Wandering Eyes

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Alsephina after winning the Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley. (Photo by George Salpigtidis/Racing Photos) Alsephina ($3.60) has become the second Western Australian winner of the Group 2 Stocks Stakes in as many years, following Amelia’s Jewel’s barnstorming finish to claim the race in 2023. Hailing from the Grant & Alana Williams stable, the six-year-old mare produced a strong performance at Flemington first-up, which had many tipping her in the final event on the Moonee Valley card. After jumping well from the barriers, Blake Shinn allowed the daughter of Star Turn to settle midfield behind the speed, while Grinzinger Belle ($3.50) and Jennilala ($4.80) set a good speed ahead of her. Alsephina was one of the only runners that wasn’t off the bit as the field rounded the home turn, and all she needed was a gap to appear in the final 200m. When the gap did appear, Shinn pushed the mare’s nose into the space, and she burst through to storm clear late and record an impressive victory, with Lady Jones ($16) and Grinzinger Belle filling the placings. 2024 Stocks Stakes replay – Alsephina Grant Williams represented the winning stable post-race. “Great bunch of owners, you can see how much they enjoy it,” Williams said. “Yeah, there’s no pressure over here; it’s easy, isn’t it? “We’ve got one on the board early. “Hopefully we can stay here for another month or so, headed towards the Empire Rose and we’ll see what happens. “She had been 600 odd days out since winning but also been runner-up in the Railway. “We thought she’d go really good on a wet track and I thought a run at Flemington was really good as well. “Obviously she’s been on all sorts of tracks. “We’ve been from Perth, we’ve raced on pretty firm tracks in the summer but if you run second in a railway you’ll hold yourself a pretty good set over here.” Blake Shinn was complimentary of the stable and the winner in his post-race interview. “Oh, 100% she put the riding on the on the wall with her first up run in the Lets Elope when she was wide, and look, Grant and Alana, they know a good horse to bring over and she’s trained on lovely,” Shinn said. “We had a bit more economical run today, albeit we were held up for a long way, but she likes to be ridden like that. “When Willie Pike rode her in the West, she ran really effectively, ridden like that how she was covered up today, and when we got out, she exploded. “So, bigger things in store coming. “I don’t know how she likes this Melbourne weather, but I think she’s starting to adapt to it; she looks really well, she’s come a lot in her coat, and how her appearance is so. “Grant was rapt in how she’s come on from her first-up run, and yeah, it’s just great to ride a winner for Grant and Alana.” Alsephina is rated as an $8 chance with horse racing bookmakers in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes futures markets. Horse racing news View the full article

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Smart three-year-old Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto) has maintained his rich-vein of form with a comfortable victory in the Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on Friday night. Trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes continue to build the confidence of the good looking son of Per Incanto, who has now won four races in succession. After a winless two-year-old season, Evaporate bounced off a maiden victory at Cranbourne at the beginning of the season to win a pair of Saturday races at The Valley before taking the step up to stakes company in his stride at the inner city Melbourne venue. After travelling comfortably throughout under Mick Dee, Evaporate was presented rounding the home bend and was an easy length victor from Henlein (Dundeel) who closed well for second. Will Hayes said consideration would now be given to a tilt at the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 12. “I think you’d be mad not to think about it. That win had a lot of credit to it,” he said. “It’s always difficult to build a picket fence, and that’s what he’s done. He’s got a good affinity with The Valley. “It was predicted to be a bit of speed, and they didn’t go that quick, and for him to circle and get pushed out wide and then win quite dominantly – I think he’s just going from strength to strength.” Hayes said the team have long had a good opinion of the gelding. “He’s always showed us really nice ability. You’ll see that we have got the cross-over nose band on, so it’s just a matter of the penny dropping, and once we get that moment and he started racing more tractably, the rest is history.” Winning jockey Michael Dee has a lot of time for the Kiwi-bred. “He had a few goes as a two-year-old and he just wasn’t ready and he’s really coming to his own now,” he said. “I say it every time I ride him, he improves each time.” Evaporate has now had eight starts for four wins, two placings and A$395,625 in stakes. He was bred by Little Avondale Stud, home to Per Incanto, a son of Street Cry who has sired seven Group One winners and 30 stakes winners to date. The dam of Evaporate is the unraced Animal Kingdom mare Savanna, whose half-sister Belluci Babe has been a Group Three winner in Australia for Bjorn Baker in the Little Avondale colours. Both of Savanna’s two foals to race have been winners. Evaporate was bought by Lindsay Park Racing for A$330,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2023. View the full article

High-class filly Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) displayed her versatility when usurping the Gr.3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on Friday night on a Good4 surface. The Mark Walker-trained three-year-old was sent out a $9.50 chance by punters with her previous Listed Cap D’Antibes (1100m) victory at Flemington coming on a rain-affected surface. Jockey Michael Dee was able to get Bellatrix Star into a stalking position just off the leader in the three-year-old fillies contest before swooping in the home straight to score a comfortable three-quarters of a length victory from Tasmanian filly Geegees Mistruth (Wordsmith), with Tobeornottobe (Pierata) back in third. “She improved again off last start, so tonight probably the question mark was a firmer track,” Dee said. “She was able to get on soft ground at Flemington last time, which she probably prefers but this just shows that she’s got a lot of versatility.” Dee believes the sprint distances will be most suitable for the daughter of Star Witness. “She is a horse that can get on the bridle quite strongly at times, and we’re quite lucky that the tempo was strong tonight. So I think she’s going to be a good horse. She’s racing well at this sort of trip, so 1200m is probably her go,” he said. “There are plenty of options for three-year-old fillies at this time of the year. It’s just good to get these wins on the board.” Bellatrix Star took her overall record to four wins from eight starts, including victory in last season’s Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Pukekohe in her native New Zealand. Walker’s Cranbourne-based assistant trainer Ben Gleeson said it was a “confidence-booster” to see the filly step up again after her Flemington win. “She obviously won dominantly last start, but for her to put that field away again and improve and show that she’s certainly up to maybe a better level, gives us a really good confidence booster,” he said. Raced by John Galvin’s Fortuna Racing, Bellatrix Star has now earned A$438,757 in prizemoney to date. Bellatrix Star was offered by Phoenix Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2023, where she was bought for $80,000 by Fortuna Racing in partnership with Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis. View the full article

