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Santos to stand at Highview Stud

Exciting Group producing first season sire, Santos, will relocate from Aquis Farm in Queensland to Highview Stud in New Zealand.A son of Champion Sire I Am Invincible, Santos is already the sire of high-class New Zealand two-year-old filly Ulanova. A brilliant winner on debut before dominating the Gr.3 Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m) – by a massive 7 lengths. The Stephen Marsh-trained filly then rounded out her preparation finishing runner-up in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) last month, and is ...

Creator to join Price-Kent

Talented three-year-old gelding Creator has been purchased by OTI Racing and will join the Victorian stable of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.The son of Wrote was an impressive winner of his two starts to date for trainer Chad Ormsby, with a maiden romp at Tauranga before signing off with a comfortable Rating 65 success at Matamata over 1600m.The Gr.2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) shape as ideal targets for Creator.A son of Group One winning High Chaparral stallio...

Group Three success for Wrote To Arataki

Talented four-year-old Wrote To Arataki has continued her winning ways, following up a New Year’s Day victory at Flemington with a game victory in the Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1300m) at Sandown on Saturday.The daughter of Wrote was again ridden forward by jockey Jamie Kah, who has forged a successful association with the mare in her past two outings.Once nursed through the home-straight dip, Wrote To Arataki staved off her rivals to defeat Belle Et Riche and Forbidden City and claim her...

Ulanova dominates in New Plymouth juvenile feature

Speedy filly Ulanova gave her rivals a good old-fashioned beating as she led all the way to take out the Gr.3 Platinum Homes New Plymouth Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m) in effortless fashion.Fresh off a solid effort for fourth in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) at Pukekohe, where she also led and was only claimed in the final 100m, the Stephen Marsh-trained daughter of Santos never looked like being caught on this occasion.Cuddled up in front by rider Craig Grylls, Ulanova used her high cruising sp...

Best Seller prospecting Trentham Gold

Trainer John Bary is hoping Trentham becomes a happy hunting ground for his stable over the next couple of months.The Hawke’s Bay trainer is looking toward the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) with Best Seller (Wrote) and Sequoia Star (Redwood), who will head to the Upper Hutt track on Saturday to contest the Gr.3 New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m).Best Seller will lead the stable’s charge this weekend and Bary is expecting to see plenty of improveme...

Top Top Tea continues Wrote roll

Dennis Yip’s promising second starter, Top Top Tea, continued a good run for his sire Wrote when winning the Class 4 Mut Wah Handicap (1200m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday.In the process, the talented four-year-old carried Brazilian jockey Ruan Maia to his first victory since October 26 following 70 consecutive losses.“I’m very happy because it’s been two months without a winner, but I keep working and keep my head up. Sometimes, the right horse comes to your hand, and this one ran well f...

Best Seller ready to return at Trentham

A solid hit out by classy three-year-old filly Best Seller during an exhibition gallop on her home track at Hastings on Saturday has trainer John Bary more than satisfied ahead of her racetrack return at Trentham next week.The Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) runner-up covered the last 1000m of her workout in 60.5 seconds, coming the last 600m in 34.5s under rider Jonathan Riddell and looked to be galloping well within herself.Bary has given the daughter of Wrote a slow build-up after her e...

Bary all smiles with Guineas hope

John Bary’s fleeting visit to Christchurch at the weekend to monitor leading filly Best Seller’s progress had the desired outcome.  The whistle-stop venture south provided confirmation to the Hastings trainer that his Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) prospect was in tip-top shape for the challenge ahead. “She had an exhibition gallop with Guy Lowry’s Shezzacatch at Riccarton on Saturday and everything went really well and I was very happy wit...

Morpheus Bragi looks promising

Three-year-old Wrote gelding Morpheus Bragi looked very impressive when winning the 9Mile Fresh Maiden Plate (1200m) on the Pakenham turf on Friday. Despite being slow away and being wide throughout Morpheus Bragi was able to win by one-and-a-half lengths on the line, under apprentice jockey Matt Cartwright, who has a big impression of the gelding. “He’s been slow away in his trials and he was a bit worse today, he just got squeezed up a bit and he resented it,” Cartwright said. “I k...

Best Seller takes Gold Trail Stakes on home track

Local filly Best Seller showed she had taken plenty of benefit out of her first up victory at Taupo last month when she produced a resolute finish to win the Gr.3 HB/PB Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings. The John Bary-trained three-year-old seemed to be in a world of trouble when back second last on the home bend after being allowed to settle on her own terms by rider Sam Spratt. Opie Bosson looked likely to claim his second black-type feature on the day ...

Wrote 3YOs in the spotlight

Wrote’s progeny are primed for a thrilling classic year ahead with two, almost three, impressive winners last week. Group Two-placed filly Best Seller got her season off to a flyer with a win in the $40,000 Taupo Pak’nSave (1100m) at Taupo on Wednesday. Despite being slow away she showed her quality when looming at the turn and gathered in her opposition to win by a long neck. "Her sectionals on the day were very, very good," Highview's Brent Gillovic said. "In fact her sectio...

Best Seller scores at Taupo

Wrote three-year-old Best Seller got her new season off to the perfect start with a win at Taupo on Wednesday. Challenge Syndications principal Adrian Clark went to $12,000 to secure Best Seller out of Highview Stud’s 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft and she more than recouped his outlay as a juvenile when runner-up in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). She returned in superb fashion as a three-year-old on Wednesday when winning the Taupo Pak’n Save Fillies (...

Highview stallion parade - August 21

We will be parading our two stallions, High Chaparral's 2YO Group One winning son WROTE and first season sire THE CHOSEN ONE, Savabeel's best performed son at stud, on day two of the annual Waikato stallion tour, organised by the Waikato branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and sponsored by gavelhouse.com. The parade is the first stop on Sunday August 21 at 10am and everyone is welcome to come along.  What: Highview Stallion ParadeTime: 10amAddress: 1544 ...

