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Grunt out of Cox Plate

Grunt (O'Reilly x Ruqqaya) will miss the Cox Plate after his disappointing display behind Winx in the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington. Trainer Mick Price said he had not paid up for the four-year-old in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 27 or the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 6. Grunt was being set on a Cox Plate path after winning the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on September 15 before posting two below par performances in successive weeks. He finished sixth to Hom...

Trelawney grad still on target for Guineas

Te Akau Racing's David Ellis has reported that Sword Of Osman (Savabeel x Bunyah) remains on track for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) despite fading to fifth in last weekend’s Gr.2 Sacred Falls Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).  “He will improve a lot with the run,” Ellis said. “He missed the jump slightly and Opie (Bosson) dug him up because the plan was to lead, but he just raced a bit strong. It was only his second run this prep and he had a bit o...

Aussie double for Trelawney

Mid-week racing in Australia has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Trelawney Stud graduates. On Wednesday Own Sweet Way (Iffraaj x Exquisite Choice) scored his first career win in the Maiden Plate at Bendigo over 1400m. Bred by Trelawney, Own Sweet Way was purchased by trainer Matt Cumani in partnership with McKeever Bloodstock for $110,000 from Trelawney’s 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock draft.  Own Sweet Way’s ownership group includes long-time Trelawney clients Raffles Racing and ...

Emily Margaret out to continue winning groove

Riccarton-trained three-year-old Emily Margaret (Pins x Seven Schillings) will take another step towards the Gr.1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) when she tackles the Inglewood Stud Guineas Trial (1400m) on her home track on Saturday. Prepared by Kevin and Pam Hughes, Emily Margaret was an impressive last start winner of the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m). Her conditioners are confident the filly, who was sold out of Trelawney Stud's 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock draft, wi...

Grunt in line for Turnbull clash with Winx

After running out of the money at Caulfield in the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes (1800m), Grunt (O'Reilly x Ruqqaya) is in line for a return to his favoured Flemington track in the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) and a daunting clash with champion Winx. Grunt has shown his liking for Flemington with three wins from four starts at the course including Group One victories in the Australian Guineas in March and the weight-for-age Makybe Diva Stakes last month in his past two visits there. Trainer Mick Price h...

Grunt set for home track challenge

Last-start Group One winner Grunt (O'Reilly x Ruqqaya) will be aiming for a third win at elite level when he lines-up in the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) on his hometrack on Sunday. Trained at Caulfield by Mick Price, Grunt won the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) last season before winning the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington a fortnight ago and has now been set on a Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) path. Price is happy with the way the four-year-old entire has pulled up since his last-start...

Local filly repels visiting raider in Riccarton feature

Locally trained filly Emily Margaret  (Pins x Seven Schillings) showed all her fighting qualities as she withstood a fierce challenge from northern visitor Wekaforce to claim the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton. The Trelawney Stud graduate had entered the race as the South Island’s leading hope after dealing to a handy field over 1000m on her home turf a fortnight ago. Most pundits expected her to put in a good showing although pre-race discussio...

Super run from Seblume

The renowned Trelawney silks were carried to victory in Sydney by Seeblume (Sebring x Sonnenblume). on Saturday. Part-owned by Trelawney, Seeblume was having her second start this campaign and put in a dominant performance to win at Rosehill by a length in the Highway Class 2 Handicap (1500m). "A nice draw helped," said jockey Hugh Bowman. "We were able to settle that bit closer than she had been.  We had the perfect run. "We needed a bit of luck to get some room but when we did she certai...

Scholarship Taylor made for success

In a time when many are lamenting the lack of skilled workers in the thoroughbred industry, Faith Taylor is doing her bit to solve the problem. Taylor sponsors one of two scholarships that the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association award each year, the Keith and Faith Taylor Equine Scholarship that supports the successful candidate to attend the five-month Diploma Course at the Irish National Stud. A keen traveller herself, it is easy to see why Taylor is an advocate of the travel-to-...

