Top mare La Crique has bounced back from an uncomfortable experience when resuming at Te Rapa and will head south later this week with connections looking for a confidence-boosting result in the Central Districts.
Rockland could be rewarded with a trip to Trentham should he bounce back to winning form at Riccarton on Saturday.
Visiitng northern rider Jasmine Fawcett capped a red-letter day when she guided the Mark Jones-trained runner Phelan The Power to victory in the Listed Speight’s Timaru Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton.
Curraghmore principal Gordon Cunningham is heading into Karaka 2023 in a buoyant mood after the success of his farm’s graduates last year.
Well-performed mare Coventina Bay will see out her career in the best of company before she is likely to be sold as a broodmare prospect.
Latta has twice won the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham – with Wharite Princess in 2004 and Sentimental Miss in 2019 – and in recent years twice produced the runner-up through Platinum Witness in 2015 and Charms Star in 2021.
Saturday’s Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa shapes as one of the races of the season as New Zealand’s weight-for-age stars go head-to-head.
With international travel back on the agenda after a COVID-19 enforced hiatus, this year’s Sunline Trust International Scholarship recipient will be heading offshore to learn from some of the best in the industry
Trainer Ben Hayes believes his Group One winner Mr Brightside has turned from a boy into a man over summer.
Plans have been made for Asterix and Dragon Leap to cross the Tasman this year, but first the stablemates face ultra-competitive line-ups in their respective Group One engagements at Te Rapa.