Star Trelawney Stud-bred mare Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) put on yet another stunning front-running display to prevail in a thrilling Gr.2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on AFL Grand Final eve. The Ciaron Maher-trained mare was brilliantly ridden by Declan Bates who enabled her to skip to her customary lengthy lead before she withstood the late challenge of Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) who was as gallant as ever in defeat. New Zealand breeders supplied the trifecta, with Antino (NZ) (Redwood) also brave in third. Maher was thrilled to see the mare return to winning ways after being toppled by Pinstriped and Mr Brightside at her first two runs this campaign. “Unbelievable,” Maher said after the performance. “I just can’t thank the team enough. To have her back, that’s what racing is all about. Night’s like this. Really good racing. “Brilliant job by Dec. He understands her so well, and the atmosphere tonight was electric. “I was just rapt to have her back. I thought she was pretty close to right and thankfully she’s right back.” Winning rider Declan Bates has built an exceptional partnership with the seven-year-old mare, who races best when allowed to set a strong tempo that leaves her rivals gasping a long way out. “I sat on her on Monday morning and I’d been looking forward to tonight ever since,” Bates said. “I knew she’d just come on from that last run, and she was just on it. “She was just really ready for a Moonee Valley race where she could just roll along and skip away. “I was really positive on her too. A lot of the time I do like to just take it easy on her through that first 200m, but I really just let her stride from the word go today and probably got a little breather about the 1000m. “I asked a lot of her today but I knew around here, on this ground, we were up against a champion in Brightside, and I had to do what I had to do to beat him. “And, look, I’ve just got an absolute champion of a horse here.” Pride Of Jenni is expected to head to the A$5 million Gr.1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on October 19 and then back-up a week later in the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), with both races also on the agenda of her great rival Mr Brightside. A daughter of Pride Of Dubai, Pride Of Jenni was bred by Trelawney Stud and is out of the O’Reilly mare Sancerre, who was prepared by Cambridge trainer Tony Pike to win on four occasions for the Stud. The star mare stems from a family fashioned over generations at the famed Kiwi nursery, which has been in the Taylor family’s ownership since 1993, having been established by Seton Otway in the 1930s. Group Two winner Real Success, the taproot of star Trelawney Stud graduates Vouvray, Loire, A Touch Of Ruby and Pride Of Jenni and many others around them was one of the first families the Taylors bought into upon taking ownership of Trelawney. Pride Of Jenni was sold at the Sydney Classic Sale for A$100,000 through the Segenhoe Stud draft, where she was purchased by Tony and Lynn Ottobre’s Cape Schanck Stud. Sancerre has a two-year-old filly by Per Incanto which has been retained by the Taylors. Pride Of Jenni is now the winner of eight races with a further 11 placings and A$9,109,490 in prizemoney. View the full article

The dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) will make one final appearance in the Japan Cup on November 24 before retiring to stand at Coolmore Stud in Ireland. The four-year-old son of Japan's breed-shaping stallion Deep Impact (Jpn) has won at the highest level in each of his seasons in training, landing the Vertem Futurity after his initial black-type success in the G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes. At three, despite disappointing in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas on his seasonal debut, he put together a formidable CV of four Group/Grade 1 wins, beginning with the Derby and Irish Derby, and then bouncing back from a flop in the King George to win the Irish Champion Stakes before ending the year with victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar. This season, Auguste Rodin has added the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot to his list of wins, and he has also finished runner-up in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and, most recently, behind Economics (GB) in the Irish Champion Stakes. “Auguste Rodin is an exceptional racehorse and stallion prospect with the blend of class, speed and pedigree that only the best possess,” said Coolmore's MV Magnier. “He is a very special horse for us, and I truly believe he ranks up there with the best middle-distance racehorses and sires that we have stood here before him like Sadler's Wells, Galileo, Montjeu, Caerleon and Camelot. Physically, he fills the eye so well as he has extra quality and movement, so I can't wait to see his first crop in Ballydoyle in 2028. We are going to do all we can to give him the best possible opportunity to follow in his illustrious predecessors' footsteps.” One of those predecessors, Galileo (Ire), appears as the damsire of Auguste Rodin, who was the first foal of the treble Group 1 winner Rhododendron (Ire), herself a sister to the brilliant mare Magical (Ire). Their dam Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) was bred by Trevor Stewart and was also a three-time Group 1 winner. Moreover, she in turn is out of Stewart's influential matriarch and top-class sprinter Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). Auguste Rodin is from the final small crop of Deep Impact, who was the 11-time champion sire in Japan, a reign which continued beyond his untimely death in 2019 at the age of 17. His Japanese-Derby winning son Kizuna (Jpn) was leading first-season sire in Japan in 2019 and currently heads the country's general sires' list. Ryan Moore, who has been in the saddle for all bar one of Auguste Rodin's 15 races, said, “He's been an unbelievable horse for us. We have always thought the world of him. He has everything you'd want. He has so much pace. He could kill horses for speed, and he was able to stretch that out over 12 furlongs. Horses like him are so hard to find. An incredible horse.” Reflecting on a racing career that has so far netted a prize-money haul just shy of €6m, his trainer Aidan O'Brien added, “Auguste Rodin is out of Rhododendron, one of the best Galileo mares, and by Deep Impact, Japan's best stallion. He connects two of the most powerful breeding lines in the world. He has been a pleasure and a privilege to train. He is just a very unique horse and we're very excited to see what he will achieve at stud. We will be supporting him with our own mares.” Kanichi Kusano, manager of the Japan Racing Association's London office, is charged with attracting runners for the Japan Cup. The country's major international race was named Longines World's Best Horserace in 2023 following the victory of superstar Equinox (Jpn). Kusano said that Tokyo racegoers will be extra pleased to welcome a son of Deep Impact from overseas, making it a homecoming of sorts for Auguste Rodin. “I think that is the reason that it is most special to the Japanese fans,” he noted. “To have one of his last progeny coming to race in Japan and then retiring to stud is a great joy for the Japanese racing industry as well. “With all his career, his performance and his popularity as a great racehorse, but again the fact that Auguste Rodin is from the last crop of Deep Impact, we are really excited to have him for the Japan Cup and just hope that he travels safely and runs safely and then has a good retirement at stud.” The post Auguste Rodin to Retire to Coolmore After Japan Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Evaporate races to victory in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m). Photo: Bruno Cannatelli Smart three-year-old Evaporate has maintained his rich-vein of form with a comfortable victory in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on Friday night. Trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes continue to build the confidence of the good looking son of Per Incanto, who has now won four races in succession. After a winless two-year-old season, Evaporate bounced off a maiden victory at Cranbourne at the beginning of the season to win a pair of Saturday races at The Valley before taking the step up to stakes company in his stride at the inner city Melbourne venue. After travelling comfortably throughout under Mick Dee, Evaporate was presented rounding the home bend and was an easy length victor from Henlein who closed well for second. 2024 Group 2 Stutt Stakes Replay – Evaporate Will Hayes said consideration would now be given to a tilt at the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 12. “I think you’d be mad not to think about it. That win had a lot of credit to it,” he said. “It’s always difficult to build a picket fence, and that’s what he’s done. He’s got a good affinity with The Valley. “It was predicted to be a bit of speed, and they didn’t go that quick, and for him to circle and get pushed out wide and then win quite dominantly – I think he’s just going from strength to strength.” Hayes said the team have long had a good opinion of the gelding. “He’s always showed us really nice ability. You’ll see that we have got the cross-over nose band on, so it’s just a matter of the penny dropping, and once we get that moment and he started racing more tractably, the rest is history.” Winning jockey Michael Dee has a lot of time for the Kiwi-bred. “He had a few goes as a two-year-old and he just wasn’t ready and he’s really coming to his own now,” he said. “I say it every time I ride him, he improves each time.” Horse racing news View the full article

