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Failure Not An Option for promising juvenile

Tony Pike went to Karaka in January in search of his next potential star and he may just have found him. Promising juvenile Not An Option is part of a colts syndicate Pike formed prior to the sale and the son of Not A Single doubt has quickly repaid his trainer’s faith, winning on debut at Counties on Sunday. “It was a good performance,” Pike said. “We really wanted to barrier trial him again but with Avondale being an extremely heavy track and obviously the long trek up to Ruakaka wasn�...

Weekend Wrap-Up: 23.09.2019

The weekend kicked off with a bang after I'm Incredible scored his second consecutive feature win in Singapore in the S$150,000 Gr.3 Ultima El Dorado Classic (2000m) on Friday night.Sold out of the Curraghmore draft for $260,000 during the Premier session of the 2016 National Yearling Sale, I'm Incredible won two trials in Australia under the name Miraculous Moment before being on-sold to his Singapore owner for whom he has now won five of his 11 starts.2016 has proved to be a star-studded ...

Aspect Ratio under the radar in G2

John Sargent reckons his Gr.2 Tea Rose Stakes contender Aspect Ratio has snuck under the guard of punters as boom three-year-old Libertini maintains a stranglehold on the market. The winner of the Silver Shadow and Furious Stakes, Libertini is the $1.85 favourite to add the Tea Rose (1400m) to her resume, despite being untested on heavy tracks and rising 200 metres in distance. Sargent saddles up rival runners Aspect Ratio and Emeralds who at $81 and $61 respectively rank among the outsiders of ...

I'm Incredible one step closer to Gold after conquering El Dorado

Rising staying star I’m Incredible showed that his first feature success coming off a Class 4 win was no fluke when he did it again for a second consecutive ‘black type’ race win in the S$150,000 Gr.3 Ultima El Dorado Classic (2000m) on Friday night. The Lope De Vega five-year-old sent many form analysts in a spin when he took out the Gr.3 Committee’s Prize (1600m) at his last start one month ago, on the back of a win in Class 4 company, no doubt explosive, but still not the best formlin...

Curraghmore grad ready to shine

Jamie Richards is hoping In A Twinkling will show his star quality at Hastings on Saturday. The son of Fastnet Rock was slightly disappointing when finishing seventh first-up over 1400m at Ruakaka last month, but Richards is expecting a better showing when he lines-up in the Fasttrack Insurance 2000. “I thought his first-up run was okay,” he said. “He got caught three deep with no cover and I just don’t think he is as good right-handed as what he is left-handed. “I know that sounds a ...

Weekend runners 20-9-2019

Good luck to the following CM graduates running over the weekend:SINGAPORE FRIDAYRace 8 El Dorado Classic L, S$150000 2000m I'm Incredible (AUS) 2014 (G. by Lope de Vega-Moment in Time) (trainer: S Baertschiger) AUSTRALIA SATURDAY Randwick- Race 2 Schweppes H., A$125000 1400m Lisdoonvarna (NZ) 2014 (F. by Super Easy-Axislass) (trainer: Ms A Turner & M Poletti)                  Race 3 Shoot Out Mile H., A$125000 1600m Rodrico (AUS) 2012 (G. by High Cha...

Tofane chasing stakes victory at Caulfield

Off the back of a last-start win at The Valley, lightly raced Tofane is set for a return to stakes racing in the Gr.3 How Now Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield. Tofane has been installed second favourite for Saturday's race for mares at $7.50, with in-form Pippie the clear-cut favourite at $2.30. Tofane was runner-up in the Gr.2 Euclase Stakes (1200m) in Adelaide for three-year-olds last season at her fourth career start and Moroney has held ambitions to run her in some of the Group races for mares th...

Chivalry ready to come of age in Group One

Progressive gelding Age Of Chivalry (He’s Remarkable) will look to continue on his steep upward trajectory when he takes his chance in the Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.The four-year-old gelding has won his two most recent starts this campaign which co-trainer Simon Zahra said did not come as a surprise and revealed the plan to aim Age Of Chivalry at the Group One feature this weekend has been a long time in the making. Age Of Chivalry, who was last seen defeating...

