SMILING SHARD UNPLACED There is nothing amiss with top pacer Smiling Shard after an unplaced run in the $100,000 Dawson Harford New Zealand Messenger Championship at Auckland on Friday night. West Melton trainer Cran Dalgety said the four-year-old entire had “flat batteries” after some tough racing in Auckland over the last two months. The Messenger…
DetailsDEXTER RAMPANT WITH SIX-WIN HAUL Driving superstar Dexter Dunn was in superb touch at Invercargill on Saturday, April 30, equalling his career best single day performance of six wins on one programme. His six win spree _ two seconds and a fifth from nine drives _ was his best of the season, overshadowing three five-win…
DetailsAFTERBURN RACING ON FRIDAY Afterburn, purchased for $100,000 at last year’s Australasian Classic Yearling Sale, will go straight into Friday’s $18,000 Garrard’s Sires’ Stakes Heat at Addington after qualifying at Ashburton on Monday, April 25. The now gelded show black son of Real Desire (1:48.4) and the first foal from former classic-winning filly Spicey (p3,…
DetailsHIP HOP ANVIL GOING NORTH Hip Hop Anvil is Auckland-bound for further autumn premier racing after narrowly holding stablemate Johnny Be in the 2-3 wins $9704 Canterbury Copy Service Mobile Pace at Addington on Easter Saturday, April 23. Only a nose separated the Kentuckiana Lodge stablemates at the end of the mobile 2600m run in…
DetailsPRE-POST FAVOURITE OUT OF WELCOME STAKES Kentuckiana Lodge trainer Cran Dalgety has withdrawn Raging Bull, the pre-post favourite for the $80,000 NZ Welcome Stakes at Addington on Saturday night, because of minor health issue. “I wasn’t happy with his work in his last two training runs,” Cran said. “He’s just been a little bit off-colour.”…
DetailsBETTOR’S FIRE JUST OUTSIDE TIME Bettor’s Fire, a two-year-old Bettor’s Delight colt from former top filly/mare Sparks A Flyin (1:52), just missed qualifying on an easy track at Motukarara on Tuesday, April 19. The younger half-brother to Derby hope Empyrean, and useful winner Diomedes, was patiently handled by Rory McIlwrick, settling last of three in…
DetailsDERBY RUNNERS TO REDEEM THEMSELVES Trainer Cran Dalgety isn’t reading too much into the Derby lead-up performances of Empyrean and Matt Maguire when made to race from a standing start at Addington last Friday night. “They seem good. Last week was a circus,” he said. “I had a bad feeling before the meeting that they…
DetailsREGAL PETITE INTERESTING NEWCOMER Two-year-old trotter Regal Petite is an interesting newcomer to Cran Dalgety’s West Melton team. She joined the team after racing in the $78,000 Listed PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Sales Trot at Ashburton on April 5 for co-owner Pukekohe trainer Paulette Screen, who last season won races with Eye Bolt after sending…
DetailsSMILING SHARD 4TH BEHIND AUSSIES IN FINAL Kentuckiana Lodge trainer Cran Dalgety, and driver Dexter Dunn, were rapt with Smiling Shard’s fourth behind the powerful Aussie raiders in the $800,000 Skycity – Inter Dominion Pacing Grand Final at Auckland on Friday, April 8. Smiling Shard, the best of the NZ-trained runners, was game finishing only…
DetailsTEXICAN WINS AUCKLAND GARRARD’S SIRES’ HEAT Texican joined stablemate Raging Bull as early qualifiers for the Garrard’s Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington on May 25 with a convincing win in the Auckland heat on Inter Dominion Grand Finals night, Friday, April 8. The Garrards Sires’ Stakes Final is worth $180,000, while a week earlier, both…
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