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Sky Field readies for Group One test

Caspar Fownes is banking on consistency and a bit of luck when Sky Field lines up in Sunday week’s Gr.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m). “I’m sure he’ll give us a big run, he was a bit unlucky last start,” Fownes said. “I think once we get to the ‘A’ Course with him that he’s definitely going to be a first-three chance on the big day.” Stepping out for a barrier trial on Tuesday morning, the Deep Field gelding looked in fine fettle under Blake Shinn, pulling fiercely to clo...

ANZ Bloodstock News- Kiwi Chronicles

Lloyd Jackson, as printed in the ANZ Bloodstock News on November 30, 2021Between last Thursday and Saturday, 22 stakes races were scheduled to be run in Australasia. Weather intervened in Queensland reducing the count to 20 and what a mixed bag they were.On Saturday, New Zealand was represented  by two stakes winners at Caulfield and one at  Rosehill. However, of the three stakes run  at home, two of the three winners are by  Australian-based sires Al...

Savabeel colt impresses in Sandown Guineas triumph

Trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr have posted their first Group winner from their new stables at Cranbourne after Blue Army proved too classy for his rivals to win the Gr.2 Sandown Guineas (1600m).The three-year-old feature was contested at Caulfield for the first time, the base Price and Kent had previously called home prior to its closure as a training centre during the week, with plans afoot by the club for a second turf track for racing purposes and a host of commercial developments.A ...

Pin-up horse Gold Watch continues winning streak

Gold Watch, one of the most exciting gallopers in New Zealand racing, kept his winning streak intact at Te Aroha on Saturday with another powerful display to take out the open 1400m contest on the card. The Cliff Goss-trained five-year-old made it six wins in a row with the victory as he goes from strength to strength for his remarkable 90-year-old Tauranga-based mentor. Goss, father of Trelawney Stud's Cherry Taylor, was delighted with the performance, which was in stark contrast to his raceday...

Picket fence continues for exciting Pareanui Bay

Exciting three-year-old Pareanui Bay made it three wins from three starts when he took out the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m) on Saturday at Te Aroha. The Tony Pike-trained Lonhro gelding hadn’t been seen since recording a stunning win in the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa last month and was sent out a dominant $1.90 favourite on the strength of that performance and a strong midweek trial. Rider Michael McNab had the long-striding individual...

Pareanui Bay hoping to land Eagle

Exciting galloper Pareanui Bay got the testing hit-out trainer Tony Pike was looking for when trialling at Cambridge on Tuesday. A dominant winner of the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa a month ago, Pareanui Bay finished second in a 950m on his home track and is set to take his place in Saturday’s Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m) at Te Aroha. “He was really good today,” Pike said. “They probably ran along at raceday speed or a touch qui...

Ballarat Cup triumph for in-form Zayydani

Five-year-old mare Zayydani has been one of the flagbearers for the training talents of Ben and JD Hayes, and the daughter of Savabeel continued her winning ways when a gritty winner of the A$500,000 Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) on Saturday. The Hayes brothers, who are forging a career in their own right after their father David relocated to Hong Kong and former training partner Tom Dabernig went solo, have a soft spot for the mare, who was the first winner for the partnership and also the first ...

Big weekend of racing ahead for Trelawney Stud

Brent and Cherry Taylor are gearing up for a big Saturday of racing where four horses will contest stakes races while carrying the Trelawney Stud silks.On the domestic front they have three runners at Te Rapa. The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained Two Illicit will contest the Gr.2 Dunstan Feeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) while stablemate Cheaperthandivorce lines up in the Gr.3 Franklin Auctions Counties Cup (2100m).Rounding out the trio is Vamos Bebe in the ...

Trelawney Stud in search of more Stakes success

Roger James is hoping for a big day for his mares Two Illicit and Cheaperthandivorce as they seek more black-type success at Te Rapa on Saturday. The mares, both raced by Brent and Cherry Taylor of Trelawney Stud, both gained Group Three victories at their last starts and may both start favourite in their respective races. Two Illicit is after her third success at Group Two level in the Dunstan Feeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m). One of those came at Te Rapa in the 2020 Waika...

Lim’s Kosciuszko remain unbeaten

Lim’s Kosciuszko brought resumed with a smashing comeback in the S$50,000 Mr Clint 2019 Stakes (1200m) in Singapore on Sunday. The Trelawney Stud graduate was unexpectedly pulled out of the Gr.3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m) in June a few days before his first real big test. No physical issues were detected, but trainer Daniel Meagher just had a gut feel the son of Kermadec was at that tipping point he could turn sour. With Mr Lim Siah Mong’s blessing, a break was called, one which...

Zayydani scores in Matriarch

A long-range plan to target the Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) with impeccably bred mare Zayydani has come off.  The daughter of Savabeel, who sports the colours of Brent and Cherry Taylor’s Trelawney Stud, was the first winner and first stakes winner for Lindsay Park trainers Ben and JD Hayes when winning a Listed race at Eagle Farm back in June. The five-year-old mare had three runs in readiness for the Group Two mares race and had caught the eye when a good fourth in the Gr.3 Coon...

Chittick awarded Irish National Stud Scholarship

The 2022 Keith & Faith Taylor Equine Scholarship has been awarded to a young industry participant from a family ingrained in the fabric of the New Zealand thoroughbred breeding industry. George Chittick, who turns 19 on Sunday, is the third generation of his family from the renowned Waikato Stud to pursue a career with horses. The scholarship will support Chittick to travel to Ireland in January next year to complete the internationally recognised Irish National Stud Diploma course. He will then...