Tofane tops at The Valley

Trainer Michael Moroney had been confident of a strong performance from Group Two performer Tofane leading into Saturday and the four-year-old mare did not disappoint. Tofane was second-up in the Pfd Food Services (1200m) at Moonee Valley and despite having to travel three-wide most of the trip, she had plenty in the tank to collar leader Haut Brion Hur (Zoustar) with 100m to go and went on to win by .3L. “She got the right spot to a degree,” Moroney said. “I thought she did a really good ...

Age of Chivalry continues winning run

Age of Chivalry delivered a brave front running performance at Caulfield on Saturday notching up two wins from as many starts on the Melbourne track. The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained four-year-old was backing up from his last-start win a fortnight ago and had undergone an interrupted preparation due to an injury after being kicked by the interview pony after his last success. “He hasn’t had a plain-sailing fortnight coming into today either courtesy of the pony here two weeks ago...

Makdanife produces huge form turnaround

New Zealand-bred stayer Makdanife had his connections scratching their heads after he went from a dismal last seven days ago on the Gold Coast, to a tough win at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The Chris Waller trained Makdanife won a slogging battle with fellow kiwi-bred Ocean Addict to score by a short neck in the Country Music Raceday Handicap (2400m). Waller's Gold Coast manager Paul Shailer said he was at a loss to explain Makdanife's poor run at the Gold Coast. "We had the vets go right over him a...

Weekend Runners- 30.8.19

Spring racing gets underway this weekend. Good luck to connections of the following Curraghmore graduates running on the domestic and international front. SINGAPORE FRIDAY Race 8- Class 2 H., S$85000 1200m Sacred Sham (NZ) 2013 (G. by O'Reilly-Mexican Rose) (trainer: M WALKER) AUSTRALIA SATURDAY Rosehill- Race 7 Ming Dynasty H. Gr.3, A$161000 1400m Aspect Ratio (AUS) 2016 (F. by Declaration of War-Poste Restante) (trainer: J G Sargent) Eagle Farm- Race 3 Country Music Raceday H., A$75000 2400m M...

Age of Chivalry recovers in time for Caulfield

Luck has deserted Age Of Chivalry from the moment he crossed the line for a last start win at Caulfield on August 17. The graduate of Curraghmore's 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run draft led throughout to win the Benchmark 84 race over 1400m but not even the post-race interview went to plan. The gelding was kicked by the racing.com interviewer’s pony with the injury severe enough to warrant three days’ treatment.  “It took him a while to get over the kick he copped and he didn...

Avdulla says don't forget Unforgotten

Brenton Avdulla is rapt to be aboard Unforgotten in the first major race of the season, believing she can be the horse to emerge from the shadow of former stablemate Winx. Any number of horses are bidding to fill the void left by the retirement of the champion although Winx's incredible career statistics, including a world record 25 Group One wins, are not likely to be bettered any time soon. Unforgotten, who was sold through Curraghmore's 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier yearling draft, was ...

Tofane out to boost rating at Sandown

Trainer Mike Moroney has stakes race plans in the spring for Group-placed Tofane but first the lightly raced mare needs to boost her rating. Moroney hopes Tofane, who was bred by Gordon Cunningham before being sold privately to Ballymore Stables, can start the process at Sandown on Wednesday when the four-year-old daughter of Ocean Park resumes in the MRC Membership Renewal Handicap (1000m). Tofane, who has a handicap rating of 73, has won one of her four races and will be having her first start...

Baertschiger pulls off Incredible feat in Committee's Prize

Shane Baertschiger followed in his father's footsteps on Sunday claiming the SING Gr.3 Committee's Prize (1600m) in Singapore with Curraghmore graduate I'm Incredible.  Winning the same feature race his father captured 19 years ago and by coincidence in almost identical pink colours bore a special meaning to Baertschiger, especially after he was teasingly called “crazy” when he said he would run a last-start Class 4 winner in the race. Rated only 69 and dwarfed by the other 10 riva...

Age of Chivalry salutes at Caulfield

Age of Chivalry scored his first win of the season when proving too strong for his rivals in the Blue Star Print Handicap (1400m). The four-year-old son of He’s Remarkable dictated the pace up front under a controlled ride from Damian Lane before accelerating away to win by 1.3L from fellow New Zealand-bred Rox The Castle. “We were a bit worried before the race, he was a bit fresh around the back when we were saddling him,” co-trainer Mathew Ellerton said. “He had his raceday head on aro...

