Things to know today
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JD Hayes reached 1000 training wins when Aurora Belle took a benchmark 70 handicap over 1300 metres at Geelong on Wednesday, four wins from four starts for the Belardo mare with Ethan Brown leading throughout. She won twice at Te Rapa for the Pukekohe trainers Conor and Sarah Fahy before she was bought privately, and she races for Punt Road Syndications. Hayes said she has a very high cruising speed and terrific gate speed, that she is still very raw, and that the stable will let the races come to her rather than rush a stakes test. He learned of the milestone just after a track interview, saying that was his 1000th winner so he would not forget that race (LOVERACING.NZ, TTR AusNZ) |
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Zahav won a maiden over 1300 metres at Warwick Farm on Wednesday in 1:16.01 on a Good 4, the Ghaiyyath gelding’s second start for Ciaron Maher and Braith Nock. He was bought by Australian Bloodstock for $30,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Book 2 sale, consigned by Murrulla Stud as agent, and he is the first foal of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Testimonial, who was third in the Listed Lonhro Plate. Johann Gerard-Dubord said the blinkers and being allowed to roll forward brought the improvement, and that the gelding is still very immature (Breednet, TTR AusNZ) |
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Inglis Digital’s October Late sale closed on Wednesday at an aggregate of $2,581,100, with the progressive three-year-old Confederation the top lot at $205,000, sold by the Coolmore Colts Syndicate to Sandhurst out of Chris Waller’s stable. A Toronado two-year-old colt out of Baccarat Baby, a brother to the Inglis Ready2Race sale topper Tron Bolt, made $200,000 to X Bloodstock from Headline Thoroughbreds, whose seven lots grossed $471,600. Six lots reached six figures. Brian McGuire said the Coolmore syndicate was inundated with enquiries from Australia and overseas (Breednet) |
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So Fear goes to the Group 3 War Decree Stakes over 1400 metres at Riccarton on Saturday as a look at the track before the Group 1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas over 1600 metres. The Ardrossan filly led throughout to win over 1400 metres at Hastings last start, wearing blinkers for the first time, and Courtney Barnes, who has ridden all three of her wins, keeps the ride. Stephen Marsh called her an absolute dream with a good temperament (LOVERACING.NZ) |
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El Vencedor runs at Ellerslie on Saturday in the Elsdon Park Handicap over 1600 metres, a lead-up for the multiple Group 1 winner to the Group 3 Balmerino Stakes over 2000 metres on Melbourne Cup day. Princess Grazi, a Capitalist filly who has won 800 metre heats at Ellerslie and Matamata, debuts in the Speights two-year-old over 1100 metres at the same meeting, and Hidden Achievement goes over 1400 metres after finishing fourth at Hastings (LOVERACING.NZ) |
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Gary Hennessy bought Ocean Park for NZ$150,000 out of Trelawney Stud’s draft at the 2010 National Yearling Sale at Karaka while he was looking for a Hong Kong Derby prospect, and in 2012 the Thorn Park colt became the last New Zealand bred and trained winner of the Cox Plate, beating All Too Hard and Pierro, who carried eight kilograms less. The Matamata horseman has since scaled back, selling his racing stables to Daniel Miller and standing Ocean Emperor at Weowna Park. Ocean Park stands at Waikato Stud for $15,000 plus GST and has sired 27 individual stakes winners and five at Group 1 level, among them Tofane, Kolding, Kovalica, Ocean Billy and Ohope Wins (Breednet, LOVERACING.NZ) |
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Joseph O’Brien has nine of the 57 horses still in contention for the $10.2 million Lexus Melbourne Cup over 3200 metres, a race capped at 24 runners that the Irish trainer has won twice (Racing and Sports, Idol Horse) |
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