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Thompson keeping First Seal options open

The rain in Melbourne this week might further muddy the waters for trainer John Thompson as he attempts to find the firmest surface possible for his class mare First Seal this weekend. Thompson was hoping he had secured the perfect back-up for First Seal in Friday night's Sunline Stakes at Moonee Valley, but the rain forecast for Melbourne over the next few days means he is likely to dual-accept for both that race and the Emancipation Stakes at Rosehill. "We need to keep a good watch on the we...

Impressive Belle du Nord notches first win for Reliable Man

Westbury Stud stallion Reliable Man sired his first winner when Belle du Nord romped to victory in the $30,000 Richardson Racing 2YO Premier at Trentham on Saturday. Belle du Nord was a 14-to-one outsider for today's 1200-metre event, having run a good second to Ujjayi on debut before failing in the Gr. 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes in her only other start. But today she emphatically stamped herself as one of the most promising fillies of her generation. Ridden by Lisa Allpress, Belle du Nord se...

Slipper third for Pierro filly

Brave to the finish, talented Pierro filly Tulip ran the race of her life on the rain sodden track at Rosehill on Saturday to claim third in the $3.5 million Group I ATC Golden Slipper Stakes won by her sire in 2012. A last start winner of the Group III ATC Magic Night Stakes, the Hayes/ Dabernig trained filly tried hard throughout to finish third behind She Will reign and Frolic. "It was a massive run," said her rider Kerrin McEvoy. "We had no luck, wide the whole way. She started to move ...

Slipper Runner for a Slipper Winner

Talented filly Tulip was the first winner for Golden Slipper hero Pierro when scoring on debut at Moonee Valley in December and is now his first stakes-winner after powering to a dominant victory in the Group III ATC Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. A good last start fourth in the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes, Tulip confirmed the strength of that form when overcoming an outside gate to race away from the Sydney fillies and win the 1200 metre dash by a length and three-quarters. ...

High Praise for International Premier Sale

This year's edition of New Zealand Bloodstock's Premier Sale held steady off the back of last year's record-smashing Sale. After 17% increases in median and average last year this year saw the average settle at $172,803, down 2%, while the aggregate rose 5% to $58,407,500 ($2,720,000 more than last year's figure). Clearance equalled last year's figure of 78% with 338 horses sold and Managing Director Andrew Seabrook confident vendors and buyers alike should be pleased with the overall resul...

Kuro aims to stop the Music in Expressway

Music Magnate is the dominant favourite to win the Expressway Stakes but Kuro's jockey Josh Parr is counting on his mount's fitness to spur an upset. In a week when trainer Bjorn Baker lost exciting sprinter Winning Rupert to a lucrative stud deal, Music Magnate is odds-on to allay some of his disappointment with a first-up Group Two win at Rosehill on Saturday. Music Magnate is the only runner with a Group One win to his name having won last year's Doomben 10,000 to give Baker his maiden elit...

First Stakes Horse for Pierro

Talented Pierro filly Tulip confirmed her standing as one of the best juvenile fillies in Victoria with a gallant short half head second in the Gr.2 MRC Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield on Australia Day. A brilliant winner on debut last month, the Hayes/Dabernig trained filly raced closer to the pace on this occasion and tried hard all the way to the line when going down narrowly in a tight finish to Limestone. Her trainers believe Tulip will be better at 1200 metres and jockey Craig Williams...

Tulip set to bloom in Blue Diamond Preview

Tulip certainly fits the recent profile of recent winners of the Blue Diamond Preview for fillies but co-trainer Tom Dabernig wants the filly to capitalise on her inside draw in Thursday's two-year-old feature. Last start winners have claimed the last four editions of the fillies' Blue Diamond Preview with all of the quartet being favoured runners at prices between $1.90 and $3.20. Tulip is a $2.70 favourite on Sportsbet's market on the Group III contest after her strong debut win at Moonee Va...

