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Manolo Blahniq fresh for Flemington tilt

Tony Noonan is hopeful Manolo Blahniq can strike winning form again ahead of a trip north for a Group One assignment in Brisbane. Manolo Blahniq lines up in Saturday's Listed Straight Six at Flemington as a lead-in to the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm on June 8. Noonan struggled to find a suitable 1200m race ahead of the 1400m of the Stradbroke with Manolo Blahniq having not raced since finishing second in the Victoria Handicap at Caulfield on April 20. A week in the paddock after his last s...

Emerging bloodstock agent strikes at Karaka

Cambridge bloodstock agent Bevan Smith made a pleasing start to his solo bloodstock career at New Zealand Bloodstock’s May Sale at Karaka on Friday, taking home lot 83, the Tivaci filly out of Group Three performer Sitting on a Hill for $95,000 which was the joint top priced weanling of the sale. Formerly with Mulcaster Bloodstock, Smith branched out on his own earlier this year and he was delighted to take home his pick of the sale. “It is the first purchase under my own banner, it’s grea...

Massif win at Sandown

Asgard Massif may cost any potential new owner a few extra dollars after an impressive all-the-way win at Sandown on Wednesday. Trainer John Sadler revealed Asgard Massif is on the market as Singapore-based surgeon Dr Tan Kai Chah reduces his worldwide thoroughbred numbers. Asgard Massif, who was sold out of Curraghmore's Ready To Run draft in 2017, is a son of Jolie's Shinju who won the Singapore Triple Crown, including the Singapore Derby, for Dr Tan in 2009 before travelling to Australia for ...

Monday Wrap Up- 06.05.19

Curraghmore graduates have been making headlines this week due to their success in sale ring as well as on the racetrack.Maastricht became the second Curraghmore graduate in three years to top the Inglis Chairman's Sale in Sydney after Provocative led the way in 2017. Sold as a yearling in 2013 Maastricht has developed into a highly sought after broodmare commodity and is the newest addition to Coolmore's breeding ranks after being knocked down to their bid of A$2.25m.At the races the well-trave...

He Kin Fly makes it four on end with Easter Stakes victory

Well-travelled galloper He Kin Fly continued his recent purple patch of form when he notched his fourth win on end when taking out the Listed Daphne Bannan Memorial Great Easter Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton. The Darci Brahma six-year-olds first two wins were recorded out of the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable in New Zealand before being sold to Hong Kong interests in 2016. He Kin Fly raced five times in Hong Kong, recording a win in Class 3 company, before injury resulted in his return to ...

Gold Mag after Flemington success

The Lindsay Park stable is hoping there is moisture in the Flemington circuit for lightly raced Gold Mag when he runs in a restricted race. His trainers expected big things from the four-year-old after he won his first two starts but he raced another four times without success until he ran on a wet track at Warwick Farm on March 27. While Saturday's Apache Cat Handicap (1620m) will be his first start since, Gold Mag ran fifth in a Randwick trial behind the talented Luvaluva on April 26. Co-train...

Maastricht tops Chairman's

Maastricht proved to be the prized gem of the Inglis Chairman's Sale on Friday night topping the auction when sold to Coolmore for A$2.25m. Maastricht is the dam of star filly Loving Gaby who is the current second highest rated 2YO filly in Australia. Currently in foal again to champion stallion I Am Invincible (who is also the sire of Loving Gaby), Maastricht is destined for a date with Coolmore's Triple Crown winner Justify in his first season at stud in Australia later this year. “She’s a...

Red Dawn rises again

Red Dawn (Align) was yet another horse to take advantage of the new class ratings bands after he bounced back to the winner’s circle in Singapore on Friday night for the first time in exactly two years. The seven-year-old son of Align, who was sold as a weanling through Curraghmore's 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock draft, had not greeted the judge since the last of his previous six wins recorded in Class 3 company on April 21, 2017. What ensued in 22 subsequent starts for the Auric Stable-owned ga...

Manolo Blahniq favourite for Vic Handicap

A Queensland campaign featuring Brisbane's signature race could be on the cards for Manolo Blahniq if the gelding makes his mark in the Gr.3 Victoria Handicap at Caulfield. The Tony Noonan-trained Manolo Blahniq, who was purchased out of Curraghmore's 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock draft, has not had the best of luck in his recent races but Noonan is hoping that changes for the sprinter-miler in Saturday's Group Three event over 1400m. Manolo Blahniq was second to Naantali in the Listed Anniversary...