Trainers looking to add to stakes tally

Roger James and Robert Wellwood will be chasing a third black-type success for the season when Concert Hall takes aim at the Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Tuesday. The Cambridge trainers have already claimed major targets with Cheaperthandivorce and Two Illicit, who both carry the Trelawney Stud colours, and are confident Concert Hall, who was born and raised at the Cambridge-based farm, is in the right condition to excel in the Dunstan Horsefeeds-sponsored feature. The Joan Egan-b...

I’m Thunderstruck lands rich Eagle

2021 has been the year of Kiwi-bred gelding I’m Thunderstruck, who showed his class and trademark fight when winning the A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The son of Shocking stepped out on raceday for the first time when winning a maiden at Caulfield in January and under the tutelage of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr has gone about plundering riches in his nine starts this year, with prizemoney earnings now surpassing A$5 million. With six wins and two placings to ...

Red-letter weekend for Trelawney

It was a memorable weekend for Trelawney Stud principals Brent and Cherry Taylor, with three of their racing team carrying their green, red, and gold silks to victory, including two at stakes level. Cheaperthandivorce was the first to secure a stakes scalp for the Waikato nursery over the weekend when she recorded a 1-3/4 length victory over Justaskme in the Gr.3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham on Sunday. It was the second run for the Savabeel mare this preparation after winning first-up a...

Pareanui Bay proves too tough in Te Rapa feature

Progressive galloper Pareanui Bay claimed the honours at Te Rapa on Monday when he overcame a torrid trip in transit to capture the Gr.2 James And Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m). The Tony Pike-trained son of Lonhro had created a huge impression with a gritty win in maiden company on debut at the venue earlier in the month but met a field of quality three-year-olds for his attempt at Monday’s feature event. Although well fancied as the $5.20 second favourite behind Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guin...

Gold Watch makes stunning return

‘There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man’ is a famed quote from Winston Churchill. It is proving somewhat of a mantra for 90-year-old Tauranga horseman Cliff Goss, father of Trelawney Stud's Cherry Taylor, who credits handsome chestnut Gold Watch with keeping him mentally and physically fit and young. The feel-good story of the year delivered another chapter when the exciting five-year-old gelding, who carriers the Trelawney Stud brand, made a st...

Group Three First stakes success for royally bred mare

Royally bred mare Cheaperthandivorce picked up the first stakes success of her burgeoning career when she finished powerfully in the home straight to claim the Gr.3 Gee & Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham on Sunday. The four-year-old daughter of super sire Savabeel and Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner Boundless had scored a decisive fresh-up victory over the same distance at Hastings earlier in the month, however there were some doubts that she could cope with t...

Vamos Bebe bolts in at Matamata

Vamos Bebe was back at her winning best on Saturday taking out the Comag Ltd 1200 at Matamata by just over four lengths.Raced by Brent, Cherry and Faith Taylor, Vamos Bebe was second up having disappointed in her resuming run at Hastings last month.She left no doubt of her class when sprinting clear from her rivals on Saturday under a tidy ride from Danielle Johnson.“We’d been happy with her leading into Hastings, where she never got into it, but from a better draw today she was able to take...

Gold Watch set for Te Rapa return

Even though a spring setback has unfortunately ruled him out of next month’s Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) at Riccarton, owner-trainer Cliff Goss still has a lot to look forward to this season with his exciting five-year-old Gold Watch. An impressive winner of all of his four starts last season, the chestnut son of Swiss Ace will make a welcome return to action in Monday’s Super Seth @ Waikato Stud 1400 at Te Rapa. The Hamilton track has been a happy hunting ground for Gold Watch, ...

Two Illicit too good in Hastings feature sprint

Noted fresh-up performer Two Illicit provided another example of her undoubted ability when she cruised to victory in the Gr. 3 Red Badge Spring Sprint (1400m) at Hastings. The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained five-year-old was having her first run since an unsuccessful two-race campaign in Queensland winter campaign and came into the race without a trial to fit her for her raceday return. That didn’t matter to the daughter of Jimmy Choux as she settled beautifully in midfield for rider...

Beauden primed for Livamol

Graeme Rogerson is confident Beauden is ready to show he can beat the best away from Awapuni. Beauden was joint favourite on Tuesday along with Savy Yong Blonk for Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings after finishing second in the Gr.3 Metric Mile (1600m) on September 25 while carrying 60.5kg, 7.5kg more than the winner, House of Cartier. That effort reinforced just how good he is at Awapuni. From 11 starts at the Palmerston North track he’s won eight times, finished second tw...

I’m Thunderstruck storms to Toorak victory

Quality four-year-old I'm Thunderstruck confirmed himself as a rising star of Australian racing by beating some of the best milers in the land in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday at just his eighth start. Luckless in the Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke (1400m) last month, the Kiwi import was sent out the $3.20 favourite and barged his way to victory under a brave Jye McNeil ride. The son of Shocking withstood the late challenge of New Zealand bred mare Tofane, who was gallant in ...

Trelawney continue winning run

Trelawney Stud have recorded six winners this month, three of which have carried the Cambridge-based farm's silks to victory.Last week homebred gelding Pareanui Bay impressed with his debut win, while Cheaperthandivorce resumed in winning style at Hastings.On Wednesday Juan Diva added to the tally when second up this preparation at Rosehill.The Michael and Richard Freedman-trained mare set the pace in the 1200m contest and on reaching the straight, responded to jockey Tim Clark's urgings and rac...

Te Rapa double for Trelawney

A pair of smart three-year-olds carrying the Trelawney brand won on debut at Te Rapa on Friday in the form of The Landing (Tivaci x Syrah) and Pareanui Bay (Lonhro x Okahu Bay), providing Cambridge trainer Tony Pike with a race-to-race double.  First to strike was the well-bred Tivaci gelding The Landing, a half-brother to Group One winners Loire and A Touch Of Ruby, who had shown some ability when placed at the trials but relished stepping up to 1400m on debut. “I wasn’t confident that...