Wandering Eyes

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Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan has not ruled out offering his recent Grade II winner Be Your Best (Ire) at a European sales house but explained that priority number one was to bag a victory at the highest level with his homebred daughter of Muhaarar (GB). Ryan is perhaps best known for sourcing many champions on behalf of owners Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown but described seeing Be Your Best, who he bred under his own St Croix Bloodstock, landing the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes as “a huge thrill.” Grade I races are now on the agenda for the five-year-old, who has been transformed since joining the care of trainer Saffie Joseph last autumn. Ryan said, “She's very versatile with regards to the trip but she wants the ground very firm. She has great action and firm ground is her best surface by a long way. She has a high cruising speed and can kick off a high cruising speed given firm turf. I made a trainer switch early September of last year and it has turned out to be game-changing. She is three-from-four with Saffie Joseph and I just think she is a different filly now. She's strengthened, developed and matured in every way. Horacio DePaz did a great job with her previously and she is a really sound filly.” He added, “That's one of the hardest parts of the game right now, keeping horses healthy and sound. Our goal now is to try and win a Grade I with her. She's been second in two Grades Is–both of which was in California, one on good ground and the other on firm. We think she's capable of winning a Grade I and the last three races have been the best of her career. The other day at Gulfstream was a career-best. She stays very well and there is a lot of stamina on the dam's side–her mother is by Medaglia d'Oro, who is a great influence. The second dam [Kotuku (GB)] was a very good mare by A.P. Indy, another good influence, while the third dam [Flagbird] was a top filly in Europe by Nureyev. “It's interesting, she trains so well on the dirt, we've even debated running her on that surface. But that conversation is for way down the road. What she's doing on the grass, there's no need to experiment. She's one of these European horses that reminds me of Rushing Fall (More Than Ready), who trained so well on the dirt. Of course, Rushing Fall was American-bred, but we've had other European-breds like In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (LopeDe Vega {Ire}). They all trained very well on the dirt as well.” Ryan has toyed with the idea of selling Be Your Best on multiple occasions. He resisted offering her as a foal or a yearling and she has been withdrawn from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale in 2022 and 2023 respectively. However, Be Your Best could well be offered under the hammer at Fasig-Tipton later this year, with the 'Night of the Stars' and the Sceptre Session at Tattersalls put forward as possible destinations for the upwardly mobile filly. “It is extra special with her being a homebred,” he explained. “I never took her to a sale because Muhaarar wasn't really flavour of the month at the time. His first two crops sold very well but the bloom went off the rose, so to speak. But I liked this filly and said, 'you know what,' let's keep her and put her in training with a view towards helping the mare. The mare had a very nice Too Darn Hot (GB) who we sold to Richard Brown last year.” Ryan added, “Be Your Best's dam has a really outstanding yearling filly by Baaeed (GB). I actually have two Baaeed yearlings and they are here in America. The other Baaeed filly is out of Sassy Little Lila (Artie Schiller), another mare we raced. I really like Baaeed and am breeding two mares back to him this year. “Be Your Best's mother is in foal to Cody's Wish and she's going to go back to Nyquist. The plan is to run Be Your Best throughout the year but, if an offer came in, you'd have to give it serious consideration. But we'll leave all options open. We could go to Fasig-Tipton or she could also go to Tattersalls–the Night Of Stars and Sceptre Sessions are very much global markets. More immediately, our hope is to get that Grade I win. She'll get a break now and one of her objectives is the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland.” The post ‘It’s Extra Special With A Homebred’ – Ryan Has Grade I Plan For Be Your Best appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Racing & Bloodstock made a visit to Newmarket on Thursday, 30th February, visiting John & Thady Gosden's Clarehaven Stables, the British Racing School, the National Stud and Tattersalls, where they received presentations and enjoyed lunch on the first day of the Tattersalls February Sale. The group, which included MPs Nick Timothy, Dan Carden and Jack Rankin as well as Baroness Harding, Lord Herbert and Baroness MacIntosh, were given presentations by Tattersalls Finance Director Caroline Scott along with the TBA's Chief Executive Claire Sheppard and Kevin Needham, Chair of the Racehorse Transporters Association. The visit to Newmarket was organised by the BHA along with the TBA with both organisations represented during the day. The TBA's Claire Sheppard highlighted the increasing costs and difficulties facing small breeders in Britain along with the declining number of horses being bred and the impacts that is having on the industry. Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented, “We were delighted to welcome the APPG members to Tattersalls and engage in meaningful discussions about the key issues impacting our clients and industry. Ensuring that the racing and breeding communities have a voice in Parliament is crucial, and it is vital that MPs gain a clear understanding of the challenges we face.” The post Tattersalls Welcome Parliamentary Group For Racing And Bloodstock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dr. Heinrich Anhold, the former CEO of Stablelab, the world's first horse-side testing platform, is a man in demand once again following the launch of two new tests through his latest start-up, sidekick. With the start of the Thoroughbred breeding season just around the corner, TDN's Adam Houghton caught up with Anhold to find out more about life as an entrepreneur and what makes his new IgG and progesterone tests different to anything else on the market. TDN: Tell us a bit about your background. I understand that you grew up on a farm in Sligo surrounded by horses, so would it be fair to say that your love of horses long preceded this entrepreneurial journey you've been on? HA: When you love horses they seem to precede everything. I showjumped all the way through my childhood and my teens. I then did it professionally for a year, before I went to university. I thought about taking up a career as a rider, but I decided to take up a career in science, which I also enjoy. I always really liked science and, at the end of my PhD [in biochemistry], I decided I'd have a go being an entrepreneur for a couple of years because it felt like I had nothing to lose. TDN: Is it true that you sold one of your horses to raise money for your first start-up business, Stablelab? HA: That is true, yes. He was a horse I'd bred and produced who was starting to jump Grand Prix level when I made the decision to sell him to fund the business. I only breed one foal a year–I'm a small breeder–but I've been doing it for a long time. Now and again, I'll keep one and produce it myself. TDN: Stablelab is described as “the world's first horse-side testing platform”. For those who might not be familiar with the work you did with Stablelab, tell us a bit about the genesis of the idea and what made it unique at that time. HA: I went along to a couple of lectures at university that were talking about point-of-care–or patient-side–diagnostics. It triggered a thought in me that it would make complete sense for horsemen and I basically got stuck into the idea from there. I suppose it was seeing what they were doing in the human field and realising that it would have a direct application for horse vets. Because of my background in horses, I didn't even have to think about that–I just knew it would make complete sense. My first idea was actually to test white blood cells because that's what most people assumed they wanted in a horse-side blood test. I ran a research project that I published with Professor Bill Amos from the University of Cambridge, which showed that white blood cells were not as useful in understanding if a horse was sick or not as inflammatory biomarkers. Specifically, we honed in on serum amyloid A (SAA) as a biomarker of infection. For our study I worked at a racing stable with two-year-olds who were in training for the first time. We had 42 cases of tying up and, while SAA was considered at the time to be a marker of inflammation, none of the horses that tied up had an elevated SAA, so it didn't add up for me. That made me look into it a bit deeper, so I ran a second research project at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky, with a genius called Dr. Nathan Slovis. We basically looked at cases that came in through the door at the hospital and what we saw after 100 cases was black and white. The horses who had an infection had an elevated SAA and the horses who didn't have an infection, but still had inflammation, did not have an elevated SAA. Nobody had figured that out before, so we patented that, the idea to use SAA to diagnose infection. We went on further to show that the level of SAA, and the rate at which it goes up or down, tells you whether the antibiotics are working or not. They were our two big discoveries. TDN: It's one thing having an idea but quite another to get the support and funding required to really get the business off the ground. How challenging was that process, trying to demonstrate to people the potential in what you'd found? HA: It was extremely difficult at the beginning to find investors. Essentially, you don't have a track record of credibility as an entrepreneur when you do this for the first time. It didn't matter that I had a PhD and it didn't matter that I had an equine background. You basically have to go out and sell it like you would sell anything else. It took me two years to get my first investment and that was just from building relationships over a period of time and then demonstrating to those investors that I was able to do what I was saying. It was very small steps at the beginning because I didn't have any money. I had a bit from selling my horse and from a couple of small grants, but that was it–I was working on a shoestring budget. Eventually, I managed to raise my first round, which was for €500,000, and that got me going. TDN: What were your next steps in setting Stablelab on the path to what it is today? HA: We worked day and night with the investment we had to develop a handheld blood test. For about two years I hardly left the lab. There were mainly three of us in it; myself and my first two employees, Ruth Candon and Di-Sien Chan. They both joined me as graduates and they're still working with me. We started making the tests ourselves in the lab and I went out to sell it. I was willing to try and find out where the best market was, so at the