New Zealand

World Pool races will return across three fixtures on Friday-Sunday split between the UAE, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Four races in the UAE on Friday including the G1 Jebel Hatta and the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge, six races in New Zealand on Saturday, among them the G1 Railway Stakes and in Hong Kong on Sunday the G1 Centenary Sprint and the G1 Stewards' Cup complete an even dozen World Pool races for the weekend. The second World Pool Moment of the Day will be chosen from Ellerslie. The Railway...

Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) is one of nine Aidan O'Brien-trained colts to stand his ground for the G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday. The impressive Killarney winner went on to take the G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes. Other entrants hailing from Ballydoyle include G3 Zetland Stakes hero Pierre Bonnard (Camelot), the group-placed Action (Frankel), the stakes-placed Frescobaldi (No Nay Never), G2 Beresford Stakes winner Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett), New Zealand (Frankel), G3 Killavullan Stakes victor Dorset (Wootton Bassett), Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Basilica), and G3 Eyrefield Stakes...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a son of Newspaperofrecord. 1.15 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, c/g, 7fT BENVENUTO CELLINI (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) is the second foal out of the accomplished Newspaperofrecord (Lope De Vega) after the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Giselle also by Frankel. Not Ryan Moore's choice in this Barronstown...

Auguste Rodin (Ire) will be joining his fellow Coolmore stallion and Derby winner City Of Troy in shuttling to the Southern Hemisphere this coming season but he will head instead to New Zealand's Windsor Park Stud. The son of Deep Impact (Jpn) will stand for NZ$30,000 (approximately €16,000). The stud's eight-strong stallion line-up also includes Paddington (GB) and Circus Maximus (Ire), and it has previously been home to the Coolmore shuttlers Montjeu (Ire) and High Chaparral (Ire). Windsor Park Stud principal Rodney Schick said, "We are privileged to welcome a...

Alflaila (GB), Shadwell's dual winner of the G2 York Stakes, has been retired and will begin his stallion career later this year at White Robe Lodge in New Zealand, the stud announced on Monday. Trained by Owen Burrows, Alflaila retires as the winner of seven of his 19 career starts and over £550,000 in prize-money. His other notable victories included the G3 Strensall Stakes at York and G3 Darley Stakes at Newmarket in 2022, while last year he also finished fourth in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal...

I read with interest the article of The Thoroughbred Report titled "Dogs Gone: New Zealand bans greyhound racing from 2026," dated Dec. 12. The article starts with the sentence, "There are only five nations globally where greyhound racing still operates being New Zealand, USA, Ireland, Australia, and Britain, but this is set to change with an announcement by New Zealand MP Winston Peters that greyhound racing will be banned in NZ from 2026." I was not aware that racing greyhounds is still legal in the United States. According to Wikipedia,...

High injury rates in racing greyhounds sees a proposed ban on the sport introduced by the New Zealand government on Tuesday, Reuters reported. "While fewer dogs are dying, injury rates, while down slightly, have plateaued and remain unacceptably high," Minister for Racing Winston Peters said in a statement. The plan is for the sport to be ended gradually over a 20-month period. An advisory committee has been appointed to re-home an estimated 2,900 racing dogs, according to Peters. A bill was introduced by the government, with the support of the...

The G3 Sunline Vase, a 2100-metre race at Ellerslie in New Zealand, will now be sponsored by Malih Al Basti's Al Basti Equiworld Dubai, the company announced on Wednesday. Now worth NZ$250,000 (€139,560), the race will take place on Champions Day at the course, Mar. 8. Al Basti Equiworld also includes sponsorship of the New Zealand Jockeys' Association, the NZ$1-million (€558,240) G1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), NZ$650,000 G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and best turned-out prizes at both Riccarton Park and Wellington. "We are delighted to be extending our...

Classic winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who is standing his first season at Banstead Manor Stud in the UK, will shuttle to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season, Juddmonte announced on Thursday. His fee will be NZ$35,000 + GST and his book will be limited to 120 mares. One of only nine horses to complete the G1 Dewhurst and G1 2,000 Guineas double, Chaldean stands alongside his sire, the multiple champion sire Frankel, who completed the double in 2010/2011. They are the only father-son pair...

Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) will shuttle to New Zealand to stand at Windsor Park Stud, which was also the former southern hemisphere home of his broodmare sire Montjeu (Ire). Currently covering his first book of mares at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, the four-time Group 1 winner will become the first son of the Aga Khan Studs' Siyouni to join the stallion ranks in New Zealand. Siyouni's champion son St Mark's Basilica (Fr) shuttles to Coolmore's base in the Hunter Valley. Though Siyouni has remained in France throughout his stud career,...

To many horsepeople and fans, the news that 2022 GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting (Gun Runner) had been cured of a syndrome that initially--apparently--spelled doom to his stud career was a complete surprise. To New Zealand-born veterinarian and scientist Dr. Padraig (Paddy) O'Casaigh, it was just another day at the office O'Casaigh, the 'brain and chief researcher/inventor' behind the 'unique' product Chaperonze (his birthplace a contributor to this intentional misspell), has treated 'about 100' stallions with breeding problems. "My experience in my 35 years," he said, "is that I've...

Amid the speed-filled tempo of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale this week, it's all about equine and human partnerships for Gandharvi Racing as they add Case Clay as a Business Consultant to their team. Mind you, this isn't about making a splash or just putting together some haphazard deal. No, the intent behind this organization's latest move tunnels much deeper into the recesses of history. As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was a racing stable. Like city-planning in the ancient world or otherwise, success just...