By Duane Ranger
Waikouaiti trainer Amber Hoffman was ecstatic with her first career win at Alexandra Park last night.
The Otago horsewoman trained $5.10 second favourite, Break Dance, to win the 42nd running of the $20,000 North Island Breeders Stakes.
The 5-year-old Art Major - Wave Runner (Live Or Die) mare was driven by Jonny Cox in the Powell Transport sponsored time honoured event for 3-year-and-older fillies and mares.
“What a wonderful f...
By Duane Ranger
Gaby Maghzal has never bred or owned a Rowe Cup winner, but like toe jam, the retired podiatrist can already smell the fumes of victory - some five days out from the great race.
“Habibti Ivy is the horse to beat. She’s won all five of her races this season and the Rowe Cup field won’t bother her. I think she will just keep on winning even if Monbet and Speeding Spur were in the field,” a proud Maghzal said.
Beirut-born Maghzal and ...
26 January 2017
By Duane Ranger
Josh Dickie is hoping he can notch up his 300th career win behind the best horse he has sat behind at Alexandra Park tonight (Thursday).
Speeding Spur will have his first start since April 22, when finishing second behind Monbet in the $100,000 Group Two Anzac Cup. He broke down soon after but Dickie believes he is now back to where he should be.
“It would be great to win my 300th race behind him because I’ve nev...
23 December 2016
By Duane Ranger
Nicky Chilcott said she was stunned to later learn that her 5-year-old gelding – Everything – paid more than $30 when winning Streamline Freight Maiden (up to R48) Pace at Alexandra Park last night (Thursday).
“I was staggered to hear that he paid that much. He certainly wouldn’t have returned the price he did if people saw him trial at Cambridge last Saturday,” trainer/driver Chilcott said.
Everything won that ...
01 December 2016
By Duane Ranger
Southland owner-breeder Brendan Fahy says Rakarazor isn’t he best pacer he’s had but the talented 4-year-old is heading that way.
“She has some way to go to beat Raksdeal but she is improving with every run. She has learnt to race in front now which is encouraging.
“Simon (Lawson) said when the other horses came up to her the other night she found another gear. That’s very encouraging,” Fahy said.
Rakaraz...
by Duane Ranger
The North Island’s leading Auckland Cup and National Trot prospects emerged at Alexandra Park last night (Friday).
Last year’s Auckland Cup runner-up Hughie Green was simply too big and strong for his six opponents in the feature pace, while Idle Bones set a New Zealand record in the R70 to R99 Trot.
They won their respective 1700m mobiles by three lengths and three-and-a-half lengths respectively. It was Hughie Green’s 11th career...
By Duane Ranger
Three horsemen shone at Alexandra Park last night – one a ‘Hall-of-Fame’ trainer; the second the North Island’s top junior driver; and the third captured his first winner since March 31, 2005.
Both Barry Purdon and his employee, junior driver Sean Grayling bagged three winners each on the nine race-card, while Peter Brown’s last night as a Pukekohe resident saw him nail his first race-night training victory in 11-and-a-half years.
...
By Duane Ranger
Robert Dunn’s long-time belief and faith in Robbie Burns came to fruition in the feature pace at Alexandra Park last Friday night.
Even when a six-figure sum was offered for Robbie Burns when he was a two-year-old Dunn told owner Ross Gordon, the Live Or Die gelding would make Cup Class one day.
Dunn also maintained the same belief through all of Robbie Burns’ sickness and injuries that have plagued his career.
“He’s always been...
By Duane Ranger
It’s taken Robert Argue seven months to drive his fourth career winner. Prior to that you have to go back to the 2010 to have seen him salute the judge.
But life has changed for Argue. He now a Dad to 3-year-old Brooklyn and works for one of the North Island’s strongest stables.
“Life is great at the moment. My partner and I live in the new sub-division at Pokeno and I travel to Clevedon every day to work. I’ve always wanted to be ...
By Michael Guerin
Sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same.
Which pretty much sums up the feature trot at Alexandra Park on Friday night.
Realmein did the right thing by punters by justifying his favouritism for the 2200m standing start, breaking 2:50 and winning effortlessly after a confident Phil Butcher drive.
The win was Realmein’s first since January last year, when he won in Australia when being campaigned by Tim Butt,...
