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Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Kembla Grange stables unveil pair of exciting fillies at Moruya
A pair of Kembla-based two-year-old fillies, both on debut, can steal the show when they travel south to tackle the older horses at Monday's Moruya meeting. Spice Baby, an exciting daughter of 2018 Golden Gift winner Tassort in the Joseph Isle stable and drawn the inside, is likely to jump favourite in a Maiden Handicap over 1020m. But drawn just two places further out, the Kerry Parker yard unveils Miss Steffi, a well-bred and aptly named daughter of Group 2-winning Graff. Spice Baby has been strong through the line in two lead-up trials and draws to get a cosy run, while Miss Steffi also starts behind two recent trials, winning the first at home before given a quieter time at Rosehill only six days ago. Named after the tennis great, Miss Steffi is bred to get much further being out of a Carnegie mare, and will be aimed at some feature middle-distance affairs in early spring if she heads in the right direction. Spice Baby, out of a mare by 2005 Golden Slipper winner Stratum and to be ridden by Louise Day, is more the sprinting type and opened about $3.70 in early betting alongside Canberra-based Caravanserai, an ex-Godolphin three-year-old having his first run in six months for the new Natalie Jarvis stable. Miss Steffi, to be ridden by Adrian Layt, was further out about the $7 mark. Meanwhile, the far-reaching success of Canberra stables is set to continue, headed by the Matthew Kelley yard which heads to the South Coast eyeing off a double. Loading
The Age
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Kembla Grange stables unveil pair of exciting fillies at Moruya
A pair of Kembla-based two-year-old fillies, both on debut, can steal the show when they travel south to tackle the older horses at Monday's Moruya meeting. Spice Baby, an exciting daughter of 2018 Golden Gift winner Tassort in the Joseph Isle stable and drawn the inside, is likely to jump favourite in a Maiden Handicap over 1020m. But drawn just two places further out, the Kerry Parker yard unveils Miss Steffi, a well-bred and aptly named daughter of Group 2-winning Graff. Spice Baby has been strong through the line in two lead-up trials and draws to get a cosy run, while Miss Steffi also starts behind two recent trials, winning the first at home before given a quieter time at Rosehill only six days ago. Named after the tennis great, Miss Steffi is bred to get much further being out of a Carnegie mare, and will be aimed at some feature middle-distance affairs in early spring if she heads in the right direction. Spice Baby, out of a mare by 2005 Golden Slipper winner Stratum and to be ridden by Louise Day, is more the sprinting type and opened about $3.70 in early betting alongside Canberra-based Caravanserai, an ex-Godolphin three-year-old having his first run in six months for the new Natalie Jarvis stable. Miss Steffi, to be ridden by Adrian Layt, was further out about the $7 mark. Meanwhile, the far-reaching success of Canberra stables is set to continue, headed by the Matthew Kelley yard which heads to the South Coast eyeing off a double. Loading
Otago Daily Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
All go for global firm's new NZ chairman
Christchurch will remain home for Ian Fraser who has just taken on the chairmanship of GHD, a company with 12,000 employees and turning over $3-plus billion. PHOTO: SUPPLIED New GHD global chairman Ian Fraser will likely spend 100 days away from his Christchurch home over the next year. That is nothing new for the first Kiwi head of the global design, engineering and environmental services company. Earlier this month, he took over the responsibility of leading the governance for a business with a workforce of 12,000 employees, many of them shareholders, and turning over more than $3 billion. Returning from the Philippines only last Saturday, he accepts long-haul flights come with the territory. "In the last few years, it would be in excess of 100 days away a year. That is the reality of the job and it is important for us to remain connected with the business and the owners across the world so that I can hear what they need and what their clients are needing." From experience, he's learnt to travel lightly, avoiding check-in luggage. Christchurch will continue to remain home for him and his family. Unlike many companies, GHD is without a central headquarters and its staff work in more than 160 offices on five continents, while the executive team and board members live and work around the world. "We have a virtual leadership team and a virtual board and always have had this — so as long as people are prepared to work the clock a little bit for the different time zones you can typically live where it is best for you in one of our major offices around the world. We have 140 people here in Christchurch now, so it's quite a decent-sized office for GHD. It's a good lifestyle here. We see the value in people working together in offices, but our executives are typically very mobile, having to travel a lot as part of our jobs. Hence having a home base where you have got your family and extended friends is a really strong thing for when you come home." GHD can be found operating internationally in water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Established in 1928, it delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services to public and private sector clients. More locally, it is among one of three consortiums shortlisted for the tender design for the next stage of the Ara Tūhono project extending the Northern Motorway (SH1) in the upper north. Other work includes supporting local governments' water and transport infrastructure needs and building projects for Corrections and the Ministry of Education among others. Before the new role, Mr Fraser was chief executive of GHD's Australia, Asia and Pacific operations for three years. He started with the company just over 10 years ago, initially managing its New Zealand business and