Ellerslie to decide leading colts future

Heroic Valour's performance at Ellerslie this weekend will determine the future direction of his three-year-old career. The Group One-winning colt has improved with his first-up run and he will strip a fitter horse for Sunday's Listed NZB Insurance Karaka 3YO Mile. "He worked extremely well this (Tuesday) morning and we're pretty confident he will run very well," Te Akau principal David Ellis said. "We'll decide after Sunday whether he presses on to the Derby or if we keep him to the shorter ...

Timely win from Ecuador

Grand campaigner Ecuador has announced his intention to be an autumn carnival player, winning the Listed Carrington Stakes at Randwick to continue a perfect start to his campaign. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained seven-year-old made it back-to-back wins over 1400m as he took his career prize money past $830,000. Carrying 61kg, Ecuador got a charmed run with cover behind the leader and sprinted clear to win by 1-1/4 lengths. While he led markets in the days leading up to the race, Ec...

Group One winner ready for Trentham return

Fanatic has bounced back quickly from a last-start health scare to remain on target for further black type honours at Trentham. Saturday's Gr.3 Wallaceville Estate Wellington Cup hope suffered from cardiac arrhythmia when she finished out of the money in the Gr.3 City of Auckland Cup at Ellerslie on New Year's Day. "She's come through it all well, we had her checked the day after and she was fine and we've checked her continually since and there's no problems," said Debbie Sweeney who prepare...

Fifth stakes win for Kuro

Trainer Joe Pride rued running Kuro on a slow surface at Randwick on December 17 but a good (3) track helped the son of Denman return to winning form after claiming the Listed Starlight Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on December 3. Two of Kuro's career wins have come on heavy tracks but Pride said that statistic was misleading. "I shouldn't have run him last start on the wet track. I got caught up in running him because I knew he was going well but he just doesn't handle wet tracks," Pride said. ...

Rae fancies chances of another cup

Versatile galloper Absolut Excelencia is in the right condition to claim his second Reefton Cup on Thursday. The Excellent Art gelding will be lining up for his fourth crack at the Ken & Mary Gray-sponsored event, having won the race in 2015 after a runner-up finish the previous year and he ran fifth 12 months ago. "He's going as good as he ever has," said Kenny Rae, who trains Absolut Excelencia with his wife Lisa and their daughter Krystal Williams-Tuhoro. "He's come back even better as ...

Tulip off to a perfect start

Curraghmore graduate Tulip got her racing career off to a perfect start winning the open juvenile event at Moonee Valley on New Year's Eve and in doing so she provided her sire Pierro with his first winner. Prepared by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig Tulip was a well backed favourite in the and she won accordingly. Drawn a little awkwardly, Tulip was eased back at the start to settle at the rear by Craig Williams before circling the field to race clear and win the 1000 metre scamper by...

Kurow Cup to Coup Darci Be

Three-kilogram claimer Parvesh Shaikh guided the Michael and Matthew Pitman-trained veteran Coup Darci Be to victory in the $25,000 PGG Wrightson Kurow Cup on Friday. Shaikh rode a patient race on the eight-year-old, keeping him well away from a strong early pace before presenting him out wide as the field turned for home. Coup Darci Be raced to the lead halfway up the straight and, under desperate urgings from Shaikh, held out the fast-finishing Absolut Excelencia by a half-neck. Coup Darc...

Ellerslie outing for stablemates

Group One winners Xtravagant and Heroic Valour enjoyed a spin around Ellerslie on Thursday to further their summer preparations. The Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards-trained stablemates worked over 1000 metres coming home their last 600 in 33.27. Stable jockey Opie Bosson was aboard Xtravagant while Michael McNab rode Curraghmore graduate Heroic Valour. "We haven't been able to fault Xtravagant at home and he'll trial at Cambridge on January 10 and then go to the Telegraph," Richards...

Curraghmore to sell Ecuador sibling

Curraghmore will offer a half-sister to the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Ecuador (High Chapparal), who posted a first-up win at Rosehill on Saturday, at Karaka in Janurary. The seven-year-old gelding made light work of his 62kg impost in the $A100,000 December Handicap (1400m). "He's come back in great form," said jockey Adam Hyeronimus, who has partnered Ecuador on six occasions producing four wins and a second placing. "He had the big weight over the short course and still won ...

