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James McDonald does it again as he guides Paisley Park home in the Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final (2400m) Photo credit: Trish Dunell The outstanding ability and magical touch of champion rider James McDonald was to the fore once again during the Ellerslie Christmas Carnival as he guided home topweight Paisley Park to take out the […]View the full article

Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards has experienced a whirlwind 2019 led by the efforts of Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark, and he ended the year on a high note at Taupo on Monday, bagging a quartet of wins. The Matamata conditioner heads into the new year atop the New Zealand Trainers’ Premiership with 58 […]View the full article

Preakness (inside) winning on debut at Otaki last month. Photo: Race Images Unbeaten two-year-olds Preakness and Trident will try to continue a golden week for trainer Andrew Campbell when they line up in the Gr.2 Barneswood Farm Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. Campbell collected three wins over the weekend as Pimlico and […]View the full article

On the face of it drawing barrier fourteen in a premier Group One sprint race would tend to put a dent in the confidence of most trainers regarding their chances to nail the thick end of the prize. Bob Vance isn’t one of them as he believes his underrated sprinter Its Destinys Child has what […]View the full article

Pukekohe trainer Nigel Tiley heads into Ellerslie’s New Year’s Day race meeting with a trio of runners that he believes are all capable of success in their chosen events. First up will be unbeaten two-year-old filly Play That Song who will tackle the Gr.2 Barneswood Farm Eclipse Stakes (1200m) fresh up off a two-month break […]View the full article

There were emotional scenes in the Timaru birdcage following the running of the Listed Craigmore Sustainable Holdings Ltd Timaru Cup (1600m) on Saturday as the connections of Who Dares Wins waited for their pride and joy to return to the winner’s enclosure. The rugged Iffraaj gelding gave weight and a beating to his rivals off […]View the full article

Love Struck (yellow) breaks her maiden status at Rotorua. Photo credit: Race Images – Kenton Wright A brief let up after two educational runs in the spring has worked the oracle for promising filly Love Struck who broke through for her maiden success at Rotorua on Friday. The three-year-old daughter of the ill-fated Waikato Stud stallion […]View the full article

Massiff Princess leads all the way to win on debut at New Plymouth. Photo credit: Race Images An impressive front-running performance to win on debut by the well-related Massiff Princess at New Plymouth on Friday brought up a significant milestone for trainer Fraser Auret and jockey Johnathan Parkes. Sent forward to dispute the pace by Parkes, […]View the full article

Apprentice Brett Murray celebrates his victory aboard The Precious One. Photo credit: Wild Range Photography Wingatui trainer Claire Anderton got the Christmas present she wanted this year, it was just a day late. Stable star The Precious One had been knocking on the door at stakes level for some time and the five-year-old mare was able to […]View the full article

Pretty To Sea beats Avantage to win the Listed Hallmark Stud Sprint (1200m) at Ellerslie. Photo credit: Trish Dunell In what has proved to be a tumultuous and tragic week for Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay, the victory of two-year-old filly Taroni and then underrated mare Pretty To Sea in the Listed Hallmark Stud Handicap […]View the full article

James McDonald guides True Enough to victory in the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie. Photo credit: Trish Dunell What a difference a year makes. Expat New Zealand jockey James McDonald rode True Enough to victory in the Thames Cup (1600m) in January and nearly a year later he reunited with the six-year-old gelding to […]View the full article

Visiting Cambridge mare Concert Hall was back to her brilliant best when she demolished her opposition in Saturday’s Gr.3 Aberdeen On Broadway Manawatu Cup (2300m). The Joan Egan-bred and owned five-year-old had been slowly building to her peak form in recent starts which included an eye-catching run for fourth in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m) […]View the full article

Just 12 years after riding his first winner, James McDonald is about to become the youngest person to be inducted to the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame. When his induction takes place at the Hall of Fame gala dinner in Hamilton on May 3, the Sydney-based champion will join 16 other jockeys to have […]View the full article

Pinmedown winning the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day last year. Photo: Trish Dunell Fresh from winning with all of his three runners at Flemington on Saturday, Mike Moroney has shifted his focus to New Zealand. The trans-Tasman trainer flew over from Melbourne on Sunday, with Christmas and Ellerslie’s Boxing Day races on […]View the full article

Stakes winner Rock On Wood. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) In-form Waikato jockey Ryan Elliot hopes to be celebrating his first taste of black-type success for the season when he has Christmas with his family in Levin. The highly talented 20-year-old wound up last season with a personal best tally of 60 wins, including six […]View the full article

Leading New Zealand stallion Tavistock died at the weekend Cambridge Stud has announced. The 14-year-old son of Montjeu suffered a life threatening injury in a freak paddock accident eight weeks ago. “Although he made significant progress from the initial injury, he sustained secondary complications following further surgery last week and was put down on vets […]View the full article

Rory Hutchings reunites with his old boss Graeme Rogerson at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. Hutchings, now living in Australia, will ride Contessa Vanesa in the Zabeel Classic. The 23-year-old, who last rode on raceday on January 12, has battled with his weight in recent years after winning the Sydney apprentice jockeys’ premiership in 2016. He […]View the full article

Promising three-year-old Not Usual Litening opens his winning account at Te Rapa. Photo credit: Trish Dunell A comfortable maiden victory by Not Usual Litening at Te Rapa on Saturday has co-trainer Murray Baker looking at stepping his charge up to a greater challenge in the coming weeks. Baker, who prepares the Pins three-year-old at Cambridge […]View the full article

Mick Dee will ride Mike Moroney’s star colt Harlech in the Listed Shaw’s Wires Ropes Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. Melbourne-based Dee rode Sheezallmine to victory in the Stewards at Riccarton last month. Dee will ride Pinmedown in the Zabeel Classic on Wednesday as well as Harlech. Moroney is looking forward […]View the full article

Matamata trainer Danica Guy knows that promising four-year-old Germanicus has the ability of a Group horse. But she is also wary that the four-year-old gelding has a few wayward tendencies. The emerging miler will contest the Lodge Residential (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday, the scene of his last-start victory over the same distance, having […]View the full article

Awapuni trainer Gary Vile will be vying to win his fifth Gr.3 Aberdeen on Broadway Manawatu Cup (2300m) at his home track on Saturday. The Palmerston North horseman has previously won the race with All Square (2005), Ransomed (2012), Jacksstar (2016), and Rock On (2018). Jacksstar will represent the stable once again in the race […]View the full article

Hastings trainer John Bary would have preferred another week of conditioning under Callsign Mav’s belt heading into Saturday’s Rich Hill Stud Premier 3YO (1400m) at Awapuni but expects his charge to be competitive nonetheless. The Atlante gelding has already shown his class with two wins in his five starts, including a second placing to gun […]View the full article

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh is happy with comeback galloper Chocante but has no expectation of a winning return in the Gr.2 Kamada Park Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni on Saturday. The Group One performer strained a tendon in the Listed Tails Stakes (1600m) at Doomben in April last year and was given a long […]View the full article

In-form Waikato jockey Ryan Elliot hopes to be celebrating his first taste of black-type success for the season when he has Christmas with his family in Levin. The highly talented 20-year-old wound up last season with a personal best tally of 60 wins, including six black-type wins, and, though he has made a flying start […]View the full article

Cambridge trainer Frank Ritchie is looking to plunder the rich spoils on offer at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day with a pair of stable runners. Impressive last start winner Kya Khoob Lagti Ho will contest the Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship (2400m), while Dawn Patrol will be vying for Group One glory in the Sistema Railway […]View the full article