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Riccarton test for Horowhenua raider

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskJosh Shaw admits he is heading a long way this week for just the one run with his aptly named mare Predecessor, but he is hoping the trip pays dividends in the long run.The Horowhenua horseman has trekked down to Christchurch this week with his four-year-old mare, who will be vying to breakthrough for her maiden victory in the Haase Marshall Drainage Premier (2000m) at Riccarton on Wednesday.“The trip away will just bring her on,” S...

Kelsos have another exciting filly on their hands

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskKen and Bev Kelso have a knack for unearthing quality fillies, and they may have another one on their hands in Levakia, who broke through for her maiden win in impressive fashion in the Dunstan Horsefeeds 1400 at Pukekohe Park on Wednesday.She was only fair away and drifted back to sit at the rear of the field for jockey Sam Spratt, where they remained throughout. Turning for home, the pair had all before them, ...

Snazzytavi stuns in Livamol romp

A trophy that slipped through Brendan and Jo Lindsay’s grasp in their early days of racehorse ownership now has pride of place in the Cambridge Stud trophy cabinet, thanks to a stunning coming-of-age performance by Snazzytavi in Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Te Rapa.The Lindsays’ foundation mare J’Adane went agonisingly close to winning the 2007 edition of the spring showpiece, where she was beaten by a whisker by superstar mare Princess Coup.Multiple Group One wins have fol...

Richardson on weather watch ahead of weekend features

Snazzytavi is one of three Cm graduates in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) on Saturday, alongside No Compromise and Malt Time. Richard Edmunds, caught up with her trainer Graham Richardson for LOVERACING.NZ News Desk:Matamata trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall are on weather watch as they prepare to shoot for $650,000 in prizemoney across a pair of Group races this weekend.They will saddle emerging mare and Snazzytavi in the Gr.1 Livam...

Fortune for Faraglioni ahead of Arrowfield

By Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskUltra-consistent mare Faraglioni is out to shed her bridesmaid’s tag in Wednesday’s Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata.Three weeks’ ago, the daughter of El Roca finished a game runner-up to Grail Seeker in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), an identical result to last season’s Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m) and Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m).Josh Shaw, who trains Faraglioni out of Levin, ...

Livamol locked in for Snazzytavi

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskSnazzytavi has booked her ticket south to Hastings next month to contest the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) following an eye-catching victory at Te Rapa on Friday.The Group Three-winning daughter of Tavistock was second-up in the BCD Group Mile (1600m) after finishing ninth in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings earlier this month, and trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall were hoping for a confidence-boosting result.Snazzytavi was b...

Lightly raced Lilac lands Listed prize

Well-related filly Lilac has wasted little time in adding valuable black type to her CV, landing Saturday’s A$175,000 Listed NJT Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in only the fourth start of her career.A graduate of Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore draft at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka, Lilac is trained by Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald and kicked off her career with a win, a second and a fourth from three starts in Sydney.Neasham and Archibald sen...

Empire Rose a possibility for Tarzino runner-up

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskLevin trainer Josh Shaw is daring to dream with Faraglioni this spring following her eye-catching runner-up effort in Saturday’s Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings.The six-year-old daughter of El Roca was a bridesmaid at elite level for the second time after posting the same result in last year’s Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), and now Shaw is eyeing further Group One targets on either side of the Tasman.Faraglioni&nbs...

Malt Time set for Hastings Group One challenge

By Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskClass performer Malt Time showed she is more than ready to make her presence felt in the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Hastings with the perfect dress rehearsal at Ruakaka.The Shaun and Emma Clotworthy-prepared daughter of former Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) winner Adelaide was attempting to make it four wins from just four starts at the venue when she tackled the Harcourts Bream Bay (1400m) on Saturday.Punters were firmly in her camp as she started t...

Te Akau Racing strike in two-year-old opener

By Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskThe familiar tangerine and blue colours of Te Akau Racing were back to doing what they do best when To Bravery Born took out the traditional opening two-year-old race of the season at Wanganui on Saturday.Despite there being only four runners to face the starter, the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared son of Snitzel showed he has what it takes to feature later in the season with a professional performance in downing race favourite Toretto by a comfo...

Northern raider scores at Cambridge

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskBrucey Lee made the seven-hour round trip from Ruakaka worthwhile for trainer Kim Knight on Wednesday when taking out the TAB 2000 at Cambridge Synthetic.The son of U S Navy Flag had placed in his previous start over 2100m on his home track earlier this month and Knight was confident of an improved result despite his topweight of 60kg.Punters shared her thoughts and backed him into $4.40 favouritism, and he didn’t disappoint, running out a...

Stable quinella in Ruakaka feature

By Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskThe Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley training partnership had plenty to celebrate on Saturday when they produced a superb quinella in the feature event at Ruakaka, the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), with stable runners So Naive and Toruk Makto.So Naive, a stunning son of The Oaks Stud resident stallion U S Navy Flag, had won twice from four starts during his two-year-old campaign and was fitted for his new season resumption wi...

Malt Time maintains perfect Ruakaka record

By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskThe class of Group One performer Malt Time shone through again at Ruakaka on Saturday, recovering from a sluggish start to score a runaway win in the ITM/Gib Sprinters’ Winter Championship Final (1400m).Malt Time was sent out as a $2.30 favourite for the $60,000 sprint feature, having scored impressive wins in both of her two previous starts at the venue including a six-length romp over the same distance two starts ago on June 8. In between times she ...

