Racing
Group One glory eluded Wexford Stables at Ellerslie, but trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott were nevertheless buoyed by the performances of their representatives. Tomodachi fared best of the stablemates when third in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) while Checkmate and Waitak were less than four lengths off
Racing
Former Kiwi galloper Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai) landed a deserved victory in the So You Think Stakes (1500m) at The Valley on Saturday for trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, digging deep to stave off the challenge of high-class Canadian mare Moira. The six-year-old gelding has been unfortunate
Racing
The early spring has tended to bring the very best out of Quintessa, and that trend continued at Ellerslie on Saturday with a spectacular last-to-first performance at $36 odds in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate. The $400,000 weight-for-age triumph came almost exactly a year after the Te Akau Racing
Racing
Lollapalooza went into Saturday’s Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie as a maiden, but she came out of it as one of the leaders of her generation and the clear favourite for the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). The $150,000 three-year-old fillies’ feature was
Racing
A booming late run out wide on the track has carried promising stayer Crouch to an eye-caching victory in the first run of a new campaign as he took out the feature race at Otaki on Saturday, the Cavallo Farms and Chris Rutten Bloodstock Handicap (1400m). The Mike Breslin-prepared six-year-old
Racing
Trainer Pam Gerard had been confident of a good showing from her lightly raced three-year-old Affirmative Action and that’s exactly what she got when the showy gelding upset the applecart at a Fixed Odds quote of $91 when taking out the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie.
Racing
Promising gelding Have A Crack retained his unbeaten New Zealand record with a gritty performance to take out the Rich Hill Stud (1200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. The five-year-old son of Zoustar made his way to Chad Ormsby’s Matamata stable after losing his rider during his only start in
Racing
Ruakaka stayer Bosch took his best form over the Brynderwyn Hills on Saturday and scored his first Ellerslie victory in the Dunstan Horsefeeds 2200. The Pentire gelding headed into the $75,000 race with five wins to his name, all of them at his home track. His six previous visits
Racing
Smart three-year-old Street Artist notched his first victory in impressive style when leading throughout to defeat a strong maiden field over 1000m at Mornington on Friday by nearly five lengths. The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained son of Super Seth has recently been gelded after showing raw ability but wayward tendencies
Racing
Te Akau Racing will hold a strong hand on Proisir Plate Day at Ellerslie on Saturday, particularly in the age group features. Exciting three-year-old Hostility will kick-off his spring preparation in the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m), for which he is a $2.70 favourite with TAB bookmakers. A
Racing
Erin Leighton will continue her comeback to raceday riding when she heads to Otaki on Saturday to pilot debutant Sea Wolf in the AR Painters Maiden (1400m) for employer Roydon Bergerson. The 33-year-old hoop’s name had been absent from the racebook for three years following injury, but she made
Racing
Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) hopeful Mark Twain has landed in Melbourne and will commence his path towards the iconic feature at The Valley on Saturday. While the A$200,000 So You Think Stakes (1500m) wasn’t the original plan for the six-year-old son of Shocking, trainers Roger James