then joining the executive leadership team. That led to him being a board member for the past two years. The transition from former chairman Canberra-based Rob Knott to him has been in the offing for a year. "I worked closely with Rob for 10 years and he's retired, so it's been a planned succession and I've been in a succession handover period for the last year and have had a great apprenticeship. He was a great leader and left big shoes to fill." Ahead of him is the task of running the board and working with executive leaders to seamlessly develop and drive the long-term strategy of the business. Ultimately, he was accountable to the shareholding to make sure the business continued to thrive, he said. GHD is owned by just over a quarter of its 12,000-odd employees. "There's not many large, privately held professional services companies in the world now. About 27% of our employees are shareholders and they receive a dividend for their investment and are the only people with a stake in the company. It enables the company to be self-determined because there's no third-party investors influencing our strategy and it's really managed by us, for us and for our clients." The breadth of its business was diverse, he said. "We like to call ourselves a professional services company now because we definitely do quite a lot of up-front business advisory work right through to engineering design and construction supervision and we are a full services company. Predominantly, we are involved with the built environment in roads, water, buildings and energy infrastructure." Gross revenue for the 2024 financial year of about $3.1b was up on previous years and another good result was likely. "Continued growth in transport, energy and water infrastructure is needed around the world from continuing urbanisation. The growth has slowed a little bit this year, but those fundamentals of a growing population around the world will need good-quality infrastructure." After graduating from the University of Auckland as a geologist, Mr Fraser spent more than 30 years in environmental and engineering consulting, previously living and working in the United States, and working on projects throughout the Pacific, Southeast Asia, South America and Mexico. In northern Mexico's Saltillo, he worked for several months, on and off, preparing plans for a much-needed upgrade of the drinking water system. Another early project was the Tiwi geothermal field in the Philippines in 1992 and his connection with the nation's development has remained strong following many visits since. Closer to home, he's been involved with the environmental assessment and cleanup of many contaminated sites in New Zealand, including industrial properties and petrol stations. About 20 years ago he moved towards leading teams, challenging himself to keep learning which has evolved to the next governance chapter. He said it was an immense honour to take over as chairman, particularly as the first to hold the position from New Zealand. "We have got a very strong leadership team and a great CEO in Jim Giannopoulos in Melbourne and I am supported by a very experienced board. The company is going to turn 100 years old in 2028, so it will be a privilege to be chair at a time when it is celebrating it centenary", Mr Fraser said. Christchurch-born of Scottish parents who migrated in 1961, he started his schooling years in North Canterbury's Hawarden. Continuing to be based in Christchurch had many advantages. The city was a great place for an international role and the time zones were good to work into the US most of the morning, he said. "And it's got an international airport you can get off to Asia and Australia pretty easily in the morning. New Zealand and New Zealanders are well respected overseas and have a lot to offer." A certain Christchurch symmetry in GHD is also not lost on him. "GHD was formed interestingly by Gordon Gutteridge, Gerald Haskins and Geoffrey Davey and Haskins was a Christchurch man who went to Australia and then joined the other two to form GHD. So it is quite a nice parallel there. Haskins' dad was the town clerk for Christchurch city, so there is a Kiwi in the H of the acronym. I love the fact Haskins was there nearly 100 years ago and now there's another Kiwi in the governance of the business."
San Francisco Chronicle
09-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
British and Irish Lions fend off the Brumbies 36-24 in a key test series tuneup
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The British and Irish Lions avoided an upset loss to the Brumbies this time, holding on for a 36-24 win over the Canberra-based Super Rugby team on Wednesday in a key tuneup for the three-test series against Australia. The Lions are now 4-0 since a 28-24 loss to Argentina in a warmup in Dublin before the traveling Down Under for a nine-game tour that has kicked off with wins over all of Australia's Super Rugby franchises. The Brumbies edged the Lions 14-12 in 2013 on their last tour to Australia and were a handful again, but lacked the size and depth to repeat that upset. Big blindside flanker Ollie Chessum scored the first try for the Lions and had one disallowed after fulltime. Flyhalf Finn Russell had a successful night with the boot with four conversions and a penalty goal and he combined wll with Jamison Gibson-Park in what will be a likely Lions halves combination in the test series starting July 19. Again, it was a grafting first half. The Lions had more than two-thirds of field position and 60% of the ball but struggled to get away from the Brumbies until a try to replacement fullback Marcus Smith after the halftime siren gave them a 19-10 lead. Center Garry Ringrose played a vital role in the first try of the second half, running into a midfield gap and then chasing through to pounce on Smith's downfield kick as it went into the in-goal to extend the Lions' lead. The Brumbies hit back again with Hudson Creighton charging onto a pass on the shortside after a five-yard scrum to close the gape to 26-17. After having a try disallowed by the television match official on the hour, Josh van der Flier drove over from a maul in similar circumstances and it was awarded six minutes later, giving the Lions a match-sealing 36-17 lead. 