New Zealand
Two Illicit’s (NZ) (Jimmy Choux) perceived lack of commercial appeal put a stop to her being offered through the sales ring as a yearling, but her victory in the Gr.2 Valachi Downs Royal Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Wednesday has certainly changed that fate for her future progeny.
New Zealand
Exciting juvenile Play That Song (NZ)(Showcasing) maintained her unbeaten record when she downed hot favourite Not An Option (Not An Option) to win the first of the feature races at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, the Gr.2 Barneswood Farm Eclipse Stakes (1200m). Trainer Nigel Tiley had been
Breeding
A champion New Zealand three-year-old, Puccini will be represented by his first crop of yearlings at Karaka later this month. A son of champion stallion Encosta de Lago, Puccini is out of stakes-winning Paris Opera mare Miss Opera. The quality broodmare is also the dam of six-time Group One winner
New Zealand
Cambridge trainer Frank Ritchie will be looking for more success at Ellerslie’s Christmas-New Year Carnival on Wednesday after Fiscal Fantasy’s Group One runner-up performance in the Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day. Ritchie was delighted with the result, but said because of her petite size Fiscal Fantasy is
New Zealand
The decision to bypass Waikouaiti on New Year’s Day with Dee And Gee to concentrate on the Wellington Cup Carnival has improved the prospects for Balcairn trainers John and Karen Parsons. Dee And Gee’s defection from the Dunedin Casino Waikouaiti Cup (1975m) has reduced the field to seven
Breeding
Valachi Downs will send a quality group of yearlings through the ring during the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales, but this year’s Karaka draft is likely to be remembered mostly for the generosity of the Matamata stud’s owners Kevin and Jo Hickman. Valachi will offer 16
New Zealand
Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards has experienced a whirlwind 2019 led by the efforts of Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark, and he ended the year on a high note at Taupo on Monday, bagging a quartet of wins. The Matamata conditioner heads into the new year atop the New
Breeding
Street Cry’s well-performed son Telperion, a half-brother to Group One winner Kementari, will be represented by his first crop of yearlings at Karaka next month. He is out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Yavanna, herself a daughter of the Group Three winner Wild Queen, who is a half-sister
New Zealand
Lindsay Park three-year-old Conqueror (Fastnet Rock) will be racing for a trip to New Zealand for a rich sales-restricted race when he returns from a short break at Caulfield. Conqueror will run in a benchmark 78 race over 1400m on Saturday as a lead-up to the $1 million Karaka Million
New Zealand
The Waikato Racing Club (WRC) has announced the appointment of Andrew (Butch) Castles as the club’s new chief executive. "The WRC Board is delighted to announce that Andrew Castles will be joining the Te Rapa team,” WRC chairman Karyn Fenton-Ellis said. “He has a truly outstanding background in
New Zealand
Bulls trainer Bryce Newman wanted a tough run for his stayer Gorbachev ahead of next month’s Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) and that is just what jockey Ryan Elliot delivered in their Harcourts Taupo Cup With Fasttrack $5K (2000m) victory on Monday. Last
New Zealand
Fresh from a treble on Boxing Day, champion Sydney-based jockey James McDonald is eager to return to Ellerslie on New Year’s Day with further black type success in his sights. McDonald took his Group One record to 44 when successful on True Enough in the Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic