Waikato-based Eleanor Campbell was both overjoyed and shocked when she was announced the ‘Best Dressed’ winner in the Melbourne Cup Carnival Fashion In The Fields competition last week at Flemington.
Debutant Velocious lived up to her name when she downed a handy field of juveniles in the first race at Te Rapa on Saturday.
A week after a stunning all-the-way performance to win the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington, Pride Of Jenni returned to the course and distance to repeat the dose.
A three-time stakes placegetter over the last eight months, Not Guilty took the next step with a brilliant black-type breakthrough in Saturday’s Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton.
Emerging staying star Nest Egg tightened his hold on favouritism for next weekend’s Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) with a perfect dress rehearsal on the opening day of the carnival at Riccarton on Saturday.
Class sprinter Babylon Berlin showed she will be a force in all the major sprints over the summer months with a comfortable victory in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa.
Progressive Central Districts mare Kana showed her class in defying the early track bias to score an impressive victory in the Scenic Hotel Group Premier (1100m) at Riccarton Park on Saturday.
Star mare Imperatriz cast aside any straight-track doubts with a game victory in the Gr.1 Darley Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
High-class mare Atishu claimed her second Group One victory when running out a comfortable winner of the Gr.1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington under a well-executed James McDonald ride.
Undefeated three-year-old Crocetti confirmed his superstar quality with another scintillating performance in Saturday’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 51st New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.
Up-and-coming Cambridge trainer Sam Mynott will have her first taste of black-type racing when she saddles stable star Imwonderfultonight in Saturday’s Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton.
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh is hoping to hit the ground running as New Zealand Cup Week kicks off in Christchurch this weekend.
