Tuesday, 30th June 2026
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Global Breeding, Racing and Sales News

  • NEW Pride’s Poison Chalice in Winter Stakes Mix

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A familiar Winter Stakes force will arrive at Rosehill with strength in numbers on Saturday, as Joe Pride chases another win in the $200,000 Listed 1400-metre feature with Cool Jakey, Accredited and Poison Chalice, reports racingnews.co.nz. The Warwick Farm trainer has made a habit of striking in the race, winning it last year with Estadio Mestalla (see below) after first taking it three years earlier with Taksu, and while he is again well armed, he is not expecting a soft target in a race that has drawn 23 nominations. “They've been competitive these races this time of year, the winter noms this year have been really strong I feel, and that lead-up the other day was a good, strong race,” Pride said. “I wouldn't expect it's an easy race, but they're competitive older horses.” Pride’s team gives him options across a range of surfaces, which could be important with Rosehill rated a Soft 6 last Saturday, showers forecast from Tuesday to Thursday and clearer weather expected on Friday and raceday. Cool Jakey, a son of Pierro who comes through a third placing behind Midnight Dynamite in the Listed Civic Stakes, would be best served by genuine give in the ground, while Accredited, by All Too Hard, is at his most effective when tracks firm back towards Good range. Poison Chalice, the New Zealand-bred son of Savabeel, offers a more flexible profile and is expected to handle either wet or dry conditions. “A wet track would be lovely for him, he's an absolute swimmer,” Pride said of Cool Jakey. “But I've got him and Accredited and one wants it really wet and one doesn't, so someone will be really happy. The last thing you want is two who want the same thing because you know what will happen then.” The main opposition may include Bjorn Baker’s in-form pair War Eternal and Midnight Dynamite, with the latter already having the Civic Stakes form around Cool Jakey, but Pride’s interest also extends to learning more about Poison Chalice, who is second-up for the stable after finishing 12th, beaten 6-1/2 lengths, in the Civic Stakes at his first run since arriving from Victoria. “I think he's going to be a decent horse for the stable, I've just got to get in and around his head and see what makes him tick,” Pride said. Bred by Waikato Stud and raced by the Ultra Horse Syndicate, Poison Chalice was bought for A$350,000 at the 2021 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and Saturday gives Pride another chance to assess where he fits while pursuing a race that has become a reliable winter hunting ground.

  • NEW Golden Tempo Skipping Dandy for Travers

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A patient path to Saratoga’s summer showpiece has replaced a planned stepping stone for Golden Tempo, with trainer Cherie DeVaux confirming the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner will miss the Gr2 Jim Dandy Stakes on August 1 and train up to the $1.25 million Gr1 Travers Stakes on August 29. The Curlin colt, a homebred for Phipps Stable and St Elias Stable, had been expected to use the $500,000 Jim Dandy as his lead-in to the Travers, but, according to Horse Racing Nation, a minor illness has cost him about 10 days of work and left DeVaux unwilling to force a schedule that no longer fits. Speaking to FanDuel TV’s Caton Bredar at Churchill Downs, DeVaux made it clear the issue was not serious, only inconvenient, and that the colt’s welfare remained the stable’s guiding principle. “He got a little sick, so we're probably going to end up skipping the Jim Dandy and train right up to the Travers,” DeVaux said. “He's fine, but the timeline isn't going to suit us to get there, and we'll continue to do what got us here and put him first.” The adjustment means Golden Tempo will tackle the Travers off a break rather than with the benefit of a Saratoga prep run, a scenario his trainer had not mapped out but one she is prepared to manage. “We're going to come off a layoff, and that wasn't really by design. But it's the hand we've been dealt,” DeVaux said. “We have all the confidence in Golden Tempo's abilities, and it's just up to us and our team to get him there and have him ready to go.” The update came during a reflective return to Churchill Downs for DeVaux and the colt’s owners, who visited the Kentucky Derby Museum for a private tour of the revamped Winner’s Circle exhibit honouring Golden Tempo’s Derby success. The display includes a replica horse remade in his likeness, his halter, and the red blazer and custom shoes DeVaux wore on Derby day, providing a chance to pause after a hectic few weeks. “Walking through the museum has really brought, I think all of us, back to a few weeks ago where Golden Tempo won the Derby,” DeVaux said. “It's been a really busy few weeks since, so I've been looking forward to coming here and just letting it all sink in.”

