Wrote - New Winner

Daring Dame broke through for an elusive win when taking out the Kensington Tavern 1200 at Ruakaka on Wednesday.

A member of one of New Zealand racing’s most famous and successful families has died, with the recent passing of Tony (Anthony) Dennis, aged 86.

Exciting three-year-old prospect Read About It made all the headlines in the feature event at Wanganui, the Listed HS Dyke Wanganui Guineas (1200m).

With a plethora of Group racing for colts and geldings last weekend and fillies to take centre stage Sydney on Saturday for the Group II ATC Furious Stakes it was interesting to see a Caulfield trial on Tuesday morning that featured six stakes-winning 3YO’s.

Robbie Patterson is excited about what the future might hold for Read About It after the lightly raced two-year-old outclassed his opposition in Saturday’s Listed Phil’s Electrical & Gipsy Caravans Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki.

One of the most interesting young stallions that we saw on the recent Victorian stud tour was at Swettenham Stud and it has not taken long for the big baldy face of Lofty Strike to find it’s way on to one of his first foals.

Champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller has 27 of the 120 entries for this year’s $10million Melbourne Cup, which equates to more than 20 per cent of the total, so it’s probably worth having a closer look at them.

South Africa will tackle the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday night and earlier in the day a horse named after one of their favourite sons will be vying for Group One glory down the road at Ellerslie Racecourse.

The TAB Racing Club’s silks were to the fore at Ruakaka on Wednesday, with three-year-old filly Transcend carrying them to victory in The Homestead Sports Bar & Bistro 1200.

At the start of August we ran a story about the 3YO’s that were entered for this year Cox Plate and aside from the usual suspects there were some ‘Cox Plate’ dreamers and one of them was unraced Lonhro colt Attica, who made a winning debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.