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Malt Time maintains perfect Ruakaka record

By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskThe class of Group One performer Malt Time shone through again at Ruakaka on Saturday, recovering from a sluggish start to score a runaway win in the ITM/Gib Sprinters’ Winter Championship Final (1400m).Malt Time was sent out as a $2.30 favourite for the $60,000 sprint feature, having scored impressive wins in both of her two previous starts at the venue including a six-length romp over the same distance two starts ago on June 8. In between times she ...

Curraghmore delighted with weanling draft

Curraghmore is one of the foremost names among vendors at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale every year and again their 2024 crop of weanlings catalogued for Karaka on Thursday is right up to the respected nursery's usual high standard.Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore has collected more than a dozen leading vendor titles at Karaka’s weanling sales, and past graduates include Group One winner Sousa, Group Three winner Kinane and other stakes performers such as What Choux Want, B...

Class prevails in Ruakaka feature

Quality mare Malt Time showed her undoubted class when she blitzed her rivals in the closing stages of the feature event at Ruakaka on Saturday, the Porthouse Bar Eatery Bream Bay Sprint (1400m).The Shaun and Emma Clotworthy-trained mare was having her second run in a new campaign and stripped a lot fitter after finishing fifth first up over 1300m at Te Rapa last month.Ridden by apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll, who reduced her 59kgs impost down to 57kgs with his 2kg apprentice allowance, the multi...

Imperialist oozes class in The Phoenix triumph

Trainer Chris Waller has a good opinion of progressive two-year-old Imperialist, who came with a perfectly timed run under James McDonald to claim the Listed The Phoenix (1500m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday in impressive fashion.The New Zealand-bred son of Churchill notched his first win from just three starts and relished the solid tempo of the juvenile feature to close in the manner of a horse that has an exciting Classic season ahead of him.Waller will now ponder whether to push on to next week�...

Kelsos hoping to unveil another promising Proisir filly

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskTrainers Ken and Bev Kelso have raced two outstanding daughters of Proisir in the colours of Philip and Catherine Brown, and on Wednesday they are hoping they can unveil another at Taupo.The Browns have struck gold in the last few years with Group One winners Levante and Legarto, and they are hoping Levakia can reach the same lofty heights.The couple purchased her out of Curraghmore’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Online Yearling Sale draft for $105,000 un...

Group One Star Ruthless Dame a Late National Highlight

Outstanding Group One winner Ruthless Dame will present buyers with another world class opportunity at next week's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast. Connections of the star four-year-old daughter of Tavistock will offer the mare on Day One of the Southern Hemisphere's premier breeding stock auction alongside the likes of Imperatriz, Chain of Lightning, Madame Pommery, Affaire a Suivre, Belclare, Platinum Jubilee and Ulanova.An unbeaten Group winner as a two-year-old,...

Aris Aris takes Te Rapa feature

Consistent galloper Aris Aris produced a powerful finish to down a talented line-up of winter gallopers when taking out the feature flat event at Te Rapa on Saturday, the Dunstan Horsefeeds 1300. The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared five-year-old mare had been thereabouts in her first three runs of this campaign, and with Niranjan Parmar claiming 1kg off her initial 54kg impost, she looked well-placed in the contest. That was how it panned out as the daughter of Contributer sat b...

Top weekend for Curraghmore graduates

By Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskCurraghmore celebrated widespread success at the weekend with winners in three countries and highlighted by the domestic stakes of rising star Snazzytavi.Farm principal Gordon Cunningham bred and sold the gifted daughter of the late Tavistock who ended her campaign with an effortless victory in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie.Trained by Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall for Cambridge Stud, Snazzytavi has gone for a break with five wins and ...

Superb Snazzytavi delivers another Easter for Richardson and Norvall

By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskTwo years after taking out the Gr.3 Manco Easter Handicap (1600m) with Carolina Reaper, Matamata trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall have repeated and surpassed that result with a one-three finish headed by the rising star Snazzytavi.The time-honoured autumn showpiece was run for the 150th time on Saturday, a week later than expected and at a new home of Te Rapa due to the abandonment of the Ellerslie meeting last weekend. But despite the unusu...

Richardson and Norvall kick week off with a bang

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskMatamata trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall were rapt with their treble at Arawa Park on Wednesday, and they are hoping they can continue that winning form into the rest of the week.Therapeutic kicked off the treble when taking out the Greenlight Insurance Brokers 1560 before Confiance and Darci’s Angel carried Social Racing’s colours to victory in the Novara Park 1560 and Campbell Infrastructure 1560 respectively.“I am absolutely over the ...

Faraglioni thriving ahead of Cuddle Stakes

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskFaraglioni should be enjoying a well-deserved spell at the moment, but trainer Josh Shaw said his Group One performer had other ideas.The five-year-old mare has been a revelation for the Levin trainer this season, winning one and placing in five of her seven starts, including runner-up in the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) and Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m).The daughter of El Roca was fifth in the Gr.1 BCD Gr...

South Waikato Cup a stepping stone for Snazzytavi

By Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskCm grad Snazzytavi has seemingly flown through the grades this season, and the talented mare will prepare for another black-type target in Wednesday’s Holster Engineering Lally and Symes South Waikato Cup (2000m) at Matamata.The daughter of Tavistock has been near faultless through her preparation, building from a Rating 65 victory over 1400m in early December to a comprehensive win in the Stella Artois Championship Final (1500m)&n...

Asterix back to his best ahead of Auckland Cup

By LOVERACING.NZ News DeskWexford Stables have fond memories at Ellerslie with Asterix, and they are hoping to add another when they head to the Auckland track this Saturday to contest the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m).Cm graduate, Asterix is unbeaten on the course in two starts, recording the stable’s second consecutive win in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie two years ago, and returned to the venue last month to take out the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m) un...