  • NEW Flemington Finals Day to Offer Spring Clues

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A winter meeting at Flemington can often look modest when measured against the glare of spring, but, according to racing.com, recent history suggests Saturday’s Finals Day card may again contain form worth remembering well beyond July. Several races on the program have become reliable launching pads for horses capable of progressing to Group company, and in some cases all the way to Gr1 success, with names such as Nature Strip, Gytrash, Tuvalu and Apache Cat having used this part of the calendar as a stepping stone to far bigger prizes. The Winter Championship Series Final over 1600 metres has its own spring relevance, most notably through Tuvalu, who won the race for Lindsey Smith in 2022, had a short break and returned to claim the Gr1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield two starts later. Other winners of the mile final have also advertised the race’s strength, with Reykjavik taking out the 2019 edition before winning the Gr3 Chatham Stakes during Melbourne Cup week, Magic Consol using his 2018 victory as the springboard to a next-start win in the Gr2 Feehan Stakes, and Sircconi becoming Gr2-placed two starts after his 2020 success for Nick Ryan. Royal Symphony’s 2017 Finals Day win also belongs in that conversation, as he later finished fourth behind Winx in the Cox Plate, while Buffalo River, Ability, Front Page and Cherry Tortoni all went on to make their mark at Group level after winning at the meeting. The Creswick Stakes has been especially potent in recent seasons, producing Nature Strip in 2018 and Gytrash in 2019, both of whom later became Gr1 winners, with Gytrash landing the Lightning Stakes just two starts after his Flemington winter success. More recent Creswick winners have gone desperately close to joining them at the top level, with last year’s winner Bridal Waltz beaten on the line by Geegees Mistruth in the Sangster Stakes in April, while Right To Party, the 2024 winner, was edged out by Sunshine In Paris in the VRC Champions Sprint later that year. Passive Aggressive, the 2022 winner, adds further depth to a recent honour roll that also includes Renosu, Free To Move, Front Page, Highland Beat and Lord Von Costa, reinforcing the idea that this sprint is one of the sharper winter pointers on the Flemington calendar. The juvenile features have provided their own spring clues, and the Taj Rossi Series Final, formerly the Gibson Carmichael Stakes, has been a particularly productive race for Billy Egan and Patrick Payne, who have combined to win three of the past six editions, including with Cherry Tortoni. They are set to reunite in Saturday’s renewal with Give It A Year, giving punters another reason to treat the day as more than a winter finale. The Spring Carnival may still feel distant, but Finals Day has repeatedly shown that horses capable of winning at headquarters in the cold can reappear when the stakes, and the lights, are much brighter.

    Gytrash

    Gytrash used Finals Day as a Spring stepping stone (pic: Mark Gatt)

  • NEW Rodd Shares Strong Belief in Anemacore

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A home-track Listed assignment at the Sunshine Coast will ask Anemacore to combine all his talent with all his toughness, and Michael Rodd is confident the gelding will empty himself in Saturday’s Glasshouse Handicap over 1400 metres if he can be kept comfortable through the run. The Shaun Dwyer-trained galloper has had more than his share of setbacks, reveals racenet.com.au, including a bleeding attack and a back issue, but he has continued to race with admirable consistency and retains the turn of foot that makes him dangerous against the likes of Bjorn Baker’s in-form Sydney visitor Midnight Dynamite. Rodd, who won the 2007 Melbourne Cup aboard Efficient, has partnered Anemacore in five of his six wins and knows better than most that the gelding can require careful handling, particularly when he hits a flat patch around the 600 metres as he changes legs. “You know that wherever you are, he's going to give you his best and that's enough to win a Glasshouse for sure,” Rodd said. “As long as you can get him out and get him comfortable, because he can lose his action a little bit through the run. He normally does that around the 600m mark, just when he goes to change legs. He's not an easy horse to ride but if you can get him comfortable and get him going through his gears then you'll definitely see the best of him.” Anemacore’s most recent victory came in the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup over 1400 metres on January 24, and he again advertised his quality when close up in the $1 million The Archer over 1300 metres at Rockhampton early last month. The barrier draw on Wednesday will be important because he can miss the start and drift back, leaving Rodd needing to balance patience with the need to keep the leaders within range. “But he's got an amazing turn of foot,” Rodd said. “If he's not too far off them on Saturday and he's travelling and he's feeling good then he'll be very hard to beat.” Dwyer, already a dual Gr1-winning trainer, is looking beyond the winter if Anemacore continues to progress, with the $1.5 million Gr1 Epsom Handicap over 1600 metres at Randwick in October among the races under consideration. “I've probably got three or four horses that could go on a flight down there in the spring, if they measure up to what I think they will,” Dwyer said. “He's quite an amazing horse. He just eats and works and does his job. People keep telling me he's a great sprinter but this horse, if I could get him to 2400m, he'd be as good as anything, certainly up here.”

  • Hayes Bros Aim a Baker’s Dozen at Flemington

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A deep Winter Finals Day team will give Lindsay Park strong representation – 13 runners in all – across the Flemington features on Saturday, with Seafall and The Western Front heading a squad that reflects both current form and the stable’s careful race placement. According to racenet.com.au, Ben, Will and JD Hayes have leading chances in several of the program’s key races, headed by Seafall in the $200,000 Listed VRC Winter Championship Series Final over 1600 metres, where the five-year-old mare will be chasing valuable black type after winning five of her past six starts. Since being brought back to the mile and fitted with headgear, Seafall has found a highly effective pattern for the stable, and Ben Hayes said the team had no reason to complicate a formula that has produced such consistent results. “Early days, we tried getting out in trip and she had a bit of bad luck and not the right runs and all different types of tracks,” Hayes said. “So we just freshened her back to a mile, put some headgear on and she's been going very well since. We're just keeping to a recipe that's been working for her. She's thriving, she's a mare in form and when mares are in form, they just keep going. She's a lovely sound horse and I think it's a great opportunity for a mare like her to go for black type. If she draws a barrier and gets the right run, she can go close.” The Western Front has been another well-managed member of the team, the five-year-old gelding having won four of his past seven starts, including the Listed Sandown Cup over 3200 metres on May 31, before a brave second behind Vegas Jack on a Heavy 8 at Flemington on June 20. He returns to headquarters for the Banjo Paterson Series Final over 2600 metres, a race Lindsay Park won with Mimi’s Award in 2023, and Hayes felt his last-start defeat carried merit after a demanding run. “He probably had the hardest run in the race, he had no luck at all,” Hayes said. “He was wide the whole trip, had to work through the middle stages, hit the front early and just got run over late. He's come through the run well – he's a horse we'd like to get his rating up a bit more to target maybe the back end of the spring carnival with him. He could pop up over Cup week running in one of those staying races.” The stable’s reach will extend well beyond that pair, with Stylish looking to make it two in a row in the Leilani Series Final over 1400 metres, Ndola nominated for the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final over 1200 metres and Yulong’s Frankel colt Frankel’s Word set for the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final over 1600 metres. Lindsay Park has recent history in the juvenile finals, having quinellaed last year’s Taj Rossi with Jenni’s Meadow and Sneaky Sunrise, while also winning the 2023 Next Generation Sprinters Series with Stellar Olympus, who was later exported to Hong Kong. Vivid Storm and Stars Of Dom will tackle this year’s Next Generation Sprinters Series Final over 1200 metres, and Triumvirate, a 1500-metre maiden winner at Caulfield Heath on June 17, is being aimed at the Silver Bowl Series Final over 1600 metres.

    The Western Front

    The Western Front is one of Lindsay Park's Flemington squad (pic: Bruno Cannatelli)

  • Let’s Galahvant Franks Strickland Result

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A veteran campaigner with little left to prove found another way to enhance an already admirable record at Bunbury on Sunday, with Let’s Galahvant producing a rails-hugging surge to win the $125,000 Listed South West Cup over 2213 metres and avenge his defeat in the race two years earlier, reports thewest.com.au. Rising eight but clearly far from finished, the Galah gelding was taken back to last by Tash Faithfull before beginning a searching run from the 600 metres, slicing through the field so quickly that he was within a length of the lead by the time they straightened. On a Soft 7 surface that had encouraged most of the field away from the inside, Faithfull made the decisive call to bring the $12 chance back towards the fence, where he finished too strongly for a wall of Peters Investments runners, with Diamond Scene, Opportunistic and First Encounter filling the next three placings but unable to get within two lengths of the winner. The performance carried added weight given Let’s Galahvant had been at a career crossroads after suffering an injury following the 2025 Perth Cup, and his first win in more than two years confirmed the Pearce stable had him back in rare shape. “He’s been outstanding throughout his career. He’s maintained it for such a long time,” co-trainer Ben Pearce said. “Coming back from an injury after the Perth Cup, he’s done a fantastic job.” A strong second to Western Empire in the Strickland Stakes over 2000 metres a fortnight earlier had already hinted that the spark was returning, and Pearce said the gelding had made a striking impression in trackwork during the week. “My exact words on Tuesday when I got off him, I said, ‘this horse has gone to another level, I can’t believe it!’” Pearce said. “I think he’s just been consistent. For the last three years, he’s popped up and every prep, he’s ticked off a stakes race. He’s a horse that you would say is a once-in-a-lifetime horse that comes along and can just consistently earn every single prep.” Having passed the million-dollar mark at his previous start, Let’s Galahvant pushed his career story deeper into feel-good territory, while also giving connections fresh options for the spring, including the Hannans Handicap over 1400 metres at Kalgoorlie in early October or another attempt at Gr1 level in the Railway Stakes over 1600 metres and Northerly Stakes over 1800 metres at Ascot. Faithfull said the gelding felt full of life before the race and travelled kindly once underway, crediting Ben and Dan Pearce for presenting him in such sound condition. “He really relished that soft ground and travelled so sweetly for me,” she said, adding that her morning track walk convinced her the middle lanes were the right ground and that cutting through, rather than fanning deep, gave the old warrior his winning path.

  • Benvenuto Cellini Sets the Record Straight

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A fast-ground Curragh Classic offered a sharp contrast to the Epsom Derby bog conditions and gave Frankel colt Benvenuto Cellini the stage many believed he had been denied earlier in the season, with Aidan O’Brien again dominating the Gr1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby in extraordinary fashion. According to TDN, the Ballydoyle trainer collected his 18th win in the race and, remarkably, a ninth one-two-three, as the 7-4 favourite led home stablemates Christmas Day (Camelot) and Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) in a result that underlined the strength of O’Brien’s three-year-old staying colts. Last to load after the stalls drama that had helped undo him at Epsom, Benvenuto Cellini was quickly switched to the rail by Ryan Moore, turning the widest draw into a non-issue as Action set the race up with strong fractions. Christmas Day and Pierre Bonnard travelled sweetly behind the pace, while Shaihaan briefly loomed as a complication, but Moore had the Champions Juvenile and Chester Vase winner in clear air entering the straight and delivered him four-wide before the race took shape in earnest. The Derby winner Christmas Day fought on generously, but Benvenuto Cellini had him covered approaching the furlong pole and, despite idling once in front, scored by 1.75-lengths, with Pierre Bonnard a neck away in third and Shadwell’s Raaheeb six lengths farther back in fourth. The winning time of 2:28.33 made it the fifth fastest Irish Derby this century, adding substance to a performance that looked both authoritative and still a little unfinished. “He's got a lot of quality and Epsom was just a mess,” Moore said. “It was an unusual set of circumstances and he had no hope there, but he's a beautiful mover and travelled into the race beautifully today.” Moore added that the colt still had learning to do after reaching the front comfortably, but stressed Ballydoyle had always held strong faith in the depth of its Derby hand. O’Brien has now completed Irish Derby one-two-threes in 2002, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2026, with the winner expected to head towards the King George at Ascot, a race only Galileo has won for the stable among O’Brien’s Irish Derby winners sent there. Benvenuto Cellini became Frankel’s third Irish Derby winner after Hurricane Lane and Westover, while also adding another branch to a Classic family already represented in the race by 2018 winner Latrobe. He is the second foal out of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Just a Game winner Newspaperofrecord, by Lope de Vega, whose first foal is his full-sister Giselle, winner of the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial and third at Gr3 level. The second dam is Sceptre Stakes winner and Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Sunday Times, by Holy Roman Emperor, while her Listed-placed half-sister Question Times produced Latrobe and multiple Gr1-placed Pink Dogwood, whose Frankel colt Giant Sequoia won Saturday’s Barronstown Stud Maiden at the same Festival. Newspaperofrecord also has a two-year-old full-sister to Benvenuto Cellini named Sweetly, with 2025 and 2026 colts by Justify still to come.

