up to Group One company and races like the Sussex and Jacques le Marois will come into play.” Haatem can be backed at odds of 7-1 for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood while Rosallion is the short-priced favourite for that mile contest at odds of 11-10. The post Group 1 Targets Over A Mile For Jersey Stakes Winner Haatem appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will present special exhibitions celebrating the legacies of Hall of Fame members Paul Mellon and Ruffian this summer when they open on Thursday, July 11, the repository said in a release Wednesday morning. “We are excited to honor and share the legacies of these two outstanding Hall of Fame members,” said curator Jessica Cloer. “Paul Mellon and Ruffian were both tremendously impactful. These exhibits are a tribute to all they achieved and their lasting influence on the sport.” A third special exhibition featuring the storied history of Harry M. Stevens Concessions is currently open in the Museum's Link Gallery. Click here to visit the Museum's website. The post National Museum Of Racing And Hall Of Fame Exhibits Highlight Summer Season appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It's a good time to be Flavien Prat. He has amassed $13.4 million in earnings so far this year, is riding regularly for the Chad Brown barn and, through the first half of the year has won 26 graded stakes, four of them worth $1 million or more. This is what he hoped for when he made the decision in 2022 to leave Southern California, where he was dominating, to come East, which is firmly established as one of the very best jockey colonies in the sport. Prat joined the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland this week to tackle a wide range of subjects, including the top horses he's riding right now. He was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week. He won Saturday's second race at Aqueduct with Unmatched Wisdom (Cairo Prince), a Brown-trained 3-year-old colt who is 2-for-2 and has the potential to be a top performer in his division. “What I like about Unmatched Wisdom is that he is running fast,” Prat said. “He has done everything right. Before his first race, everybody liked him and he was training well going into his first race. He ran well and came back and ran even better that next race. He ran a good race at Aqueduct.” Prat confirmed that he came off Catching Freedom (Constitution), who went off as the 2-5 favorite in the $500,000 Ohio Derby, to stick with Unmatched Wisdom and some of the other top mounts he had on the card at Aqueduct. Caching Freedom was a disappointing fourth. In our breeding spotlight section we took a look at the WinStar stallion Global Campaign. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association West Point Thoroughbreds and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, T.D. Thornton and Bill Finley recapped another successful Royal Ascot meet and discussed the results from the American runners. They took a look at the 3-year-old picture, hypothesizing on where top sophomores will be going next and who might be best in the division, and they also discussed the latest news with the Supreme Court and HISA. Click here to listen to the show. The post Flavien Prat Joins the TDN Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What Bendigo Races Where Bendigo Jockey Club – Heinz St, White Hills VIC 3550 When Sunday, June 27, 2024 First Race 12:30pm AEST Visit Dabble Horse racing in Victoria heads to Bendigo on Thursday, with a nine-race meeting set down for decision. A perfect day for racing is forecast, and with the track rated a Soft 5 and the rail out 9m, there will be no excuses for fancied runners. The action is set to commence at 12:30pm AEST. Best Bet at Bendigo: Major Share Undefeated through two starts, Major Share looks to have found the right race to keep that record intact. The three-year-old gelding returned from a 24-week spell with a dominant 1000m victory at this track, and with a return to the track and trip in BM64 grade, he looks too good for his rivals. Barrier two means Tom Madden will have no issue in finding the rail and dictating proceedings. Best Bet Race 6 – #3 Major Share (2) 3yo Gelding | T: Adam Chambers | J: Tom Madden (61.5kg) +110 with Picklebet Next Best at Bendigo: Scorched Lane Scorched Lane didn’t shirk the task on debut at Echuca on June 13. The Too Darn Hot colt was forced to travel three wide with no cover, only to go down by 1.5 lengths. Barrier nine is a slight query at his second start, but if Jye McNeil can have Scorched Lane settled outside the lead, he should prove too hard to hold out at the second time of asking. Next Best Race 3 – #12 Scorched Lane (9) 2yo Colt | T: Anthony & Sam Freedma | J: Jye McNeil (57.5kg) +260 with Dabble Best Value at Bendigo: Yongtai Yongtai is blessed with a strong finishing burst but consistently runs out of space before the winning post. However, the four-year-old steps up to the 1300m third-up and seemingly gets the race run to suit, with plenty of pace expected throughout. Beau Mertens will have the mare settled towards the rear of the field, and when asked for the ultimate effort, Yongtai has the turn of foot to blouse her rivals — and at a big price with horse racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 8 – #12 Yongtai (7) 4yo Mare | T: David Brideoake & Matt Jenkins | J: Beau Mertens (56.5kg) +1800 with Bet365 Thursday quaddie tips for Bendigo Bendigo quadrella selections Thursday, June 27, 2024 3-14 1-4-5-6-11 1-2-3-5-12 1-2-3-7-11 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip More racing tips View the full article

An affinity with Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth prompted Phoenix Broodmare Farm’s Damian Gleeson and Deb Gifford to make a spur-of-the-moment purchase of stakes-winning mare Zecora on Gavelhouse.com this week. The New South Wales-based couple paid $150,000 for the six-year-old mare, who won the Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) earlier this season. Super Seth had been on Gleeson and Gifford’s radar for some time, and not only because of his racetrack and stallion credentials. The Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) winner has made an immediate impact with his first two-year-olds this season, siring seven winners including Gr.3 Baillieu Handicap (1400m) winner and Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) runner-up Linebacker, unbeaten Listed winner Super Photon and the Group Two-placed Poetic Champion. “It was a very off-the-cuff purchase,” Gleeson said. “Deb and I run Phoenix Broodmare Farm, where we breed and mainly sell foals through the auction houses in Australia. “We’re over here in New Zealand on holiday at the moment, and we were interested in going to see Super Seth. We actually looked after his granddam Toast of the Coast, whose owner used to keep her on our broodmare farm. “So we were familiar with the family and always had an interest in the stallion. We wanted to go and have a look at him, and I have to say we were even more taken with him after doing that. We were very impressed. “We decided that we were going to try to find a mare to send to him this season. It all happened very quickly from there. We found out about Zecora and liked the sound of her, and then we were sitting in a restaurant in Matamata on Monday evening and bidding on her while we ate.” Zecora is by Power out of the twice-winning mare C’est La Vie, who is a full-sister to Group One winner and successful broodmare Imananabaa. Robyn and Russell Rogers trained and part-owned Zecora through a 13-start career that produced four wins and four placings, headed by her Group Three victory at Te Rapa in December. “I didn’t know Russell and Robyn before this, but we rang them about two hours before Zecora was due to be sold, then rang them again straight afterwards,” Gleeson said. “I told Russell that we were going to send the mare to Super Seth, and he said, ‘That’s funny, because that’s exactly what we were going to do with her too if we didn’t end up selling her.’ “We drove to their place the next morning and had a look at the mare, and we’re absolutely delighted with our purchase. It’s one of those interesting stories of fate, that’s for sure.” Stakes winner Chokito was bought by Byerley Bloodstock’s Liam Peters Photo: Race Images Christchurch Fellow stakes-winning mare Chokito was also snapped up by an Australian buyer on Monday, selling to bloodstock agent Liam Peters for $85,000 under his Byerley Bloodstock banner. The daughter of Vespa won seven of her 39 starts including the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m). Peters knows the family well, having brokered the private sale earlier this season of her half-sister Luvnwar. The three-year-old filly had raced three times from the Terri Rae stable at that stage, winning on the Riccarton synthetic track and producing an eye-catching performance for third in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. Now in the care of Western Australian trainer Michael Grantham and racing in the colours of Peters’ grandfather Bob, Luvnwar has added another two wins to her record including a valuable black-type success in last Saturday’s Listed Belmont Guineas (1600m). Inglewood Stud’s emerging stallion War Decree looms as a leading candidate for Chokito’s mating this spring. Not only is he the sire of Luvnwar, but he also hit trans-Tasman headlines earlier this month with his son Warmonger’s runaway Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) victory at Eagle Farm. View the full article