Grunt ensures stud future with decisive Makybe win

Last season’s Gr.1 VRC Australian Guineas (1600m) winner Grunt (O’Reilly x Ruqqaya) has returned to racing as a bigger, stronger horse this spring, relishing a return to Flemington last Saturday to record a comprehensive, two length win in the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), defeating Caulfield Cup (2400m) favourite Kings Will Dream with Jon Snow another half-length back in third place. Race time was 1:34.91 with the last 600 metres covered in 35.30.   With two Group One wins an...

War Affair wins trial ahead of NZ G3 race second-up

One month after his comeback seventh in the Group 2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa in New Zealand on August 18, former Singapore champion galloper War Affair (O'Reilly x Kristique) came out for a smart barrier trial win at the same racecourse on Tuesday. Ridden by his Foxbridge partner Danielle Johnson, the O’Reilly eight-year-old defeated stablemate Bevan Street (Samantha Collett) by a long neck in the hit-out over 1100m. Johnson had War Affair off to a smart jump to take up...

Purple Sector breaks maiden

The John Thompson-trained Purple Sector (Pins x Eden Valley) scored his first career win when successful at Kembla Grange on Tuesday over 1500m. The Trelawney Stud graduate ran well at Warwick Farm first up this campaign before a third-placed run at Newcastle earlier this month. On Tuesday the son of Pins travelled mid-field before going wide on the turn and running on in the straight, never looking in danger to head the field by 5.3 lengths. Purple Sector, who is now likely to be aimed at black...

Trial benefits Francaletta

Group Three-winning mare Francaletta (High Chaparral x Snow Peak) will have the opportunity to enhance her broodmare value when she lines up in Saturday’s Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) at Hastings. The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained mare disappointed when ninth in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) after an eye-catching fresh-up fourth in the Gr.2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m). The daughter of High Chaparral, who was purchased out of Trelawney Stud's 2014 Inglis Easter draft, ...

WFA spring path for Grunt

After discussions with jockey Damien Oliver and Grunt's (O'Reilly x Ruqqaya) owners, trainer MickPrice plans to keep the Makybe Diva Stakes winner to a weight-for-age program this spring. Price had considered aiming Grunt at the Cups after Saturday's Group One win at Flemington but the trainer confirmed on RSN927 on Monday the intention to head towards the Cox Plate. Grunt is expected to run in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) and Caulfield Stakes (2000m) before the Cox Plate (2040m) and the Mackinn...

Grunt wins G1 Makybe Diva

A return to Flemington has brought out the best in Grunt (O’Reilly x Ruqqaya) in the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m). The Mick Price-trained Grunt had been unplaced in his first two spring starts at Caulfield but relished getting back to the bigger track on Saturday, racing away to win the 1600m weight-for-age race. The four-year-old entire's dominant win was his second at the elite level and he continued his good run of form Flemington after wins in the Australian Guineas (1600m) and CS Hayes...

Ocean Knight on target for Danehill

The Lindsay Park team is relying on promising colt Ocean Knight (Ocean Park x The Iffraaj Dame) to deliver the stable a second-straight Danehill Stakes at Flemington. Star filly Catchy won the Gr.2 Danehill a year ago and senior trainer David Hayes has high hopes for Ocean Knight who is being aimed at next month's Gr.1Caulfield Guineas (1600m). Like Catchy last year, Ocean Knight will have Regan Bayliss aboard on Saturday and Hayes believes the colt will handle racing on the straight 1200m-cours...

Local filly set for profitable spring

South Island filly Emily Margaret (Pins x Seven Schillings) announced her candidacy for some of the bigger spoils on offer in the coming months with a stunning last to first performance at Riccarton on Saturday. Placed in two starts as a juvenile, the Pins filly was having her first run for the season off the back of a stylish trial win at Rangiora last month. Despite taking on a field that included a number of race winners, the Kevin and Pam Hughes trained galloper was confidently expected to f...