  • New Beginnings at Sandown for King’s Aeolian

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A royal runner will open a new Australian chapter at Sandown on Wednesday, with Aeolian set to make her first start for Ciaron Maher after being transferred from William Haggas to join King Charles III’s other local representative, Gilded Water, reports punters.com.au. The Lakeside meeting comes only days after Gilded Water was unable to produce his best at Caulfield, but the Maher stable hopes the King’s colours can make a sharper impression with the lightly raced mare, who won over 2011 metres and 2211 metres during her seven-start British career for Haggas. Gilded Water had announced himself as a potential Cups horse last spring with placings in the Gr3 The Bart Cummings and Gr3 Geelong Cup, but his current campaign has been stop-start, first pulling up with exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage at Sandown on May 23 and then failing to handle a Soft 7 track when fifth as an easing $4.60 chance at Caulfield on Saturday. Stable representative Leigh Allen said the stayer had come through that run without issue, but the team would be patient while conditions remained against him. “We might be just sort of treading water for the next month or so avoiding wet tracks and picking our spots,” Allen said. “Then once we get to the Spring, we can start seeing the better version of him.” Maher’s early work with Gilded Water produced immediate results when he won his first two Australian starts in benchmark grade, and Allen hopes Aeolian can begin building along similar lines. She is a half-sister to Desert Hero, the Gerry Ryan-owned import also prepared by Maher, who finished fourth behind Whisky On The Hill in the Listed Roy Higgins Quality over 2600 metres in March, and her European profile suggests she will appreciate more ground once she gets deeper into the preparation. Aeolian was entered for three races at Sandown  – a Benchmark 74 over 1400 metres, a Benchmark 70 over 1600 metres and a Fillies and Mares Benchmark 70 over 1600 metres – with connections choosing the mares’ mile, where she has drawn barrier 13. While Allen made it clear she is likely to stretch out in distance, two jumpouts have given the stable confidence that she can run well fresh. “Her jumpouts have been good. She's a big, strong girl and she travels strongly,” he said. “I imagine we'll be going through the grades – she might be doing a similar type of campaign to what Gilded Water did last year. We're still learning about her. It's a nice kick-off point for her then you're probably going up in trip and then grade, depending on how she goes.” By Fastnet Rock, Aeolian was bred at The Royal Stud.

  • Estrange Camp Eyes Arc After Maiden Group 1

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A performance long promised by one of the more visually memorable maiden winners of recent seasons was finally delivered at the top level, with Estrange confirming her class in emphatic style and reviving autumn thoughts of Paris for David O’Meara and Cheveley Park. Ever since she swept up the Goodwood straight in a manner that invited comparisons with Arazi almost two years ago, the impression had lingered that a Gr1 win was within her reach, and she achieved it despite circumstances that were supposed to make the task less straightforward, reports racingpost.com. The distance looked short of her best, the ground was livelier than ideal, and Danny Tudhope was unable to secure the most economical passage, yet none of that prevented the five-year-old from travelling strongly and asserting herself with authority. Her success prompted Ladbrokes to trim her Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe quote to 12-1 from 33-1, a race she missed last year at the eleventh hour after developing a temperature, and the possibility of Longchamp is again alive after she placed a long-awaited Group 1 on her page. “She's such a wonderful mare,” O’Meara said. “She was maybe caught a little bit wide throughout, but it looked like it was pretty smooth sailing for Danny. There's a big weight-for-age allowance for the three-year-olds, so I didn't know if that would tell in the last half-furlong up the hill.” Instead, Estrange had the race under control once she travelled into it near the two-furlong pole, and O’Meara admitted the drop back in distance may have revealed rather than restricted her. “She travelled nicely to the two-furlong pole and dropping back in trip has definitely not been a negative, it could have been the making of her. Maybe we have been running her over the wrong trip, but I'm delighted with today and delighted for Cheveley Park. They have been sending me horses now for over a decade and it's brilliant for them.” The result was also significant for O’Meara, the Yorkshire-based Cork native collecting his first top-level win since Lord Glitters, another grey, landed the Jebel Hatta at Meydan in 2021. Estrange has now missed the first two only once in her career, and there is a persuasive case that she is better at five than she was at three or four. By contrast, the run of 11-10 favourite Thundering On added further uncertainty to the Oaks form, the Epsom winner fading to fourth after Legacy Link and Cameo had also been well beaten in their subsequent starts, although she may yet be given the benefit of the doubt if connections look towards the Curragh. For Estrange, the more immediate question is how to bridge the gap between this breakthrough and a potential Arc challenge, and O’Meara was not hiding from the ambition. “We'd love to go for it and she has an entry. It was important that she got the Group 1 win under her belt and she did so in good style today. We'll enjoy this and figure out where we will go next.” Tudhope was on the same page, saying an Arc tilt would be “a dream” and asking, simply enough, “why not?”