beginning I sold it everywhere I could, and in as many ways as I could, to see what would work. I sold it to trainers in Ireland, people who owned yards, vets, etc. I went up to Scandinavia and sold it there, I went down through France, everywhere from showjumping to trotting yards. After that I flew to America, then to Australia and back home again. It was in America that I realised there was a really good market in selling it exclusively to horse vets. I found that the distribution partners we took on in America were excellent and they were also able to sell the product without me being present, so we cut everything else out and focused entirely on selling it to horse vets in America. We did that for three years, before it was acquired by Zoetis. TDN: I guess at the start you had oversight of everything, but that's more difficult when you're operating on a global scale and it's impossible to be everywhere at once. That must bring its own challenges. HA: Absolutely. As you grow your company the challenges change. Over time it becomes a lot less about doing things yourself. It's about managing people and everything else that comes with it. It's a whole different skillset. There's the technical side of things at the start and you have to learn how to fundraise and how to recruit staff. Then there's the marketing, branding, sales, finance and HR–all of those things. The skillset changes many times as you go through the steps in an entrepreneur's journey. TDN: How do you reflect on that journey now and all of the success that you've had? HA: It's definitely been a life-changing experience, in many ways. It's given me the opportunity to go on and do all kinds of things in life that I wouldn't have if I hadn't decided to go for entrepreneurship. It's a very worthwhile career journey if it's for you, but it comes with a lot of sacrifices. There's risk involved and, in hindsight, if I was to do it all again, I'd try and enjoy it more because I was very attached to the outcome and that makes it stressful. I did get there but, if I were to do it again, I would probably not give myself such a hard time because it's really tough. TDN: You've led me on nicely to what was going to be my next question about the advice you'd give to anybody who has ambitions of starting a business in the equine industry. HA: The first things I ask people who come to me for advice on a start-up are, 'Do you have kids? And do you have a mortgage?'. I was 27 when I started and I didn't have any kids at the time, nor a mortgage. I wouldn't start a career as an entrepreneur now that I have a family, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who does. It's very different when it's your second time around and you have built a team around you. I also think, with a business in the equine industry, it's important to assess the size and scale of the opportunity properly before you go into it. You really have to start with the business, who it is you're going to sell to and where it's going to end up. I really like the equine veterinary industry. It's a market where you can sell your products based on real science that the customer understands and values. If I think someone has a product that veterinarians will like I always recommend them to go there first and to start in America. My main job right now is in human diagnostics. The equine market was a fantastic place to begin. Horse people are generous with their time and they're accessible, even the top sports people. It helped that I knew the industry and I found the Irish diaspora particularly helpful. Irish people I didn't even know at the time have been tremendously supportive. And because it's niche you don't need a huge budget to get into it and you can go sell to people directly. It's small enough to be able to do that yet wealthy enough to be able to make a success from your business. I found some of my best investors through connections in the horse world. All of those things offer great opportunity within the equine market, but I would say that it's important to put the business first, not the lifestyle, and to make sure that the opportunity you're addressing is large enough. TDN: Tell us more about the licencing deal you reached with Zoetis and your reasons for going in that direction. HA: It was the obvious thing for us to do. Whilst we grew very fast and the market opportunity was big, it's difficult to really grow into that market and compete with the really big companies. We didn't sell our entire company to Zoetis, we licensed our patents for the use of our products. Essentially, it was a partnership where they have taken the product forward to grow it, which they have done very successfully. We did a good job in the US market, but we didn't have the resources to grow it elsewhere, which they did. It's worldwide now–there's a Stablelab test used somewhere in the world every three minutes. TDN: You're now running another start-up business in the field of equine diagnostics called sidekick, through which you've launched two new tests, both the first of their kind. What can you tell us about them and how they're different to anything else on the market? HA: So, we've just the launched two tests for breeders, an IgG test and a progesterone test. We decided to focus on them because we basically saw a gap in the market that hadn't been addressed. Foals are born without any antibodies and the IgG test is a means of measuring the amount of antibodies that they've received from the mare's first milk which is called colostrum. You do it after they nurse for the first few times and, if their antibody levels are too low, you basically need to give them supplementary colostrum or plasma. They can only absorb colostrum in the first 24 hours. After that it needs to be plasma and you need to be quick. The IgG test is different to anything else out there because it's horse-side and it gives a number within five minutes. It addresses a very specific need and it does it really well. The vets seem to love it and the uptake has been huge. We launched the IgG for the first time last year and we sold out, so we've made tons of tests for this season. It's a very different sell to Stablelab. Stablelab was new and required a lot of education for people to understand exactly what it did. But every vet knows what IgG does and they know the value of having an immediate number. The progesterone test is the same. The main use for that is when you scan a mare and find that she's pregnant. You can measure her progesterone level immediately to determine whether or not she has enough to retain the pregnancy. And if she doesn't, then you'd need to supplement her progesterone. Of course, then you can monitor her during her pregnancy to determine when to take her off progesterone supplementation, or just to know that she's fine. TDN: It sounds like you're going to be incredibly busy with the start of the Thoroughbred breeding season just around the corner. And yet you said that your main job now is in human diagnostics. HA: That's right. Once I did the licensing deal with Zoetis–I still own all of the original patents on the technology and the biomarkers–I started a new company called AbacusLabs which is focused on human healthcare. I found it so much easier to raise funds the second time around. The success I had with Stablelab gave the original investors seven times their money back which was a really strong return for them. Based on that and having done it once, it was a totally different story to raise funds the second time. Abacus really got off the ground very well and that's mainly what I'm doing now, running a human diagnostics start-up. But I'm still running sidekick because we saw that gap in the market. That [the equine industry] is where I started, it allowed me to get my first win under the belt. At times things didn't work out and other things worked out better than we expected. You work hard, and you might work smart–most of the time I was just working hard–but you still need some luck, you really do. The post Q&A with Equine Entrepreneur Dr. Heinrich Anhold appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Group 1 winner Laws Of Indices (Ire) (Power {Ire}) has returned home to Ireland and will stand at Kiltown Stud this year. Best known for landing the G1 Prix Jean Prat when in the care of Curragh-based trainer Ken Condon, Laws Of Indices showed high-class form as a juvenile, beating Lucky Vega (Ire) in the G2 Railway Stakes. He had spent the latter years of his career in Australia, the majority of which was spent with trainer Annabel Neasham, for whom he ran creditably in a number of races at the highest level Down Under. All told, Laws Of Indices amassed well over €1.3 million in career earnings and achieved an official rating of 119 in his pomp. Martin Walsh of Kiltown Stud commented, “I was struck as to how good-looking and correct he is. Laws Of Indices has excellent conformation and is a lovely size–he's over 16.1hh on the stick. He's a Group 1 winner and was the champion of his generation in France. He's everything you would want in a stallion. He was tough, genuine and sound on the racetrack and in time will let down into a lovely stallion.” The post Group 1 Winner Laws Of Indices Back In Ireland And Will Stand At Kiltown Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After seven placings in his last eight starts, Bunker Hut broke through with a dominant return to winning form in Saturday’s A$160,000 Captivant @ Kia Ora Handicap (1350m) at Rosehill. The Savabeel gelding has rarely run a bad race in his career, but he went into Saturday’s Benchmark 78 handicap with a win drought dating back to September of 2023. Bunker Hut’s connections kept the faith, however, and their patience was rewarded with an emphatic performance on Saturday. After taking up a handy position in third along the rails, Bunker Hut and jockey Chad Schofield cruised up behind the leader but briefly found themselves boxed in at the home turn and had nowhere to go. Schofield found some room to angle his mount off the heels of the front-running Infatuation and into clear air. Bunker Hut produced a turn of foot that belied his 60.5kg weight, bounding to the lead in the final 100m to win going away by a length and three-quarters. “He rarely runs a bad race and this prep he has been in super form without winning,” trainer Michael Freedman said. “It has been frustrating more than anything, because you see what he can do at home, then you come here race day. “The way Chad rode him today, with that nice ‘suck’ run up behind the leader, it worked out perfectly for him. When he has that one sharp dash at them, it’s when he races best.” Bunker Hut was originally raced by a China Horse Club and Newgate Farm syndicate, having been sold at the Easter Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Sledmere Stud on behalf of breeders Waikato Stud, for A$520,000. Bunker Hut posted two wins and four placings from 10 appearances before he was secured by Darby Racing for A$155,000 online. His career now spans 24 starts for four wins, 11 placings and A$374,450. Bunker Hut is out of the Pins mare Pretty and is a half-brother to seven winners including stakes winners Bonny O’Reilly and Pretty To Sea. Another half-sister, Dahooil, is the dam of Group One winner Espiona. View the full article