An affinity with Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth prompted Phoenix Broodmare Farm’s Damian Gleeson and Deb Gifford to make a spur-of-the-moment purchase of stakes-winning mare Zecora on Gavelhouse.com this week. The New South Wales-based couple paid $150,000 for the six-year-old mare, who won the Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) earlier this season. Super Seth had been on Gleeson and Gifford’s radar for some time, and not only because of his racetrack and stallion credentials. The Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) winner has made an immediate impact with his first two-year-olds this season, siring seven winners including Gr.3 Baillieu Handicap (1400m) winner and Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) runner-up Linebacker, unbeaten Listed winner Super Photon and the Group Two-placed Poetic Champion. “It was a very off-the-cuff purchase,” Gleeson said. “Deb and I run Phoenix Broodmare Farm, where we breed and mainly sell foals through the auction houses in Australia. “We’re over here in New Zealand on holiday at the moment, and we were interested in going to see Super Seth. We actually looked after his granddam Toast of the Coast, whose owner used to keep her on our broodmare farm. “So we were familiar with the family and always had an interest in the stallion. We wanted to go and have a look at him, and I have to say we were even more taken with him after doing that. We were very impressed. “We decided that we were going to try to find a mare to send to him this season. It all happened very quickly from there. We found out about Zecora and liked the sound of her, and then we were sitting in a restaurant in Matamata on Monday evening and bidding on her while we ate.” Zecora is by Power out of the twice-winning mare C’est La Vie, who is a full-sister to Group One winner and successful broodmare Imananabaa. Robyn and Russell Rogers trained and part-owned Zecora through a 13-start career that produced four wins and four placings, headed by her Group Three victory at Te Rapa in December. “I didn’t know Russell and Robyn before this, but we rang them about two hours before Zecora was due to be sold, then rang them again straight afterwards,” Gleeson said. “I told Russell that we were going to send the mare to Super Seth, and he said, ‘That’s funny, because that’s exactly what we were going to do with her too if we didn’t end up selling her.’ “We drove to their place the next morning and had a look at the mare, and we’re absolutely delighted with our purchase. It’s one of those interesting stories of fate, that’s for sure.” Stakes winner Chokito was bought by Byerley Bloodstock’s Liam Peters Photo: Race Images Christchurch Fellow stakes-winning mare Chokito was also snapped up by an Australian buyer on Monday, selling to bloodstock agent Liam Peters for $85,000 under his Byerley Bloodstock banner. The daughter of Vespa won seven of her 39 starts including the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m). Peters knows the family well, having brokered the private sale earlier this season of her half-sister Luvnwar. The three-year-old filly had raced three times from the Terri Rae stable at that stage, winning on the Riccarton synthetic track and producing an eye-catching performance for third in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. Now in the care of Western Australian trainer Michael Grantham and racing in the colours of Peters’ grandfather Bob, Luvnwar has added another two wins to her record including a valuable black-type success in last Saturday’s Listed Belmont Guineas (1600m). Inglewood Stud’s emerging stallion War Decree looms as a leading candidate for Chokito’s mating this spring. Not only is he the sire of Luvnwar, but he also hit trans-Tasman headlines earlier this month with his son Warmonger’s runaway Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) victory at Eagle Farm. View the full article

An affinity with Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth prompted Phoenix Broodmare Farm’s Damian Gleeson and Deb Gifford to make a spur-of-the-moment purchase of stakes-winning mare Zecora on Gavelhouse.com this week. The New South Wales-based couple paid $150,000 for the six-year-old mare, who won the Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) earlier this season. Super Seth had been on Gleeson and Gifford’s radar for some time, and not only because of his racetrack and stallion credentials. The Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) winner has made an immediate impact with his first two-year-olds this season, siring seven winners including Gr.3 Baillieu Handicap (1400m) winner and Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) runner-up Linebacker, unbeaten Listed winner Super Photon and the Group Two-placed Poetic Champion. “It was a very off-the-cuff purchase,” Gleeson said. “Deb and I run Phoenix Broodmare Farm, where we breed and mainly sell foals through the auction houses in Australia. “We’re over here in New Zealand on holiday at the moment, and we were interested in going to see Super Seth. We actually looked after his granddam Toast of the Coast, whose owner used to keep her on our broodmare farm. “So we were familiar with the family and always had an interest in the stallion. We wanted to go and have a look at him, and I have to say we were even more taken with him after doing that. We were very impressed. “We decided that we were going to try to find a mare to send to him this season. It all happened very quickly from there. We found out about Zecora and liked the sound of her, and then we were sitting in a restaurant in Matamata on Monday evening and bidding on her while we ate.” Zecora is by Power out of the twice-winning mare C’est La Vie, who is a full-sister to Group One winner and successful broodmare Imananabaa. Robyn and Russell Rogers trained and part-owned Zecora through a 13-start career that produced four wins and four placings, headed by her Group Three victory at Te Rapa in December. “I didn’t know Russell and Robyn before this, but we rang them about two hours before Zecora was due to be sold, then rang them again straight afterwards,” Gleeson said. “I told Russell that we were going to send the mare to Super Seth, and he said, ‘That’s funny, because that’s exactly what we were going to do with her too if we didn’t end up selling her.’ “We drove to their place the next morning and had a look at the mare, and we’re absolutely delighted with our purchase. It’s one of those interesting stories of fate, that’s for sure.” Stakes winner Chokito was bought by Byerley Bloodstock’s Liam Peters Photo: Race Images Christchurch Fellow stakes-winning mare Chokito was also snapped up by an Australian buyer on Monday, selling to bloodstock agent Liam Peters for $85,000 under his Byerley Bloodstock banner. The daughter of Vespa won seven of her 39 starts including the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m). Peters knows the family well, having brokered the private sale earlier this season of her half-sister Luvnwar. The three-year-old filly had raced three times from the Terri Rae stable at that stage, winning on the Riccarton synthetic track and producing an eye-catching performance for third in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. Now in the care of Western Australian trainer Michael Grantham and racing in the colours of Peters’ grandfather Bob, Luvnwar has added another two wins to her record including a valuable black-type success in last Saturday’s Listed Belmont Guineas (1600m). Inglewood Stud’s emerging stallion War Decree looms as a leading candidate for Chokito’s mating this spring. Not only is he the sire of Luvnwar, but he also hit trans-Tasman headlines earlier this month with his son Warmonger’s runaway Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) victory at Eagle Farm. View the full article

