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Gundown presents Auckland Cup credentials with Ellerslie win

The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman trained Gundown emerged as a genuine lightweight prospect for next Saturday’s Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) after winning handsomely at Ellerslie on the weekend. The lightly-raced four-year-old who was purchased out of Trelawney Stud's 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock yearling draft, produced a powerful home straight surge to defeat stablemate Zacada in the traditional Cup lead-up, the Headquarters Viaduct Nathans Memorial (2200m), and thrust his n...

Emily heads winning Saturday

Emily Margaret headed  a Trelawney graduate double on Saturday, with Special Light, who runs in the Trelawney silks, adding a further victory to the tally. A trip north to contest the Gr.2 Norwood Family Wellington Guineas (1400m) at Trentham beckons for multiple stakes-winning filly Emily Margaret after a dominant on-speed victory at Wingatui in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m). Ridden by Robert Hannam, the Central Districts rider took luck out of the equation, venturing straight to...

Super stakes Saturday

Saturday is shaping up to be a super day of stakes racing for Trelawney Stud graduates. Dual Group One winner Grunt, who was bred by Trelawney and sold through their 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock draft,  will tackle the Gr.3 The TAB Shaftsbury Avenue Handicap (1400m) at Flemington in the lead-up to the inaugural A$5 million All Star Mile (1600m) in a fortnight’s time. Trainer Mick Price is happy with the son of O’Reilly heading into Saturday’s contest and is hoping he will be able to ge...

Cosgrave to partner Noby in Derby

Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Pat Cosgrave will make a flying visit to Auckland this weekend to partner the Chris Waller-trained Nobu (Reliable Man x Royal Prize) in the Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m).  The 36-year-old Northern Irishman shot to prominence in this part of the world after partnering Benbatl to win the Gr.1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) last October before adding the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Best Solution a week later.  Cosgrave, who is currently based in Dubai, w...

Saturday to decide Guineas tilt for Emily Margaret

A trip north to contest the Gr.2 Norwood Family Wellington Guineas (1400m) at Trentham beckons for stakes-winning filly Emily Margaret (Pins x Seven Schillings) if she performs well at Wingatui on Saturday. The Kevin and Pam Hughes-trained galloper will line-up in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) on Saturday and her connections are pleased with her in the lead-up to the race. “She seems fine, she’s freshened-up a wee bit,” Kevin Hughes said.  “We have good paddocks here (Ricc...

Grunt to resume for new owners

All-Star Mile contender Grunt will have his first run for new managing owners in Saturday’s Gr.3 Shaftesbury Avenue Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. Expanding racing and breeding operation Yulong Investments has bought 51 percent of Grunt from an ownership group that includes Chautauqua’s owner Rupert Legh. Yulong Racing’s Australian chief operating officer Sam Fairgray said Grunt would carry the operation’s green and white silks for the first time on Saturday before the four-year-old’s p...

Grunt "perfect" in trial

Trelawney Stud graduate and dual Group One winner Grunt is on track for a tilt at the A$5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) after finishing third in a 990 metre Cranbourne barrier trial on Monday. Trainer Mick Price described the performance as “perfect” after the four-year-old entire finished one and a quarter lengths in third behind Group One-winning sprinter Malaguerra and Travimyfriend. “He did everything I wanted to see,’’ Price told Racing.com. “ Another 100 yards he probably sti...

Mare puts in special performance at Ellerslie

A step up to weekend racing at Ellerslie proved no problem for Special Light who put in a strong performance to win the Auckland Co-op Taxis (2100m). The four-year-old mare, who races in the Trelawney Silks for Brent, Cherry and Faith Taylor, was coming off a mid-week win at Hastings on January 30. The Tony-Pike trained Special Light jumped well and travelled behind pacemaker Remarx for the majority of the trip before Samantha Collett launched a beautifully timed challenge on the home straight, ...