High-flying Kiwi-bred Name Dropper continued his unbeaten summer with a record-breaking victory in Saturday’s A$130,000 Sportsbet Handicap (1400m) at Sandown. The five-year-old’s time of 1:21.74 broke the Sandown Lakeside record for 1400m, which Group One-winning sprinter Swick set back in 2006 with his time of 1:22.00. Name Dropper has a fair way to go to match the deeds of that elite performer, but Saturday’s win was his fourth from only eight career starts and took his career earnings to A$225,500. Trainer Richard Laming has previously tried Name Dropper up to 2040m, but his five starts at 1400m have now produced four wins and a placing, and returning to that trip this summer has reaped rewards. The Tavistock gelding won impressively fresh up at Flemington on January 11, and Saturday brought a repeat result. Name Dropper broke well from the inside starting gate and showed good early speed, but jockey Dean Yendall was happy for Sassy Boom to move across in front of them and take up the lead. Name Dropper trailed Sassy Boom up to the home turn, then angled to his outside and began to wear him down. Name Dropper lengthened stride and finished over the top of that rival, pulling away to win by three-quarters of a length from the fast-finishing Impending Link. “I just popped out when I wanted to in the straight, and the horse has done a very good job to kick on,” Yendall said. “It’s a long way up that straight, but it was a very tough effort today. I think there’s a lot more in store for him, especially if he can get up to the mile and open up a few more options there.” Laming has been pleased to see Name Dropper start to deliver on his potential in this campaign. “Second-up was my worry today, but I’m pleased he’s put that to bed,” he said. “He’s always shown lots of promise. We’ve had to wait for him, and now he’s repaying us and has a bright future in front of him. “He’s bred to stay, which we’ve tried to do with him in previous campaigns. But it’s obvious now that he’s better over these shorter trips. We’ll keep him fresh and race him over 1400m to the mile. “Horses that roll along like he does make their own luck. They’re always going to be hard to run down when they get their own way.” Bred by Gene Tsoi’s Standard 2080 Ltd, Name Dropper is by the late Tavistock out of the O’Reilly mare Mandy O’Reilly, whose three winners from four foals to race include the Group Three-placed Miss Mandito. Mandy O’Reilly is a half-sister to the stakes performers and black-type producers Dating and Miracle Miss. View the full article

Former quality three-year-old Grand Impact has roared back into top form as a five-year-old this summer, stringing together back-to-back wins including Saturday’s A$160,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill. The New Zealand-bred son of Satono Aladdin made an outstanding start to his career in 2022 with victories in all of his first three starts including the Gr.3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill. He was plagued by soreness through the second half of his three-year-old season and an OCD (osteochondritis dissecans) in a shoulder was identified as the issue, where a lesion of cartilage flakes off. That resulted in Grand Impact having 16 months away from racing before a sub-par preparation last autumn. Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr have turned his fortunes around as a five-year-old, resuming with a fourth at Moonee Valley in late November and a third at Pakenham in December before winning a Benchmark 100 handicap at Wyong on January 11. Grand Impact carried on to Rosehill on Saturday and delivered a repeat result in the hands of 3kg claimer Anna Roper. The apprentice jockey took up a position on the outside of the leader before pouncing at the home turn. Grand Impact took command and dug deep when challenged through the final 200m, holding on to win by half a length. “He wanted to overdo it a little bit in the middle stages, but I dropped my hands on him a little bit and he relaxed nicely,” Roper said. “He really towed me around the turn, and once I let go, he really went. It was a great feeling.” Grand Impact has now had 12 starts for five wins, a placing and A$355,700 in prize-money. “He’s taken a lot of time,” Price and Kent’s Sydney representative Ben Elam said. “I have to give credit to the farriers in Melbourne and Sydney. This horse has had a mountain of gear changes and things like that. “The ownership group has had to be very patient, but I think we’ve got him right again now. He’s a happy horse. “We just told Anna to keep him comfortable and keep him flowing, and if she could get outside the leader, that would be perfect. He was a bit wayward in the straight, but it’s been a while since he’s been in front for that long. “The horse is going terrifically well.” Bred by Ross and Corrine Kearney’s Okaharau Station, Grand Impact is by outstanding young Rich Hill Stud stallion Satono Aladdin out of the Swiss Ace mare Serena Slam. Grand Impact was initially trained in New Zealand by Stephanie Tierney for whom he had two trials, winning over 800m at Ellerslie before his sale to Australia. Satono Aladdin had a successful week at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales at Karaka, particularly in Book 2, where he sired three of the six top-priced lots including the $260,000 sale-topping filly out of Sparkling Rose. View the full article