Weekend Runners- Easter 2019

Good luck to connections of CM graduates running over the Easter weekend.SINGAPORE FRIDAY Race 5 Class 4 H., S$50000 1100m Red Dawn (NZ) 2011 (G. by Align-Danness) (trainer: S BAERTSCHIGER) Race 7 Class 3 H., S$70000 1000m Sacred Sham (NZ) 2013 (G. by O'Reilly-Mexican Rose)(trainer: M WALKER) AUSTRALIA SATURDAY Randwick Race 2 Ranvet Power Formula H., A$125000 1200m Tribal Wisdom (AUS) 2013 (G. by Makfi-Platinum Passion) (trainer: M D Moroney) Gold Coast Turf Club Heineken Gold Coast C...

Weekend Runners- 13.04.19

Good luck to the connections of CM runners competing this weekend including: AUSTRALIA SATURDAY Randwick: Race 1 Kings of Sydney Sport Mile H. L, A$150000 1600m Aspect Ratio (AUS) 2016 (F. by Declaration of War-Poste Restante) (trainer: J G Sargent)                   Race 6 Australian Oaks Gr.1, A$1114500 2400m Bye Bye Belle (NZ) 2015 (F. by Cape Blanco-Teardrop Island) (trainer: M C Kent)                  ...

Weekend Wrap Up- 08.04.19

It was another successful weekend for Curraghmore graduates with two additional winners and a stakes performer added to the tally for the season. Goko (O'Reilly) capitalised on a great run of form to win in Hong Kong on Sunday night. A graduate of Curraghmore's 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock weanling draft, Goko has run in the money in each of his last four starts and scored a deserved victory in the Class 3 race over 1000m. On Saturday Manolo Blahniq (Jimmy Choux) ran a good second in the Listed A...

Weekend Runners 05.04.19

SINGAPORE FRIDAY Race 5 War Affair S., S$30000 1400m Dominic (NZ) 2014 (G. by Rock 'n' Pop-Highflying) (trainer: J SAIMEE) AUSTRALIA SATURDAY Randwick Race 3 Adrian Knox S. Gr.3, A$201000 2000m Bye Bye Belle (NZ) 2015 (F. by Cape Blanco-Teardrop Island) (trainer: M C Kent)                 Race 5 Chairman's H. Gr.2, A$302000 2600m Rodrico (AUS) 2012 (G. by High Chaparral-Truly a Beauty) (trainer: Bjorn Baker)              ...

Weekend Wrap Up- 01.04.19

The saturated track in Sydney made life difficult for many at Rosehill on Saturday, including our New Zealand Bloodstock graduate In A Twinkling (Fastnet Rock).The Jamie Richards-trained three-year-old was making his Australian debut in the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) and finished a creditable fifth.“He went alright," jockey James McDonald said. "He boxed away. The track wasn’t to his liking really. He’s a big actioned horse but he’s going okay.”Fingers crossed the run did not take too...

Weekend Runners- 29.03.19

AUSTRALIA SATURDAY Rosehill- Race 2 Neville Sellwood S. Gr.3, A$161000 2000m Almost Court (NZ) 2012 (G. by Alamosa-Cinder Bella) (trainer: B Joseph & P & MJones               Race 3 Tulloch S. Gr.2, A$198000 2000m In a Twinkling (AUS) 2015 (G. by Fastnet Rock-Moment in Time) (trainer: J W Richards) Monto RC- Race 3 Gordon & Evelyn Hutton Memorial H., A$7550 1200m Granola State (NZ) 2013 (G. by Cape Blanco-Tip the Wink) (trainer: R B Bowen) Wyong RC- Race 3...

Twinkling set to shine

Fresh from saddling a stakes winner in Sydney last Saturday with Avantage winning the Gr.3  Birthday Card Stakes (1200m), trainer Jamie Richards is hoping to pick-up some more Australian dollars this weekend. Runner-up in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), In A Twinkling will represent the Te Akau team in the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) at Randwick with a view to justifying a place in the A$2 million Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) on April 6. “In A Twinkling worked well on the grass on T...

Weekend Wrap Up- 25.03.19

There were no winning results over the weekend but still plenty of Curraghmore graduates to be proud of.Unforgotten (Fastnet Rock) ran a creditable fourth in the Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday. She was very brave in holding ground and impressed jockey Hugh Bowman who remarked he was "very proud of her" following the race.Tribal Wisdom (Makfi) was resuming in the Gr.1 The Galaxy (1100m) after an 11 month layoff and put in an encouraging run to finish 6.6L off the winner Nature...