Group One winner back in business

Fanatic powered into contention for the major summer cups after turning her fortunes around with a hot performance at Te Rapa. The daughter of Shocking won her first race since she claimed the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks on protest when she proved a class above her opposition in Saturday's Dunstan Feeds Championship Qualifier. In between times, Fanatic and her connections suffered a bizarre piece of bad luck in the spring when a spider bite counted her out of the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup and forced he...

Kuro hunting Brisbane spoils

The Joe Pride-trained sydney raider Kuro (NZ) (Denman) will be looking to build on his good form this preparation in Saturday's Listed Lough Neagh Stakes (1350m) at Doomben. The Denman five-year-old is coming off a win in the Listed starlight stakes (1100m) as he races in Brisbane for the first time since his Gr. 2 QTC Cup (1200m) third in May of 2015. Despite a rise of three kilograms (to 58.5kg) from his latest win, Kuro will be well fancied to register his eighth career victory. Bred by ...

First Group One for Frankel

Frankel won 10 Group One events during his sensational race career and on Sunday he produced his first Group One winner. Japanese filly Soul Striking remained undefeated in her third start to claim the Gr.1 Hanshin Juvenile Filles (1600m). Soul Striking is the first foal out of the six-time Group One winning Monsun mare Stacelita. Curraghmore will offer a grey colt bred on this same cross at the New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale in January. Bred by Raffles Dancers Lot 181 is by ...

Plenty of bite in Fanatic for Te Rapa feature

Graeme Sanders has the photographic evidence of a nasty spider bite wound that caused swelling to Fanatic's lower leg and led to the abandonment of her spring Cups campaign in Melbourne. It's a trip souvenir he'd rather not have but the Te Awamutu trainer is hoping a bold performance from his Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks winner in Saturday's Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa will help ease his own pain from the ordeal. "I've got the photo on my cellphone. The vet took the hair off her just bel...

Kuro back to his best

Kuro has vindicated his trainer's faith with victory in the Listed Starlight Stakes at Rosehill. Placed in Group One races as a three and four-year-old, the sprinter's last win before Saturday was in last year's Listed Mick Dittman in Brisbane. Shortly after he was transferred to Lee and Anthony Freedman in Victoria but his best effort in six starts was a third place at Caulfield and he returned to Joe Pride at Wariwck Farm. Pride admitted he thought about scratching him from the 1200m spri...

Fanatic to chase summer cups

Group One winner Fanatic is likely to begin her build up toward the summer staying features next month. "She's in good shape and I'm hoping to have her ready to run on December 10 in the fillies and mares' race at Te Rapa," said Graeme Sanders, who prepares the four-year-old with his daughter Debbie Sweeney. The Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes over a mile is the race they have in mind for last season's New Zealand Oaks winner, whose spring campaign in Australia was halted by a spider bite. "She's good ...

Tankards secure Uncle Mo x Uno Sayuri

Despite heavy interest from a strong international buying bench the Cambridge based father and son duo of Ginger and Bryce Tankard struck a blow for the locals during the early stages the annual Ready-To-Run sale of two-year-olds at Karaka on Wednesday. Under their Waikato Bloodstock banner the duo purchased Lot 2, a colt by the US Breeder' Cup Juvenile winner Uncle Mo from Japanese mare Uno Sayuri. The colt breezed up in a comfortable 10.92 for the 200 metre journey and was offered through the...

First Seal On The Improve: Thompson

John Thompson is confident that classy mare First Seal can continue her impressive vein of form in Saturday's Gr.1 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington. The former star 3YO filly and Gr.1 winner is coming off a strong win in the Gr.2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield eleven days ago, and Thompson says she has taken good improvement out of the race. "She had a couple of serious injuries after her good wins as a three-year-old but she seems to be over them now and back to full health," Thom...