By Mike Love Crystal Hackett will be looking to continue her good form in the cart on day two of the Hawera meeting on Sunday after driving three winners on the first day. Hackett’s winners on day one were Aradne, Herb, and Kourtney Kardash – with the latter being the only of the trio she will reunite with in Race 6, the Revital Fertilisers Taranaki Cup Mobile Pace. The five-year-old Bettor’s Delight mare, trained by Shane Butcher, has hit a purple patch of form – looking for four wins on the bounce. “She has a bit of a niggly draw, but we are following one out with gate speed. It doesn’t really matter where she sits, she can get cover or do some work if we need to,” said Hackett. “You can’t beat a nice mare in form and hopefully she can make it four on the grass.” Hackett experienced all sides of driving on day one when being tipped out of the sulky in a racing incident on Jahi. The four-year-old Art Major gelding, trained by Stephen Doody, lines up in Race 8, the Hygain Revell Douglas Memorial Series Heat 3. “Well he shouldn’t be too tired! We will look to take cover so he doesn’t jump anything. He’s been going really well and finally has a nice draw.” Jahi jumped a patch of dirt on the track and galloped and when coming back through the field locked wheels with another runner resulting in Hackett being tipped from the cart. In a display of brilliant skill, Hackett held tight to the reins and was dragged some 100 metres but managed to pull up Jahi and return him safely back to the stables with both unharmed in the incident. Hackett also rates maiden trotter Aldebaran What in Race 1, the Auto Shoppe Hawera Handicap Trot for trainers Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett. “He went massive the first day. He has got a big motor. He’s here on an experience trip to get some ringcraft.” “If he does things right he will have a good chance.” Hackett’s other drives are : Race 2 – Moonlight (Andrew Stuart) Race 4 – Jetasi (Stephen Doody) Race 7 – Rough And Ready (Arna Donnelly) Race 9 – High Energy (Barry Purdon & Scott Phelan) Race 1 gets underway at 11:55am. The feature is Race 7, the $20,000 DTS Hawera Cup at 3:10pm where the Benjamin Butcher-trained Barbarossa again lines up after upsetting at huge odds ($58) in the Taranaki Steelformers Stratford Cup Handicap Pace on Friday. He’s currently at $16, with Boudica the favourite at $4.60. View the full article

El Vencedor romps to a five-length win in the Fulton Family Stakes at Ellerslie. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Despite carrying a gruelling 61kg while all but one of his rivals had 53kg, Ellerslie specialist El Vencedor was in a class of his own in Saturday’s Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m). A runaway victory in the $100,000 open handicap was El Vencedor’s third black-type win from only four appearances at Ellerslie. The gelding had previously scored outstanding wins in last year’s Group 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) and Group 3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m). His only defeat at the Auckland track was a brave third behind Snazzytavi and La Crique in the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day. That Zabeel Classic placing was a notable turnaround for the son of Shocking, who had finished last among a 13-horse field in the Group 1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham only three weeks earlier. El Vencedor is right back at the peak of his powers again now, following up his Zabeel Classic performance with a six-length trial win on January 14 and Saturday’s weight-carrying heroics. Trainer Stephen Marsh was mainly using the Fulton Family Stakes as a final tune-up for a return to weight-for-age racing in next Saturday’s Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa, but El Vencedor’s star quality stunningly shone through. After racing in third behind Merchant Queen and Short Shorts, El Vencedor ambled up alongside those leaders in the home straight with jockey Rory Hutchings almost motionless in the saddle. Hutchings pushed the button at the 300m mark and the race was all over. El Vencedor dashed clear and opened up a winning margin of five lengths over Hasstobeawinner and Merchant Queen. “He travelled so well all the way,” said Hutchings, who had his first ride on El Vencedor in the Zabeel Classic and then guided him to last month’s trial win. “He let down the way I’m becoming used to him doing. He probably waited for them in the last bit, but it was all over by then. Stephen and the team have got him flying. Bring on the Herbie Dyke next week. “He normally leads over 2000m, but we expected a bit of speed over the shorter trip today. We took a sit and he travelled beautifully. I waited until the straight before exposing him, because that way he wouldn’t have to feel the 61kg too much. He let down like he didn’t have any weight on his back at all. “His performance on Boxing Day probably shows that he needs to find a little bit more for the Herbie Dyke, but the feel he’s given me in his trial and again today, I think he’s going better now. It’s going to be a very interesting race.” Horse racing betting sites now rates El Vencedor an $8 fourth favourite in a Herbie Dyke market that is headed by quality mares Snazzytavi ($1.80), Orchestral ($3.50) and La Crique ($6). “I couldn’t have asked for more as a Herbie Dyke lead-up,” Marsh said. “Now we’ll just keep him happy for seven days and head to Te Rapa. “I was a bit nervous before the race today, but he’s a great horse who just keeps on winning. Jeez, he loves Ellerslie. “It all panned out beautifully. When Rory angled him out in the straight and hadn’t even moved, you had the feeling the race was over a fair way from home. We’re thrilled.” Horse racing news View the full article

Hinekaha scores a stylish black-type win in the Oaks Prelude. Photo: Megan Liefting (Race Images) Highly touted three-year-old Hinekaha justified some heavy support from punters as she showed her enormous promise in the Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth on Saturday. The Andrew Forsman-prepared filly has been identified as a stayer of real potential by a number of pundits and is the $5 Fixed Odds second favourite with horse racing betting sites for the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) on March 8 behind Willydoit ($2). She also fills the same position in the Fixed Odds market for the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham at a $4 quote behind current favourite Leica Lucy ($3.20). With Willydoit reinforcing his Derby credentials with a three-length romp in Rating 75 company over 1600m less than ten minutes before Hinekaha stepped out, the daughter of Savabeel lost nothing in comparison as she came out of the trail to hunt down pacemaker Eye Candy in the home straight for a comfortable victory by half a length in the hands of Craig Grylls. Grylls admitted he had a few concerns before securing his home straight passage on the filly. “They didn’t go real hard as I thought they would, but that might have been the lack of numbers in the field,” Grylls said. “It had me sweating on a run for a while but I could see when we straightened up that the horse outside the leader was starting drop off so I just had to wait for that to happen. When I angled one-off, she did it pretty easily after that. “She has a lot of class and it is very exciting to be on a filly of this quality. She has the best attitude and when we were coming back I couldn’t even get her to trot. She was just walking along and taking it all in. “She just has that lovely, relaxed demeanour about her.” While entered for both three-year-old blue riband staying events, trainer Andrew Forsman indicated during the week that his preference is for his charge to contest the New Zealand Derby. Horse racing news View the full article

Bunker Hut returns to winning form at Rosehill. Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au After seven placings in his last eight starts, Bunker Hut broke through with a dominant return to winning form at Rosehill. The Savabeel gelding has rarely run a bad race in his career, but he went into Saturday’s Benchmark 78 handicap with a win drought dating back to September of 2023. Bunker Hut’s connections kept the faith, however, and their patience was rewarded with an emphatic performance on Saturday. After taking up a handy position in third along the rails, Bunker Hut and jockey Chad Schofield cruised up behind the leader but briefly found themselves boxed in at the home turn and had nowhere to go. Schofield found some room to angle his mount off the heels of the front-running Infatuation and into clear air. Bunker Hut produced a turn of foot that belied his 60.5kg weight, bounding to the lead in the final 100m to win, going away by 1.75 lengths. “He rarely runs a bad race and this prep he has been in super form without winning,” trainer Michael Freedman said. “It has been frustrating more than anything, because you see what he can do at home, then you come here race day. “The way Chad rode him today, with that nice ‘suck’ run up behind the leader, it worked out perfectly for him. When he has that one sharp dash at them, it’s when he races best.” Horse racing news View the full article