  • Satisfaction for Atzeni with New HKJC KPI

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A personal milestone and a sharp straight-track sprint performance gave Andrea Atzeni a satisfying Sha Tin double on Saturday, with Colourful King’s victory in the Class One Pearce Memorial Challenge Cup over 1000 metres lifting the Sardinian rider to a career-best Hong Kong season tally. According to scmp.com, Atzeni reached 60 wins for the campaign, bettering last season’s mark of 58, and with five meetings remaining he moved one win clear of Hugh Bowman in the battle for second behind runaway championship leader Zac Purton, who is beyond reach on 134. “Reaching 60 wins was a target; I thought it was a nice number and we got there today and we’ve got a few meetings left, so I can’t complain,” Atzeni said. His first leg came for John Size aboard Master Lucky, who toughed it out on speed to win the Class Four Sha Tau Kok River Handicap over 1400 metres, before David Eustace’s Colourful King gave him the highlight of the night in the next race. Settling midfield down the Sha Tin straight, the Australian import gathered strongly, swept to the lead inside the final 100 metres and held Magic Control by three-quarters of a length, with Bottomuptogether keeping third. “It was brilliant to get back on him, I rode him in his earlier days and I sort of missed him early on in the season. He did it quite well tonight,” Atzeni said. Colourful King’s best Hong Kong form has come over the straight 1000 metres at Sha Tin, where he had already posted his only other win this season and chased home Stellar Express in the Gr3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy, and Eustace admitted the race was too suitable to ignore despite briefly considering spelling him. “There was a little bit of me that was going to put him away after his last run, but obviously this race was too hard to pass up, so he freshened up well in Conghua and hasn’t done a lot since he ran at Happy Valley,” Eustace said. “We’ve had just a frustrating run of near misses and disappointments, I suppose at the Valley, but he’s just clearly a better horse here down the straight. But there hasn’t been any races for him for a while. This race obviously was perfect and he had slightly less weight – he wasn’t having to shoulder top weight which counts for a lot as well.” Royal Ascot has even entered discussions around Colourful King, with Eustace noting Purton had made the Little Bridge comparison after his earlier win and Gr3 placing, although the trainer acknowledged such a mission would be a significant undertaking. Karis Teetan claimed riding honours with a treble, scoring on the David Hayes-trained Ka Ying Resilience before joining Brett Crawford for contrasting wins with Mr Incredible and Sovereign Fund. Mr Incredible, a $1.25 favourite, enhanced his record to three wins from four starts with a dominant Class Three Shek Sheung River Handicap success over 1200 metres, while Sovereign Fund landed at $51.85, leaving Crawford with both a future four-year-old series prospect and a long-priced surprise from the same card. Meanwhile, with just five racemeetings to go before the season grand finale, Caspar Fownes’ 5-win advantage over Danny Shum should see him hard to overhaul.

