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Trainers happy to roll the Cup dice with stable star

Graeme Sanders and Debbie Sweeney are relaxed about Fanatic's chance of securing a start in the $A3 million Gr.1 Caulfield Cup. The father and daughter training partnership will take their chances with the daughter of Shocking, who won't race again before the October 15 feature. "She flies out to Melbourne on Wednesday and the plan is to run in the Caulfield Cup, but there are other options if she doesn't get in," Sweeney said. "It's going to be pretty tough, but we know she can stay so w...

Dave Haywood highly thought of in thoroughbred racing

Dave Haywood, who operated the thoroughbred breeding stud farm, Phuttocks End, died suddenly this week. Haywood was a shearing contractor before setting up Phuttocks End at Otautau 16 years ago. Justice Prevails, Natural Destiny and Monza were stallions to stand at the stud. Justice Prevails, the only one of the trio still at the property, is 26 and no longer serving mares. Breeders used Haywood's facilities and services to foal mares. For the past 17 years, the horseman travelled north to...

Mare chasing ticket to Melbourne Spring Carnival

Fanatic will book her passage to Australia if she races up to expectations at Hawke's Bay on Saturday. She hasn't been a player on either of the first two days at Hastings, but trainers Graeme Sanders and Debbie Sweeney have always had eyes for the Gr.1 Livamol Classic. "This is the one we have set her for," Sweeney said. "She is really well, we're very happy and the only question mark will be the track. "We've got to be positive and anything up to a Dead 6 would be okay, but maybe not any...

Provocative featured on Kiwi Bred

Kiwi Bred returned to Trackside this week with Curraghmore graduate Provocative (NZ) (Zabeel x Betwixt) featured as the Dunstan Pedigree of the week (begins at 6min12sec)....

Well done Kenji!

Kenji Konishi's eye for a bargain will stand him in good stead in the pursuit of his career aspirations. The Oaks Stud employee is part of the syndicate that races Beyond The Dream and the filly's debut performance at Flemington last week almost pulled off a massive coup. The three-year-old took on black type company at the first time of asking and at odds of 200-1 she finished runner-up, beaten just a long neck in the Listed Cap D'Antibes Stakes. "We were very confident and thought she w...

First Seal ready for Golden Pendant return

As a three-year-old First Seal had the better of Winx, but much has happened in the two years since she beat her twice in the spring. Two separate injuries have interrupted First Seal's career but trainer John Thompson believes he has her back near her best ahead of her return in next week's Gr.2 Golden Pendant. On Saturday the mare showed she was ready for her latest comeback with a raceday gallop at Randwick with regular rider Blake Shinn aboard. She worked with stablemate Dream Force wh...

Walker scores upset win after suspension

Michael Walker's day ended on a bright note when he guided Freshwater Storm to a long-priced win at Caulfield on Saturday. Walker had earlier been hit with a 12-meeting suspension following his ride on Blue Tycoon in the Telstra Phonewords Supports The Alfred Foundation Plate. The suspension rules Walker out of the Underwood Stakes meeting at Caulfield next Saturday. Walker guided Freshwater Storm to victory in the Gold Nugget, giving the gelding his second successive win in the race. T...

Top colt in fine fettle

Unbeaten colt Heroic Valour has taken his successful resuming run at Ruakaka in his stride. "We're thrilled with the way he's come through the race, he pulled up very well," said Jamie Richards, who prepares the star three-year-old with Stephen Autridge. The winner of all three of his runs last season including the Gr.1 Diamond Stakes, Heroic Valour accounted for a competitive line-up in the Listed Northland Breeders' Stakes in his first three-year-old outing. "He's taken enormous benefit ...

Exhibition gallop for First Seal

Five-year-old mare First Seal (Fastnet Rock), winner of the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m) as a three-year-old, will have an exhibition gallop at Randwick on Saturday. The John Thompson-trained mare, who won a 1200 metre Randwick barrier trial on 5 September, will work with stablemate Fabvier (Fastnet Rock) over 1000 metres after race one. Blake Shinn will ride Gr.2 Golden Pendant (1400m) bound First Seal, while apprentice Blaike McDougall will ride last start Goulburn maiden winner Fabvier in...

