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Pelican impressive on debut

Juvenile filly Pelican (2f Fastnet Rock x Seachange, by Cape Cross) is bred to be good being from New Zealand Horse of the Year Seachange and stamped herself as a one to watch when hitting the line hard after a slow start to win the 1000 metre juvenile event in Adelaide by a short neck on Saturday. A $450,000 NZB Book One purchase from The Oaks Stud draft for Mark Pilkington Management / Lindsay Park Racing, Pelican runs for Coolmore and partners and is a half-sister to Group III placed Divan an...

Dee And Gee upsets in Metropolitan trophy

Outsider Dee And Gee stunned the Riccarton crowd on Saturday as she registered her biggest career victory when winning the Listed Redwood Metropolitan Trophy (2500m). The five-year-old Darci Brahma mare defied her rivals all the way down the long Riccarton home straight after rider Cameron Lammas sent her to the front with more than 1600m left to run in the contest. Those who expected the $51 chance to weaken were sadly disappointed as she kept up a strong gallop to dispose of the well fancied n...

Kiwi-breds chasing gold in Singapore

There will be a six-strong kiwi-bred contingent contesting Sunday’s S$1.35 million Singapore Gold Cup which will be run over the shorter distance of 2000m this year. Ex-pat New Zealand trainer Stephen Gray has two runners sourced from New Zealand and they have drawn at opposite ends of the barriers. Sky Rocket (Darci Brahma) has drawn gate five while stablemate Bahana who won the event in 2016, has drawn the widest of Gray’s four runners and will jump from barrier 17. “Sky Rocket has got ...

Five To Midnight takes out Feilding Gold Cup

A typically heady ride from top Central Districts jockey Johnathan Parkes paved the way for the ultra-consistent Five To Midnight to take out the Listed Ricoh Feilding Gold Cup (2100m) at Awapuni. The Lisa Latta trained galloper carried 60kgs as the clear topweight for the race with Parkes mindful of ensuring he didn’t cover an inch of extra ground throughout the contest. Allowed to lob along at the rear of the ten-horse field, Five To Midnight produced an irresistible home straight burst whe...

Winners rising from Ritchie barn

Frank Ritchie unleashed another promising three-year-old at Te Awamutu today as he closes in on a Group One mission for his stable’s exciting youngster Dawn Patrol. The Cambridge trainer saddled up Phoenix Rising, a daughter of Roc de Cambes, to clear maiden ranks in just her second start when taking the Dunstan Speedfeed 1400. Racing in The Oaks’ colours, Phoenix Rising drifted to midfield on settling and after being third-last with 600m to run, rider Michael Coleman weaved a passage throug...

Te Akau three year old to spell

Te Akau principal David Ellis has confirmed talented three-year-old Our Flying Ace has been sent for a spell and will not contest the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guinea(1600m) on November 10. The lightly tried son of Darci Brahma won his first two starts for trainer Jamie Richards, before finishing runner-up to quality filly Xpression in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. “He’s come a long way this preparation and has gone for a spell,” Ellis said. Ric...

Kauri Cove first winner for new training partnership

gavelhouse.com graduate Kauri Cove provided a special milestone win for Kelvin and Aimee Tyler’s newly minted father/daughter training partnership at Winton last week. Just a week into their training partnership and with nine runners to their credit, Kauri Cove lined up a little favoured $26.50 quote. Terry Moseley settled the son of Roc de Cambes towards the rear of the field and brought him wide in the straight where he let down strongly to put almost a length on his nearest rival. Training ...

Our Sea Goddess

Watch Seachange's daughter Our Sea Goddess (Darci Brahma) winning for The Oaks Stud at Geelong...

Vin De Dance out of Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup entrant Vin De Dance (Roc de Cambes) will not contest the two-mile Flemington feature and will return home to New Zealand after a below-par performance in last Sunday’s Listed Cranbourne Cup. The Gr. 1 New Zealand Derby winner had an interrupted campaign after suffering from back soreness and failed to fire in his two starts, including his 10th placing at Cranbourne. “He didn’t run up to expectations last week,” co-trainer Murray Baker said. “He’s a good stayer, but the...

Divine Duke streets his rivals at Te Rapa

With a combined winning margin of 23 lengths in his last two runs you could be forgiven for believing trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott have a potential superstar on their hands in the form of staying talent Divine Duke. A conversation with O’Sullivan quickly establishes that is not quite the case and that at times the Matamata conditioner is left embarrassed by the Bachelor Duke six-year-old who set tongues wagging when he ran away and hid from his rating 65 rivals over 2100m at Te...

Stallion Parade Weekend 2018

The Oaks Stud Stallions will be parading at 12 pm on Sunday 26th August as part of the gavelhouse.com Stallion Parade Weekend.Address:122 Roto-o-Rangi Road, CambridgeAll welcome...

Minor setback for Melbourne Cup hope

Racing fans won’t get the early season sighting of Melbourne Cup candidate Vin De Dance (Roc de Cambes) as originally planned. Vin De Dance slipped into contention for the Gr.1 A$7.3 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 6 when winning last season’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie before finishing fourth in both the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m), when relegated from second, and the Gr.1 ATC Derby (2400m). He was put aside for a spell after the Sydney campa...