Brisbane swansong for The Chosen One before stud duties

The Chosen One will have his final race in the A$1.2 million Gr.2 Sky Racing The Q22 (2200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday, before retiring to stand at Highview Stud in New Zealand. The six-year-old will retire as a Group One winner over a mile, multiple stakes winner on both sides of the Tasman and dual NZ Stayer of the Year with over $2.7 million in stakes earnings.  However, trainer Andrew Forsman thinks he�...

Wrote To Arataki scores at Sandown

Promising three-year-old Wrote To Arataki left an impression with her comfortable victory over 1200m at Sandown on Wednesday. From her outside barrier, jockey Mark Zahra elected to settle at the rear of the field before setting his charge alight three-wide with 500m to go. She showed her turn of foot when gobbling up her opposition down the straight to record a 1-3/4 length victory. It was the second win from four starts for the daughter of Wrote, with trainer Matthew Williams noting a freshen-u...

Arataki a dominant winner for Wrote

Three-year-old filly Wrote To Arataki (NZ) (Wrote) ran out a comfortable winner of a 1400m maiden at Warrnambool on Thursday, winning at the second time of asking for local trainer Matthew Williams. Ridden by apprentice Will Price, the progressive three-year-old enjoyed a perfect run behind the speed and travelled like the winner a long way from home before cruising to a 2 ¼ length victory over Presser. The win continues the good run of form for the progeny of Highview Stud stallion Wrote, a G...

Wrote’s daughter delivers opportune Australian victory

Highview resident Wrote has penned a timely new chapter in his fledgling stallion career with a first success in Australia. With the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale just around the corner, his quaintly named daughter Bing Bang Boom drew further attention to the son of High Chaparral’s progeny with her dashing maiden success at Kilmore on Thursday. The three-year-old was stepping out for just the second time for Cranbourne trainer Wendy Kelly and sailed home over 1600m to the deli...

The Chosen One sparkles in Thorndon Mile

A late nomination to contest the Group One feature at Trentham on Saturday paid dividends for the connections of quality performer The Chosen One as the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained runner scored a stunning victory in the Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m).Having his first start since running a gallant fifth in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) back in November, the six-year-old Savabeel entire looked well suited under the set weights and penalties conditions of the race, having to car...

Thurlow pleased with Guineas hope despite unorthodox campaign

One of the more intriguing runners in Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton is the Bill Thurlow-trained And We Danced. The daughter of Wrote will enter the classic at just her third raceday start, having broken maiden ranks as a juvenile back in May, before a set-back meant the filly has had just one further start, a second placing over 1400m at Hawera behind White Noise late last month. While admitting it has been a race against time to get the Kurt Gil...

First NZ winner for Wrote

Highview Stud stallion Wrote recorded his first New Zealand win as a sire when the Kurt Gillovic-bred And We Danced was victorious in the Yara Fertiliser 1100 at Hastings on Wednesday. The Bill Thurlow-trained two-year-old got back early after only being fair away for jockey Sarah Macnab. Turning for home they were met by a wall of horses, but a pocket opened with 250m to go and she was able to let down and get up by a short head over Express Desire. Highview Stud principal Brent Gillovic was pl...

Wrote filly impresses with trial win.

Highivew’s resident stallion Wrote was credited with his first trial winner last week. The ease in which the two-year-old filly claimed her victory in the 1000m heat at Waverley came as no surprise to trainer Bill Thurlow who has a good opinion of the daughter of Simply Boogie. “She had been to a couple of jumpouts and done a similar thing,” he said. “She had shown us a bit of ability so we were expecting her to run pretty well. “She is a very good type, she has a bit of strength and ...

Highview Returns to Boutique Operation

Highview Stud stallion Wrote will stand his fifth season at stud at an unchanged fee of $5,000 + GST this coming breeding season. The Group One winning son of High Chaparral has enjoyed good patronage in his initial seasons at stud, covering 338 mares across four seasons, with his eldest crop of two-year olds. On the back of strong yearling sale results in 2020, he covered 95 mares last season. “The feedback from trainers to date has been very positive on him. The underlying comment coming thr...

Champion stayer Let’s Elope for Hall of Fame induction

Let’s Elope, one of the great racemares in Melbourne Cup history, has earned induction to the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame.Already a member of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, Let’s Elope will take her place alongside fellow New Zealand-bred greats of the turf at the Hall of Fame induction dinner in Hamilton on the evening of May 2. Previous inductees with the Melbourne Cup on their CV are Carbine (1890), Phar Lap (1930), Rising Fast (1954), Might And Power (1997) and Ethereal (2001), ...

The Chosen One a brave Cup fourth

New Zealand-trained stayer The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel) finished a gallant fourth in Tuesday’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) won by the Joseph O’Brien-trained Twilight Payment (Teofilo).O’Brien’s father Aidan again played second fiddle to his son, with Tiger Moth (Galileo) finishing runner-up, reminiscent of the 2017 Melbourne Cup, when Joseph’s Rekindling (High Chaparral) denied Aidan’s Johannes Vermeer (Galileo).Perennial Cup placegetter Prince Of Arran finished third ahea...

Nadal remains undefeated

For the first time in 79 years the Kentucky Derby was not run on the first Saturday in May. In 1945, a ban on horse racing due to World War II postponed the famed race until June. This year restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic have forced the 146th edition of the race, sponsored by Woodford Reserve, to be postponed until Saturday, September 5. So, while no one was trackside at Churchill Downs on Saturday all eyes were on the racing at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, where key Derby contende...