Southport Tycoon ridden by Mark Zahra wins the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley Racecourse on September 27, 2024. (Photo by George Salpigtidis/Racing Photos) Ciaron Maher and Mark Zahra have combined with Southport Tycoon ($21) to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by nosing out his stablemate Growing Empire ($3.80) on the line to take out the Group 1 Manikato Stakes. Maher trained four of the 12 runners in the Moonee Valley feature, but of those, Southport Tycoon would have been his fourth seed, and the three-year-old colt was his best chance. However, the lack of experience may have told in the concluding stages with Growing Empire, who appeared to float in the final 50m and potentially threw the race away by doing so. As expected, the tempo was very strong as Estriella ($8) crossed the field to lead from Growing Empire, and they put two lengths on the rest of the field by the halfway point. Growing Empire gave a strong kick upon straightening and appeared to have the race within his keeping, but it was Southport Tycoon who got into clear air and sprouted wings late. Mark Zahra took an inside run along the rail and gave the eventual winner a peach of a ride to flash home before putting in a big dive on the line to claim the victory in a photo finish. 2024 Manikato Stakes replay – Southport Tycoon Ciaron Maher was elated with the win, and he spoke post-race. “He raced really well around The Valley, he needed that first-up run. I said to Nath, he went from a boy to a man over the break,” Maher said of the winner. “He needed that first-up just to get him back in the swing of things. “A month between runs, tria, – he sort of put the writing on the board in the trial, his sectionals were phenomenal late. “I thought Mark was the perfect jockey for him, because you had to play that nice waiting race, nice waiting ride.” Mark Zahra was quick to mention that he has ridden the runner-up previously in his post-race interview and that he knew where he was vulnerable. “I just rode him for luck. I mean seeing my other horse in front like that, geez, he gave such a good chase,” Zahra said. “Me and Ciaron were quietly the confident like he was going really well and I didn’t even have a chance to pull the whip, you know. “I was coming through that quick and just got the stride in the right time. “Ciaron’s a master trainer; like I went up and trialled him probably six weeks ago, and he was you know a bit fat and he went just okay, and then I went up to Sydney and rode him, and I seen him again the other day with the blinkers on at the jump outs, and he just looked like a new horse. “He’s just he knows how to get these horses ready at the right time, and I’m happy to be on there the otherside with a roughy winning. “I wasn’t sure if I won or not – I was coming that fast and knowing the other horse , he’s a stargazer. “He would have thought him and Craig I reckon would have thought they won. “And if there’s the only way to beat that horse is to get him late before he can see you coming. Lucky I know him well.” Horse racing news View the full article

Bellatrix Star winning the Group 3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m). Photo: Bruno Cannatelli High-class filly Bellatrix Star displayed her versatility when usurping the Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night on a Good 4 surface. The Mark Walker-trained three-year-old was sent out a $9.50 chance with horse racing bookmakers by punters with her previous Listed Cap D’Antibes (1100m) victory at Flemington coming on a rain-affected surface. Jockey Michael Dee was able to get Bellatrix Star into a stalking position just off the leader in the three-year-old fillies contest before swooping in the home straight to score a comfortable three-quarters of a length victory from Tasmanian filly Geegees Mistruth, with Tobeornottobe back in third. 2024 Group 3 Scarborough Stakes Replay – Bellatrix Star “She improved again off last start, so tonight probably the question mark was a firmer track,” Dee said. “She was able to get on soft ground at Flemington last time, which she probably prefers but this just shows that she’s got a lot of versatility.” Dee believes the sprint distances will be most suitable for the daughter of Star Witness. “She is a horse that can get on the bridle quite strongly at times, and we’re quite lucky that the tempo was strong tonight. So I think she’s going to be a good horse. She’s racing well at this sort of trip, so 1200m is probably her go,” he said. “There are plenty of options for three-year-old fillies at this time of the year. It’s just good to get these wins on the board.” Bellatrix Star took her overall record to four wins from eight starts, including victory in last season’s Group 2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Pukekohe in her native New Zealand. Walker’s Cranbourne-based assistant trainer Ben Gleeson said it was a “confidence-booster” to see the filly step up again after her Flemington win. “She obviously won dominantly last start, but for her to put that field away again and improve and show that she’s certainly up to maybe a better level, gives us a really good confidence booster,” he said. Horse racing news View the full article

