News

Riverton galloper Lightning Jack will aim for back-to-back victories on his adopted home track of Otaki on Thursday when contesting the Listed ANZAC Mile (1600m).

Following the partial abandonments of race meetings at Ellerslie on 10 and 20 April, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR) have announced the planned winter renovation of their newly installed StrathAyr track will commence immediately, with their May 25 meeting to be transferred to Pukekohe Park.

Espadas could be destined for a future across the Tasman following his maiden victory at Ellerslie on Saturday.

John Blackadder will travel down to Phar Lap Raceway on Wednesday with the appeal of an Entain – NZB Insurance Pearl Series bonus for Yoshime.

Nimble Nimbus (NZ) (Sacred Falls) has been one of this season’s surprise packages and trainer Ricky Yiu is remaining optimistic the gelding can step it up again when he contests the HK$28 million Gr.1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, 28 April.

Aimee Peterken has only been breeding thoroughbreds for a few years, but she is already starting to leave her mark.

Central Districts-based jockey Portia Matthews got her jumps season off to the perfect start with a winning double at Hawera on Sunday.

A week after becoming only the second New Zealand trainer to reach 2000 wins, South Island racing icon Michael Pitman teamed up with jockey Lisa Allpress to celebrate another notable milestone in Saturday’s Avon City Ford Rating 75 (2600m) at Riccarton.

Class galloper Sacred Satono put his name firmly in the frame for a proposed Queensland Winter Carnival venture when he kicked off a new campaign with an impressive victory at Ellerslie in the opening event, the Barfoot & Thompson 1200.

Cambridge trainer Andrew Forsman will look to add black type to Russian Satire’s outstanding pedigree page after a last-to-first win in Saturday’s Auckland Co-Op Taxis (1500m) at Ellerslie.

The trend of big wins for lower-profile stables during Riccarton’s autumn carnival continued in the Gr.3 Coca-Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) on Saturday, where well-travelled veteran Green Luck delivered a career highlight for Timaru trainer Stephanie Faulkner.

An autumn trip to Canterbury has turned out to be career-defining for Matamata mare Sassy Merlot, who added a valuable black-type win to her record in Saturday’s Listed Daphne Bannan Memorial Great Easter Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton.