New Zealand’s oldest racing club celebrated its 175th anniversary with the running of Saturday’s Steelform Roofing Group Wanganui Cup (2040m), and the Listed feature could have had no more fitting and popular winner than Kelly Coe.
Waitak, one of last season’s well performed three-year-olds made a powerful statement at Te Rapa on Saturday when he opened his summer campaign with a comfortable victory.
Leading Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller is forming a potent partnership with New Zealand-bred gelding Toesonthenose, who scored a comfortable win in Saturday’s A$160,000 Vale Ray Markey Handicap (1800m) at Rosehill.
Veteran stayer Stockman produced a remarkable come-from-behind performance to land his fourth black-type win in Saturday’s A$200,000 Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) at Rosehill.
Twelve months ago, Roger James and Robert Wellwood were battling to see the best of Roccia, but the classy mare has returned to top form and collected back-to-back victories at Te Rapa on Saturday.
Talented New Zealand-bred mare Lekvarte may have earned herself a Group Three opportunity with her victory in the A$160,000 Doyle’s Breeding and Racing Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
A patient ride by Bailey Rogerson paid off in spades as she guided Just As Sharp to a convincing victory in the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m) at Te Rapa.
Te Rapa trainer David Greene turned his back on the local race meeting on Saturday and took three runners to Wanganui instead, making a 600km round trip that proved to be well worthwhile.
A reputation for being a perennial placegetter is now a distant memory for Glamour Tycoon, who scored her second win in a row with a dominant performance in Saturday’s Listed O’Learys Fillies’ Stakes (1340m) at Wanganui.
Enigmatic galloper El Vencedor capped off some consistent form and provided trainer Stephen Marsh with a winning black-type double when he bolted clear to win the Gr.3 Eagle Technology Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa.
Brian and Shane Anderton’s classy performer Capo Dell Impero continues to be the perfect advertisement for their Wingatui-based sire Ghibellines, adding the Happy Hire Cromwell Cup (2030m) to his impressive record on Sunday.
Champion Victorian jockey Blake Shinn will be in action in New Zealand on Boxing Day at Pukekohe Park as well as at the lucrative Karaka Millions meeting at Ellerslie on January 27.