Name Dropper scores a record-breaking victory at Sandown. Photo: Bruno Cannatelli High-flying Kiwi-bred Name Dropper continued his unbeaten summer with a record-breaking victory at Sandown. The five-year-old’s time of 1:21.74 broke the Sandown Lakeside record for 1400m, which Group One-winning sprinter Swick set back in 2006 with his time of 1:22.00. Name Dropper has a fair way to go to match the deeds of that elite performer, but Saturday’s win was his fourth from only eight career starts and took his career earnings to $225,500. Trainer Richard Laming has previously tried Name Dropper up to 2040m, but his five starts at 1400m have now produced four wins and a placing, and returning to that trip this summer has reaped rewards. The Tavistock gelding won impressively fresh up at Flemington on January 11, and Saturday brought a repeat result. Name Dropper broke well from the inside starting gate and showed good early speed, but jockey Dean Yendall was happy for Sassy Boom to move across in front of them and take up the lead. Name Dropper trailed Sassy Boom up to the home turn, then angled to his outside and began to wear him down. Name Dropper lengthened stride and finished over the top of that rival, pulling away to win by three-quarters of a length from the fast-finishing Impending Link. “I just popped out when I wanted to in the straight, and the horse has done a very good job to kick on,” Yendall said. “It’s a long way up that straight, but it was a very tough effort today. I think there’s a lot more in store for him, especially if he can get up to the mile and open up a few more options there.” Laming has been pleased to see Name Dropper start to deliver on his potential in this campaign. “Second-up was my worry today, but I’m pleased he’s put that to bed,” he said. “He’s always shown lots of promise. We’ve had to wait for him, and now he’s repaying us and has a bright future in front of him. “He’s bred to stay, which we’ve tried to do with him in previous campaigns. But it’s obvious now that he’s better over these shorter trips. We’ll keep him fresh and race him over 1400m to the mile. “Horses that roll along like he does make their own luck. They’re always going to be hard to run down when they get their own way.” Horse racing news View the full article

Herbert scores a home-town triumph in the Taranaki Cup. Photo: Megan Liefting (Race Images) Local runner Herbert claimed the biggest win of his career to date when he raced clear in the final stages of the feature event at New Plymouth on Saturday, the Group 3 Taranaki Cup (1800m). Trainer John Wheeler has never lost faith in the four-year-old gelding, who he part-owns with a pair of fellow New Plymouth locals including former Taranaki Racing Incorporated Chief Executive Carey Hobbs, even when the son of Sweet Orange recorded five runner-up finishes before breaking his maiden status at his eleventh trip to the races. Herbert has now gone on to win four of his next ten starts, with Saturday’s three-quarter-length victory unlikely to be his last. Rider Harry Grace had his mount travelling sweetly in the trail behind pacemakers Opawa Jack and Solidify before angling two off the fence rounding the home bend. Grace asked for an effort and Herbert bounded clear to down the late-closing Matamata visitor Midnight Blue, while another local Loch In Ora finished close up in third. Hobbs was finding it hard to conceal his delight as he described the feeling of winning his local Cup. “That takes a lot to beat as to win your hometown Cup is unbelievable,” Hobbs said. “Wheels has had massive faith in this horse, but he hasn’t always delivered. He’s just a big kid and what a huge thrill.” Grace was delighted with how his mount performed after behaving perfectly on his way to the start. “The team have obviously done a great job with him as when he was going around to the gates, he was half asleep,” he said. “He had a good win last start and that obviously brought him on for today. “It felt like there was plenty of tempo on, which was perfect, as it didn’t give him the chance to think too much until he straightened up and he already had the job done by then.” Horse racing news View the full article

Grand Impact strings together back-to-back wins. Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au Former quality three-year-old Grand Impact has roared back into top form as a five-year-old this summer, stringing together back-to-back wins including Saturday’s $160,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill. The New Zealand-bred son of Satono Aladdin made an outstanding start to his career in 2022 with victories in all of his first three starts, including the Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield. He was plagued by soreness through the second half of his three-year-old season and an OCD (osteochondritis dissecans) in a shoulder was identified as the issue, where a lesion of cartilage flakes off. That resulted in Grand Impact having 16 months away from racing before a sub-par preparation last autumn. Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr have turned his fortunes around as a five-year-old, resuming with a fourth at Moonee Valley in late November and a third at Pakenham in December before winning a Benchmark 100 handicap at Wyong on January 11. Grand Impact carried on to Rosehill on Saturday and delivered a repeat result in the hands of 3kg claimer Anna Roper. The apprentice jockey took up a position on the outside of the leader before pouncing at the home turn. Grand Impact took command and dug deep when challenged through the final 200m, holding on to win by half a length. “He wanted to overdo it a little bit in the middle stages, but I dropped my hands on him a little bit and he relaxed nicely,” Roper said. “He really towed me around the turn, and once I let go, he really went. It was a great feeling.” Grand Impact has now had 12 starts for five wins, a placing and $355,700 in prize-money. “He’s taken a lot of time,” Price and Kent’s Sydney representative Ben Elam said. “I have to give credit to the farriers in Melbourne and Sydney. This horse has had a mountain of gear changes and things like that. “The ownership group has had to be very patient, but I think we’ve got him right again now. He’s a happy horse. “We just told Anna to keep him comfortable and keep him flowing, and if she could get outside the leader, that would be perfect. He was a bit wayward in the straight, but it’s been a while since he’s been in front for that long. “The horse is going terrifically well.” Horse racing news View the full article

She’s Bulletproof ridden by Mark Zahra wins the Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes at Sandown Lakeside Racecourse. (Photo by George Sal/Racing Photos) Charlotte Littlefield and Mark Zahra have combined with the talented She’s Bulletproof to take out the Group 3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes at Sandown on Saturday afternoon, as the four-year-old mare stormed clear in the final 300m to record a dominant 2.75-length win. The daughter of Shooting To Win was well-backed throughout betting, fighting for favouritism with Miraval Rose (+320) with Picklebet, eventually jumping as the +300 market elect. Zahra chose to ride the eventual winner as the best horse in the race, settling outside the leaders, Fancify (+600) and Wrote To Arataki (+1800), but three-wide without cover for the entire 1200m trip. With her main market rival, Miraval Rose, settled behind the leaders and slightly held up turning for home, Zahra pushed the button, and She’s Bulletproof took over with 300m to go. Nothing made up significant ground from back in the field, and She’s Bulletproof continued to pull away from the rest of the field while Fancify and Wrote To Arataki boxed on gamely to fill the placings. Click here for full Rosehill race replays. Charlotte Littlefield claimed her first Group victory of her training career, and she spoke to the media after the win. “You can probably see my heart pumping through my chest at the moment because it’s a lot to take in,” Littlefield said. “This horse is very special to us, with a very close group of friends and family, so it’s just really rewarding to get this horse to win this race today. “It means so much. It hasn’t sunk in yet, and it will be a little while until it does. “We’ve changed a few things around to get her to peak today, and look, it’s all come to fruition today, and she hasn’t just won; she won very well. “I’m so proud of her, so proud of my team. It’s brilliant, and I’m very happy. “We’ll just keep her ticking along, and we will pick something out in four weeks. “I’m not sure what it is, but off that, you would think she will be going pretty well again.” Mark Zahra brought up a riding double at Sandown with the win, and he spoke post-race. “She won very easily,” Zahra said of the winner. “Charlotte (Littlefield) sort of left it to me, and we drew a wide gate, so I said, ‘We could be three-wide, but that’s no problem on Lakeside,’ so I sat three-wide the majority of it. “When we came into the straight and Fancify kicked, when I asked her, she just rocketed and I had it won at the 300 (metres) pretty much. “I definitely think she likes being outside horses… coming around the bend I actually pulled in behind Wrote To Arataki and she backed off, and when I pulled her right out she really found.” Horse racing news View the full article