Pride Of Jenni ridden by Declan Bates wins the Feehan Stakes. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Racing Photos) Following her defeat in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes, Pride Of Jenni bounced back with an all-the-way victory at Moonee Valley to claim the Group 2 Feehan Stakes. The race that was billed as a match race between Ciaron Maher’s mare and Mr Brightside from the Ben, Will & JD Hayes stable, and in the end there wasn’t much of a contest. With only four horses in the field, Declan Bates was always going to lead on his star mare, and within 400m, it was easy to see that Bates wasn’t hanging around and waiting for anyone as Pride Of Jenni shot out to a four-length lead. By the time the daughter of Pride Of Duba hit the halfway point, she found herself over 10 lengths in front of her main rival. Mr Brightside, Antino and Attrition started to take ground of the eventual winner; however, they gave themselves too much of a task and Pride Of Jenni recorded a gritty 1.5-length victory. 2024 Feehan Stakes replay – Pride Of Jenni Ciaron Maher was clearly emotional in his post-race interview. “Unbelievable,” Maher exclaimed. “Just can’t thank the team enough. Sammy, Jack, Adrian, just everyone that’s strapped her to it tonight because Sammy got injured, but fantastic. “Tony and Lynn and the whole family and team. “To have her back, that’s what racing’s all about, nights like this. “Really good racing and a brilliant job by Dec. He understands her so well and the atmosphere tonight is electric. “I thought she was pretty close to right and thankfully she’s right back. “I thought she was home a fair way out, but got a little bit scared last time. “She’s just very special. Everything she does is special. “She’s the ultimate professional. She’s just great to deal with and I love her.” Declan Bates echoed similar thoughts to Maher as he spoke post-race. “I sat on her Monday morning and I’ve been looking forward to tonight ever since because I knew she had just come on from that last run and she was just on it,” Bates said. “She was ready for a, she was really ready for a Moonee Valley race where she could just roll along and skip away. I was pretty positive on her, too. “A lot of times I do like to just take it easy on her through that first 200, but I really just let her stride from the word go today and probably got a little breather, about 2000, and then from the 800, I asked a lot of her today, but I knew around here on this ground that’s how we, you know,were up against the champion in Brightside and had to do what I had to do to beat him. “And look, I’ve just got an absolute champion of a horse here.” Pride Of Jenni has moved into equal favouritism with Fangirl at $3 with horse racing bookmakers in the King Charles III futures markets. Horse racing news View the full article

Big race jockey Mark Zahra nailed a perfectly timed ride on Southport Tycoon to cause a boilover in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley. View the full article

Three of the veteran handler’s four Saturday runners have drawn nine or wider.View the full article

Mauritian jockey to ride in Japan on eve of Group One bid on Pierre Ng’s emerging sprinter.View the full article

Snazzytavi has booked her ticket south to Hastings next month to contest the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) following an eye-catching victory at Te Rapa on Friday. The Group Three-winning daughter of Tavistock was second-up in the BCD Group Mile (1600m) after finishing ninth in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings earlier this month, and trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall were hoping for a confidence-boosting result. Snazzytavi was backed into $1.90 favouritism and duly delivered for punters. Jumping from the ace barrier, she followed a blistering pace set by a quartet of horses upfront, but jockey Warren Kennedy bided his time, incrementally reeling in the pacemakers to sit within firing range at the turn. Kennedy guided Snazzytavi up on the rail where she showed a good turn of foot and quickly found themselves in the lead at the 200m and ran out comfortable 2-3/4 length victors over a game Chattahooche. “That was great to see,” Richardson said. “You are querying a little bit after her first-up run, but it was a big ask and things just didn’t suit. She improved a lot from Hastings to today, so that was very good, I am very happy.” Richardson said he was pleased to see the strong early tempo, which set the race up nicely for his mare. “I was pretty happy about that (strong tempo),” he said. “There looked to be a bit of pace in the race and there were a few horses resuming as well. I wasn’t 100 percent sure, but it worked out well. The way she won, she could have been anywhere in the race. She won easing up, she was so impressive. “I am absolutely rapt for the horse and the connections.” The Livamol Classic now awaits Snazzytavi, and although Richardson isn’t enamoured with stepping his mare up from 1400m to 2040m in the space of five weeks, he is excited to see what she can do next month. “At this stage that (Livamol) is the plan, she obviously deserves a crack,” he said. “It is not easy this time of year when you go up from 1400m to 1600m and 2000m straight away. It is not easy and it is not ideal, you would like more of a build-up, but the Livamol only comes around once a year.” A race prior, new stable acquisition Rocababy pleased when finishing runner-up behind Wewillrock in the Risk Management Group 1200. The El Roca mare was having her second start for the stable, having finished fourth first-up at Te Rapa a fortnight ago. “She had a very good run,” Richardson said. “Jasmine (Fawcett) rode her very well considering her draw (nine). She was three wide, really went to the line and tried her heart out.” View the full article

Bloodstock agents are circling exciting three-year-old Suit Yourself following his win in the SJC Foundation 3YO (1200m) at Te Rapa on Friday. The son of Savile Row was fair away from his ace barrier and settled in midfield for jockey Ryan Elliot. The pair tracked up on the inner behind the leaders down the straight before Elliot presented his charge through a gap at the 200m mark and Suit Yourself quickly accelerated to take the lead and held on for a long neck victory over a fast-finishing Domain Ace. “He is quite something,” Elliot said. “He got a little fidgety in the gates, but he jumped pretty well to put himself there and he’s a horse that you’d just look after and he should keep improving.” It was the second consecutive win for Suit Yourself from just three starts, having finished runner-up on debut at Arawa Park in July. Trainer Pam Gerard and her partner Tommy Hazlett purchased Suit Yourself out of Valachi Downs’ Gavelhouse.com Dispersal Sale as weanling for $3,000, and he has proven to be an astute buy by the Matamata couple, who have fielded plenty of interest in the colt. “I was tossing up between running today or next Saturday in the three-year-old 1400m at Matamata, but he was just getting too full of himself and needed to run,” Gerard said. “It was the right race for him and thanks to the club for presenting such a good track. It’s that time of year when you like to see these nice three-year-olds getting out and about, and racing on a good track like this is very important. “There have been offers for the horse, but we’ll just have to see where it goes from here. He’s gone and beaten a substantial field today, and every one of his races has had the form stack up in it. “He’s proven himself in three starts, with two wins and a second, and we’re very proud of him. “He’s still growing, started to get quite leggy of late, but he’s shown ability and gives the impression he’ll get there in due course.” View the full article

