According to the calendar Chase (Zed) will not reach nine years until October 3 but according to the breeding calendar he is now nine, and after 58 starts has broken through at black-type level to land the Winter Cup (Gr 3, 1600m). Stock of Zed (Zabeel) are noted for their toughness and Chase is no... Read More

Here we are at the end of the season and it seems to have passed in a flash. Highlights were many and the annual Breeders’ Awards, held this past Saturday, provide a timely reminder of the successes enjoyed by the New Zealand industry for 2024-25. In particular were the deeds of Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress),... Read More

“Only the strong survive” is a fitting category to be applied to lightly raced Joshua Brown (Dalghar) who slogged it out best in Saturday’s Opunake Cup (Listed, 1400m). Running a similar time to a normal 1600 metres suggests that “slog” is the appropriate description. Carrying the minimum weight of 53 kilograms he was the least... Read More

The older brigade knows that time is unstoppable and not just for we humans. Thoroughbreds are not immune and Waikato Stud’s Ocean Park (Thorn Park) will soon turn 17. That doesn’t mean he’s finished, far from it, but it does mean that he is finding that the competition is getting ahead of him. The stallion... Read More

We’re into the last month of the season and Saturday saw a surprisingly large nine stakes races run, all in Australia, however, the New Zealand Stud Book was mostly left out of proceedings. The New Zealand name cropped up in connection with Winx Guineas (Gr 3, 1600m) winner The Three Hundred (I Am Invincible), whose... Read More