  • Gavelhouse Mares IFT Savabeel a Big Drawcard

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A period of expansion and renewal at Milan Park has created an opening for broodmare buyers, with Tony Rider’s operation offering 17 mares through the 2026 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus as it reshapes its bloodstock portfolio. According to nzb.co.nz, the draft comes during a landmark year for the farm, following the A$1.8 million sale of triple Gr1-winning homebred Provence and the purchase of neighbouring nursery The Oaks Stud, a move that will bring significant restructuring across the next 12 to 18 months. Stud manager Grant Bennett said Rider had already begun reinvesting in Australian mares and fresh bloodlines, making it necessary to manage numbers rather than simply clear unwanted stock. “Tony is always developing the Milan Park broodmare band,” Bennett said. “Since the sale of Provence, he’s already gone out and reinvested in new mares from Australia and new bloodlines to replace her. With our purchase of The Oaks Stud, we’re also coming into a period of significant restructuring over the next 12 to 18 months.” Bennett said the Gavelhouse Plus offering could be viewed as a reduction sale, but stressed that buyers should not mistake that for a low-end dispersal, pointing to previous Milan Park online offerings that included the dams of Gr1 winner Pulchritudinous and Wellington Cup winner Manzor Blue. “There are some quality mares from really good families,” he said. “There are mares that are in foal to top stallions, and we’re offering them either with no reserves or with reserves that are well below the stallions’ service fees.” Among the notable entries are Vitani and Real Divine, both in foal to the late Savabeel, whose final crops have obvious rarity value, while Cashmere and Miss Martini are carrying pregnancies to Super Seth, now based at Coolmore after previously standing at Waikato Stud. Other coverings include Rider’s stallion The Chosen One, along with Capitalist, Doubtland, Little Brose, Ocean Park and Sword Of State, reflecting the strategic approach Bennett said underpins Milan Park matings. He identified Fillygizalook, a winning half-sister to Pulchritudinous in foal to Golden Slipper winner Capitalist, as one attractive prospect, while Sundaze, a half-sister to Gr1 winner and Golden Slipper runner-up Oohood and closely related to King’s Legacy, is in foal to Blue Diamond winner Little Brose. That is also a family Milan Park has enjoyed recent success with through Magill’s second in the Karaka Millions 2YO. Further depth comes through Alpine Julz, dam of a Hawke’s Bay Guineas winner, Bree, a recently retired half-sister to three black-type performers, Dragon Robe, a half-sister to four stakes winners including Gr1 winner Hasahalo, and Nerissa, a full-sister to Oceanex with four other stakes-performed siblings. The full catalogue contains 92 lots and is available online through Gavelhouse Plus.

    Vitani

    Vitani is in foal to now deceased Savabeel (pic: nzb.co.nz)

  • King Pedro Breaks the Shackles at Rosehill

    Tuesday, 30th June 2026
    A campaign that had threatened to become one long tale of traffic and frustration finally broke open at Rosehill on Saturday, where King Pedro turned a run of near-misses into an emphatic win in the $160,000 Ranvet Stayers Cup over 2400 metres. The Kiwi-bred four-year-old had endured little luck in his first three starts this preparation for Tom Charlton, finishing seventh over 1600 metres at Randwick on April 25, second over 2100 metres at Gosford on May 9 and then a desperately unlucky nose second over 2000 metres at Rosehill on June 17, according to NZ Racing Desk. Punters were prepared to forgive those defeats, sending him out a $2 favourite in Saturday’s Benchmark 90, and this time Kerrin McEvoy ensured there was no hard-luck postscript. King Pedro travelled kindly in fourth along the rail while the first three runners opened a sizeable break down the back straight, a move that never appeared to fluster McEvoy, who allowed his mount to build steadily towards the home turn. By the top of the straight the gelding had cruised into contention behind the leaders, and when an opening appeared 350 metres from home, McEvoy drove him through it. King Pedro quickly put the race away, dashing clear to score by three lengths and lift his record to three wins and seven placings from 15 starts, with earnings of $255,159. Charlton admitted the win brought relief as much as satisfaction, given how much had gone against the horse through the preparation. “I was a bit nervous today, because I feel like the horse has been quite unfortunate for a lot of this preparation,” Charlton said. “I'm relieved for the owners and staff and horse that he has managed to get the job done. He’s a really nice stayer. He will definitely make a better grade, and a good grade, in time. He is effective on all ground, effective at 2000m to 2400m, and he could be effective over even further in time – maybe races like the Metropolitan and Sydney Cup some day.” The Listed Grafton Cup over 2350 metres on July 16 is now the immediate target, with Charlton saying the stable had considered Caloundra next weekend before deciding a softer winning option and then a potential rise in class made better sense. “He is still quite an unfurnished horse, so there is plenty more to come,” he said. Bred by Ray Johnson, best known as the breeder of multiple Gr1 winner Mr Brightside, King Pedro is by Brighthill Farm stallion Eminent out of the unraced O’Reilly mare Jiving. Originally named Don Pedro, he began in Peter Jeffcoat’s Opaki stable after being bought for $3900 on Gavelhouse.com in October 2022, winning once and placing three times from six starts in New Zealand before his sixth behind Willydoit in last year’s Gr1 New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie preceded a sale to OTI Racing.
Amarina Farm
Arrowfield Stud
Bell River Thoroughbreds
Berkeley Park Stud
Bhima Thoroughbreds
Blue Gum Farm
Bombora Downs
Clear Mountain Fairview
Coolmore Stud
Cressfield
Evergreen Stud
Kingstar Farm
Lime Country Thoroughbreds
Mill Park Stud
Murrulla Stud
Newhaven Park
Segenhoe Stud
Silverdale Farm
Sledmere Stud
Torryburn Stud
Tyreel Stud
Vinery Stud
Widden Stud
Willow Park Stud
Yarraman Park Stud