The experience of racehorse ownership is just a click away for TAB customers following the official launch of the TAB Racing Club (TRC) today. The club, which is modelled on a similar club operated by Entain through its Ladbrokes brand in Australia, offers TAB customers the chance to opt in to becoming a member of the club, and experience the joys of ownership without spending a cent. The club’s purpose is to drive awareness and support for getting involved in racing ownership. TAB customers who are logged into their accounts can opt in to the club at www.tab.co.nz/racing-club From there, they can enjoy access to exclusive behind-thescenes stables content from leading trainers on the club’s runners, ballots for raceday prizes including events and bonuses, ownership experiences including raceday owner ticketing and hospitality, stable tours, and access to other club competitions. Cameron Rodger, Managing Director – New Zealand for Entain Australia and New Zealand, the operators of TAB, sees the club as a great chance to open customers to the world of ownership. “There’s no feeling quite like the excitement of having a runner at the races and now many more Kiwis can find this out for themselves,” Rodger said. “The club is a great entry-level, no-cost way for Kiwis to get a taste of what a worldclass ownership experience looks like. “They’ll hear from some of the industry’s leading lights about the club’s horses and get to soak up the very best of an on-track experience through our prize draws. “We envision the club as creating a pathway for TAB customers to head towards joining the ownership ranks in their own rights.” The club purchased 12 thoroughbred yearlings at Karaka 2024 in January, and four pacers at the NZ Bloodstock Standardbred sales in February. Two other horses have been acquired by the club, with Bella Ragazza already placing in her last two runs in the South Island. Several 2-year-old thoroughbreds are making moves towards a race debut, with a number of runners, including Aurora Storm and Adoration already appearing at the trials and jumpouts. Information on how to opt into the TRC is now available through tab.co.nz and the TAB App, and TAB customers can join directly at tab.co.nz/racing-club, where a number of balloted events are already open for expressions of interest. Information on each of the TAB Racing Club-affiliated horses is available through the TAB Racing Club portal or in the Punters Lounge section of tab.co.nz. View the full article

The release of the 2023/24 Report of the New Zealand Pattern Committee last week highlighted to us the need for ongoing change in relation to our thoroughbred racing calendar. The Pattern plays an incredibly important role in the broader thoroughbred ecosystem, and we share the concern of the Pattern Committee in relation to the seven Group 1 races that enter the 2024/25 season with a ‘Warning’ status. With the elevation of the late January TAB Karaka Millions day over recent years (and rightly so), we believe there does need to be a stocktake of the entire shape of the pattern. The prizemoney on offer on TAB Karaka Millions night, and in the following eight to 10 weeks across February and March, will continue to make it challenging for Group 1 races across December and January to achieve the required ratings to maintain their premier status (as we have unfortunately seen this season with the downgrade of the Levin Classic to Group 2). With that in mind, it may be the time for the industry to make some wholesale changes and reconsider how races such as the Zabeel Classic, Telegraph Handicap and Thorndon Mile are placed. It may also make sense to focus on creating a more defined spring carnival for certain types of horses (particularly in the 1200-1600m range). As we have said in the past on other matters, an exercise like this should be viewed by the industry as a great opportunity to make the sport better. If the review can then be approached from the perspective of what is best for the overall industry, rather than built from specific club race dates or by who lays claim to what race or because “that’s how it’s always been done”, we certainly believe there can be a better product presented to customers and overall more value created for participants over the next five years. Lastly, it was truly fantastic to see racing resume at Ellerslie this past weekend. From a wagering perspective, the card was one of our biggest ever results for a non-black type meeting. A big congrats to the Auckland Thoroughbred Team for the successful day, and for their move earlier last week to inject another $4 million-plus into stakes this coming season, as well as moving the nomination dates for further significant races closer to race day. We recognise that adjusting the nomination window may have a short-term revenue impact for the Club, but we believe it will significantly enhance field quality and reduce costs for owners, both of which will provide substantial benefits to the entire industry. We’ve had a significant number of sign-ups to this newsletter in the last couple of months, so please continue to share or forward this newsletter to anyone in the industry who you think might like to read this. They can sign up to receive the Entain Edition directly by contacting communications@entaingroup.co.nz. Likewise, if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please contact the same address. Thanks for reading. Cameron Rodger, Managing Director – New Zealand Entain Australia and New Zealand TAB Racing Club We’ve really been looking forward to the TAB Racing Club launching, and the portal on tab.co.nz will go live from this Friday. Any TAB customer can opt in to the club where they can experience the joys of ownership without spending a cent. Through the TAB Racing Club, club members will receive a whole host of benefits and the opportunity to go into the ballot for experiences. We’ve seen great success in recent months with our corresponding club, Ladbrokes Racing Club, in Australia. There are currently 18 horses (14 thoroughbreds and four standardbreds), with most of these bought at the yearling sales last season. Several 2-year-olds are getting close to the race track as we head deeper into spring. Find out more about the club’s horses at the TAB Racing Club hub in the Punters Lounge, and if you’re a TAB customer, simply follow the prompts on tab.co.nz or through the TAB App from 12pm on Friday to join the club. Left: Warren Kennedy wearing the TAB Racing Club silks. Right: TRC 2-year-old colt Adoration (Savabeel-Romantic Time). You’ve asked, we’ve listened When the new TAB App and website launched in late April this year, we asked for feedback, to ensure everyone had a place to share their thoughts and suggestions with us freely. In the first week, we’d resolved and released into production over 64% of the feedback supplied by customers, stakeholders, staff and industry. Others we needed to keep in our back pockets for later, and those have been making their way to the platform in the last few months. Apple Pay and Google Pay have both been added for quicker ways to deposit. Will Pays are back – as asked for – on doubles, trebles and quaddies. We’ve made design improvements, to make code icons more identifiable, tote clearer and the whole platform easier on the eye for accessibility. We introduced the Chatbot to get answers easily and quickly, and Easybets are coming back, sooner than you might think! News in brief:The TAB Punter of the Year competition is back again at Hastings on Livamol Classic day. The winner will receive a $20,000 cash prize as well as $10,000 of Bonus Cash to place on The Everest the following week. Find out all the info and register your interest at hawkesbayracing.co.nz/punter-year.The NZB Mega Maiden Series provides great opportunities for NZB graduates all over the country to run for lucrative bonuses. There are five between now and the end of October, with a maiden 1200m at Te Rapa the next chance for connections to get a massive bonus on top of their maiden stake. Check out those races at nzb.co.nz/maidenseries.We share regular updates on LinkedIn around what’s happening in the world of Entain Australia & New Zealand. If you’re on LinkedIn, keep up to date by following us. Entain team profile Name: Chris Haigh Role: Chief Media Officer Time with Entain: One and a bit years Racing interests: I had a share in a Snitzel filly called Londinium. This was largely a strategy to prompt my wife to put her name down, in order to have a crack at the women’s ownership incentives as part of Magic Millions. It was a good idea but you need a fast horse as well to go with it. The girls named it and we got a few race days in – call it a win – and she did win a maiden at Tamworth! What excites you about the strategic partnership? The size of the opportunity is just massive. We’re so privileged to be part of it and have the Entain playbook behind us. Even after just a year, it’s great to have such an integrated team, and be able to share a passion for racing in particular. From a broadcast perspective, it’s very cool to turn on the TV/Radio and be able to see it happening in real time. The race event I’m most looking forward to? This season, NZ Cup Week for sure. It’s a fantastic week, and it really feels like the whole ecosystem of NZ racing is on show, with such a fantastic backdrop. As a bonus for me, my 40th birthday happens to fall on that week. View the full article