Patience with My Chablis has paid dividends for Stephen Marsh as the filly secured the second win of her brief career at the Cambridge Synthetic on Wednesday. A rising four-year-old, My Chablis made her debut in mid-January but was put aside until the polytrack meeting on June 12, where she collected her maiden success at start two over 970m. Stepping into Rating 65 grade in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1300m), the daughter of Burgundy was rated a $5.50 chance behind the well-performed Tears Of Victory and Pax Mundi. In the hands of her regular rider Courtney Barnes, My Chablis was forced to travel three-wide in the small field after jumping positively from gate five, as Tears Of Victory led the field through the running. Barnes placed pressure on My Chablis nearing the home bend and she got into a strongly contested battle to the line, eventually coming out on top over a fast-finishing Don’t Look Ethel and Tears Of Victory, while Pax Mundi never saw clear air placing her back in the field. Assistant trainer Rhys Mildon represented Marsh at the meeting, indicating the three-year-old may be set for a higher-stakes synthetic race if the opportunity arises. “It was another tough run, she was stepping up another 330m in distance and she was three-wide the whole way, so I couldn’t have been more impressed to be fair,” Mildon said. “We would’ve forgiven her for getting tired and running third, but she dug deep and she’s a really gutsy filly. “She’ll probably come back here in a fortnight if she’s all good, at this time of the year we’ll keep her off the heavy grass tracks. “She may just have one more here and we’ll reassess, there may be a big money race on the synthetic but I’m not sure what Stephen has in mind for her, possibly one of the final races. “She just had a couple of fetlock issues earlier in her career, but Stephen has been really patient with her and it’s certainly paying off now.” A daughter of three-win mare Rio Nugget, My Chablis is a half-sister to Group One-performer turned sire Ferrando, and was bred by Mapua Bloodstock Ltd. She has earned $19,040 in prizemoney from three starts for connections, which include All Black Damien McKenzie. Marsh will be represented across the North and South Islands through the rest of the week, with runners at the Riccarton Synthetic on Thursday and Ruakaka on Saturday. Miss Nico Belle will headline the Riccarton contingent when she contests the National Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus – Ends 10 July (1200m), while consistent gelding Winning For All lines up in the Northpine Waipu Cup (1200m) in the far north. “His (Winning For All) work has been really good but he’s just taken a few runs to get fit this time,” Mildon said. “He’s drawn well (four) in a small field so he’s probably one of our better chances on Saturday at the low weight.” Sam Spratt will partner the Shooting To Win gelding, while Masa Hashizume has been engaged aboard last-start winner The Exponent when he contests the Truweld Engineering (1400m). “Everything went right that day for him to get a win on the poly, but I think he’s a better grass track horse in time,” Mildon said. “Being an open three-year-old race it’s certainly a lot tougher than last-start, but if he can get a forward position and a bit of luck in the running, he’ll be there or thereabouts that’s for sure.” View the full article

It was a case of like father, like son at Cambridge on Wednesday when Davey Ellis recorded his first training win courtesy of Spectrier in the in the Cambridge Equine Hospital 1550. Ellis, 40, is the son of Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, who as well as founding and operating the thoroughbred behemoth, also trained at the turn of the century, recording three victories in the 2000/01 season. Ellis junior has been surrounded by horses his entire life and said his passion for the animal began on the rolling hill country of Te Akau Stud. “I grew up on Dad’s sheep station and I was saddling my ponies to go and see my mates and getting the sheep in down off the hills,” he said. While Ellis started to follow in his father’s footsteps into the racing industry, he found a career as a farrier more alluring, and has followed that path after working for numerous trainers on both sides of the Tasman. “I have worked for well over 30 different trainers before I started shoeing horses,” Ellis said. “I have worked for pretty much every trainer in Matamata and lots of trainers in Cambridge. I have worked in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.” While he enjoyed his time in racing stables, the lifestyle of a full-time trainer didn’t appeal, and he pursued his farrier apprenticeship under Kym Hughes and Malcolm Telfer. “With the lifestyle, you have to be pretty dedicated to be a full-time trainer,” Ellis said. “With family life, shoeing horses you can be done by 2pm on a Friday afternoon and have the rest of the weekend to do as you please, and I have got a lot of other hobbies as well.” Racing will always be in the blood for Ellis, and he has enjoyed training Spectrier before work every morning. “This is only my second horse I have trained, so this is just a hobby for me. He is the only horse I have in work, it is just a little bit of fun. I more enjoy just training the horse really,” he said. Ellis was rapt to get the win on Wednesday, with Spectrier having finished runner-up first-up at the track earlier this month. “He went a good second in his first-up run and he had improved a little bit through the week,” he said. Spectrier was initially purchased as a weanling by David Ellis senior out of Rich Hill Stud’s 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock May Yearling Sale draft for $80,000 and found his way to his son’s care after he didn’t meet the mark at Te Akau Racing. “Dad bought him as a weanling and they (Te Akau) trained him, but he wasn’t going too well for them. I liked the look of the horse and decided to take him on,” Ellis said. Ellis said he does all the work with the horse, which made Wednesday’s victory all the more enjoyable. “I ride his trackwork and strap him, I do the whole thing,” he said. “If my horse goes somewhere I have got to take him.” View the full article

