Sires With Winners - Monday June 23

Kris Lees often sends a talented horse to the country to cast off maiden status and a two year-old Exceedance gelding did just that on debut at Scone on Monday.

A pair of Group III races were run at Sha Tin on Sunday with victory in the two last stakes races of the HK season both going to Aussie bred geldings Beauty Joy and Copartner Prance, who is a half-brother to Aquis based sire Kobayashi.

Many of the vendors at this month’s NZB National Weanling Sale are familiar faces who are renowned for their quality drafts at this sale every year, but the 2025 edition also sees an old friend being welcomed back to the fold.

There were a couple of Aussie elements to the brilliant victory of Lazzat in the Group I Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (6f) at Royal Ascot overnight as he came to our shores last year and very nearly won the $10million Golden Eagle.

Last December at Ascot, popular grey mare Admiration Express (My Admiration) nearly caused the upset result of the year when she charged home at odds of 100/1 in the G1 Northerly Stakes for second behind Victorian raider Light Infantry Man.

There were a whopping 10 heats won by juveniles at the Canterbury trials on Monday morning that included some interesting unraced youngsters by Zoustar, Zousain and Trapeze Artist, plus a good looking youngster that may see the benefit of gelding.

After a phenomenal few months for Waikato Stud’s stallion roster, the world-renowned nursery will offer six select progeny of those high-flying sires at this week’s NZB National Weanling Sale at Karaka.

The racing roller coaster took a big dive at Royal Ascot on Day 4 which was not a good day for favourite backers with roughies ruling in both G1 races and a first season sire produced the winner of the juvenile feature on the card.

Long shots were the order of the day at Royal Ascot on Day 4 and there was no bigger or better upset than the 33-1 shock winner of the Group I Coronation Stakes (1m) for three year-old fillies with the winner Cercene sired by Epsom Derby winner Australia and owned by Australian Shane Stafford.

It might be winter and all eyes may have been on Royal Ascot this week, but there was a winner at Flemington on Saturday that will have caught the eye of anyone with half an interest towards spring racing and emerging talent.