Willaidow winning the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes. Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au Marc Conners & Tyler Schiller have combined with Willaidow ($4.20) to get the verdict in the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday afternoon, holding off the surging Iowna Merc ($8.00) in the shadows of the post. The son of Shamus Award put the writing on the wall last preparation when putting together back-to-back wins before being sent to the paddock, and despite giving fitness to his main rivals after a 105-day spell, the ever-improving six-year-old relished the challenge at his first opportunity at stakes grade. Schiller was able to lob on the back of Hard To Say ($9.00), with James McDonald attempting to offset top weight by making every post a winner over the 1200m journey. It allowed Willaidow to get into the perfect rhythm behind the leader, while the well-supported favourite with Neds, Accredited ($3.70), was able to stalk from mid-field with cover. Willaidow took over in the final 300m as Hard To Say began to fade, leaving the likes of Iowna Merc, Brudenell ($6.50) and Disneck ($6.50) to make sustained runs from the rear of the field. Iowna Merc had one last lunge at the post, however, couldn’t quite reel in the margin as Willaidow took full advantage of the favourable on-speed track conditions at Rosehill on Saturday. Click here for full Rosehill race replays. Marc Conners was on course to discuss the victory post-race. “He’s got some fight in him, that’s for sure,” said Conners. “He’s a hard horse to get a line on because he’s a terrible track worker. You know, he falls in, in his trials, he sweats up bad before a race, he walks around like a crab, but when it comes to race day, he just finds another gear. “He loves a fight, the closer they get to him, the harder he fights. “There’s no set plan. I just think there’s plenty of options for him. We’ll just take our time. Every two or three weeks, there’s a race. I think he’ll be better when he gets to 1,400m, 1,500. So, we’ll just take our time, pick our races off and just try and keep him winning.” Tyler Schiller spoke post-race for the second time on Saturday after claiming victory in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) aboard Blitzburg earlier in the program. “He’s just a bulldog,” said Schiller. “I think he was beaten about three times up the straight. Late I actually thought I got out-bobbed, but to his credit, he just kept finding. “He was out on his feet late, but he’s just got that much tenacity to win, and they’ve run some pretty good times, so I thought they did a good job to make up a bit of ground on him. “He’s just the ultimate professional. All you can ask is that they try hard, and when they have ability and try hard, it makes it a lot easier.” Horse racing news View the full article

What Sapphire Coast Races Where Sapphire Coast Turf Club – 1695 Sapphire Coast Dr, Wallagoot NSW 2550 When Sunday, February 2, 2025 First Race 1:06pm AEDT Visit Dabble Country racing returns to Sapphire Coast Turf Club on Sunday afternoon, with an ultra-competitive eight-part program lined up for Bega Showcase Cup (1600m) Day. The $80,000 feature has attracted a capacity field of 16, and with only light rainfall expected across the weekend, participants can expect the surface to be rated somewhere in the Soft range for race-day. The rail is placed in the true position the entire circuit, with all the action scheduled to get underway at 1:06pm local time. Bega Showcase Cup Tip: Toes In The Water Toes In The Water was impressive when lugging top-weight to victory in metro company at Randwick on January 15, going on to score by 1.2 lengths on the Kensington circuit. The daughter of Maurice produced a slashing run towards the inside running rail, saving all the ground courtesy of a stellar ride by claiming apprentice Coriah Keatings. She’s in career-best form and drops 7kg heading into this, and although barrier 15 may prove the ultimate test, Toes In The Water must be considered the one to beat in the 2025 Bega Showcase Cup. Bega Showcase Cup Race 7 – #8 Toes In The Water (15) 4yo Mare | T: Nick Olive | J: Coriah Keatings (a1.5kg) (52.5kg) Best Bet at Sapphire Coast: Bengal Bengal is simply a different horse since being transferred to the Luke Pepper barn. The Zoustar gelding produced a dominant maiden victory at Moruya on January 6 in his first start for the new stable before being subsequently outclassed in metro company, closing to within two lengths of Polyglot at Rosehill on January 18. That performance rates superior to any of his rivals in this Class 2 contest, and provided the breaks fall his way from stall nine, Bengal should have no issues justifying favouritism with horse racing bookmakers. Best Bet Race 4 – #3 Bengal (9) 3yo Gelding | T: Luke Pepper | J: Brodie Loy (58.5kg) Next Best at Sapphire Coast: O’Hellyeah O’Hellyeah produced a barnstorming maiden victory first-up at Cowra on January 19, showing a blistering turn-of-speed to get over the top of Hellinda in the shadows of the post. It was a strong performance considering her 177-day layoff heading into the event, with the daughter of Hellbent relishing every inch of the 1200m journey. Stepping up to the 1400m should be ideal second-up, and with James Innes (Jnr) likely to take up a stalking role from gate four, watch for O’Hellyeah to be savaging the line at a good price with BlondeBet. Next Best Race 8 – #12 O’Hellyeah (4) 3yo Mare | T: Todd Smart | J: James Innes (Jnr) (57.5kg) Best Value at Sapphire Coast: Burgundy Girl Burgundy Girl appears set to peak third-up into the campaign after a modest performance on the Kensington circuit at Randwick on January 15. The Cable Bay mare was always going to find the 1550m short of her best trip, however, the six-year-old never shirked the task as she made strong inroads late to get within 4.6 lengths of Toes In The Water. She appears well-placed after the 2kg claim of apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag, and with barrier six allowing her to settle somewhere mid-field with cover, Burgundy Girl can only run well at the each-way price with horse racing betting sites. Best Value Race 3 – #4 Burgundy Girl (6) 6yo Mare | T: Keith Dryden & Libby Snowden | J: Rebecca Bronett Prag (a2kg) (58kg) Sunday quaddie tips for Sapphire Coast Sapphire Coast quadrella selections February 2, 2025 5-6-10 3-6-7-11-12-13 5-8-10-12-15 1-2-5-12 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Local runner Herbert claimed the biggest win of his career to date when he raced clear in the final stages of the feature event at New Plymouth on Saturday, the Gr.3 Denis Wheeler Earthmoving Taranaki Cup (1800m). Trainer John Wheeler has never lost faith in the four-year-old gelding, who he part-owns with a pair of fellow New Plymouth locals including former Taranaki Racing Incorporated Chief Executive Carey Hobbs, even when the son of Sweet Orange recorded five runner-up finishes before breaking his maiden status at his eleventh trip to the races. Herbert has now gone on to win four of his next ten starts, with Saturday’s three-quarter-length victory unlikely to be his last. Rider Harry Grace had his mount travelling sweetly in the trail behind pacemakers Opawa Jack and Solidify before angling two off the fence rounding the home bend. Grace asked for an effort and Herbert bounded clear to down the late-closing Matamata visitor Midnight Blue, while another local Loch In Ora finished close up in third. Hobbs was finding it hard to conceal his delight as he described the feeling of winning his local Cup. “That takes a lot to beat as to win your hometown Cup is unbelievable,” Hobbs said. “Wheels has had massive faith in this horse, but he hasn’t always delivered. He’s just a big kid and what a huge thrill.” Grace was delighted with how his mount performed after behaving perfectly on his way to the start. “The team have obviously done a great job with him as when he was going around to the gates, he was half asleep,” he said. “He had a good win last start and that obviously brought him on for today. “It felt like there was plenty of tempo on, which was perfect, as it didn’t give him the chance to think too much until he straightened up and he already had the job done by then.” Bred by the Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry (NZ) Ltd, Herbert is a son of the All American mare Ze One and hails from an extended family that includes Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) winner Dark Destroyer and Gr.1 Telegraph Handicap (1200m) winner Festal. He has now won five of his 21 starts and over $211,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Highly touted three-year-old Hinekaha justified some heavy support from punters as she showed her enormous promise in the Listed Grangewilliam Stud Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth on Saturday. The Andrew Forsman-prepared filly has been identified as a stayer of real potential by a number of pundits and is the $5 Fixed Odds second favourite for the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) on 8 March behind Willydoit ($2). She also fills the same position in the Fixed Odds market for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham at a $4 quote behind current favourite Leica Lucy ($3.20). With Willydoit reinforcing his Derby credentials with a three-length romp in Rating 75 company over 1600m less than ten minutes before Hinekaha stepped out, the daughter of Savabeel lost nothing in comparison as she came out of the trail to hunt down pacemaker Eye Candy in the home straight for a comfortable victory by half a length in the hands of Craig Grylls. Grylls admitted he had a few concerns before securing his home straight passage on the filly. “They didn’t go real hard as I thought they would, but that might have been the lack of numbers in the field,” Grylls said. “It had me sweating on a run for a while but I could see when we straightened up that the horse outside the leader was starting drop off so I just had to wait for that to happen. When I angled one-off, she did it pretty easily after that. “She has a lot of class and it is very exciting to be on a filly of this quality. She has the best attitude and when we were coming back I couldn’t even get her to trot. She was just walking along and taking it all in. “She just has that lovely, relaxed demeanour about her.” While entered for both three-year-old blue riband staying events, trainer Andrew Forsman indicated during the week that his preference is for his charge to contest the New Zealand Derby. Bred by co-owner Christoper Grace, Hinekaha is the first foal out of the Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup (1600m) winner Hinerangi. She becomes the 146th individual stakes winner for her illustrious sire Savabeel. The champion stallion was to the fore again at the 2025 National Yearling Sale at Karaka, where 35 of his 42 Book 1 yearlings sold at an average of $287,143, including the sale-topping sister of multiple Group One winner Orchestral that was knocked down to the $2.4 million bid of bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster and trainer Chris Waller. View the full article