'I thought we played some great stuff at times,' Lions head coach Andy Farrell said. "If you look at the story of the game, probably field position and game understanding, some good dominance there and scoring some nice tries. 'But on the flip side, I thought we got a little bit loose at times inviting the Brumbies back in the game and they were good enough to take a few scores.' First-half tussle The Brumbies tested the Lions' defense and scored both times they got into the attacking quarter in the first 40 minutes. Brumbies No. 8 Tuaina Taii Tualima scored the opening try in the fourth minute, picking up from the base of the ruck and slamming the ball down on the tryline. The Lions made early breaks but couldn't convert, with Bundee Aki throwing a pass over the sideline in an attacking miscue. He made amends by playing a key role in the buildup for flanker Chessum's equalizer in the 15th. Winger James Lowe crossed in the left corner but was somehow held up over the line by Brumbies fullback Andy Muirhead in the 23rd. Lowe made up for it six minutes later when he slid over out wide after the Lions utilized an overlap with hooker Dan Sheehan roving in the backline. The Brumbies hit back quickly, moving the ball from a lineout and exploiting a penalty advantage when Ben O'Donnell threw a long, floating pass wide for speedster Corey Toole to score untouched. There was only two points difference until seconds from halftime, when Smith finished off a counter-attacking try from the Brumbies' short, goalline drop out. Series so far After wins over Western Force, Queensland Reds, New South Wales Waratahs and now the Brumbies, the Lions will play the combined AUNZ invitational squad Saturday in their final preparation for the test series. 'The Brumbies challenged us throughout the whole game, you know, it was a hotly contested game,' Lions captain Maro Itoje said. "But yeah, another step in the right direction. 'We need to be a bit more accurate in the opposition 22, but I think it's a step forward.' Injury list The Lions had another injury setback when fullback Blair Kinghorn left the field with an apparent knee injury int he 25th minute. It leaves Irishman Hugo Keenan as the only fully fit specialist fullback in the squad after Elliot Daly broke his left arm. ___
09-07-2025
- Sport
British and Irish Lions fend off the Brumbies 36-24 in a key test series tuneup
CANBERRA, Australia -- The British and Irish Lions avoided an upset loss to the Brumbies this time, holding on for a 36-24 win over the Canberra-based Super Rugby team on Wednesday in a key tuneup for the three-test series against Australia. The Lions are now 4-0 since a 28-24 loss to Argentina in a warmup in Dublin before the traveling Down Under for a nine-game tour that has kicked off with wins over all of Australia's Super Rugby franchises. The Brumbies edged the Lions on their last tour to Australia in 2013 and were a handful again, but lacked the size and depth this time to repeat that upset. Big blindside flanker Ollie Chessum scored the first try for the Lions and had one disallowed after full time. Flyhalf Finn Russell had a successful night with the boot and combined solidly with Jamison Gibson-Park in what will be a likely Lions halves combination in the test series starting July 19. Again, it was a grafting first half. The Lions had more than two-thirds of field position and 60% of the ball but struggled to get away from the Brumbies until a try to Marcus Smith after the halftime siren gave them a 19-10 lead at the break. The Lions scored three tries and conceded two in the first half, and had one held up over the line, and looked good spreading the ball to the edges, but lacked some cohesion at crucial times. Center Garry Ringrose played a vital role in the first try of the second half, running into a gap in the midfield and then chasing through to pounce on Marcus Smith's downfield kick as it went into the in-goal to extend the Lions' lead. The Brumbies hit back again in the 51st with Hudson Creighton charging onto a pass on the shortside after a five-yard scrum to close the gape to 26-17. Replacement backrower Josh van der Flier had a try disallowed by the television match official before the Lions took a penalty goal — their first of the tour — to extend the margin to 12 points. Six minutes later, Van der Flier drove over from a maul in similar circumstances and it was awarded this time, giving the Lions a match-sealing 36-17 lead. The Brumbies tested the Lions' defense, the home team scoring both times they got into the attacking quarter in the first 40 minutes. No. 8 Tuaina Taii Tualima scored the opening try in the fourth minute for the Brumbies, picking up from the base of the ruck and slamming the ball down on the tryline after a series of rucks on the Lions line. The Lions made early breaks but couldn't convert, with Bundee Aki throwing a pass over the sideline in an attacking miscue. He made amends by playing a key role in the buildup for flanker Chessum's equalizer in the 15th. In the 23rd, winger James Lowe crossed in the left corner but was somehow held up over the line by Brumbies fullback Andy Muirhead. Lowe made up for it six minutes later when he slid over out wide after the Lions utilized an overlap with hooker Dan Sheehan roving in the backline. Russell converted for 12-5 but the Brumbies hit back quickly, moving the ball from a lineout and exploiting a penalty advantage when Ben O'Donnell threw a long, floating pass wide for speedster Corey Toole to score untouched. The Brumbies again missed the conversion and there was only two points difference until seconds from halftime, when Smith finished off a counter-attacking try from the Brumbies short, goalline drop out. After wins over Western Force in Perth, Queensland Reds Waratahs in Sydney and now the Brumbies, the Lions will play the combined AUNZ invitational squad on Saturday in their final preparation for the test series.
