Latest news with #TravisStakes
NZ Herald
17-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz making his mark in Central Districts
Knights Realm, Bradman and Khanshe were strung across the track as Francee joined in to thrust her head in front in the final bound and collect her maiden black-type success. Co-trainer Mark Walker was delighted to see the mare pick up the thick end of the stake, along with the black-type and other benefits that go with the victory. 'She tries really hard and it is just great for Haunui Farm, the Chitty family and everyone involved with her,' Walker said. 'I actually watched the race here in Melbourne and not long after I got a call from Caroline Chitty, who was just so thrilled with what the mare had achieved. 'It really hits home why you participate in this industry when you get recognition like that and the win couldn't have happened for a nicer group of people.' Walker was also pleased about the effort from Queiroz, a talent he had seen first-hand when training in Singapore. 'It was a tremendous ride from Bruno as he had her in the right place and was strong on her in the closing stages,' he said. 'We are lucky to have these experienced international riders coming to New Zealand and you can see just what they bring to the saddle in everything they do. 'We will sit down and talk with Mark [Chitty] about where we go now but I think this might have been an excellent grand final for her. She could well be off to the paddock before the Chitty family have a think about whether she comes back for another campaign or goes to the broodmare barn.' Francee carries the silks of co-breeder and owner Haunui Farm and is a daughter of 10-win mare Calveen. A serious talent on the track, among Calveen's victories were the Group 1 Easter Handicap (1600m), Group 2 Japan Trophy (1600m), Group 2 Travis Stakes (2000m) and Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1400m). She also placed in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield. Francee has now won four of her 22 starts and more than $215,000 in prizemoney.
NZ Herald
05-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Horse Racing: Gail Temperton has two-pronged attack in Foxton Cup
Race horse Royal Flower in action. Foxton trainer Gail Temperton will have two winning chances in the postponed Foxton New World Foxton Cup (2100m) at Hāwera today but each of her representatives have two very different paths ahead of them. Royal Flower is dropping back from stakes grade after placing in the Group 3 Manawatū Breeders' Stakes (2050m) at Whanganui last month and Temperton has been pleased with her this time, having placed in her last two outings following a five-month break from racing. 'She always does her best and she will do her best again [today],' said Temperton. 'She's pretty consistent. I'd like her to go up a notch but there's just nothing for her at the moment. She had a big holiday when the tracks were hard because she doesn't like them rock-hard and she hadn't had a holiday for a long time. 'It's unfortunate because by the time she is back in and ready, there really isn't a lot of good racing for her. She wasn't up to the Travis Stakes [Group 2, 2000m] but she is somewhere in the middle.'
NZ Herald
26-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Travis Stakes redemption for Val Di Zoldo
A return to Te Rapa for a second shot at the Travis Stakes brought redemption for Val Di Zoldo and Pinn. The pair enjoyed a comfortable run, three back on the rail, as Town Cryer and Our Jumala showed the way up to the home turn. Pinn angled the five-year-old into the clear at the top of the home straight, and Val Di Zoldo soon warmed into her work. She surged past Town Cryer and Our Jumala with just over 100m to run, then held out a big finish from Islington Lass to win by a neck. Pinn summed up the feelings of all of Val Di Zoldo's connections with a fist pump after the finish line. 'I think Wiremu will really enjoy that,' trainer Tony Pike said. 'He's ridden her a few times with absolutely no luck. She should have won this race last year. To get the win today is a little bit of payback. 'It was a beautiful ride by Wiremu. He settled three back at the fence and then came off at the right time.'Val Di Zoldo has now won four of her 31 starts and $325,915 in stakes. She won the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) as a three-year-old in March of 2023, but then went winless for more than two years before this month's Manawatu Breeders' Stakes and Travis Stakes successes. 'She's always been a very good mare, and she's honestly the most unlucky mare I've ever trained,' Pike said. 'So she really deserves these two stakes wins that she's put together this autumn. She's going to be a lovely broodmare later on as well.' She'd been out of the winners' circle for two years before that win two years ago, but it's not her fault. She probably should have won three or four races during that period. To get this win today is fantastic for her owners. 'There's now the possibility of the Rotorua Cup (Listed, 2200m) in a couple of weeks' time. She ran in that last year and probably didn't quite see out the 2200m. We'll have a talk to the owners and make a decision. We might just put her out and then bring her back for the spring.' Bred by the late Kevin Hickman, Val Di Zoldo is raced by Robert and Kim De Courcy under their Kinsale Bloodstock banner after she was purchased for $285,000 by Bruce Sherwin out of the Valachi Downs Unreserved Young & Racing Stock Dispersal Sale.
NZ Herald
24-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Poetic Champion ready for Te Rapa showdown amid rain threat
Tomorrow's field brings together some of our brightest young talents, from Poetic Champion to Auckland Guineas winner Yaldi, NZB Kiwi runner Ardalio and a string of horses who would be on the shopping lists of overseas buyers if they were on the market. On top of all that comes last season's champion 2-year-old filly Velocious, who resumed with a win last start after missing most of the season with a throat issue, but was dazzling beating the older horses in her comeback race. She will try to add to trainer Stephen Marsh 's career-best black-type season and kickstart a weekend that sees him represented by El Vencedor in the HK$28 million QEII Cup in Hong Kong on Sunday. Velocious may be the horse to beat tomorrow, with barrier three ideal and enough freshness in her legs to still be potent at 1200m second up. But an interesting piece to the Breeders puzzle will be the weather, with Te Rapa expected to have dried out well over the past few days, but rain still possible tomorrow. If any rain did arrive, it would seem certain to dull Velocious, as all five of her wins have come on good tracks while she has run only one placing in three starts on soft ground, rare numbers these days when so many tracks easily fall into the Soft 5 range. But rival Cambridge trainer Pike says any rain wouldn't bother Poetic Champion, who is every bit as fast as Velocious without the record to back it up. 'He is a very good sprinter and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the Telegraph next season,' says Pike. 'We have targeted this race because we think he is better left-handed and he trialled very well a few weeks ago. 'If the rain did come, he would love it, but he will be extremely competitive regardless. But it is a very good field.' Any one of Ardalio, Yaldi, Whiskey N Roses, I'm All In or Archaic Smile could also win without surprising in what will be one of the best races of the autumn. The $150,000 Travis Stakes later in the programme brings together class mares with vastly different records, from a weight-for-age performer like Town Cryer to New Zealand Cup winner Mehzebeen and Waikato and Avondale Cups winner Blue Sky At Night. That could make tempo a major deciding factor, as a free-rolling mare like Town Cryer could be too fast for the Cups queens if she gets her own way. But if it becomes more of a stamina test, then either of the Cup winners could prevail, as could Islington Lass and Electron, the latter backing up from the Easter Handicap last Saturday. Pike has Val Di Zoldo in the Travis and she is another of the hopes, while he also suggests punters follow his debutante juvenile Argo (R4, No 3) in a race where The Espy sticks out as the only previous winner. 'And we have Witz End [R5, No 7] in the open 1400m and he is always a chance in this grade.'
