NZ Briefs: G1 winner to trial at Te Teko before Melbourne attack
A slight change of plan will see the Group One winner Summer Passage make a domestic appearance next month ahead of his Melbourne spring carnival campaign.
“We will be giving him a trial at Te Teko and then he’ll go to Australia after that and have a trial there before he kicks off,” said Lance O’Sullivan, who trains in partnership with Andrew Scott.
Successful in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes and runner-up in the Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick, the colt is likely to resume in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes, a race won last year by the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Saracino, over 1200m on September 16.
Summer Passage’s major target is the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on November 4.
Volkstok’n’barrell will race at Hawke’s Bay Carnival
Volkstok’n’barrell will make at least one appearance at the Hawke’s Bay carnival.
The multiple group one winner is in fine fettle as trainers Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs are counting down to the Tavistock gelding’s return to racing next month.
“At this point he will probably run in the Foxbridge Plate and then on to the mile (Windsor Park Plate) at Hastings,” Gibbs said.
“Whether we go back for the 2000m (Livamol Classic) I’m just not sure yet. I don’t think we’ve ever had him better, he’s in beautiful order.”
Rosewood wins again for Paewai
Rosewood’s honesty has been further rewarded with a third victory.
The Marilyn Paewai-owned and trained daughter of Redwood produced another tidy performance at New Plymouth to account for Keep It Savvy and take the thick end of the stake in the New Zealand Bloodstock Leasing & Finance 3YO.
“She’s very tough on these heavy tracks and she kicked nicely,” rider Rebecca Goldsbury said. “Once she’s in front she’s hard to get past.”
Rosewood has only failed to deliver a cheque three times in her 14-start career.
That’s all she wrote for Hasselhoof
The brief career of group winner Hasselhoof is over.
The veteran of just 13 starts, the Tavistock gelding last raced when unplaced in the Group 1 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
“He’s just had some ongoing issues,” co-trainer and part-owner Donna Logan told The Informant. “We didn’t want the risk of sending him out on to the racetrack and not having him come home – he means too much to us for that.
“We had some big discussions with the owners and decided the safest thing to do would be to retire him.”
Hasselhoof won six races, including the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile and ran third in the Group 1 Livamol Classic.
“He gave us so many thrills along the way, but it’s disappointing that we never saw the best of him,” Logan said.
Distinctive Darci continues hot form
Smart three-year-old Distinctive Darci remained unbeaten this preparation following an impressive defeat of the older horses over 1200m at Kranji on Sunday evening.
Ridden by Vlad Duric for Mark Walker, the New Zealand-bred son of Darci Brahma overcame traffic problems to post the sixth win of his 12-start career and second since successfully resuming from a break two weeks ago.
“They went really hard and that suited him,” assistant trainer Gus Clutterbuck said. “I was not really worried he was so far back behind horses as he is a horse who runs better when he comes to the outside.
“Vlad knows that, too, and things worked out well in the end. Mark has done a marvellous job with him.”
Distinctive Darci was purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $100,000 from the Curraghmore draft at the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale at Karaka.
Johnson in line for further honours
Soon to be crowned New Zealand champion rider Chris Johnson is among the five finalists for New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s Jockey of the Year Award.
The race for the Trainer of the Year will be between the premiership-winning partnership of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman and the Te Akau team of Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, who lead the stakes-earning table.
“NZTR congratulates all of the finalists, including those already announced, on their achievements throughout another great year of racing,” NZTR chief executive Bernard Saundry said “We look forward to celebrating with the winners at the awards dinner in September.”
The winners, including Horse of the Year, will be announced at a gala dinner in Auckland at The Langham Hotel, on Sunday, September 10.
The nominations:
Champion Jumper: Amanood Lad, D’Llaro, Kick Back, Ngario, Raisafuasho, Sea King, Upper Cut.
Jockey of the Year: Opie Bosson, Matthew Cameron, Alysha Collett, Chris Johnson, Danielle Johnson.
Jumps Jockey of the year: Shaun Fannin, Will Gordon, Aaron Kuru. Dunstan
Trainer of the Year: Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman, Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards.
Owner of the Year: China Horse Club, Hermitage Thoroughbreds, JML Bloodstock, Kevin Hickman, Lincoln Farms Bloodstock, NZ Thoroughbred Holdings, Sir Peter Vela, Raffles Dancers (NZ).
Media Award: Trish Dunell, Mat Kermeen, Paul Vettise.
Oamaru Cup fixture canned
The Oamaru meeting rescheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled.
Representatives of the Racing Integrity Unit and club officials inspected the course this afternoon and were unanimous that the track would be unsuitable for racing, with surface water still evident.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing will look at options for re-scheduling the Oamaru Cup and other races.