New Zealand
NZ Racing and Breeding News – 02 January 2023
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NZ Racing Desk
New Zealand
Luella Cristina on song on debut
Memories of the fabulous racemare Lucia Valentina came flooding back on Monday as her daughter Luella Cristina made a successful raceday debut at Tauranga. The Stephen Marsh-trained daughter of Snitzel is the second foal of three-time Australian Group One winner Lucia Valentina who registered her greatest triumph in the 2016
New Zealand
Foote looking to move on from narrow Group One miss
Trainer Ben Foote was looking forward to taking his frustrations out on a small white ball just 24 hours after going within a whisker of collecting a Group One victory at Te Rapa on New Year’s Day. The popular Cambridge horseman and a few mates were heading to the
New Zealand
Auckland Cup tilt for Aquacade
A win in the Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final (2400m) at Te Rapa on New Year’s Day could provide the key to a tilt at the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) for progressive staying mare Aquacade. The Lance Noble-trained four-year-old provided her trainer and owners Brendan
International
Lucky Sweynesse surges to Group Three triumph
Declaring Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse) the best horse he has trained, Manfred Man is likely to give his stable flagbearer the opportunity to chase Group One glory in the HK$12 million Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) next month after the gelding’s authoritative Gr.3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup Handicap
Australia
<strong>Stakes options for Wrote To Arataki</strong>
Smart four-year-old Wrote To Arataki (NZ) (Wrote) proved too strong at Flemington in the Henry Byron Moore Handicap (1400m) on New Year’s Day under an inspired front-running ride by Jamie Kah. The Matthew Williams-trained daughter of Wrote has now won three of her nine career starts and added another
New Zealand
<strong>Dionysus excels under patient Kennedy ride</strong>
The superlatives being used about the riding of ex-pat South African Warren Kennedy went to a new level at Te Rapa on Sunday when he picked up a winning treble that included taking the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) aboard Dionysus (NZ) (Ocean Park). Kennedy
New Zealand
<strong>Rich Hill Mile quinella caps Te Akau gold rush</strong>
Just like in so many other showpiece racedays in New Zealand in the last few seasons, Te Akau Racing ran rampant through the black-type features on New Year’s Day at Te Rapa. Campionessa (NZ) (Contributer) and Belle En Rouge (NZ) (Burgundy) capped the gold rush with a quinella in
New Zealand
<strong>Imperatriz completes Railway treble for Te Akau</strong>
New Zealand’s syndication powerhouse Te Akau Racing landed their third consecutive victory in the iconic Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) on New Year’s Day, but this one was a little different. While the tangerine army had won the sprint feature at Ellerslie in each of the last two
New Zealand
<strong>Polygon provides winning angle in Royal Stakes</strong>
A powerful late sprint carried progressive filly Polygon (NZ) (Highly Recommended) to an impressive victory at Te Rapa on Sunday when she destroyed her rivals in to take the Gr.2 Elsdon Park Royal Stakes (2000m). Fresh off another comprehensive win in the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at the
New Zealand
<strong>Prowess sets up Legarto rematch</strong>
After losing her undefeated record to the superstar Legarto in the spring, quality filly Prowess (NZ) (Proisir) has set the stage for a high-stakes rematch with a superb win in Sunday’s Gr.2 Jamieson Park Auckland Guineas (1600m) at Te Rapa. Prowess was a nine-length winner of her only
New Zealand
<strong>Trobriand retains unbeaten record in Eclipse Stakes</strong>
A convincing victory in the first stakes race on the card at Te Rapa has provided rider Opie Bosson with a tough decision leading into the Doubletree By Hilton Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) later this month. Bosson stuck with the unbeaten Trobriand (Kermadec) in Sunday’s Gr.2 Carlaw Park