Cups future tipped for Snazzytavi

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskExpect to see promising stayer Snazzytavi feature prominently in next season’s Cups, that’s the call from co-trainer Graham Richardson following her win in the Gavelhouse.com 2000 at Matamata on Saturday.The daughter of Tavistock was having her first start over ground on her home track over the weekend and Richardson, who trains in partnership with Rogan Norvall, was impressed with her performance.In the hands of leading hoop Warren Kennedy, Snazzytavi...

Former Derby winner back to winning form in Avondale Cup

Talented stayer Asterix returned to the scene of his greatest triumph when he stormed home to take out the Gr.2 Eagle Technology Avondale Cup (2400m) at Ellerslie.The injury-plagued son of Tavistock took out the 2022 edition of the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) but a string issues had hampered his progress since then.Trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott and his ownership group, that includes former New Zealand cricketer Mark Greatbatch, have shown infinite patience with the now five-yea...

Wootton Bassett makes mark at Karaka

The first Wootton Bassett yearlings to be sold in New Zealand have made a big impression at Karaka this week, headed by a well-related filly that fetched $800,000 on Tuesday morning.Best known in our part of the world as the sire of multiple Group One winner and star Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Almanzor, Wootton Bassett is by the former Haunui Farm shuttler Iffraaj and was champion two-year-old in France in 2010.He started his stud career in France in 2012, but only began shuttling to the so...

Racetrack performance the key for Cunningham

By Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskCurraghmore principal Gordon Cunningham is quick to share what drives him as he prepares to present another quality draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale when it kicks off at Karaka at 10am this coming Sunday.The name Curraghmore is synonymous with some of the best Australasian racetrack performers of the past three decades with horses such as Efficient, Unforgotten, Mighty Boss, Tofane, First Seal, Ruthless Dame, No Compromise, Kov...

Faraglioni on song for Westbury Classic

The New Zealand racing industry is chomping at the bit to get to Ellerslie next week for the biggest show in town over Auckland Anniversary Weekend, and Levin trainer Josh Shaw is looking forward to being a part of the action.The Central Districts horseman will head north for the rich Karaka Millions race meeting with his star mare Faraglioni to tackle the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m), following her pleasing 1000m trial win at Foxton on Tuesday.The five-year-old mare has been a revelation for S...

All’s well second time around for No Compromise

No Compromise was a two-time winner from a handful of starts for Bill Thurlow before successfully continuing his career in Australia and now looks primed to star in his second stint for the Waverley trainer.The son of Pins, who is raced by Thurlow’s brother Grant and sister-in-law Patricia, will step out in Saturday’s Gr.1 Harcourts Team Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham and his previous performance suggests he can be a major player.No Compromise won five races from Chris Waller’s stable, ...

So Naive wins Karaka Millions dress rehearsal

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ New DeskTrainers Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley will head to the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie in a fortnight with a bit more confidence with their juvenile So Naive following his win in the Stella Artois 1200 at the Auckland track on Sunday.The son of U S Navy Flag settled midfield and relaxed nicely for jockey Michale McNab, while race favourite Maracatu went head-to-head with pacemaker Hard Attack up front. The pair continued their dogfight down...

Fortune favours Forsman in Ellerslie opener

Ellerslie has been a happy hunting ground for Andrew Forsman is years past, and the Cambridge trainer was thrilled to find success swiftly during the track’s reopening meeting on Sunday.Of his five representatives, all but one finished in the top three, headlined by a classy front-running performance from Fortunate Son in the Bent Down On One Knee Ben Masters 1500m.A three-year-old son of U S Navy Flag, Fortunate Son was a promising 1400m victor on debut at Arawa Park in November and relished ...

Not An Option caps massive day for Cambridge Stud

A stirring win by Not An Option in the A$175,000 Listed Chester Manifold Stakes (1400m) at Flemington was the icing on the cake of a spectacular New Year’s Day for his part-owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay.The Cambridge Stud couple’s black and gold colours had previously been carried two a pair of Group Two successes at Pukekohe. About Time delivered a fitting victory in the Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2050m), which was previously known as the Royal Stakes and has this year been renamed in honour...

Top-flight homecoming for No Compromise

By Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZWell-performed stayer No Compromise will bid to add a home Group One title to match his Australian efforts when he opens the third stage of his career on Boxing Day.The son of Pins will take aim at Tuesday’s Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2050m) with Ryan Elliot booked to guide the seven-year-old’s fortunes.He began his career from the Waverley base of Bill Thurlow, who trained the gelding for brother Grant and sister-in-law Patricia to win twice before he ...

Snazzytavi tops rivals in dominant Te Rapa display

By Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskGraham Richardson is hoping a successful week for his female contingent can continue after Snazzytavi was a stand-out victor at Te Rapa on Saturday.The Cambridge Stud-owned mare impressed fresh-up when being caught late by Doddle over 1400m at Pukekohe, seeing her start a warm $3.60 favourite in the Rating 65 1400m event in the Waikato.Snazzytavi jumped positively from her wide draw but was soon restrained by ...

Shaw eyeing elite-level targets with Faraglioni

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskJosh Shaw tasted Group glory with Hinepara last year and he has got a craving for more.The Horowhenua horseman came close to tasting it again last Saturday when Faraglioni was runner-up behind Campionessa in the Gr.2 Dunstan Horsefeeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Shaw was duly rapt with the result.“I was pretty confident going into the race and I was rapt that she ran up to my confidence levels,” Shaw said.“The only question ...