Ruakaka return for quality 3yo

Quality three-year-old Sword Of Osman (Savabeel x Bunyah) will make a return to the racetrack this weekend when he tackles the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders' Stakes (1200m) at Ruakaka on Saturday. Sword Of Osman won on three occasions in his juvenile year, with victory in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie over stablemate and Champion two-year-old Avantage the highlight of the campaign. The son of Savabeel is prepared by Jamie Richards at Matamata and is being set for the Gr....

War Affair completes comeback run

Trainer Bruce Marsh said connections were all happy with War Affair’s (O’Reilly x Kristique) first run after almost a year when seventh on a soft track in the Gr.22 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m) in New Zealand on Saturday. Now eight, the 2014 Singapore Horse of the Year left for New Zealand shortly after his last unplaced run in the Singapore Gr.3 Jumbo Jet Trophy (1400m) last September. The son of O’Reilly spelled for six months at his place of birth, the Trelawney Stud in Cambrid...

Bright future tipped for Grunt

Trainer Mick Price is eagerly awaiting Saturday’s Gr.2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) with a trio of gallopers set for spring riches — Grunt (O'Reilly x Ruqqaya), Mighty Boss and Holy Snow — resuming. His three four-year-old stallions have drawn alongside each other with Holy Snow in barrier five, Grunt in six and Mighty Boss in seven. O’Reilly’s Group One winning son Grunt is expected to be a major player at weight-for-age this spring and connections will be looking to further e...

Three from Trelawney in Foxbridge

Brent and Cherry Taylor and the Trelawney Stud team will have a triple interest in Saturday’s running of the Gr. 2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa. Trelawney bred and sold the former Singapore Horse of the Year War Affair and sold the Group Three-winning mare Francaletta, while their home-bred mare Vinevale will carry the farm’s distinctive green, red and gold colours in the $100,000 weight-for-age feature. The time-honoured Te Rapa race, which was first run in 1950, is named after ...

War Affair to make NZ debut in Te Rapa G2

Stephen Marsh admits he’s under a bit of pressure with his Singapore arrival War Affair (O'Reilly) in the Gr.2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. The Cambridge trainer knows he’s got one of the highest-rated horses in the country, but that won’t be enough to earn the eight-year-old son of O’Reilly a crack at the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on September 1. War Affair, who was purchased by David Ellis for $70,000 from Trelawney's 2012 New Zealand Bloo...

Postponement puts Francaletta on back foot

The postponement of last week’s Te Teko trials has put smart Cambridge mare Francaletta (High Chaparral) on the back foot going into Saturday’s Gr.2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa. But trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman are hoping the class of the High Chaparral mare can overcome the disadvantage. “She really needed that trial last week,” Forsman said. “She’s a gross mare and we’re just hoping she has done enough. “She hasn’t had a trial, but she had a j...

Shamal takes out Riccarton jumping feature

The Trelawney-bred Shamal (Zabeel) capitalised on a perfect trip to take out the 144th running of the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) at Riccarton. The Ken Duncan trained eight-year-old hugged the rails throughout as rider Buddy Lammas positioned him behind the steady pace set by stablemates Amanood Lad and Kings Deep. Shamal never covered an inch of extra ground until Lammas angled him into the clear to make his challenge with two fences left to run in the tim...

Sword of Osman on right path

Group One winner Sword Of Osman (Savabeel) got the thumbs up from trainer Jamie Richards after a pleasing fresh-up trial at Te Teko on Monday. In the hands of Opie Bosson, Sword Of Osman contested an open 840m heat and, after settling last and under a tight rein, he was taken to the outside in the run home and was doing his best work over the final stages to finish a close fourth to Stella Noire. “We were pretty keen to go back off the wide gate today and try and switch him off a bit,” Richa...