2YO set for debut at the Valley

A dashing colt by the name of Untie The Knot (Ocean Park x The Iffraaj Dame) will make his raceday debut at Moonee Valley on Friday evening. He will be the first of many upcoming two year-old runners for Eden Racing this season. Purchased in conjunction with Bluegrass Bloodstock at the 2018 New Zealand Karaka Sale from the draft of Trelawney Stud, Untie The Knot hails from the family of Group One winner and multiple Group Two and Three winner La Bella Dama. He is a full brother to Ocean Knight w...

Grunt on track for All-Star Mile campaign

Four-year-old Grunt is prominent in All-Star Mile voting and trainer Mick Price is convinced the dual Group One winner is on track to be a force in the inaugural A$5 million race. Grunt's Group One wins have both been over the All-Star Mile course and distance of 1600m at Flemington in last year's Australian Guineas and Makybe Diva Stakes. His spring campaign was cut short after he put in below-par runs in the Underwood Stakes and Turnbull Stakes after winning the Makybe Diva, but Price is happy...

Jimmy Choux colt tops Trelawney's Book 2 draft

It didn’t take long for the action in the Karaka auction ring to match the heated temperatures outside on day six of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. The second youngster offered on the day had barely completed his third lap of the auditorium when a bidding war erupted that was finally settled in favour of young bloodstock agent Robin Tai. He outlaid $190,000 under his RT Racing brand for Lot 902, the Jimmy Choux colt from handy sprinting mare Seven Schillings, who was consig...

Sebring colt headed for Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Jockey Club made a late play to secure its second yearling at Karaka this week, taking home a Sebring colt for $375,000 from the Trelawney Stud draft on Wednesday. Catalogued as Lot 573, the colt is the second foal out of the stakes-performed winner Are There Any (Exceed And Excel), who has produced the Jamie Richards-trained stakes-placed juvenile Challa (Dissident). Trelawney Stud’s Cherry Taylor revealed they bought Are There Any for A$170,000 via agent Bruce Perry at the 20...

Special Light gets maiden win

The Trelawney silks were in the winner's circle again this week when Special Light (Redoute's Choice) broke her maiden at Hawke's Bay on Wednesday. The four-year-old mare had put in two runner-up performances leading up to her win in the Macalea 2200. Jockey Donavan Mansour guided the daughter of Redoute's Choice to the early lead and she travelled relatively untroubled till coming out of the turn where she was challenged by Trumpet.   Special Light looked like she was going to have to sett...

Stilton a success at Te Teko

A well-timed ride by jockey Lynsey Satherley got Stilton over the line in front of her rivals at Te Teko on Monday. It was the first career win for the three-year-old filly who races in the Trelawney silks for the training partnership of Graham Richardson and Gavin Parker. Stilton settled at the rear of the field after the barriers opened before making her move at the 800m.  She then made her way around the field and let down strongly on the straight to go on to win by 0.4L. It was the fift...

Excellent day at Ellerslie for Trelawney grads

High-class galloper Sword of Osman (Savabeel x Bunyah) resumed with a convincing victory in the Auckland Co-op Taxis 3YO (1200m) at Ellerslie on Sunday. Despite carrying 60.5kgs, Sword of Osman was strongly supported at the tote and went forward from barrier five to race quite keenly outside the leader before he took over comfortably once balanced in the straight and never appeared in danger. “He needed the run but it was pretty much like a track gallop for him,” said rider Opie Bosson. “I...

Te Akau tackle Ellerslie with Trelawney grads

Te Akau Racing will line up two Trelawney Stud graduate’s at Ellerslie on Sunday with both aiming at bigger targets on the same track a fortnight later. The stakes-placed Challa will contest Sunday's NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1200m) ahead of a tilt at the Karaka Million (1200m). Michael Coleman is booked to ride Challa who was a last start runner up to race rival Miss Federer in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton in November. Challa was purchased by David Ellis out of Trelaw...

