Kiwi Chronicles

The great New Zealand mare behind Lagardere winner Angel Bleu

Featuring an extravaganza of six Group 1s, France’s biggest day of racing last Sunday at Longchamp revealed a number of interesting pedigrees, one of which has a significant connection with New Zealand. Angel Bleu (Dark Angel), winner of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Gr 1, 1400m) for three-year-olds, is the fifth northern hemisphere Group 1 winner... Read More

‘Cranky’ is a positive

What better way to hail the surging stud career of your young stallion than to have your own colours aboard his first stakes winner? That is the case for Waikato Stud, their exciting Tivaci (High Chaparral) and his Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Never Been Kissed. Having her fourth start, the filly is owned... Read More

Savabeel setting the pace

For the Kiwis, a good number of highs, combined with several honest stakes performances, could be taken from Australian stakes racing over the past weekend. Making a strong statement is Waikato Stud’s Savabeel (Zabeel) who is on a roll two months into the 2021-22 season. In terms of individual stakes winners his four is headed... Read More

Racing – The great equaliser

The sudden retirement of star mare Avantage (Fastnet Rock) shook the headlines late last week after it was discovered that she had heat in her off-fore. A subsequent X-ray found a hole in the tendon and Te Akau Racing immediately withdrew her from Saturday’s Tarzino Trophy (Gr 1, 1400m). Combining the huge demand for quality... Read More

Good, but how good?

We knew she was good and, although her highly anticipated return to top-line racing was delayed slightly, Entriviere (Tavistock) lived up to all expectations with a powerful performance in the Sheraco Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Kembla Grange on Saturday. Her record is impressive, just eight starts for six victories and two seconds, her career... Read More

Four studs, four stories

Four leading New Zealand studs each had varying stories to tell this week. They experienced the highs, as well as the exasperations associated with racing and breeding. Grabbing headlines is not new for Waikato Stud’s Savabeel (Zabeel). Even when he sires the winner of the first two-year-old race for the season it is old hat.... Read More