Despite carrying a gruelling 61kg while all but one of his rivals had 53kg, Ellerslie specialist El Vencedor was in a class of his own in Saturday’s Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m). A runaway victory in the $100,000 open handicap was El Vencedor’s third black-type win from only four appearances at Ellerslie. The gelding had previously scored outstanding wins in last year’s Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) and Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m). His only defeat at the Auckland track was a brave third behind Snazzytavi and La Crique in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day. That Zabeel Classic placing was a notable turnaround for the son of Shocking, who had finished last among a 13-horse field in the Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham only three weeks earlier. El Vencedor is right back at the peak of his powers again now, following up his Zabeel Classic performance with a six-length trial win on January 14 and Saturday’s weight-carrying heroics. Trainer Stephen Marsh was mainly using the Fulton Family Stakes as a final tune-up for a return to weight-for-age racing in next Saturday’s Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa, but El Vencedor’s star quality stunningly shone through. After racing in third behind Merchant Queen and Short Shorts, El Vencedor ambled up alongside those leaders in the home straight with jockey Rory Hutchings almost motionless in the saddle. Hutchings pushed the button at the 300m mark and the race was all over. El Vencedor dashed clear and opened up a winning margin of five lengths over Hasstobeawinner and Merchant Queen. “He travelled so well all the way,” said Hutchings, who had his first ride on El Vencedor in the Zabeel Classic and then guided him to last month’s trial win. “He let down the way I’m becoming used to him doing. He probably waited for them in the last bit, but it was all over by then. Stephen and the team have got him flying. Bring on the Herbie Dyke next week. “He normally leads over 2000m, but we expected a bit of speed over the shorter trip today. We took a sit and he travelled beautifully. I waited until the straight before exposing him, because that way he wouldn’t have to feel the 61kg too much. He let down like he didn’t have any weight on his back at all. “His performance on Boxing Day probably shows that he needs to find a little bit more for the Herbie Dyke, but the feel he’s given me in his trial and again today, I think he’s going better now. It’s going to be a very interesting race.” The TAB now rates El Vencedor an $8 fourth favourite in a Herbie Dyke market that is headed by quality mares Snazzytavi ($1.80), Orchestral ($3.50) and La Crique ($6). “I couldn’t have asked for more as a Herbie Dyke lead-up,” Marsh said. “Now we’ll just keep him happy for seven days and head to Te Rapa. “I was a bit nervous before the race today, but he’s a great horse who just keeps on winning. Jeez, he loves Ellerslie. “It all panned out beautifully. When Rory angled him out in the straight and hadn’t even moved, you had the feeling the race was over a fair way from home. We’re thrilled.” El Vencedor is raced by his breeders, David Price and Mark Freeman, and is by Shocking out of the O’Reilly mare Strictly Maternal. That makes him a full-brother to Price and Freeman’s Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (2200m) winner Chocante, while half-brother Sky Darci won seven races including the Hong Kong Derby (2000m) and the Gr.3 Lion Rock Trophy (1600m). El Vencedor has himself had 38 starts for nine wins, 14 placings and $841,735 in prize-money. View the full article

