Latest news with #ToweringVision
NZ Herald
18-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Mick On Monday: No Triple Crown for Journalism but plenty of glory
The modern thoroughbred gets plenty of flak for not being as hardy as the equine heroes of yesteryear but Journalism proved proved himself equal parts brilliant and brave to fight through the interference, shouldering his way out of trouble when many simply would have shouldered arms. That Journalism wanted to do that, regather himself and then run down the leader just two weeks after his narrow loss in the Kentucky mud suggests he is a special horse and now all eyes turn to a possible rematch with Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of this dead crown, on June 7. The public would usually fixate on the Derby winner heading to the Belmont, but after the heart Journalism showed yesterday, he may have even more supporters than Sovereignty if they clash again to decide who is North America's best 3-year-old. What does it all mean to Kiwis, who rarely bet on US horse racing, a jurisdiction far less important to us than Australia, Hong Kong or even Europe? Probably not a lot. But you could spend the next few years watching the best horse racing from around the world and not see a horse get up off the canvas like Journalism did yesterday. PUTTING THE WIND UP Hāwera provided a new way to nearly lose a race meeting yesterday and, this time, nobody was to blame. While slippery tracks and abandoned meetings have become one of the biggest threats to the financial stability of the thoroughbred industry, it was high winds that caused delays to yesterday's meeting. The wind was gale-like by the middle of the afternoon and raised concerns about safety and fair starts as it was blowing some of the starting gates closed again after they opened. That saw the fifth race delayed so some of the springs that open the starting gates could be replaced but helpfully, the wind dropped and racing continued. NARROW LEAD It is advantage Walker/Bergerson in the battle to be the black-type kings of New Zealand racing. The country's leading trainers had to settle for second with Towering Vision in the Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie on Saturday but won the only other black type race in the country when Francee triumphed in the listed Rangitīkei Cup at Trentham. That takes them to 18 black-type wins in New Zealand for the season, one more than Stephen Marsh, on 17, in his best year. While the premiership matters and total stakes even more, trainers take enormous pride in black-type wins and the Te Akau trainers, whether that be Walker, Bergerson or formerly Jamie Richards, haven't lost the black-type title since 2019 when Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman trained 25 elite-level winners. With only three black-type races remaining for the season, all in Central Districts, Marsh is running out of opportunities to claw the lead back but both stables are going to finish with new personal bests for the season on stakes won. Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Mick On Monday: Godolphin's remarkable worldwide week
And a day before that, Godolphin's famous blue colours were also worn to victory in the Kentucky Oaks by Good Cheer, giving them a quite remarkable three-classics treble for the weekend. Godolphin also had Desert Flower, the favourite for the English 1000 Guineas, to be run overnight on Sunday, attempting to give the stable one of the greatest weekends of racehorse ownership ever. The Northern Hemisphere heroics come just 48 hours after Godolphin announced an enormous change to its Australian racing operation by parting ways with retained trainer James Cummings, their army of horses now to be spread around selected trainers. The move, which will see Cummings become a public trainer but retain a far smaller number of Godolphin-owned horses, was widely rumoured but is still a seismic shift on the Australian training landscape. It has been an interesting few years for Godolphin, with some industry insiders questioning a number of its major strategic decisions and even the scale of its operation. But when you win three of the world's great races in 24 hours and are owned by a Sheikh who rules Dubai, you don't really need to explain your decisions to anybody else. MARSH'S REMAINING GOAL The last fortnight may be a blur for Stephen Marsh but the Cambridge trainer has returned home with a clear goal in mind. Marsh spent a week in Hong Kong with stable star El Vencedor before coming home for a few days last week then heading to Adelaide, where he had Roctave in Saturday's South Australia Derby. Roctave finished near the rear of the field after racing outside the leader while stable rep Tardelli was a solid midfield finish in the Queensland Guineas at Eagle Farm as Marsh spread his resources far and wide, racing in three countries in just a few days. 'Both the 3-year-olds were coming to the end of their campaigns so I am not disappointed in them at all and they will come back lovely horses next season,' says Marsh. 'I really think Tardelli will be a Group 1 horse, probably at 1600m.' While looking forward to some routine, and some sleep, Marsh says last season's juvenile of the year Velocious could be his next traveller, with a Queensland trip possible if she performs well at Ellerslie on May 17. But Marsh has a more ongoing challenge in the next three months as he now sits equal with the Walker/Bergerson partnership on top of the national trainer's black-type premiership. Both stables have won 17 black-type races in New Zealand this season, Walker/Bergerson levelling back up when Towering Vision won the Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes at Te Rapa on Saturday. There are two black-type races at Rotorua this Saturday and one each at Ellerslie and Trentham the Saturday after, but then they start to dry up. So while the trainers' premiership could be out of Marsh's reach as he sits 19 wins behind the leaders, the black-type title looks a flip of the coin with so few races remaining. Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Horse racing: Towering Vision claims stakes victory in desperate finish
Bergerson was excited about the future prospects for his charge, who he believes will get better with age and a step up in distance. 'We always liked the step up to 1400m, we thought he would also handle the track and he has just gone the right way of late,' Bergerson said. 'He is a horse we think has plenty of upside and looks like a really nice 3-year-old for next season. 'He has the ability to do it now and that is a fantastic result for his owners, for Windsor Park and Circus Maximus. 'We think he can go to the mile next time so the Champagne Stakes [Listed, 1600m] at Ellerslie is a possibility once we get him home and see how he pulls up. 'Fair play to him as well as he looked beaten when the other one went past him. He got a bit green and got lost but he kicked again, which is a credit to him.' Grylls confirmed his mount had run a little greenly in the straight but was impressed with how he knuckled down to the challenge. 'He hopped away nicely and put himself there before idling up to them in the home straight,' he said. 'He got a little bit lost when he kicked away and the second horse has possibly headed him, but to his credit, he picked himself up again. 'You would think 1600m will be ideal for him as he is a big, long-striding type.' Purchased by Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis for $105,000 during the Book 1 sale at Karaka in 2024, Towering Vision is closely related to multiple South Island stakes winner Who Dares Wins. His sire Circus Maximus, a son of champion stallion Galileo, will stand at Windsor Park for $17,500 + GST during 2025 breeding season.
