2015 AUSTRALASIAN CLASSIC YEARLING SALES DETAILS Sales details from the 2015 Australasian Classic Yearling Sales at Karaka, South Auckland, on Monday, February 16: 1 A/c Breckon Farms, Ohaupo: Voltaire (B c Bettor’s Delight-Veste), M McKendry (as agent), Auckland, $100,000. 2 A/c Alta Breeding Co. Ltd, Waiau Pa: Alta Roulette (B c Bettor’s Delight-Whambam), T Vince, Howick, $42,500. 3 A/c Solid Gold Standardbreds, WA: Major’s Nice Girl (B f Art Major-Wouldnt It Be Nice), Daily Grind Syndicate, Lincoln, $14,000. 4 A/c Jubilee Park, Cambridge: Angie Maguire (Br f Rocknroll Hanover-Zenola Starbuck), passed (Res. $20,000). 5 A/c Breckon Farms Ltd, Ohaupo: Smiley …
BANKS PEN. TC, Feb 13 & TIMARU HRC, Feb 15
BANKS PENINSULA TC, Friday, February 13 Race 11: PERISSA (7, Mark), mob 2000m: “She’s freshened up after the trip to Invercargill. She likes the grass and should be a strong each-way chance.” Outside drives Race 2: MOMENTOUS (8), 2170m std: “He’s first-up for Andrew Garters. Bred to be ok but I don’t know too much about him.” Race 7: SCOTLYNN MACH (11), mob. 2000m: “He’s honest in the grade. An each-way chance in an even field.” Race 8: DOCTOR McDREAMY (12), 2170m std: “He’s up in grade after winning his maiden last time for Andrew Garters, so looking for luck …
Two-year-old fillies shape well at Ashburton trials
OVERPORT LODGE FILLIES TO DEBUT ON SUNDAY Overport Lodge 2YO pacing fillies, I Get Around and Smoke N Fire, are straight into racing mode at Timaru on Sunday after placing at the Ashburton trials on Tuesday. The stablemates will both start from the inside two barriers on the second row in a $25,000 Magness Benrow Sires Stakes Fillies Heat. Ricky May is to drive Smoke N Fire, with Blair Orange engaged for I Get Around. The race features only one to have raced, the Robert Dunn-trained Kotare Kasai, who ran second to Rakaporsche at Wyndham on February 1 in a …
Goodness Gracious Me for Southern Belle
GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME RUNS 1:56.3 ASHBURTON MILE Goodness Gracious Me, rewarded after four placed efforts this term with a career best 1:56.3 winning mile at Ashburton on Saturday, will target the $20,000 Southern Belle Speed Series Final at Winton on March 14. “I was think of taking her to Auckland, but she can stay around here for the Southland Final,” said trainer Mark Jones. “She will likely head to Australia to race before going in foal next season,” he said. Mark finished second with Telemecanique (subsequently a 1:52.2 US miler) behind Beaudiene Bad Bade in the 2010 Southern Belle Speed …
WAIKOUAITI TC, February 8
WAIKOUAITI TC, Saturday, February 8 Race 4: BETTOR LUCK (12, Blair Orange), mob. 1800m: “Broke early at Ashburton, so made a few gear changes. If he does things right he’d be a chance but take on trust.”
Christian Cullen 2YO wins Addington trial
ICE CRUSHER HOLDS IN ADDINGTON TRIAL Overport trainer Mark Jones qualified the two-year-old Christian Cullen gelding Ice Crusher, five seconds under the required standard, at Addington on Monday, February 2. Ice Crusher led from the outset in the mobile 2000m qualifier, and although he had the Jimmy Curtin-trained Mach Three gelding Hickstead for company over the last 200m, kept up a useful run to hold by a neck in 2:31.1 for the mobile 2000m. A brother to last Sunday’s smart Wyndham winner Shak’n Cullen, Ice Crusher rated 2:01.5 for the trip, quickening over his last 800m in 58.1s and final …
Blair Orange joins 1000-win club
BLAIR ORANGE BECOMES 23RD TO REIN 1000 NZ WINNERS Blair Orange, a regular stable driver for good friend and Overport Lodge trainer Mark Jones, became the 23rd reinsman to drive 1000 NZ winners at Addington on Friday, January 30. He achieved the feat with a positive drive behind the well fancied Change Time for current boss Ken Barron in the C3-5 Resource Recyling Technologies NZ Ltd Mobile Pace. Blair worked to the front with the in-form Christian Cullen mare, the trailed The Brigadier from the 1100m, before driving through strongly in the straight. His assocation with the Mark Jones stable …
NZMTC, Feb. 14, race night cancelled
ADDINGTON, FEBRUARY 14, RACE NIGHT CANCELLED Following on from the decision of the New South Wales Harness Racing Club and Harness Racing New South Wales to no longer conduct the Inter Dominion Qualifying Heat scheduled to be run at Addington Raceway on Saturday February 14, the New Zealand Metropolitan have elected not to proceed with the scheduled race meeting for that night. This meeting has previously only been held to support the running of the Inter Dominion Heat and with the heat abandoned it leaves the entire event at a financial level where the Club is not prepared to proceed …
NZ METRO TC, Fri, Jan 30 & GERALDINE TC, Sat, Jan 31
NZ METRO TC, Friday, January 30 Race 3: KOWHAI SUNRISE (12, UR 4, Mark), ASTRAPI (14, Kimberly Butt), 2, 20m & EYRE I COME (18, Blair Orange), UR 2, 20m, 2600m std: “Kowhai Sunrise scored a good win the first day at Blenheim and made a mistake the second. Its a nice field but has an each-way chance.” “Astrapi is a bit of a headache. Take on trust.” “If Eyre I Come gets round in one piece he is the horse to beat.” Race 6: CHAMPAGNE DREAMS (5, Blair Orange) & TWICE THE DELIGHT (7, Mark), mob. 1950m: “Champagne Dreams …
Johnny Fox sits parked to win Invercargill Cup
JOHNNY FOX DELIVERS CUTTING BREEZE IN INVERCARGILL CUP Overport Lodge trainer Mark Jones pulled off a satisfying training coup by transforming Johnny Fox into a G3 $40,000 Invercargill Cup winner on Saturday, January 24. Johnny Fox’s career was at the crossroads after choking down badly on NZ Cup day in November, but a brief spell and the addition of an anti-choking device has turned him around. The 6YO Western Terror gelding is relaxing in his races and growing in confidence. So much so, he added a new string to his bow by moving up in the open over the last …