WATCH- Kiwibred Episode 7

During episode 7 of Kiwibred the team travel to Trelawney Stud to look into the story behind dual Group One winner Grunt who was bred by Trelawney and sold through their 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock draft....

Trelawney grad back on warpath

Former champion galloper War Affair (O’Reilly x Kristique) is back in Singapore and if all goes well, will be making his racing comeback at Kranji at the age of eight this year. The 2014 Singapore Horse of the Year is returning after spending more than one year in New Zealand, spelling at Trelawney Stud where he was born before joining the Stephen Marsh stable. The multiple-Group One winner last raced in Singapore on September 10, 2017, finishing a lacklustre sixth to Countofmontecristo in th...

Metro test for Joan's A Jett

Mark Kavanagh is not one to spruik his young horses, preferring to let them do the talking on the track. It’s why the Melbourne Cup-winning trainer is reluctant to play up the chances of emerging filly Joan’s A Jett (Rock 'n' Pop x Luna Tudor) who steps to metropolitan grade at only her second start at Caulfield on Wednesday. The daughter of Rock ‘N’ Pop turned heads with a storming maiden win at Seymour last month, after which Kavanagh spoke about her autumn prospects. While he’s got...

Heir of Tavistock breaks maiden

The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Heir of Tavistock got his first win on the board when successful at Cranbourne on Friday over a mile trip. This was his fourth career start and he was backing up off a runner-up finish at Terang earlier this month. The three-year-old gelding jumped well to lead and looked happy in the running under a nice ride from Damien Thornton. The race became a two horse battle when Heir of Tavistock was challenged by Empire Legend and they fought it out to the li...

Pike duo ready for New Year's test

A solid work-out on Saturday morning by Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) candidate Bostonian has trainer Tony Pike confident his stable star is at his peak for his biggest challenge. The Jimmy Choux four-year-old who was born and raised at Trelawney Stud for owner-breeder David Archer, hasn’t been seen since he opened his summer campaign with a comfortable victory in the Listed Counties Bowl (1100m) at Pukekohe last month. Pike believes his charge performs best with his runs spaced and is ready to...

Sword of Osman ready for raceday return

Juvenile Group One winner Sword of Osman was back in action on the weekend where he pleased Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards with his exhibition gallop between races at Matamata. Successful in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) as well as the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m) in his two-year-old season, the Savabeel gelding had been freshened after finishing unplaced in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton last month. “He’s probably more of a sprinter and he’ll resume in the three...

Trelawney mare scores decisive win at Ellerslie

Smart racemare Indecision (Per Incanto x Yeah Nah) gave her rivals weight and a comprehensive beating when she led all the way to win the Listed Hallmark Stud Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie. The five-year-old was the clear topweight in the day’s sprint feature, carrying 60kgs in the seven-horse-field, 4kgs more than her nearest rival. Also burdened with the outside barrier for the contest, Indecision made light work of the situation as she set a steady pace in front before bursting clear of her...

Filly jetts away for debut win

Joan’s A Jett won impressively on debut at Seymour on Thursday for trainer Mark Kavanagh. “She was a little slow away and settled towards the back of the field but showing just how good she is, her jockey Craig Robertson was able to get her off the fence, come out wide and finish off strongly to win," said Kavanagh. Brent and Cherry Taylor, who bred Joan's A Jett and share in the ownership of the three-year-old filly, sent her over to the Kavanagh stable earlier this year. “Brent and Cher...

All-Star Mile set for extra Grunt

Two-time Group One winner Grunt (O'Reilly x Ruqqaya) has been one of the early nominations for Victoria's $A5million All-Star Mile. Should the Mick Price-trained galloper secure a spot in the final field, it will be a return to his favoured Flemington track where he won the Australian Guineas and Makybe Diva Stakes, both over the All Star Mile distance. The four-year-old becomes the third Group One winner – after Happy Clapper and Foundry – to be entered for the All-Star Mile on March 16. Gr...