2025 BTR Stud Stallions

BTP STUD STALLIONS

Sire
A Lot Established
Acrobat Established
Al Maher Established
Alabama Express Established
All American Established
All Too Hard Established
Alpine Eagle Established
Alpine Edge 3rd Season
Anamoe 1st crop 2YOs
Anders Established
Artie Schiller Established
Awesome Rock Established
Barbados Established
Barbaric Established
Best Of Bordeaux Established
Better Than Ready Established
Bivouac Established
Brave Smash Established
Brazen Beau Established
Bruckner 1st crop 2YOs
Bull Point Established
Bullbars Established
Cape Of Good Hope 1st crop 2YOs
Capitalist Established
Captivant Established
Castelvecchio Established
City Of Troy Established
Cliff's Edge Established
Cool Aza Beel Established
D'argento Established
Danerich Established
Dash For Cash Established
De Gaulle Established
Delaware Established
Denman Established
Dirty Work Established
Dissident Established
Don Corleone 3rd Season
Doubtland Established
Dubious Established
Dundeel Established
Encryption Established
Exceedance Established
Exosphere Established
Extreme Choice Established
Farnan Established
Flying Artie Established
Foxwedge Established
Frankel My Dear Established
Gingerbread Man Established
Gold Standard Established
Graff Established
Grunt Established
Hallowed Crown Established
Harry Angel Established
Hawaii Five Oh 3rd Season
Headwater Established
Hellbent Established
Hitotsu 1st crop 2YOs
Home Affairs Established
I Am Immortal Established
I Am Invincible Established
Ilovethiscity Established
Invader Established
Jacquinot 1st crop 2YOs
Ka Ying Master 1st crop 2YOs
Kermadec Established
King Colorado 3rd Season
King's Legacy Established
Lead Artist 1st Season
Lofty Strike 3rd Season
Lord Of The Sky Established
Love Conquers All Established
Manhattan Rain Established
Maschino Established
Master Of Design Established
Maurice Established
Merchant Navy Established
Mo'unga 3rd Season
Murtajill Established
My Admiration Established
Needs Further Established
Nicconi Established
Nostradamus Established
Officiating 3rd Season
Ole Kirk Established
Pariah Established
Pierata Established
Pierro Established
Pinatubo Established
Playing God Established
Portland Sky Established
Power Established
Pride Of Dubai Established
Private Life Established
Puissance de Lune Established
Rebel Dane Established
Rich Enuff Established
Rommel Established
Rubick Established
Russian Camelot Established
Russian Revolution Established
Safeguard Established
Sandbar Established
Sessions Established
Shaft Established
Shalaa Established
Shamoline Warrior Established
Shamus Award Established
Shinzo Established
Shooting To Win Established
Sidestep Established
Sizzling Established
Skilled Established
Smart Missile Established
Snitzel Established
So Secret Established
So You Think Established
Soul Patch Established
Southport Tycoon 2nd Season
Spirit Of Boom Established
Squamosa Established
St Mark's Basilica Established
Star Turn Established
Star Witness Established
Street Boss Established
Super One Established
Supido Established
Swear Established
Sweet Ride 3rd Season
Switzerland Established
The Autumn Sun Established
The Brothers War Established
Time To Reign Established
Too Darn Hot Established
Toorak Toff Established
Top Echelon Established
Toronado Established
Trapeze Artist Established
Tropicus 1st Season
Turffontein Established
Unite And Conquer Established
Universal Ruler Established
Vancouver Established
Vandeek Established
Victor Ludorum Established
Von Costa De Hero Established
Wandjina Established
Winning Rupert Established
Wooded Established
Wootton Bassett Established
Worthy Cause Established
Written By Established
Written Tycoon Established
Xtravagant Established
Your Song Established
Zousain Established
Zoustar Established