Scotty Macnab looks forward to competing in The New Zealand Hunts’ Association Duke Of Gloucester Cup (2100m) every season, and he will be aiming for a third crown in the iconic amateurs event on Saturday at Hastings. Macnab has been New Zealand’s most successful amateur rider for the better part of a decade, winning the Flair Amateur Rider Series five times, including last year’s edition staged through the winter and early spring. A farmer from Wanganui, Macnab followed in the footsteps of his father Dave in competing in the series, while his niece Sarah (O’Malley) also won the title in 2016 before commencing her apprenticeship. “I fell into doing these races really, I wanted to look at how Kevin Myers did his horses in the mornings and went there one day with Jo Rathbone,” Macnab said. “As soon as I got there, Kevin went into the tack room, came out with a pair of boots and told me to get on a horse. I had no intention of riding when I was going there whatsoever.” Myers and Macnab have been an unstoppable force in the amateur races since he commenced race riding, with their multitude of wins as a combination including Macnab’s first and long-awaited success in the Duke of Gloucester Cup of 2017, which he swiftly followed up with another in 2018. The race is contested every year at a different venue, dating back to 1935 when Prince Henry attended the Marton Jockey Club meeting and rode in the amateur race before donating the trophy. “My father won four of them, and that was my goal right from the start to win one. It took me so long to get that first one, it’s not easy and it’s the biggest race for us for the year,” Macnab said. “It’s a big highlight, especially for those of us that have ridden in the races for a little while, it becomes more and more of a prestige. Some of the kids in their first or second year don’t realise that it is the be all and end all of amateur riding, so if you’ve won a Duke of Gloucester you’ve done pretty well.” Macnab picked up where he left off last season in the first amateur race of the year at Hawera when winning aboard Myers’ five-year-old Rakanui, and he will partner last-start hurdle winner Run Jakko Run in the Epic Journey’s USA / Canada 2025 on Thursday at Te Aroha. “This year I haven’t been riding very much at Kevin’s, just once or twice a week, but I won on Rakanui at the Castlepoint Beach Races and liked him,” Macnab said. “My manager Jason (Myers), as he likes to think, rang me up and said he thought this horse would go alright, and he was right which was good. “I’ve got a seven-hour drive up now to Te Aroha with Kevin’s horses, and apparently if we get a winner we can put a lolly on our ice-cream on the way home. “Jakko is a bit of a character, I’m not quite as confident for tomorrow as I was riding Rakanui.” Myers has five runners accepted into Saturday’s Duke of Gloucester Cup and each in good form, but which Macnab will partner remains to be seen. “I’ll be riding one of Kevin’s on Saturday, I’m not sure which one yet though so I just look at the website when it comes out,” he said. “I just usually ride the horses that Kevin needs me to ride, I won’t really ride for anyone else because if they have a kid that wants to have a go in the amateurs, I’d rather see them have a turn and keep it going.” More recent rule changes including no whip-use behind the saddle have changed the landscape of the amateur races in Macnab’s perspective, and how they prepare the budding apprentices for professional riding. “The amateur races nowadays are so much more professional, you don’t get silly stuff happening. But I do worry that the kids that are riding these days aren’t readying themselves enough for being an apprentice,” he said. “We aren’t allowed to whip the horses, and as soon as they become apprentices, they’re expected to go out there and not only whip the horse, but also count how many whips they are doing so they don’t get fined, which is happening every week. “I think they took it out to make the amateurs look better because we do all have our own styles, and it does help, but possibly even just allowing us to hit them twice or three times, just so the kids start learning to count. “A big part of it as well is getting them into the race day scene with being on TV and all the dramas that come with that. If they can get somewhat used to that before going into the professional ranks, it has got to be better for them. “I would love to see a riding mentor bring all of the riders in to watch the replay, and tell us what happened in the race and why. “It wouldn’t be picking holes in anyone at all, more just to explain so the riders can understand and know for next time. We only race once every three or four weeks usually, so you get so nervous and built up for the one race. You can’t turn around two races later on the day and change something, it’s really a one-off. “I would find that very beneficial personally, even just having someone to help us walk the track before the race to show where it’s heavy or chopped up.” Macnab has seen plenty of high-profile racing figures use the amateur series to get their start, something he would like to see continue into future years. “There are lots of kids that have gone on to do really well, when I first started Rosie Myers (Fell) was in the amateurs and we all know what she went on and did as a jockey,” he said. “Aaron Kuru is a good mate of mine and I used to ride with him, he was a very good rider then and you could see he was always going to do well, same with Shaun Fannin. A lot have had a go at it and moved on, which is what it’s all about. “I’ve been retiring for a long time, pretty much every year, but Kevin keeps putting my name down in the book, so I keep turning up. But I do love it, and the moment I don’t, I’ll give it up.” View the full article

Talented mare Betty Spaghetti is one of a number of well-performed younger horses recently welcomed back into Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong’s Riccarton operation. The daughter of Stratum Star has put together a tidy record of four wins and five minor placings, including a credit at black-type level, from 14 starts and has returned to the stable to build toward her spring preparation. Fellow stakes performers Quintabelle, Miss Layla and promising two-year-old Lil Zena are also among those to have come back into the system following time in the paddock. “Over half the team are young horses and it’s going to be exciting to get them up and going,” Furlong said. Betty Spaghetti’s form through her last campaign earned her a trip north earlier this year to Trentham where she was devoid of any luck in two appearances. She was unplaced in the Gr.3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) after being denied any room to improve in the straight and a week later finished fifth in the inaugural $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m), again having no favours in the running. “She didn’t have a lot of luck, but we were still pretty happy with her,” Furlong said. “She has come back this week and she’s a very capable mare who has really developed with a good, long spell. “She looks like a much more mature mare now.” Quintabelle’s last three appearances included a runner-up finish in the Southland Guineas (1600m), third in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m). The daughter of Embellish went for a break after her fourth in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) after blundering at barrier rise. “She had a good season and was a bit unlucky not to pick up a nice race, but still excellent to get some black type with her. She has just come back in as well,” Furlong said. Last season’s Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) winner Miss Layla added to her record last time in when the Burgundy mare ran third in the Gr.3 Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and was second in the Listed Timaru Stakes (1400m). Lil Zena was given three runs through the autumn with the U S Navy Flag filly’s stand-out performances a pair of thirds, including in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m), behind the unbeaten Nucleozor. “She did really well in her first prep and she’ll get ready for the three-year-old fillies’ races,” Furlong said. The stable will have sparce representation through the winter months with Wiseman’s Diva their only representative at Wednesday’s meeting on the all-weather track. “It’s not our time of the year, we don’t generally have winter horses and we’re more prepping for the spring,” Furlong said. To be ridden by Ashvin Goindasamy, Wiseman’s Diva will be given an opportunity to turn her form around from an inside gate in the Entain-NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1400m). “She’s been a bit disappointing and we’ve tried a couple of different things with her,” Furlong said. “She has drawn well, which is a bonus, but she needs to step up.” View the full article