Jockey heads to Saturday’s meeting with an ‘even book’ of six rides.View the full article

Malt Time will contest the Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Hastings on Saturday. Photo: Therese Davis (Race Images) Last year’s Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) runner-up Malt Time is in firing form ahead of her bid for the title on Saturday, where she will carry apprentice jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll in his debut Group One ride. Shaun and Emma Clotworthy, who train the daughter of Adelaide out of Byerley Park, afforded the same opportunity to Lily Sutherland last December in the Group 1 TAB Classic (1600m) at Trentham, where the pair finished an impressive third. Lawson-Carroll has been indentured to the Clotworthy’s since commencing his apprenticeship and has established a strong association with Malt Time, winning three of their four starts, including back-to-back successes at Ruakaka. The most recent of those came on September 7, where Malt Time came from last on the corner to storm past her rivals with apparent ease, giving the Clotworthy’s confidence to push onto the Group One. “Her last start was very good against lesser opposition of course, but she’s won very well and seems to like that track at Ruakaka,” he said. “She raced well at Hastings last year, so she doesn’t seem to mind that track either. “She’s had a couple of nice bits of work since then, we do a quite a lot of her work out at the beach and I thought she worked particularly well last Friday.” Malt Time was beaten only by Mustang Valley in the 2023 edition of the Arrowfield while paying $50 with horse racing bookmakers, and come Saturday, she will be among the more-favoured runners on a track better suited to her style than last year’s Heavy 10. “We’d prefer a Good track, the heavier surface nulls her sprint a little bit so a good track would be ideal,” Clotworthy said. While describing Lawson-Carroll as a “pretty cool character”, Clotworthy indicated there are plenty of nerves and excitement in the stable this week ahead of the race. “This is Ace’s first Group One ride so he’s pretty excited, and a bit nervous too, but he doesn’t let things get to him too much,” he said. “Most of the jockeys are a touch nervous going into a Group One, so I’ll just be telling him to ride it like any other race, he’s making good decisions in races at the moment and going on his instincts, so he’ll handle the occasion I’m sure. “It’s great to give him this opportunity, he’s been a great kid to get going into racing and he’s had the early part of his riding career with us. “He’s very loyal to the stable and works really hard, so he deserves this. Everyone has to start somewhere and have their first ride, so I’m pleased for him and happy to have him on our horse.” Horse racing news View the full article

Whiskey ‘N Roses will contest the Group 2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Hastings on Saturday. Photo: Therese Davis (Race Images) Several years have passed since Joanne Surgenor last competed in a Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival, but the Ardmore Lodge trainer is heading back to Hastings on Saturday with a pair of well-credentialed runners. Surgenor has trained 55 winners in a career that started during the 2006-07 season, and according to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing statistics, she has saddled a total of four runners at Hastings that have all been unplaced. That includes two shots at the Listed (now Group 3) Spring Sprint (1400m) with Black Panther, who finished a close seventh behind Mufhasa in 2007 and eighth in the race won by Dezigna a year later. Black Panther had previously been a winner at the carnival as a three-year-old when trained by Richard Yuill, who Surgenor worked for at the time. “We had Black Panther running in some good races during the carnival a few years back, but in more recent times I haven’t had many horses that were suitable to take down there,” Surgenor said. “But we’ve got a couple of very nice chances in races with great prizemoney this Saturday, so it’s absolutely worth making the trip. I’m looking forward to it.” Highly promising three-year-old Whiskey ‘N Roses faces the biggest test of his fledgeling career in Saturday’s Group 2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m). Raced by breeders Peter and Sherin Walker in partnership with Haunui Farm, the Belardo gelding ran second behind Magice on debut at Matamata in early May. He reversed that result in a three-length romp at Ruakaka a month later, then added another stylish victory in a 1200m Rating 65 at Te Rapa on August 24. “He’s shown a lot of ability in those three starts,” Surgenor said. “This will be a tough test for him, and it’s even harder after drawing the outside. But we’ll just see what happens and how it plays out. I think he’ll run a good race. “He had an exhibition gallop between races at Ellerslie the other day and went really well. Vinnie (Colgan, jockey) got off him and was thrilled with how the horse felt. “I think he’ll get up over 1400m quite easily, because he sits back and relaxes before finding the line strongly. I’m hoping to see him produce a big finish down the straight on Saturday.” Horse racing bookmakers rate Whiskey ‘N Roses an $8.50 fifth favourite for the Hawke’s Bay Guineas behind Captured By Love ($2.40), Savaglee ($4.40), Poetic Champion ($6) and So Naive ($7). Surgenor’s other runner at Hastings on Saturday is To Catch A Thief, who is a $3.60 favourite for the $65,000 Betta Inspect It Premier (1300m). To Catch A Thief will be ridden by Opie Bosson and is making his first start for Surgenor’s stable, having previously been trained by Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall. The son of U S Navy Flag has yet to win a race in his 14-start career, but has placed in 10 of those, including the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Group 2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) and Group 2 Sarten Memorial (1400m). “He’s come and joined my stable because the owners just wanted to try something different,” Surgenor said. “It’s definitely not a slight against ‘Richie’ or anything like that. We’ll just change a few things up and see what happens. “I think he’s coming up really nicely. I’ve been pleased with him. His work has been good and he galloped nicely in company with Whiskey ‘N Roses at Ellerslie. “He’s probably going to take good improvement from this fresh-up run, but he’s done everything right so far.” Horse racing news View the full article

