First run in 1991, the Northland Breeders’ Stakes has delivered a number of top-class performers. The most notable, of course, is 1998 winner Sunline (Desert Sun), a champion in every sense of the word. In Sunline’s case, her win was at two as the race then was for two-year-olds, staged late in the season. It... Read More

Riccarton’s Winter Cup (Gr 3, 1600m) got the new season off to a heart-stopping start when Jay Bee Gee (Complacent) got the judge’s nod by the narrowest of margins, a judge that clearly had a much clearer image than we the public were provided. It sure looked like a dead-heat. Winning jockey Kelly Myers also... Read More

A gala evening celebrating the annual breeders’ awards named Lilahjay (Tavistock), dam of Mr Brightside (Bullbars) as the NZTBA Eight Carat New Zealand Broodmare of the Year, the most historical award of the evening. First awarded in 1953 to Broieveine (Broiefort), dam of champion Dalray (Balloch), Lilahjay joins a line up of famous producers, several... Read More

Woeful winter weather plus a mechanical fault put paid to four meetings in New Zealand between Wednesday and Saturday. Rain did its damage to the Hastings Wednesday meeting whereas Pukekohe’s Thursday meeting was unable to be held because there were no starting stalls. They were to be transported from Ellerslie the morning of the races... Read More

As we near the end of the season, the industry’s attention is soon to be diverted to the accolades as the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association prepares for their annual awards, set for July 27 in Cambridge. A number of categories are recognised, headed by the prestigious Broodmare of the Year Award which has a... Read More