Julius Shoots for Second Leg of NZB Sprint Triple Crown

Media Release - Friday January 17

Saturday’s $250,000 Group One JR & N Berkett Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham will give Julius (NZ) (Swiss Ace) the chance to move one step closer to a lucrative $100,000 NZB Insurance Sprint Triple Crown Bonus.

JuliusThe Sprint Triple Crown is one of three NZB Insurance Triple Crown Series introduced to New Zealand racing this season, comprising the $200,000 Group One Sistema Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, this weekend’s Telegraph and the $200,000 Group One BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on February 8.

The other two Series are the Weight-For-Age Triple Crown and Fillies and Mares’ Triple Crown, and each of the three Series carries a $100,000 bonus for any horse who can win all three races.

A year after suffering a tendon injury that could have been career-ending, Julius captured the first leg of the Sprint Triple Crown Series with a brilliant victory in the Sistema Railway at Ellerslie earlier this month.

Now he heads to Trentham, where he will again lock horns with the rivals who made him work so hard for his Railway triumph.

Advertisement

Australian raider Winter Bride (Not a Single Doubt) was a gallant second in the Railway after being trapped wide from her outside gate. It was a similar story with the third-placed Evalina (I Am Invincible), who is also back for a rematch, and so is the fourth-placed Dawn Patrol (NZ) (Dawn Approach).

Newcomers to the Series include the high-class mare Avantage (Fastnet Rock) and the South Islander Enzo’s Lad (Testa Rossa), who has won the Telegraph in each of the last two years.

The Telegraph will be run as Race 7 on Saturday with a start time of 3:52pm.

Advertisment
More Reading...
NZ Derby Hero Willydoit Primed for Epsom
Last season’s New Zealand Derby hero Willydoit will step back into the spotlight on Saturday when he contests the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick for trainer Ciaron Maher, with jockey Tommy Berry bullish the horse is ready to make his mark over the famous mile.
Inglis Ready2Race breeze up footage NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
Progeny of the likes of Toronado, Exceed and Excel, Harry Angel, Zoustar and Ole Kirk were amongst the standout performers from breeze up sessions conducted this week in the lead up to the Inglis Ready2Race Sale on October 16, footage of which is now available online.
New SW Wrote - Fast Network Wins G3 National Day Cup
Trainer Dennis Yip claimed a timely first win of the 2025/26 season, taking out the feature HK$4.2 million Gr.3 National Day Cup Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin’s National Day fixture on Wednesday when his stable star Fast Network, a New Zealand bred son of Wrote, blitzed a strong field under Alexis Badel.
Kiwi Raider Pier Upbeat Ahead of Epsom
Co-trainer and part-owner Darryn Weatherley is taking a glass half full approach ahead of Saturday’s Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) after he came up with an awkward wide gate for Pier.
Generation Foals Built for Speed
Victorian farm Lovatsville offer a diverse stallion roster for this spring geared to satisfy a wide spectrum of breeder ambitions and if explosive Aussie speed is your thing then Snitzel stallion Generation will fit the bill.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday October 1
Here is the full list of 49 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Geelong
Trilogy Racing will have high hopes for the their talented filly Queen of Clubs in the Group I ATC Flight Stakes on Saturday and their colours were in the frame at Geelong on Thursday carried by a Zoustar filly that saluted on debut.
Autumn Glow Epsom Challenge - Just How Big Is This Task?
With the unbeaten Autumn Glow set to run as the first odds-on favourite this century in the Epsom Handicap on Saturday we thought we’d run some data to see how big this mountain is that she’s attempting to climb, and turns out, it’s pretty big.
Milan Park Experience Highs and Lows
Tony Rider experienced the extreme highs and lows of breeding thoroughbreds within a matter of hours on Wednesday.
Melody Belle Daughter Set for Long Awaited Debut
It will be a full-circle moment for Te Akau Racing at The Valley on Friday night when Lyrics ‘N’ Song, a daughter of their former multiple Group One winner Melody Belle, makes her debut.