Age Of Chivalry springs into Valley test

A physically stronger Age Of Chivalry (He's Remarkable) will step out for the first time at The Valley as he embarks on a campaign towards rich spring handicaps. The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained gelding runs in Saturday's Four'N Twenty Handicap (1200m), his first outing since March. A veteran of six starts which have yielded two wins, Age Of Chivalry was his own worst enemy during a four-start autumn campaign with waywardness costing him success in the Gr.3 C S Hayes Stakes at Fleming...

Guineas target for million-dollar colt

Million-dollar Karaka yearling, Conqueror, broke maiden ranks in impressive fashion when demolishing his rivals by seven lengths over 1400m at Pakenham on Tuesday for the Lindsay Park team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig. The two-year-old colt by Fastnet Rock out of Group One winning Savabeel mare Diademe sports the navy blue colours of Coolmore who race the colt in conjunction with some high-profile partners. Sent out a $1.45 favourite, Conqueror comfortably found the lead in the hand...

Family Leader gets HK win

If there was a title for the fittest jockey in Hong Kong, Vincent Ho would certainly be a contender and the many hours spent hitting pads in the gym paid off for him in the Class 4 Wong Chuk Wan Handicap (1800m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The rider had to niggle the Caspar Fownes-trained Family Leader from the outset to race in fifth spot, and, through pelting rain, he was hard at it before the field of 12 had reached the 600m pole. There was no respite for the jockey’s busy arms: a c...

Dominic on the board

Four-year-old gelding Dominic scored the first win of him fledgling career at Kranji on Sunday night.  The Saimee Jumaat-trained son of Rock ‘N’ Pop made a late barnstorming run home to win the Class 5 1200m event, by a narrow margin, over Don’t Worry and the more experienced Fighting Warrior.  Bred in partnership by Austramore Pty Ltd, Calder Bloodstock Ltd and Gordon Cunningham, Dominic is the fifth foal out of Gr.2 City of Auckland Cup winner and multiple stakes performer High...

Weights to decide Asgard Massif assignment

Trainer John Sadler will study the weights for Asgard Massif in a couple of races before deciding on an attempt at a third straight win at Sandown. Asgard Massif, who was sold through Curraghmore's 2017 Ready To Run draft, has been nominated for Saturday's fifth heat of the Silver Bowl Series (1400m) against his own age and heat six of the VRC/CRV Winter Championship (1600m) against older horses. Sadler is favouring the Silver Bowl but will not make a decision until weights are published on Tues...

Cm double at Kranji on Friday

Curraghmore graduations provided a winning double in Singapore on Friday.  Heart of Courage  winning the fourth race on the card, the open maiden over 1200m.  The Fastnet Rock four-year-old by Fastnet Rock out of winning Massipour mare Myrrh, was purchased by David Ellis for $510,000 out of Curraghmore’s 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale draft.  He is a half-brother to Gr.1 AJC Doncaster Handicap and multiple Group winner Triple Honour and multiple race...

Massif win at Caulfield

Apprentice jockey Teo Nugent made the most of his first race ride for in-form trainer John Sadler when he partnered Fastnet Rock gelding Asgard Massif to victory at Caulfield on Saturday. For Nugent, it was just his fifth career city success but his 70th overall this season as the 20-year-old extended his lead in the race for apprentice honours in Victoria in 2018/19. But while Nugent can look forward to future successes at Caulfield, it is an unlikely scenario for Asgard Massif with the horse...

He Kin Fly set for season finale

Trainer Neill Ridley has a strong hand in the Gavelhouse.com (1200m) at his home trackof Riccarton on Friday. Ridley prepares the two top-weights of the open handicap field, He Kin Fly (60kg) who was sold as a weanling through Curraghmore's 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock May Sale draft, and Price Oz (58kg). “Both Prince Oz and He Kin Fly have been going pretty well, but this will be their last run for the season and then they’ll be going out in the paddock,” Ridley said. Former Hong Kong gal...