Te Akau Racing have had another stellar season and some of their stars that contributed to their success have returned to their Matamata barn to try and continue their dominance next term. The Waikato Stud-bred and raced Skew Wiff was the stable’s first Group One winner for the season, and consequently co-trainer Sam Bergerson’s first elite-level training triumph, following her victory in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings. She subsequently crossed the Tasman where she won the Gr.3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day. The daughter of Savabeel has returned to New Zealand and has enjoyed a month off at Waikato Stud before returning to trainers Mark Walker and Bergerson’s Matamata barn where she is preparing for another early spring assault. “She has done really well and has put on a lot of weight in a short period of time,” Bergerson told Trackside. “She has come back in good order and has been here (racing stable) just shy of two weeks but seems to have settled back in well. “We will probably look to do the same again (as last season). It (Tarzino Trophy) was my first Group One win, which was a massive thrill, so she certainly holds a special place in my heart. “We will look to trial her at Te Rapa in early August, head to the Foxbridge (Gr.2, 1200m) and then Tarzino. We will then just reassess plans and sit down with Mark (Chittick, Waikato Stud) and see whether they want to put her in-foal or we keep going if she is in fantastic form. We will just have to wait and see.” Campionessa is another that has returned from Melbourne. The rising seven-year-old mare was a standout in New Zealand over summer, winning the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m), Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2050m) and runner-up in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m). She continued that good form in Australia when victorious in the Gr.2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) and placed in the Gr.2 Sunline Stakes (1600m). “We got her back in the spring and she went a couple of okay races and then picked up a bug,” Bergerson said. “We turned her out and she came back in and was racing in fantastic form over Christmas and went to Australia and did a fantastic job. “She has done really well (spelling). She didn’t actually have that long out at Te Akau Stud but put on a lot of weight in a short period of time. We thought we better get her back in before we would have been spending a lot of time trying to strip the weight off her, she does so well. “We have pencilled her in for (a trial) early August at Te Rapa, like a lot of the good horses, and then we will map it out from there on how she comes up. That (Tarzino Trophy) seems a likely option.” Group One winners Quintessa and Move To Strike have also returned to Te Akau’s Matamata barn in preparation for their spring targets. “It (Levin Classic) was a huge win (for Quintessa),” Bergerson said. “It was a tough, gutsy effort aided by a fantastic ride from Opie (Bosson), who seems to get on wonderfully with her. “She had a good month off at Te Akau and is another one like Campionessa that did really well in a short space of time. She seemed to have enjoyed her time off and she came back via the water treadmill. We are slowly getting the work into her now and stripping that weight off. “It is extremely exciting to have Move To Strike back, he is a lovely animal to do anything with. He has done really well in his break, he had a good spell there after Manawatu (Sires’ Produce) and is growing into a lovely animal. “He has put on plenty of weight, so he is on a bit of a diet as we look to get him fitter and aim him towards the 2000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m) at Riccarton.” View the full article

New Zealand syndicator Go Racing is enjoying a pleasing season and hit a major milestone earlier this month. Quality Time’s win at Ruakaka on June 8 took their stakes earnings past the $6 million mark for Go Racing’s owners this term, capping a remarkable season. “It has been a wonderful season for our owners,” Go Racing Director Albert Bosma said. “We have won Group One races in New Zealand with Velocious, in Australia with Atishu and had stakes performers in Ireland, France and England. “Just last week Je Zous ran a hard finishing fifth in the Gr.2 Ribblesdale Stakes (2400m) at Royal Ascot. “I think what we have achieved is unique as I don’t believe any New Zealand thoroughbred racing operation has had stakes performers in five different countries in a season before. “A massive thanks go to our staff who work incredibly hard for our owners and are passionate about looking after them and achieving the success they have had.” Bosma credits their international success to their ability to be flexible with their horses and place them in environments where they will thrive. “We are a boutique operation and don’t have the numbers of the big stables in New Zealand,” he said. “However, what we do have is the ability to place horses globally for owners and change tack when it is best for the horse, not just following the same traditional lines or keeping them in the same stable. “The ability to give options for individual horses produces the results. Quality Time is a great example of this, he started in Germany, we moved him to Australia and now have him with Kylie Hoskin in New Zealand. He is approaching $500,000 in stake money and can go well beyond that. “Last year we bought 11 total, including Karaka Million winner Velocious – we are boutique and targeted compared to some of the mammoth racing operations.” Newly appointed General Manager Matt Allnutt was thrilled with the results gained during his first season in the role. “The thing I am most proud of is our relationship with owners,” he said. “Many stay with us long-term and we get to know them beyond just a business relationship. We had 12 owners fly to Royal Ascot last week to support their horse, the second time in two years we have had a runner at Royal Ascot, and creating events like this for them is very special”. Allnutt is feeling confident the winning momentum will continue into the new season. “I believe we have bought well in New Zealand, Australia and Europe this year in what has been a patchy market,” he said. “We want to improve on our record-breaking season and would like to have stakes-horses in more than five countries this coming season. I think we have the firepower to do that.” View the full article

