Latest news with #WinterSeries
IOL News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Piet Steyn's gelding Garrix aims for a clean sweep in the Listed Pocket Power Stakes
gelding Garrix The Piet Steyn-trained Vercingetorix gelding Garrix has the look of a winner at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday. Picture: Cape Racing Image: Picture: Cape Racing On Sunday, all eyes will be on Piet Steyn's outstanding three-year-old gelding, Garrix, when the prestigious Listed Pocket Power Stakes unfolds at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. Garrix is striving for a remarkable clean sweep of the three-legged Winter Series. After two closely contested victories, Garrix is out to confirm his status against a competitive field over 1,950m. Garrix's trip in the series has already seen him clinch the first leg, the Variety Club Mile, with an effortless performance before edging out fierce contenders Otto Luyken and Mucho Dinero in the nail-biting Gr 3 Legal Eagle Stakes. Although he seems to hold an advantage in form, the stakes are higher as he now carries 57kg, 1.5kg heavier than his main rivals, Otto Luyken and Mucho Dinero, who are braced to take him on once more. Garrix appears to have every attribute necessary to succeed, and with Gavin Lerena in the saddle, this adds a layer of reassurance to the camp. However, punters will consider the weight differentials and the experience factor as Garrix seeks to navigate the unique challenges of the tighter Winter course. As the field narrows to just seven runners, the early pace promises to be a factor with Otto Luyken, who battled valiantly in the Legal Eagle Stakes, maintaining a commanding presence as he attempts to remain consistent, a crucial factor in this match-up. The Justin Snaith-trained pair, Mucho Dinero and Magic Verse are notable threats. Magic Verse was commendable when narrowly defeated by Rascallion in the Gr 2 Premier's Trophy. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Mucho Dinero finished strongly in the Gr 3 Legal Eagle Stakes, closing the gap on his competitors. With the distance extension favouring his staying prowess, he will be a force to be reckoned with. The Futurist enters the contest with a considerable reputation as last year's winner. Last year's victory by an astonishing nine lengths still lingers in the memories. Though inconsistent, The Futurist has shown flashes of brilliance, and could reclaim glory over the Winter course, where he has demonstrated prior success. In Sunday's other feature race, the Listed R200,000 Stormsvlei Stakes for fillies and mares over 1,800m, Beware The Bomb stands out as the serious threat. Beware The Bomb is one of four entries prolific trainer Justin Snaith will field in the seven-runner race. His other entrants are Lady Springfield, Lickety Split and Knockout. Time for Love, a mare trained by the duo of Harold Crawford and Michelle Rix, is sure to give a strong performance. The expectations will be high after an admirable victory in the Ladies Mile (Listed) earlier this month, particularly with the seasoned jockey Lerena on board.
Scoop
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Zeltwanger Takes Debut Win
Saturday, 10 May 2025, 2:58 pm Press Release: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand Harry Townshend leads the field but Lee Zeltwanger took the spoils. Photo: Bruce Jenkins. Winter series class racer Townshend was simply too eager to get away from the lights quickly and picked up a five second penalty. Lee tucked in behind and for two laps the two enjoyed an entertaining battle for the lead but the damage to Townshend's race was done. Harry simply didn't have the speed to build a five second margin on Zeltwanger and after a couple of attempts to pass the Bridgestone GR86 Championship racer, Lee contented himself sitting in close proximity to the leader and counted down the eight laps to the flag. After taking pole position in the morning, he was delighted to secure an impressive first win. 'I knew early on that Harry had picked up a penalty,' he said afterwards. 'But I like to try and win on the road so I had a couple of goes at passing him, but the win was more important in the end so I was happy to tuck in behind and stay nice and close.' Behind the two leaders, Corbyn Sprague improved further on his qualifying performance and went one better to beat Ajay Giddy to the flag. That third became second in the final results with Townshend's penalty and that five seconds was also enough to promote Giddy to the final place on the podium and the Winter Series class win. Sprague was satisfied with the result after having only limited running in the CareVets TR86. 'I genuinely haven't had a lot of time in the car and I am still very much learning it and building a relationship with the team, we are getting faster every time we go out on the track so I am pretty happy with second and we know there is much more to come.' Townshend's penalty dropped him to an eventual fourth. Fifth should have been Matt Day in the Dayle ITM TR86 but he was another to jump the gun at the start and also copped a five second penalty. That put Noel Simpson fifth overall ahead of Toby Elmiger after a fine battle midfield, with Nathan Grammer seventh, Kyan Davie eighth, Day ninth and Conley Webley rounding out the top ten. Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Round 1 Hampton Downs Qualifying Grid Car # Driver name Trophy / Winter Team 1 22 Lee Zeltwanger Trophy Lee Zeltwanger 2 84 Corban Sprague Trophy iMac Engineering 3 10 Ajay Giddy Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 4 73 Harry Townshend Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 5 88 Noel Simpson Trophy Action Motorsport 6 74 Toby Elmiger Trophy Action Motorsport 7 50 Nathan Grammer Trophy Mackenzie Motorsport 8 19 Kyan Davie Trophy Mackenzie Motorsport 9 100 Matt Day Trophy Dayle ITM Racing 10 18 Conley Webley Trophy Action Motorsport 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series Rd4 26-27 July 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Visit us: © Scoop Media
Scoop
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Winter Is Coming And The TR86s Return To Do Battle
The cut and thrust of Toyota TR86 racing – so long a New Zealand favourite - returns this weekend at Hampton Downs as the brand new Toyota 86 Trophy Series gets underway. The TR86 model – one of New Zealand's most popular sports cars – provided race fans with thrilling action until the new GR86 racer was introduced for last season. The iconic TR86 races on, however, in the all-new four round winter series which takes on Hampton Downs, Manfeild and two visits to the Taupo circuit. Two classes compete for race wins, the Trophy Class covers most of the field but the Winter Series class is for those drivers who have raced in the Bridgestone GR 86 Championship or equivalent series. Practice takes place on Friday and all of the qualifying and race action will take place on Saturday. A 20 minute qualifying session for the field – a 10 car opener for the first round – is followed by the first race, an eight lapper. The second 10 lap race later in the day will have a grid formed on the fastest times the drivers clock in the first race. There's plenty of quality in the field too. Corbyn Sprague and Conley Webley come from the South Island and bring plenty of pedigree while the performances of Nathan Grammer, Toby Elmiger and Lee Zeltwanger will also be under the spotlight. Endurance racer Kyan Davie and former TR86 Championship racer Noel Simpson could also go well and watch out for young Matt Day, racing the ex- Orr-West TR86 in its familiar Dayle ITM yellow livery for the family team. The Winter Series class features two drivers who both scored podium finished in the GR86 Championship, Harry Townshend and young Ajay Giddy. Both know the Bridgestone tyre that is being used in the Winter Series and can be expected to go well. Townshend will be reunited with the TR86 he drove for two seasons before switching to the GR86 for his 2024-2025 championship campaign. 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series Rd4 26-27 July 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Giddy To Run Trophy Series Ahead Of Second GR86 Campaign
The 14-year-old Orewa College student was the youngest competitor in the championship last season and indeed one of the youngest ever competitors in any Toyota series in New Zealand. He showed immense promise too, occasionally topping the timesheets in practice, qualifying third at the final round at the recent Supercars event before taking a fourth place and second place finish over the weekend. He's now looking to maintain that momentum and get more track time and more knowledge of the Bridgestone tyre ahead of next season. The Mackenzie Motorsport-run driver cannot win the Trophy Series as a current Bridgestone GR86 Championship competitor, but he can win the Winter Series class and take race wins and podiums. 'I think this will be a really good series to help me continue to improve my race craft,' he said. 'Time in the seat on any of the tracks is always so beneficial no matter what car you are driving and the TR86 is also a fun car to drive. 'It's also a great opportunity to stay current and prepare for the next season of GR86 Series at the end of the year which I really want to do well in.' 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series
Chicago Tribune
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: Hubbard Street Dance is back on familiar ground for its winter series