Curraghmore delighted with weanling draft

Curraghmore is one of the foremost names among vendors at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale every year and again their 2024 crop of weanlings catalogued for Karaka on Thursday is right up to the respected nursery's usual high standard.Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore has collected more than a dozen leading vendor titles at Karaka’s weanling sales, and past graduates include Group One winner Sousa, Group Three winner Kinane and other stakes performers such as What Choux Want, B...

Class prevails in Ruakaka feature

Quality mare Malt Time showed her undoubted class when she blitzed her rivals in the closing stages of the feature event at Ruakaka on Saturday, the Porthouse Bar Eatery Bream Bay Sprint (1400m).The Shaun and Emma Clotworthy-trained mare was having her second run in a new campaign and stripped a lot fitter after finishing fifth first up over 1300m at Te Rapa last month.Ridden by apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll, who reduced her 59kgs impost down to 57kgs with his 2kg apprentice allowance, the multi...

Imperialist oozes class in The Phoenix triumph

Trainer Chris Waller has a good opinion of progressive two-year-old Imperialist, who came with a perfectly timed run under James McDonald to claim the Listed The Phoenix (1500m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday in impressive fashion.The New Zealand-bred son of Churchill notched his first win from just three starts and relished the solid tempo of the juvenile feature to close in the manner of a horse that has an exciting Classic season ahead of him.Waller will now ponder whether to push on to next week�...

Kelsos hoping to unveil another promising Proisir filly

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskTrainers Ken and Bev Kelso have raced two outstanding daughters of Proisir in the colours of Philip and Catherine Brown, and on Wednesday they are hoping they can unveil another at Taupo.The Browns have struck gold in the last few years with Group One winners Levante and Legarto, and they are hoping Levakia can reach the same lofty heights.The couple purchased her out of Curraghmore’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Online Yearling Sale draft for $105,000 un...

Group One Star Ruthless Dame a Late National Highlight

Outstanding Group One winner Ruthless Dame will present buyers with another world class opportunity at next week's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast. Connections of the star four-year-old daughter of Tavistock will offer the mare on Day One of the Southern Hemisphere's premier breeding stock auction alongside the likes of Imperatriz, Chain of Lightning, Madame Pommery, Affaire a Suivre, Belclare, Platinum Jubilee and Ulanova.An unbeaten Group winner as a two-year-old,...

Aris Aris takes Te Rapa feature

Consistent galloper Aris Aris produced a powerful finish to down a talented line-up of winter gallopers when taking out the feature flat event at Te Rapa on Saturday, the Dunstan Horsefeeds 1300. The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared five-year-old mare had been thereabouts in her first three runs of this campaign, and with Niranjan Parmar claiming 1kg off her initial 54kg impost, she looked well-placed in the contest. That was how it panned out as the daughter of Contributer sat b...

Top weekend for Curraghmore graduates

By Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskCurraghmore celebrated widespread success at the weekend with winners in three countries and highlighted by the domestic stakes of rising star Snazzytavi.Farm principal Gordon Cunningham bred and sold the gifted daughter of the late Tavistock who ended her campaign with an effortless victory in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie.Trained by Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall for Cambridge Stud, Snazzytavi has gone for a break with five wins and ...

Superb Snazzytavi delivers another Easter for Richardson and Norvall

By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskTwo years after taking out the Gr.3 Manco Easter Handicap (1600m) with Carolina Reaper, Matamata trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall have repeated and surpassed that result with a one-three finish headed by the rising star Snazzytavi.The time-honoured autumn showpiece was run for the 150th time on Saturday, a week later than expected and at a new home of Te Rapa due to the abandonment of the Ellerslie meeting last weekend. But despite the unusu...

Richardson and Norvall kick week off with a bang

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskMatamata trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall were rapt with their treble at Arawa Park on Wednesday, and they are hoping they can continue that winning form into the rest of the week.Therapeutic kicked off the treble when taking out the Greenlight Insurance Brokers 1560 before Confiance and Darci’s Angel carried Social Racing’s colours to victory in the Novara Park 1560 and Campbell Infrastructure 1560 respectively.“I am absolutely over the ...

Faraglioni thriving ahead of Cuddle Stakes

By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskFaraglioni should be enjoying a well-deserved spell at the moment, but trainer Josh Shaw said his Group One performer had other ideas.The five-year-old mare has been a revelation for the Levin trainer this season, winning one and placing in five of her seven starts, including runner-up in the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) and Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m).The daughter of El Roca was fifth in the Gr.1 BCD Gr...

South Waikato Cup a stepping stone for Snazzytavi

By Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News DeskCm grad Snazzytavi has seemingly flown through the grades this season, and the talented mare will prepare for another black-type target in Wednesday’s Holster Engineering Lally and Symes South Waikato Cup (2000m) at Matamata.The daughter of Tavistock has been near faultless through her preparation, building from a Rating 65 victory over 1400m in early December to a comprehensive win in the Stella Artois Championship Final (1500m)&n...

Asterix back to his best ahead of Auckland Cup

By LOVERACING.NZ News DeskWexford Stables have fond memories at Ellerslie with Asterix, and they are hoping to add another when they head to the Auckland track this Saturday to contest the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m).Cm graduate, Asterix is unbeaten on the course in two starts, recording the stable’s second consecutive win in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie two years ago, and returned to the venue last month to take out the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m) un...