Ross Beckett will head to Riccarton’s Synthetic meeting on Thursday with a handful of runners, including a couple of favourites. Last start winner Gemma Flitz heads the market in the National Breeding Stock Sale On Gavelhouse Plus – Ends 10 July (1200m) and Beckett is hopeful of a repeat performance on the surface. The daughter of Telperion has been in good form this preparation, finishing runner-up in her two races prior to posting her third career victory, and Beckett said she has continued to please in her work. “It was good to get that win and she has come through the run well. Her work has been good and she is up to the mark,” he said. Beckett said Riccarton’s polytrack is a key tool for his barn over the winter months. “She likes a firm track on the grass as well, but she handles the synthetic. She wouldn’t be in work if it wasn’t for the synthetic track,” he said. “That is what is good about the synthetic, her and Voice Over, and those sort of horses, you can keep going with them (over winter). “Donovan (Cooper, apprentice jockey) is back on, he does a good job.” Voice Over is another favoured runner for Beckett in the Cup Week Hospitality On Sale (1200m), sitting on the second line of betting at $4.50 behind Angels Wings at $3.20. Formerly trained by Peter Didham, Voice Over has had two starts for Beckett on Riccarton’s synthetic for a win and a second, and he is hoping the son of U S Navy Flag can continue that form this week where he will utilise the three-kilogram claim of Cooper, bring his impost down to 57kg. “He is only a very small horse, so the three kilograms helps him a lot,” Beckett said. “His form has been very good, I am more than happy with him.” Stablemate Muzzle Cat is a $4.20 favourite in the Entain – NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race Mdn (1400m) with TAB bookmakers, while Drake’s Drum and Montero will round out Beckett’s Riccarton quintet in the Speight’s Summit Ultra On Tap Maiden (1200m) and The Show Gate Riccarton Park Maiden (1600m) respectively. “Muzzle Cat has just been getting a bit far back in her races,” Beckett said. “Hopefully tomorrow we can ride her a bit handier and she should be quite competitive. “Drake’s Drum copped a fair bit of interference last start, so he had his excuses, but he ran third and went well. “The mile will suit Montero, but he is going to have to put his hand up and put some money in the till shortly.” View the full article

The final Group 1 race of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival, the 2024 Tattersall’s Tiara, promises to be a thrilling contest with a capacity field of fillies and mares set to do battle at Eagle Farm this Saturday. The entries are headed by the in-form mare Bella Nipotina, who comes off a runner-up finish in […] The post Bella Nipotina Leads the Charge in Tattersall’s Tiara 2024 appeared first on HorseRacing.com.au. View the full article

What Wyong Races Where Wyong Race Club – 71-73 Howarth St, Wyong NSW 2259 When Thursday, June 27, 2024 First Race 12pm AEST Visit Dabble Wyong is the destination for NSW racing on Thursday afternoon, with a competitive eight-part program set for decision. The rail moves out +3m the entire circuit, and with nothing but sunny skies forecast in the lead-up, punters can expect the surface to be a genuine Good 4 prior to the opening event at 12pm local time. Check out our best bets and quaddie numbers for the meeting on June 27. Best Bet at Wyong: Pink Shalala Pink Shalala returns after a 385-day spell, and although it’s been a lengthy break for the son of Shaala, he looks primed to strike first-up. His recent trial at Rosehill on June 11 caught the eye, going on to score by a nose as he held out the likes of Captain Eagle and Dipsy Doodle. Gate one should allow Kerrin McEvoy to stalk the speed throughout, and provided he can bring that trial form to race-day, this lightly raced three-year-old will be hard to hold out. Best Bet Race 1 – #2 Pink Shalala (1) 3yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Kerrin McEvoy (59kg) +100 with Bet365 Next Best at Wyong: Tommy Thug The Michael Freedman-trained Tommy Thug impressed on Australian debut, only beaten by two lengths at Newcastle on June 15. The Irish import chased wide without cover on that occasion, still managing to hit the line well over the unsuitable 1500m journey. The margin back to third was another 2.8 lengths, suggesting there’s still plenty to come from this winless four-year-old. The 2000m second-up looks ideal, so with a bit more luck in transit this time should have Tommy Thug figuring in the finish. Next Best Race 5 – #7 Tommy Thug (7) 4yo Gelding | T: Michael Freedman | J: Jean Van Overmiere (56.5kg) +400 with Neds Best Value at Wyong: Snuba Snuba was awful on debut at Warwick Farm on June 5 but had clear excuses, with the post-race veterinary report detailing the three-year-old filly had respiratory issues throughout the run. She was forced to trial at Randwick on June 14, with the daughter of Deep Field seemingly recovering well, cruising through the wire under her own steam. She looks progressive, and provided Rory Hutchings can find cover from gate 10, Snuba should give a bold sight at good odds with online bookmakers. Best Value Race 4 – #9 Snuba (10) 3yo Filly | T: Chris Waller | J: Rory Hutchings (57kg) +700 with PlayUp Wyong Thursday quaddie picks – 27/6/2024 Wyong quadrella selections Thursday, June 27, 2024 6-7-10 1-2-3 2-3-5-10-11 1-2-3-4-5-6 Horse racing tips
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Gemma Flitz will lineup at Riccarton’s synthetic meeting on Thursday. Photo: Race Images South Ross Beckett will head to Riccarton’s Synthetic meeting on Thursday with a handful of runners, including a couple of favourites. Last start winner Gemma Flitz heads the market with top horse racing bookmakers and Beckett is hopeful of a repeat performance on the surface. The daughter of Telperion has been in good form this preparation, finishing runner-up in her two races prior to posting her third career victory, and Beckett said she has continued to please in her work. “It was good to get that win and she has come through the run well. Her work has been good and she is up to the mark,” he said. Beckett said Riccarton’s polytrack is a key tool for his barn over the winter months. “She likes a firm track on the grass as well, but she handles the synthetic. She wouldn’t be in work if it wasn’t for the synthetic track,” he said. “That is what is good about the synthetic, her and Voice Over, and those sort of horses, you can keep going with them (over winter). “Donovan (Cooper, apprentice jockey) is back on, he does a good job.” Voice Over is another favoured runner for Beckett, sitting on the second line of betting at $4.50 behind Angels Wings at $3.20. Formerly trained by Peter Didham, Voice Over has had two starts for Beckett on Riccarton’s synthetic for a win and a second, and he is hoping the son of U S Navy Flag can continue that form this week where he will utilise the three-kilogram claim of Cooper, bring his impost down to 57kg. “He is only a very small horse, so the three kilograms helps him a lot,” Beckett said. “His form has been very good, I am more than happy with him.” Stablemate Muzzle Cat is a $4.20 favourite with horse racing betting sites, while Drake’s Drum and Montero will round out Beckett’s Riccarton quintet. “Muzzle Cat has just been getting a bit far back in her races,” Beckett said. “Hopefully tomorrow we can ride her a bit handier and she should be quite competitive. “Drake’s Drum copped a fair bit of interference last start, so he had his excuses, but he ran third and went well. “The mile will suit Montero, but he is going to have to put his hand up and put some money in the till shortly.” Horse racing news View the full article