Walker keeps Rockfast on road to Gold

Champion trainer Mark Walker is again praying for rain ahead of Rockfast's run in the $200,000 Group 3 Committee's Prize (1600m) on Sunday. The Kiwi has long held the view the Fastnet Rock five-year-old grows another leg when the sting is out of the ground, more so when he is running over distances not made to suit. Which will be the case on Sunday as Walker considers distances upwards of 1800m as the province for the Te Akau Racing Stable-owned galloper. But one unwelcome guest he is pra...

New trainer for Karaka Classic entrant Rocknrolla

In-form mare Rocknrolla will step up to stakes level in Sunday's Haunui Farm Karaka Classic at Pukekohe, where she will be saddled by a new trainer. The Towkay mare has won three of her last five starts for trainers Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs, all at her home track of Ruakaka. The most recent of those was just last Saturday, where a late charge carried her to a narrow win over Maid Of Steel. Since that win Rocknrolla's group of owners, which includes Logan and the mare's breeder Mark Treloa...

Injury forces retirement of top mare

Tony Pike's Melbourne spring carnival hopes have suffered a blow with the forced retirement of his Group One winner Provocative. The Cambridge trainer had high hopes for the Zabeel mare, who was being aimed at the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup. "Unfortunately, a scan has showed she's got a little tear in her tendon and there's a fair bit of rehabilitation involved so after discussions with the owners the decision has been made to send her to stud," Pike said. "She only had the eight starts and she di...

Impressive debut from Global Thinking

Exciting filly Global Thinking (2f So You Think x Capital Raising, by General Nediym) made a winning debut in New Zealand on Saturday at Ruakaka. Shaune Ritchie's early hopes for Global Thinking have been fulfilled and he can now take his time plotting a course to New Zealand's biggest cash prize. The Cambridge trainer was keen to bank funds with the daughter of champion racehorse So You Think at Ruakaka on Saturday and she duly obliged by taking the thick end of the stake in the Henderson R...

Colt remains undefeated after Heroic effort

Heroic Valour has taken up as a three-year-old where he left off last season following a tenacious performance to triumph on his Ruakaka return. The Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards-trained son of Fastnet Rock showed admirable fighting qualities to maintain his unbeaten record with his defeat of a competitive line-up in Saturday's Listed Tavistock Northland Breeders' Plate. "He got a bit of a squeeze up on the point of the corner and he's not the sort of colt who is ever going to win by m...

Distinctive Darci goes all the way

The Mark Walker-trained Distinctive Darci had to tough it out in the straight but was eventually able to make it back-to-back wins in the $75,000 New Zealand Racing Board Trophy, a Novice race over 1100m on Sunday. Backed down to joint $12 favouritism with Lightning Fast, another last-start winner like him, Distinctive Darci (Derreck David) fully capitalised on the five-kilo pull in weights (56kgs versus 51kgs) between them by taking the bull by the horns from the start to take up the running a...

Distance against resuming Oaks winner

The connections of Fanatic aren't expecting the Group One winner to resume in a blaze of glory at Hastings on Saturday. "She's been back for four months and we're very happy with her, but the 1400 metres isn't ideal and well short of her best," said Debbie Sweeney, who prepares the daughter of Shocking with her father Graeme Sanders. "We took her to Te Teko the other week for a day out and she's been to Te Rapa for a gallop. She's coming along nicely and she has definitely strengthened up ...

Unbeaten colt to trial at Taupo

Group One winner Heroic Valour will step out in a 1000 metre heat for black type performers before the opening event of Friday's Taupo meeting. Heroic Valour's unbeaten two-year-old campaign was crowned by his success in the Diamond Stakes and trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards have the Gr.1 Sothys NZ 2000 Guineas at Riccarton as his primary aim this term. Friday's trial will also feature last season's Gr.2 Hawke's Bay Guineas winner Amarula and the talented Murray Baker and Andrew F...