It's not a time capsule. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's revival of Ohad Naharin's 'Black Milk' after more than 20 years in the vault is more a wink and a nod. After several seasons dibble-dabbling across the aesthetic spectrum — from Bob Fosse to Aszure Barton and everything in between — the Winter Series on now at the Harris Theater returns to familiar ground. That's not to say the Hubbard Street of 2002 was somehow better; rather, artistic director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell projects confidence in the 47-year-old institution, as if to say, 'Yeah, we still do that, too.' Naharin first created 'Black Milk' in 1985 for Israel's Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, later adding it to a compilation of seven dances called 'Minus One.' It's miles away from 'Minus 16,' Hubbard Street's first-ever acquisition by the ground-breaking choreographer, which propelled the company into a new era near the end of founder Lou Conte's tenure as artistic director. 'Black Milk,' acquired two years after 'Minus 16,' is pre-Gaga, the counter-technique Naharin developed, which has informed decades of dancemaking. Here, he draws from his background in the Martha Graham Dance Company and even the School of American Ballet, asking much of 'Black Milk's' five bare-chested dancers (which on Thursday included Aaron Choate, Elliot Hammans, Jack Henderson, Andrew Murdock and David Schultz). 'Black Milk' is thus just as hard as anything else Naharin's made, if less idiosyncratic — the stoicism of those techniques busted open with a deep-kneed, guttural vocabulary and thrilling partnering. Then there's the symbolism. Naharin offers little context apart from a silver pail of dark sludge methodically smeared across the dancers' faces, chests and thighs. Schultz is the quasi-protagonist, here, often moving separately from the rest, seemingly resistant to indoctrination into whatever discipleship they're apparently part of. By turns elegant and feral, there's a sense these dancers have each other's backs, even as Schultz breaks away to wash himself clean. But the vibe is more 'Get up, you fool!' than 'You got this, friend.' It's a piece that's aged well, even when put against three striking others from the 'now.' James Gregg makes his Hubbard Street debut with the evening's only world premiere, called 'Within the Frame.' The title is both a literal and figurative exploration, with four dancers spending most of their time confined to a square, white section of floor acting as the quartet's sandbox. They're rarely onstage altogether; Gregg was originally tasked with making a duet but apparently couldn't help himself. Indeed, 'Within the Frame' doesn't feel particularly communal in the way long, deep engagements do. Rather, it comes across more like the solidarity and community felt among strangers on a train — people with a common goal and, maybe, nothing else in common. Gregg prescribes periodic breaks from his luscious phrases; the dancers to step out completely or simply turn away and put their hands in their pockets. (Pockets! In dance costumes!!). Gregg's boundary-busting aesthetic draws from a wide variety of styles, honed from a storied performance career that started in Chicago. In a way, 'Within the Frame' interrogates that collection of experiences spanning jazz, contemporary, hip hop and vogue, but it's not navel-gazing. It feels for and about the quartet (Dominick Brown, Choate, Michele Dooley and Cyrie Topete), who thrive in 'Within the Frame's' gorgeous, monochromatic environment — pro forma for Gregg — built by Slick Jorgenson (lighting) and Hogan McLaughlin (costumes) and surrounded by a similarly multilayered score by Ben Waters. Hubbard Street alums Alice Klock and Florian Lochner, collectively called FLOCK, crafted 'Into Being' last year for Hubbard Street's series at the MCA. Somehow, in the cavernous-by-comparison Harris Theater, it feels more intimate, perhaps because of its placement in an otherwise chilly, mostly black-and-white program. 'Into Being' radiates complexity and warmth, and not just because of the bronze and gold separates its five dancers wear. It's also our first real glimpse at dancer Bianca Melidor, an expat of Dallas Black Dance Theatre who joined the company this fall. Though early in her career, Melidor already brings a wealth of maturity and nuance to her long, luxurious solo, a mirage placed midway through FLOCK's mostly meditative, meticulously crafted world. Then there's 'Impasse,' a fantastically wacky full company piece closing the program. Like 'Into Being,' 'Impasse' premiered at Hubbard Street last year and hasn't yet gotten the play time it deserves. Part jazz funeral, part 'Appalachian Spring,' Inger sends Schultz, Henderson and Simone Stevens in and out of a 2-D house positioned upstage multiple times. They seem shocked — appalled even — by what they encounter, which gets weirder every time: a mob of black-clothed people who seem to be having a better time than them, then a grab-bag of bizarre characters ranging from a crowned shirtless prince to a clown that's a little too close to Rob Zombie's Captain Spaulding for comfort. Maybe it's Narnia. Or perhaps what Alice finds beyond the looking-glass. Whatever it is, it's fleeting. A white-streaked black backdrop descends on this wonderful world, forcing our three adventurers to squeeze underneath, barely managing to escape. It's not immediately clear why they'd want to leave such a weird and wonderful joy bomb, a hesitancy sure shared by every audience member that night. Lauren Warnecke is a freelance critic. When: Through Sunday Where: Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. Originally Published: February 14, 2025 at 11:19 AM CST