My Chablis winning at Cambridge Synthetic on Wednesday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Patience with My Chablis has paid dividends for Stephen Marsh as the filly secured the second win of her brief career at the Cambridge Synthetic on Wednesday. A rising four-year-old, My Chablis made her debut in mid-January but was put aside until the polytrack meeting on June 12, where she collected her maiden success at start two over 970m. Stepping into Rating 65 grade, the daughter of Burgundy was rated a $5.50 chance with horse racing bookmakers behind the well-performed Tears Of Victory and Pax Mundi. In the hands of her regular rider, Courtney Barnes, My Chablis was forced to travel three-wide in the small field after jumping positively from gate five, as Tears Of Victory led the field through the running. Barnes placed pressure on My Chablis nearing the home bend and she got into a strongly contested battle to the line, eventually coming out on top over a fast-finishing Don’t Look Ethel and Tears Of Victory, while Pax Mundi never saw clear air placing her back in the field. Assistant trainer Rhys Mildon represented Marsh at the meeting, indicating the three-year-old may be set for a higher-stakes synthetic race if the opportunity arises. “It was another tough run, she was stepping up another 330m in distance and she was three-wide the whole way, so I couldn’t have been more impressed to be fair,” Mildon said. “We would’ve forgiven her for getting tired and running third, but she dug deep and she’s a really gutsy filly. “She’ll probably come back here in a fortnight if she’s all good, at this time of the year we’ll keep her off the heavy grass tracks. “She may just have one more here and we’ll reassess, there may be a big money race on the synthetic but I’m not sure what Stephen has in mind for her, possibly one of the final races. “She just had a couple of fetlock issues earlier in her career, but Stephen has been really patient with her and it’s certainly paying off now.” A daughter of three-win mare Rio Nugget, My Chablis is a half-sister to Group One-performer turned sire Ferrando, and was bred by Mapua Bloodstock Ltd. She has earned $19,040 in prizemoney from three starts for connections, which include All Black Damien McKenzie. Marsh will be represented across the North and South Islands through the rest of the week, with runners at the Riccarton Synthetic on Thursday and Ruakaka on Saturday. Miss Nico Belle will headline the Riccarton contingent, while consistent gelding Winning For All lines up in the Northpine Waipu Cup (1200m) in the far north. “His (Winning For All) work has been really good but he’s just taken a few runs to get fit this time,” Mildon said. “He’s drawn well (four) in a small field so he’s probably one of our better chances on Saturday at the low weight.” Sam Spratt will partner the Shooting To Win gelding, while Masa Hashizume has been engaged aboard last-start winner The Exponent. “Everything went right that day for him to get a win on the poly, but I think he’s a better grass track horse in time,” Mildon said. “Being an open three-year-old race it’s certainly a lot tougher than last-start, but if he can get a forward position and a bit of luck in the running, he’ll be there or thereabouts that’s for sure.” Horse racing news View the full article

Matamata trainer Davey Ellis. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) It was a case of like father, like son at Cambridge on Wednesday when Davey Ellis recorded his first training win courtesy of Spectrier. Ellis, 40, is the son of Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, who as well as founding and operating the thoroughbred behemoth, also trained at the turn of the century, recording three victories in the 2000/01 season. Ellis junior has been surrounded by horses his entire life and said his passion for the animal began on the rolling hill country of Te Akau Stud. “I grew up on Dad’s sheep station and I was saddling my ponies to go and see my mates and getting the sheep in down off the hills,” he said. While Ellis started to follow in his father’s footsteps into the racing industry, he found a career as a farrier more alluring, and has followed that path after working for numerous trainers on both sides of the Tasman. “I have worked for well over 30 different trainers before I started shoeing horses,” Ellis said. “I have worked for pretty much every trainer in Matamata and lots of trainers in Cambridge. I have worked in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.” While he enjoyed his time in racing stables, the lifestyle of a full-time trainer didn’t appeal, and he pursued his farrier apprenticeship under Kym Hughes and Malcolm Telfer. “With the lifestyle, you have to be pretty dedicated to be a full-time trainer,” Ellis said. “With family life, shoeing horses you can be done by 2pm on a Friday afternoon and have the rest of the weekend to do as you please, and I have got a lot of other hobbies as well.” Racing will always be in the blood for Ellis, and he has enjoyed training Spectrier before work every morning. “This is only my second horse I have trained, so this is just a hobby for me. He is the only horse I have in work, it is just a little bit of fun. I more enjoy just training the horse really,” he said. Ellis was rapt to get the win on Wednesday, with Spectrier having finished runner-up first-up at the track earlier this month. “He went a good second in his first-up run and he had improved a little bit through the week,” he said. Spectrier was initially purchased as a weanling by David Ellis senior out of Rich Hill Stud’s 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock May Yearling Sale draft for $80,000 and found his way to his son’s care after he didn’t meet the mark at Te Akau Racing. “Dad bought him as a weanling and they (Te Akau) trained him, but he wasn’t going too well for them. I liked the look of the horse and decided to take him on,” Ellis said. Ellis said he does all the work with the horse, which made Wednesday’s victory all the more enjoyable. “I ride his trackwork and strap him, I do the whole thing,” he said. “If my horse goes somewhere I have got to take him.” Horse racing news View the full article

Skew Wiff winning the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings last year. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Te Akau Racing have had another stellar season and some of their stars that contributed to their success have returned to their Matamata barn to try and continue their dominance next term. The Waikato Stud-bred and raced Skew Wiff was the stable’s first Group One winner for the season, and consequently co-trainer Sam Bergerson’s first elite-level training triumph, following her victory in the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings. She subsequently crossed the Tasman where she won the Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day. The daughter of Savabeel has returned to New Zealand and has enjoyed a month off at Waikato Stud before returning to trainers Mark Walker and Bergerson’s Matamata barn where she is preparing for another early spring assault. “She has done really well and has put on a lot of weight in a short period of time,” Bergerson told Trackside. “She has come back in good order and has been here (racing stable) just shy of two weeks but seems to have settled back in well. “We will probably look to do the same again (as last season). It (Tarzino Trophy) was my first Group One win, which was a massive thrill, so she certainly holds a special place in my heart. “We will look to trial her at Te Rapa in early August, head to the Foxbridge (Group 2, 1200m) and then Tarzino. We will then just reassess plans and sit down with Mark (Chittick, Waikato Stud) and see whether they want to put her in-foal or we keep going if she is in fantastic form. We will just have to wait and see.” Campionessa is another that has returned from Melbourne. The rising seven-year-old mare was a standout in New Zealand over summer, winning the Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m), Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2050m) and runner-up in the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m). She continued that good form in Australia when victorious in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) and placed in the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m). “We got her back in the spring and she went a couple of okay races and then picked up a bug,” Bergerson said. “We turned her out and she came back in and was racing in fantastic form over Christmas and went to Australia and did a fantastic job. “She has done really well (spelling). She didn’t actually have that long out at Te Akau Stud but put on a lot of weight in a short period of time. We thought we better get her back in before we would have been spending a lot of time trying to strip the weight off her, she does so well. “We have pencilled her in for (a trial) early August at Te Rapa, like a lot of the good horses, and then we will map it out from there on how she comes up. That (Tarzino Trophy) seems a likely option.” Group One winners Quintessa and Move To Strike have also returned to Te Akau’s Matamata barn in preparation for their spring targets. “It (Levin Classic) was a huge win (for Quintessa),” Bergerson said. “It was a tough, gutsy effort aided by a fantastic ride from Opie (Bosson), who seems to get on wonderfully with her. “She had a good month off at Te Akau and is another one like Campionessa that did really well in a short space of time. She seemed to have enjoyed her time off and she came back via the water treadmill. We are slowly getting the work into her now and stripping that weight off. “It is extremely exciting to have Move To Strike back, he is a lovely animal to do anything with. He has done really well in his break, he had a good spell there after Manawatu (Sires’ Produce) and is growing into a lovely animal. “He has put on plenty of weight, so he is on a bit of a diet as we look to get him fitter and aim him towards the 2000 Guineas (Group 1, 1600m) at Riccarton.” Horse racing news View the full article