Enigmatic mare About Time continued her love affair with the new Ellerslie track as she completed a hattrick of victories when taking out the Victoria Racing Club (2200m) open contest on Saturday. The Lance Noble-trained four-year-old is well known for her dislike of the starting barriers and she was at her belligerent best as she made her rivals wait before loading away, however once into stride she left no excuses with a strong staying performance to score narrowly but well. Regular rider Warren Kennedy was quite content to let her travel well within herself towards the rear of the field before easing into contention approaching the home bend. About Time quickly joined issue when asked for an effort as she claimed Taranaki visitor Final Return at the 200m and fought him off to take the win by a long neck without appearing in any danger of defeat. Kennedy was pleased with the ease of the win as the mare heads towards a possible tilt at the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) on Champions Day at Ellerslie on 8 March. “It was pretty easy for her as they didn’t go overly hard, which helped her,” Kennedy said. “She was travelling beautifully and she has a great turn of foot when we need it, so she pounced on those leaders really quickly at the top of the straight and kept on running to the line. “I wasn’t too hard on her as we have other races in mind, so she had a great outing. “When you need it she can kick up on the bridle and make up two or three lengths quickly, but she settles so beautifully and waits for you to ask her to go. “She is in a great vein of form and has a confidence about her, so she is up to it (the Auckland Cup).” Bred by Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay and racing in their well-known black and gold chequered colours, About Time is out of Fastnet Rock mare Romantic Time, making her a half-sister to multiple Australian Group One performer Young Werther. She has now won five of her 13 starts, including the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2050m) as a three-year-old and over $314,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Te Akau Racing’s million-dollar colt Return To Conquer delivered again in Saturday’s Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) at Ellerslie, improving his unblemished record to four trials and two raceday appearances. The son of Snitzel was bought by David Ellis for A$1.3 million as a yearling on the Gold Coast in January of last year. He built up plenty of pre-debut hype with three impressive trial wins between August and October, then romped to victory by two and a half lengths as a $1.20 favourite in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Pukekohe on November 23. The third placegetter in that race, Vega For Luck, went on to finish second in last Saturday’s Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). Trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson held Return To Conquer back from the races for the next 10 weeks, keeping him up to the mark with a trial win against older horses over 1000m at Matamata on January 14. Saturday’s $120,000 Colin Jillings Classic marked his eagerly anticipated return to action, and Return To Conquer lived up to his red-hot $1.20 favouritism again. The early part of the race did not go to plan for the boom colt and his jockey Wiremu Pinn, who found themselves posted three wide without cover after the first 200m. Pinn had no choice but to press forward, sliding up alongside the front-running Cashla Bay coming up to the 800m mark. Return To Conquer cruised past Cashla Bay and took command early in the run home. First-start fillies Tajana and Vittoria quickened well in the straight and ate into the margin, but Return To Conquer still had half a length up his sleeve as he crossed the finish line with his ears pricked. “He’s just a very good horse,” Pinn said. “David’s one of the best judges in New Zealand, and I think he’ll get every cent back from the A$1.3 million he paid for this colt. “The team wanted this to be a learning experience today. He jumped a length in front of them, but I tried to pull him back from there and get a bit of cover. There wasn’t anywhere I could get in, so I decided to slide back up outside the leader. I probably should have made that decision a little bit sooner. “But he relaxed really nicely and kicked well. I think he would have found a fair bit more if someone had really challenged him.” Raced by the Te Akau 2024 Stallion Breeding Syndicate, Return To Conquer has now had two starts for two black-type wins and has banked $132,250. “It didn’t all go his way today,” Bergerson said. “He went back, then had to go forward again. It looked like he loafed around a little bit when he got to the front in the straight. “He’s a lovely horse going forward. Fair play to David, going out and buying these types of colts on spec. It’s not cheap. “But he’s a beautiful animal who has it all in front of him. He’ll take plenty of improvement from this and will strip a lot fitter next time.” The TAB now rates Return To Conquer a $2.50 favourite for the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on March 8. Bergerson mentioned the $550,000 feature as a potential target, with a likely lead-up run in the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m) on his home track on February 15. However, there is also a possibility he could venture across the Tasman. “There’s options like the colts’ race at Matamata and then the Sistema, or he could even head across to Australia,” Bergerson said. “We’ll see how he pulls up from this and then have a good team talk with Mark and David and take it from there.” Saturday’s 2YO Classic was formerly run at New Plymouth, but was this year relocated to Ellerslie and named in honour of Colin Jillings. The Hall of Fame horseman, who died in 2022 at the age of 91, played a key role in David Ellis and Mark Walker’s career development. “It’s such an honour to win the first running of an event which has been named after a true legend,” Ellis said. “Colin was one of my very best, life-long friends. I greatly treasured his advice, loyalty, wisdom and friendship over many decades from the time he met me as a young man. In fact, he actually introduced Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) and me at the Trentham races. “Mark also looked up to Colin, who always freely shared his training expertise and experience with him.” View the full article

Inkaruna ridden by Daniel Moor wins the Chairman’s Stakes at Sandown Lakeside Racecourse. (Photo by George Sal/Racing Photos) Inkaruna and Sword Of Legacy (+260) have fought out a very tight finish in the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at Sandown on Saturday afternoon, with the former getting her nose down on the line to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained filly became the fifth debutant since 2011 to claim the Chairman’s Stakes. The daughter of I Am Invincible had only been seen at the jumpouts early in her career; however, she was well backed with horse racing bookmakers, jumping at +600 on the fourth line of betting. No Limitation (+2500) jumped smartly to find the front and lead from Hot Sea (+290) and Forceofone (+400) throughout the 1000m journey, while the eventual winner and runner-up settled behind the speed influences with cover. Turning for home, the leader gave a strong kick with 400m to go, but Daniel Moor took his filly back to the inside rail, and Damian Lane chose to run home down the outside on Sword Of Legacy. The top two paired off with 100m to go to fight out the finish, and with both runners putting in a big dive on the winning post, it was Inkaruna who found the line first to take out the Group 3 contest. Click here for full Sandown race replays. Sam Freedman spoke about the victory post-race. “Obviously Craig (Williams) was engaged for the ride, and he is very unwell, so thoughts with Craig as he has been sick for a few days,” Freedman said when explaining the late jockey change on Inkaruna. “Daniel (Moor) had a sit on her at the jumpout, so again reward for a bit of hard work, and he picked up the ride. “Nice filly. She has progressed all the way through. “This filly went through the sales at Magic Millions, and we really liked her, but we didn’t quite have the budget to purchase her, so we sucked up to Luke and a few others and tried to get her in the stable. “To be a stakes winner on debut, it’s a great effort. “We thought we’d run second, so it’s nice that we won. “I don’t really love the Chairman’s into the Blue Diamond set up being 1000 (metres) to 1200 (metres), so we will have a chat with the team and see what we do.” Daniel Moor was very happy to pick up the ride, although he nearly missed the call from the stable this morning. “Yeah, I nearly missed it (phone call). I had a ute full of horse feed, and we were up working,” Moor explained. “I’d had a bit to do with her in the past, and she was well worth rushing to get here for. “It is very difficult coming into two-year-old season; you ride a lot of two-year-olds and sort out which ones you like and which ones Craig Williams and Blake Shinn don’t wanna ride. “She was super professional from the get-go, even from her first one (jumpout) and Mornington to her second one at the (Caulfield) Heath. “To her credit, she was ready to go and she found the line well.” Horse racing news View the full article

The Playwright after winning the Group 3 Widden Stakes. Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au The Playwright ($4.00) has proven the best of the fillies in the Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday afternoon, fending off the fast finishing Tempted ($3.40) and Snitzel Miss ($3.70) in the shadows of the post to claim the $250,000 prize. It was another superb front-running ride to secure victory, with Regan Bayliss sending the daughter of Written By straight to the top after jumping well from barrier three. The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained filly had it all her own way out in front, giving a bold sight under Bayliss and seemingly kicking clear comfortably at the top of the straight. Tempted was forced to steal rails runs after being dragged back towards the rear of the field in the early stage, while James McDonald and Snitzel Miss were surging down the middle of the course to produce a grandstand finish to the two-year-old feature. The Playwright didn’t want another inch of ground as they past the post, narrowly clinging to victory, while Tempted and Snitzel Miss lost no admirers as they also press on seeking black-type success in the autumn. Click here for full Rosehill race replays. Adrian Bott was on track to discuss the win and what the future holds for The Playwright. “Even though she began brilliantly, showed that customary speed,” said Bott. “You could just see in those first few furlongs of the race, just coming back from the 1,200 metres, she needed that assistance. “It took Regan (Bayliss) a bit of urging to get her to the front and obviously had to use her bit and had her at her top for a long way in the race. But in fairness, I guess, going into it, that’s the style of the race we wanted to run, using that fitness advantage and, I guess, the race experience that she had. “She’s got some black type now for her residual value, so if this happens to be the last run of her campaign, she’s done a great job. But the way she is, the constitution that she’s got, I don’t know. I do feel she could keep going. “We won this race last year with Lady Camelot and she pushed onto the Blue Diamond. She’s amongst the acceptances, whether we look to do that or whether there’s something still in Sydney for her. But everything will be determined by how she pulls up.” Regan Bayliss was elated with the win as he spoke post-race. “She’s just one out of the box, this filly, and she feels small everywhere until you jump out of the barriers on her,” said Bayliss. “She’s got so much heart and force, so I only had four starts. “She’s rarely out of the money, and she’s just gutsy. That race experience is golden, and she was able to drop them at the top of the straight, and when they challenged, she was able to pin her ears back and have a crack right through the line.” The Playwright currently holds a nomination for the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on February 22 and is listed as a $26.00 chance with horse racing bookmakers. Horse racing news View the full article