Tribal Wisdom shapes up for Rosehill test

Trainer Mike Moroney welcomes back sprinter Tribal Wisdom in the Gr.1 Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.Tribal Wisdom has not raced since defeating Osborne Bulls in a Benchmark 99 class race during Randwick's autumn carnival last April.Moroney said Tribal Wisdom's long lay-off came about when he suffered a badly pulled muscle. Tribal Wisdom is an outsider and meets some quality sprinters first-up on Saturday including Redzel, Ball Of Muscle, Nature Strip and Graff and Moroney just wants to ...

Weekend Runners- 22.03.19

Good luck to connections of CM grads running this weekend including:AUSTRALIA FRIDAY Albury- Race 6 Albury Gold Cup L, A$184800 2000m Almost Court (NZ) 2012 (G. by Alamosa-Cinder Bella) (trainer: B Joseph & P & M Jones) SINGAPORE FRIDAY Race 1 Maiden S., S$20000 1200m Heart of Courage (AUS) 2014 (G. by Fastnet Rock-Myrrh) (trainer: M WALKER) AUSTRALIA SATURDAY Rosehill- Race 3 NE Manion H. Gr.3, A$161000 2400m Rodrico (AUS) 2012 (G. by High Chaparral-Truly a Beauty) (trainer: Bjorn Baker)  ...

Weekend Wrap Up- 18.03.19

Bye Bye Belle marked herself as one to watch over the weekend with trainer Mick Kent now plotting an ambitious shot at the Gr.1 Australian Oaks for the impressive Yarra Valley maiden winner. Having just her third start Bye Bye Belle charged home to break her maiden by half a length in the 1950m race on Sunday. While it is only less than four weeks until the Group One staying feature for fillies at Randwick,Kent, who won that race with Absolutely in 2011, harbours grand ambitions for the fil...

Weaponry wanting rain for Wellington test

Trainer Jamie Richards is hoping for some rain ahead of Saturday for Gr.2 Norwood Family Wellington Guineas (1400m) contender Weaponry. The three-year-old gelding, who was purchased by David Ellis out of Curraghmore's 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock draft, is fresh off a southern campaign, which included a last start victory in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) at Ascot Park last month. “I thought it (southern campaign) was really good,” Richards said. “He’s a little bit stiff probably no...

Weekend Wrap-Up 04.03.19

Curraghmore graduates delivered several good performances over the weekend collecting Group placings on both sides of the Tasman. Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) runner-up In A Twinkling (Fastnet Rock) is likely to head to the Queensland Winter Carnival off the back of a very brave run to finish not far off winner Crown Prosecutor in the blue riband event. “He went a super race and probably just needed a little more cover during the run,” trainer Jamie Richards said. “He’s very tough and ...

No Australian Guineas for Age Of Chivalry

As a last-start runner-up in the Gr.3 C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington, it would have been easy to assume Age Of Chivalry would progress to the Group One Australian Guineas as a genuine contender. But that is not the case, with the lightly raced three-year-old gelding instead set to run in the A$135,000 Seppelt Wines Plate (1400m) on the undercard to Saturday's A$1 million Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington. Age Of Chivalry was not nominated for the Guineas and connections opted not to pay a...

Weekend Runners- 02.03.19

AUSTRALIA SATURDAY Randwick- Race 2 Australian Fire Hose H., A$125000 2000m Rodrico (AUS) 2012 (G. by High Chaparral-Truly a Beauty) (trainer: Bjorn Baker)                     Race 6 Chipping Norton S. Gr.1, A$575000 1600m Unforgotten (AUS) 2014 (F. by Fastnet Rock-Memories of You) (trainer: C J Waller) Flemington- Race 5 Seppelt Wines H., A$135000 1400m Age of Chivalry (NZ) 2015 (G. by He's Remarkable...

Weaponry aimed at Wellington Guineas

Last-start Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) winner Weaponry is being set to add another Guineas scalp to his record. The Jamie Richards-trained runner, who was purchased out of Curraghmore's 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock draft, will head for a light freshen-up before lining up in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) at Trentham next month. “He might have a little freshen-up now and if we are pleased with him he could well be aimed at the Wellington Guineas on the way back to Te Akau,” he said. ...