If there is any merit to the theory that racing against Pride Of Jenni (Pride of Dubai) takes more out of horses, no galloper has been exposed to potential ill-effects more this year than Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars). The Ben, Will and Jd Hayes-trained gelding has been a rival of Pride Of Jenni four times in 2024, starting with the C F Orr Stakes – which he won narrowly – but then chased her home in the All-Star Mile (second), Australian Cup (fifth) and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (third). Mr Brightside headed for a well-earned break after the Queen Elizabeth on April 13, which Ben Hayes said the rising seven-year-old, who returned to work earlier this month, embraced. “We can’t fault him, he’s a happy horse and he’s working great,” Hayes said. “He put on nearly 40-45 kilos, so he had a really good holiday. “He’s carrying some nice condition, but that’s a good position to be in at this time.” The son of Bullbars will be stepped up to even-time work this week but is being prepared to start his spring campaign later than the past two seasons. Last year he became just the third dual winner of the P B Lawrence Stakes and a shot at becoming the first three-time winner of that Group 2 event beckons, but Hayes said his new-season debut would come in Caulfield’s other 1400m weight-for-age event in August. “We’re going to miss the Lawrence,” Hayes said. “We just wanted to give him a little bit more of a break and we’ll go to the Memsie first-up. “There are not many other options for a horse like him, otherwise you’re kicking off over a mile, so the Memsie will be the go at this stage and then there is no direct path towards a race like a Cox Plate for us.” Mr Brightside also won last year’s $750,000 Group 1 Memsie Stakes, which will this year be run at Caulfield on August 31. View the full article

Group Three winner Trust In You (NZ) (Sweynesse) made his first public outing of his preparation at Pukekohe on Tuesday, with trainers Grant Cooksley and Bruce Wallace eyeing a potentially lucrative spring campaign with the rising six-year-old. The son of Sweynesse was one of the top staying performers of the summer, winning the Dunstan horsefeeds Stayers Championship Final (2400m) and Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day respectively, and was runner-up in the Nathans Memorial (2200m) at Ellerslie. He returned to Pukekohe on Tuesday to compete in a pipe-opener over 800m, and Cooksley was satisfied with his fourth placed run. “He just had a run over 800m to bring him on a little bit and he went quite well,” Cooksley said. “He is just getting stronger as he gets older, and he has come back really good, I am quite happy with him.” Spring feature targets await Trust In You, with Sydney being the favoured destination at this stage of his preparation. “We are thinking about going to Sydney for the Metropolitan (Gr.1, 2400m), but we will just see how he comes up,” Cooksley said. Trust In You was joined in his heat by new stablemate Meaningful Star (Pivotal), who pleased with his third placed hit-out. The Irish-bred gelding was formerly trained in Hong Kong by Francis Lui, for whom he won four races up to Class 2 level. Cooksley said they are still learning about the son of Pivotal and are yet to map out a spring plan for the horse with an 87 rating. “I don’t know much about the horse,” Cooksley said. “The owner rang us about six or seven months ago, we gave him a bit of work, put him out and have brought him back and gave him a run around (today) to see what he can do. It was quite a good trial. “We have no plans for him at the moment, we will just see what happens.” Meanwhile, promising juvenile So Naïve (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) has returned to work alongside Group Three winner Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin). “The plan (with Sacred Satono) is to go to the Foxbridge (Gr.2, 1200m) and then the first leg at Hastings (Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy, 1400m).” View the full article

Mont Ventoux (NZ) (Nom Du Jeu) may have won seven races and more than $170,000 on the flat, but the eight-year-old gelding is finding it a bit harder to break maiden ranks over fences. The son of Nom du Jeu has had nine hurdle starts for seven placings and he will be looking to secure his maiden jumps victory when he heads to Te Aroha’s rescheduled meeting on Thursday where he will tackle the Majestic Horse Floats Hurdles (3100m). “It has been a little disappointing that he hasn’t managed to win. For a seven-win flat horse he is taking a while to crack maidens,” trainer Rudy Liefting said. “I think that he just has trouble seeing out the trip a little bit. He did win a Kiwifruit Cup (2100m), but a lot of his wins were 1400m to a mile. Even though he is bred to stay, he hasn’t quite got that dourness and toughness that a lot of the seasoned jumpers have got to grind out a distance. “Last start he wasn’t beaten far. Watching the replay, he chipped in a short one in the last two or three jumps and I think that just cost him half a length. “He has made $200,000 in prizemoney and he keeps ticking over the till. He should be a chance and if he runs in the first three, we will be happy.” Stablemate Renegade Fighter (NZ) (Zed) will also be out to score his maiden jumps victory in the TAJC Hospitality Function Centre Hurdles (3100m), however, Liefting would have preferred to have started the gelding in the Agrisea NZ Steeplechase (3500m). “I have had trouble getting riders for him,” he said. “I would rather have him in a steeplechase, because I think he will make a steeplechaser, but I can’t get a rider in the steeplechase. “Call Me Jack looks like a home run (in the hurdle), but we are a second or third place chance with the field having fallen away with a few scratchings. “He wants a really heavy track so hopefully we get that, and I think he will be some sort of chance.” Mont Ventoux is a $1.65 favourite for the opening race on the card with TAB bookmakers, while Renegade Fighter is a $17 outsider in his contest. View the full article