John Wheeler pictured with Lord Donovan. Photo: Race Images South John Wheeler will mix flat and jumping assignments with his in-form stable this weekend, including the return of progressive galloper Lord Donovan at Hastings on Saturday. The son of Lord caught plenty of attention during New Zealand Cup Week when winning a race at each of the three meetings, and continued to perform in premier Rating 75 company through the remainder of the season. Returning for a new campaign towards the Riccarton carnival, where he currently holds a nomination for the Group 3 TAB Mile (1600m), Lord Donovan will contest the NZB Ready To Run Trainers Series Premier (1200m). “I’m pretty happy with him, he’s having his first run this season on Saturday and I haven’t been disappointed with him this time in,” Wheeler said. “Spring seems to be his favourite time of the year, so that’s a positive. “I would think he’ll be heading to (New Zealand) Cup Week, I don’t know if I’ll be racing three times this year, but he’ll be there.” Wheeler’s apprentice jockey Elle Sole will claim three-kilograms off the six-year-old, with the combination in strong form having collected a pair of victories last Saturday, including with Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) hopeful Tranzed. “He went very well in the Derby (Group 1, 2400m) last year after missing the kick by about four lengths, he ended up just beyond the placegetters,” Wheeler said. “He’s come back super this year and I think he’ll keep improving as he matures. My long-term goal for him would be the New Zealand Cup (Group 3, 3200m).” Back at Hastings, Wheeler will also be represented by last-start winner Jetalal. The Ocean Emperor mare dashed through the tough conditions at New Plymouth to score over 990m a fortnight ago, with a further step-up in distance in her future. “It was a terribly wet track at New Plymouth and she was tailed off early, but got home over the top of them. It was a terrific run to be fair, but it’s a bit hit or miss on a good track, so I’m not sure,” Wheeler said. “She’s always shown me a lot in her work, but I think the race may be a bit short for her, she’s destined to be a staying horse. “She will go up to a mile from here.” At Woodville on Sunday, Zeefa Zed will be looking to close the jumping season on a winning note after placing in the top four in each of his eight starts this season, including finishing runner-up to Justice at Te Rapa. “I thought it was a pretty good run really there, he’s quite a difficult horse to ride and Emily (Farr, jockey) rode him well,” Wheeler said. “He tends to want to do his own thing, but I’d expect him to be thereabouts, and he’ll be hard to knock.” Joining the Zed gelding in the maiden contest will be Sir Maverick, who Wheeler indicated is set for a career over the bigger fences in time. “He was disappointing last start and I haven’t really got an answer for that, but his first couple of runs were outstanding,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with him, but we may have to leave him until steeplechasing next year, he’s a big horse with a lot in front of him I think.” Completing the Taranaki horseman’s contingent is Red Ned, who ran a bold race for Farr at the venue last start, making him a key hope. “He’s going super, he jumps well and hasn’t quite turned four yet so he’s just a baby,” Wheeler said. “He’s learning his craft and will be a very good horse next year, particularly on wet tracks.” Horse racing news View the full article

John Wheeler will mix flat and jumping assignments with his in-form stable this weekend, including the return of progressive galloper Lord Donovan at Hastings on Saturday. The son of Lord caught plenty of attention during New Zealand Cup Week when winning a race at each of the three meetings, and continued to perform in premier Rating 75 company through the remainder of the season. Returning for a new campaign towards the Riccarton carnival, where he currently holds a nomination for the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m), Lord Donovan will contest the NZB Ready To Run Trainers Series Premier (1200m). “I’m pretty happy with him, he’s having his first run this season on Saturday and I haven’t been disappointed with him this time in,” Wheeler said. “Spring seems to be his favourite time of the year, so that’s a positive. “I would think he’ll be heading to (New Zealand) Cup Week, I don’t know if I’ll be racing three times this year, but he’ll be there.” Wheeler’s apprentice jockey Elle Sole will claim three-kilograms off the six-year-old, with the combination in strong form having collected a pair of victories last Saturday, including with Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) hopeful Tranzed. “He went very well in the Derby (Gr.1, 2400m) last year after missing the kick by about four lengths, he ended up just beyond the placegetters,” Wheeler said. “He’s come back super this year and I think he’ll keep improving as he matures. My long-term goal for him would be the New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m).” Back at Hastings, Wheeler will also be represented by last-start winner Jetalal in the Betta Inspect It Premier (1300m). The Ocean Emperor mare dashed through the tough conditions at New Plymouth to score over 990m a fortnight ago, with a further step-up in distance in her future. “It was a terribly wet track at New Plymouth and she was tailed off early, but got home over the top of them. It was a terrific run to be fair, but it’s a bit hit or miss on a good track, so I’m not sure,” Wheeler said. “She’s always shown me a lot in her work, but I think the race may be a bit short for her, she’s destined to be a staying horse. “She will go up to a mile from here.” At Woodville on Sunday, Zeefa Zed will be looking to close the jumping season on a winning note in the Tom Castles – Celebrating 80 Years (3000m), after placing in the top four in each of his eight starts this season, including finishing runner-up to Justice at Te Rapa. “I thought it was a pretty good run really there, he’s quite a difficult horse to ride and Emily (Farr, jockey) rode him well,” Wheeler said. “He tends to want to do his own thing, but I’d expect him to be thereabouts, and he’ll be hard to knock.” Joining the Zed gelding in the maiden contest will be Sir Maverick, who Wheeler indicated is set for a career over the bigger fences in time. “He was disappointing last start and I haven’t really got an answer for that, but his first couple of runs were outstanding,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with him, but we may have to leave him until steeplechasing next year, he’s a big horse with a lot in front of him I think.” Completing the Taranaki horseman’s contingent is Red Ned, who ran a bold race for Farr at the venue last start, making him a key hope in the Merrylees Hotel (3000m). “He’s going super, he jumps well and hasn’t quite turned four yet so he’s just a baby,” Wheeler said. “He’s learning his craft and will be a very good horse next year, particularly on wet tracks.” View the full article