First Seal gearing up for spring carnival

John Thompson will take a step-by-step approach with Group One winner First Seal who is ready for a barrier trial ahead of her spring campaign as a five-year-old.The trainer said First Seal would run in a barrier trial at Randwick on Friday ahead of her first-up run in the $400,000 Group Two Golden Pendant at Rosehill on September 24. "At this stage we're starting off in the mares' races," Thompson said. "We're coming into the spring so there's plenty of options there depending on what she's d...

Distinctive Darci doesn't take long to show his wares

After a couple of encouraging starts as a juvenile, Distinctive Darci has returned an impressive winner in the $65,000 Initiation race over 1000m on Sunday. Ridden by two-time Singapore champion jockey Manoel Nunes, the son of Darci Brahma whipped around from his wide gate to vie for the lead, which he was able to secure without spending too much petrol. But he looked in strife when Super Warrior (Danny Beasley) made an early move upsides just before reaching the home bend. Backers of the $11...

Unorthodox campaign no worries for Manolo

The unusual racing career of New Zealand bred, Australian owned colt Manolo Blahniq continues at Rosehill on Saturday as the well-travelled galloper tackles champion two-year-old Capitalist in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes. By his own admission, trainer Tony Noonan doesn't mind trying new methods when it comes to preparing his horses, which goes a long way to explaining why Manolo Blahniq began his career in New Zealand, has had four "trainers" so far, has visited two Australian states, and ...

First Seal set to trial

The John Thompson-trained First Seal (Fastnet Rock) is making good progress ahead of her intended return in a barrier trial at Randwick on Friday week. The five-year-old mare, who took out the Flight Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m) in October 2014, has not been seen since finishing 12th in the Doncaster Mile (Gr.1, 1600m) in April. ...

Tough challenge for Kiwi Group winner

Manolo Blahniq is set for his first Australian start on Saturday at Rosehill where he will face a stern test in his debut. He won last season's Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie from Craig Thornton's stable before transferring to the care of Tony Noonan, who paid $115,000 for the Jimmy Choux colt at Karaka last year. Manolo Blahniq is set to run in the Gr.2 San Domenico Stakes, in which he is likely to clash with the Gr.1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist....

Ruettiger favourite to take Aurie's Star

Consistent sprinter Ruettiger is the early favourite to add further black type to his record at Flemington. The Lee and Anthony Freedman-trained sprinter is the $3.80 top choice in Saturday's Group Three Aurie's Star Handicap over the straight 1200 metres. At his most recent start Ruettiger took out last month's Listed All Victorian Sprint Final over Saturday's course and distance. He holds favouritism over Beirut ($5.50) and Sooboog ($6) who are both listed as runners in the Group Three Spri...

Manolo Blahniq wins trial

Mornington trainer Tony Noonan holds high hopes for Hawkesbury barrier trial winner Manolo Blahniq. The Victorian trainer has the two-year-old son of Jimmy Choux geared towards the early Sydney three-year-old races. And if his form warrants it, the Group One Golden Rose at Rosehill on September will be his first spring target. Noonan bought Manolo Blahniq as a yearling but left him in New Zealand for his early two-year-old racing. He had three starts for Craig Thornton, winning in Group Thre...

Thunder Down Under arrives in Sydney

Thunder Down Under has arrived at Chris Waller's Sydney stable and he is likely to have one start for the stable as a three-year-old before season's end. "He will have a barrier trial at Rosehill on Friday and then run at Canterbury on the 23rd," Waller said. "He is a lovely big colt with some good form. "We will get him ready for some middle distance races." Thunder Down Under had 17 starts in New Zealand for trainer Stephen Ralph including a Group Three third in the Bonecrusher Stakes in S...