Spring racing in the South Island has been a happy hunting ground for Te Akau Racing throughout the last couple of decades, and that trend is set to continue with another strong team of seven runners at Riccarton Park on Saturday. New Zealand’s leading trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson won 63 races in the South Island last season, and they have continued in much the same vein with a dozen winners through the first two months of 2024-25. Perhaps the highest-profile of those is the three-year-old Savabeel colt Age Of Discovery, who scored a smart debut victory at Riccarton on September 14. He beat talented older rival Full Moon Fever by a neck in that 1200m maiden race, with the rest of the field more than four lengths adrift of the first pair. Bought by David Ellis for $625,000 as a yearling at Karaka last year, Age Of Discovery will attempt to bolster his claims for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) when he makes the second start of his promising career in Saturday’s Rangiora New World Guineas Trial (1400m). “He’s pretty smart and is building himself a bit of a reputation,” Te Akau’s Riccarton stable foreman Hunter Durrant said. “Opie (Bosson, jockey) got off him after that debut win and said all he’ll do is improve, and he’s definitely done that already. “It’s going to be good to see him run against his own age group on Saturday, and the step up to 1400m should give us a bit of a line on him ahead of a potential Guineas campaign.” Age Of Discovery is already prominent in the TAB’s fixed-odds market for the 2000 Guineas on November 9, sitting on a quote of $8 and sharing second favouritism with the recent debut Taupo winner Sought After. That market is headed by Savaglee at $5. Another notable member of Te Akau’s southern squad on Saturday is Tokyo Tycoon, who will make his South Island debut in the Elmwood Trading Company Rating 75 (1200m). The son of Satono Aladdin was the champion two-year-old of his year, winning four races including the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m). He added the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) as a spring three-year-old last season, and his six subsequent appearances included a fifth in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), a third behind Pendragon and Quintessa in a strong age-group race at Te Rapa, and a fifth in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m). Saturday’s race will be Tokyo Tycoon’s first appearance since he was unplaced in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) in March. The four-year-old holds a nomination for the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m) during the New Zealand Cup Carnival in November. “He’s obviously a quality animal,” Durrant said. “He’s travelled down and settled in really well, and he seems to be coming up nicely. “He has a good record on soft ground, so even if we get a bit of rain leading into the races on Saturday, it shouldn’t worry him too much. “It’ll be good to see how he goes fresh. He’ll have bigger targets in store for him down here later in the spring.” Tokyo Tycoon will be joined in that Rating 75 event by stablemates Malmaison and Superbly Written. Malmaison has been a back-to-back winner on synthetic surfaces in his last two starts, while Superbly Written resumed at Taupo late last month and played little part in the race after rearing at the start. “Malmaison has had a bit of a freshen-up since he last ran at the end of last month,” Durrant said. “He’s definitely building up nicely. Wiremu (Pinn, jockey) knows him well and should give him a nice run. “You can’t read too much into Superbly Written’s first-up run. The Matamata team have sent her down here in great order and her coat is immaculate. She’s spent time down here before, so knows the system ere well. I’d expect her to run well this weekend.” Perfect Scenario will line up as topweight in the Marshall Batteries Open Handicap (1400m), having kicked off his seven-year-old season with a bold win over 1200m on September 14. Bought by Ellis for $165,000, the Iffraaj gelding has won 10 of his 38 starts and banked almost $400,000. “He’s just a gem,” Durrant said. “If all horses were like him, the game would be easy. He’s a real stable favourite. He’s spent a lot of time down here and seems to love South Island life. “Ngakau Hailey’s 3kg claim will obviously be a big help on Saturday. He still has a bit more of his coat to come through, but he’s improved a lot from his first-up run and should be a good chance again.” Te Akau’s other Riccarton runners are El Viento in the Thank You Gordon Fulton Rating 75 (1600m) and Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) contender Fierce Flight in the Waimakariri Businesses North Canterbury Cup (2000m). “Considering it was a day where they were running fast times and on-speed horses were favoured, we thought El Viento ran well first-up,” Durrant said. “He made up good ground. He didn’t make the field off the ballot two weeks ago, so he’s been to the trials instead and his trial was huge. He should put in a really bold performance this weekend. “Fierce Flight has been finding the line nicely over 1600m and 1800m. He’s got some bigger aims coming up, moving towards the New Zealand Cup. He’s taken good improvement from his last-start run and has been working well.” View the full article

Several years have passed since Joanne Surgenor last competed in a Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival, but the Ardmore Lodge trainer is heading back to Hastings on Saturday with a pair of well-credentialled runners. Surgenor has trained 55 winners in a career that started during the 2006-07 season, and according to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing statistics, she has saddled a total of four runners at Hastings that have all been unplaced. That includes two shots at the Listed (now Gr.3) Spring Sprint (1400m) with Black Panther, who finished a close seventh behind Mufhasa in 2007 and eighth in the race won by Dezigna a year later. Black Panther had previously been a winner at the carnival as a three-year-old when trained by Richard Yuill, who Surgenor worked for at the time. “We had Black Panther running in some good races during the carnival a few years back, but in more recent times I haven’t had many horses that were suitable to take down there,” Surgenor said. “But we’ve got a couple of very nice chances in races with great prizemoney this Saturday, so it’s absolutely worth making the trip. I’m looking forward to it.” Highly promising three-year-old Whiskey ‘N Roses faces the biggest test of his fledgling career in Saturday’s Gr.2 AHD Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m). Raced by breeders Peter and Sherin Walker in partnership with Haunui Farm, the Belardo gelding ran second behind Magice on debut at Matamata in early May. He reversed that result in a three-length romp at Ruakaka a month later, then added another stylish victory in a 1200m Rating 65 at Te Rapa on August 24. “He’s shown a lot of ability in those three starts,” Surgenor said. “This will be a tough test for him, and it’s even harder after drawing the outside. But we’ll just see what happens and how it plays out. I think he’ll run a good race. “He had an exhibition gallop between races at Ellerslie the other day and went really well. Vinnie (Colgan, jockey) got off him and was thrilled with how the horse felt. “I think he’ll get up over 1400m quite easily, because he sits back and relaxes before finding the line strongly. I’m hoping to see him produce a big finish down the straight on Saturday.” The TAB rates Whiskey ‘N Roses an $8.50 fifth favourite for the Hawke’s Bay Guineas behind Captured By Love ($2.40), Savaglee ($4.40), Poetic Champion ($6) and So Naive ($7). Surgenor’s other runner at Hastings on Saturday is To Catch A Thief, who is a $3.60 favourite for the $65,000 Betta Inspect It Premier (1300m). To Catch A Thief will be ridden by Opie Bosson and is making his first start for Surgenor’s stable, having previously been trained by Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall. The son of U S Navy Flag has yet to win a race in his 14-start career, but has placed in 10 of those including the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) and Gr.2 Sarten Memorial (1400m). “He’s come and joined my stable because the owners just wanted to try something different,” Surgenor said. “It’s definitely not a slight against ‘Richie’ or anything like that. We’ll just change a few things up and see what happens. “I think he’s coming up really nicely. I’ve been pleased with him. His work has been good and he galloped nicely in company with Whiskey ‘N Roses at Ellerslie. “He’s probably going to take good improvement from this fresh-up run, but he’s done everything right so far.” View the full article