Hello It's Me all class in Ruakaka opener

Last season’s Gr.2 Royal Stakes (2000m) winner Hello It’s Me made a winning start to her spring campaign when she took out the opening event at Ruakaka on Sunday. The Darci Brahma mare was having her first start since taking out the Ellerslie feature on New Year’s Day to round out her three-year-old season. Prepared by the local powerhouse stable of Chris Gibbs and new training partner, Michelle Bradley, Hello It’s Me was expected to have too many guns for her five rivals in the rating ...

D B Pin awarded Horse Of The Year at NZTBA Waikato Group 1 Awards

Hong Kong’s equal top rated horse D B Pin was crowned Horse of the Year at the 37th Annual Group One dinner held by the Waikato Branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association on Friday night. The Darci Brahma gelding was bred by Willie and Karen Calder and attained the mantel of Hong Kong’s equal top-rated horse after his victory in the Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) for trainer John Size. A $200,000 purchase by bloodstock agent John Foote out of The Oaks Stud’s 2014 New...

Promising signs for Alfa Oro

Promising two-year-old Alfa Oro will be looking to make it two from two tomorrow for trainer Matt Laurie when he lines up in the Ladbrokes Back Yourself Handicap (1300m) at Sandown. The Bachelor Duke gelding won impressively on debut by six lengths, indicating he could be one to watch in the spring. “I have been excited to get him to the races,” Laurie said. “He has been a two-year-old that I have been impressed by and I was looking forward to seeing what he could do. “I certainly wasn�...

Mare seals spot in Southern Feature

Strolling Vagabond (Darci Brahma) has booked her passage to the South Island. A tilt at the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on August 4 was confirmed on Saturday by trainer Gerald Innes following the mare’s hard-fought victory in the Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration Handicap (1800m) at New Plymouth. “We’ll be going down there for sure after that effort,” Innes said. A $21 chance in the market for the Cup, Strolling Vagabond is a seasoned traveller and past visits to Christchurch ...

Seasonal staff required

The Oaks Stud requires experienced, enthusiastic staff for the 2018 breeding season (August through to February).  This is a position with plenty of variety, with work in the breeding side of our operation as well as yearling preparation. Competitive salary package & excellent on farm accommodation available, as well as a great team environment to work in. To apply, please email your CV & references to office@theoaksstud.co.nz or phone Mark Fox for further details on +64 27 292 8089....

Another strong season for underrated stallion

The progeny of The Oaks Stud’s ever consistent stallion Darci Brahma have had another quality season. The son of Danehill will finish second to New Zealand’s all-conquering sire Savabeel in the Centaine Award for global earnings, with his progeny winning in excess of $11 million for the season. Only Savabeel and successful shuttle stallion Iffraaj will have enjoyed better 2017/18 seasons domestically in New Zealand. Progeny of Darci Brahma recorded two Group One victories this season, with H...

Rutten Singapore bound to support Kingsman

Te Horo-based horseman Chris Rutten will pay his first visit to Singapore this weekend where Kingsman (NZ) (Darci Brahma), a horse he bought and part-owns, will tackle Sunday’s S$1.15 million Emirates Singapore Derby (1800m). Kingsman will be part of a three-pronged attack on the four-year-old feature for ex-pat Kiwi trainer Mark Walker, who will also have race favourite Elite Invincible (Archarcharch) and Lim’s Regard (NZ) (Red Giant). While Elite Invincible prevailed last start by a hea...

No rush with Devise

The two highest-rated horses in the Cambridge yard of Shaune Ritchie will make later returns to racing in the new season. The Hawke’s Bay carnival doesn’t feature in the plans for either his Group One winner Devise or the black type performer Sultan Of Swing. “Devise is a better horse in the later spring and early summer so we’ll let the Hastings races go by,” Ritchie said. The Oaks Stud-bred and raced daughter of resident stallion Darci Brahma raced consistently well in strong comp...

Australian winner for Niagara

New syndication company Harney Stone Racing was celebrating a first success yesterday as Cataracta (Niagara) scored on her second start in a 1200 meter maiden at Sandown Lakeside.  Stephen Harney said the filly had been bought in New Zealand following an impressive trial and said that was the model his company would work off initially."We want fillies who can get out over ground over time" Harney said.  "We got her from New Zealand, where she had won her trial very impressively by abou...

Good time at Te Awamutu

Cambridge trainer Ralph Manning has every reason to be looking ata return to Te Awamutu for his four-year-old Rocking Good Time.Rocking Good Time, a son of Roc De Cambes Manning races with friend and loyal stable supporter Tony Coombe, picked up his second win from 13 starts when taking the Fairview Motors 2000 on the Waipa course last Sunday. Rocking Good Time’s other win, two starts earlier, also came at Te Awamutu over the same 2000-metre distance. Between the two wins Rocking Good Time fin...

Vin De Dance back in work

New Zealand Derby winner Vin De Dance is likely to head straight to Melbourne to begin his spring campaign. The Roc de Cambes gelding, who followed his Ellerslie classic victory with a second placing (relegated to fourth) in the Rosehill Guineas and fourth in the Australian Derby, has returned to the Cambridge stable of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman. “He’s back in work and we’re very happy with him,” Baker told www.theinformant.co.nz.“He’ll go to Melbourne in the spring and we’ll...

Winning double for The Oaks

The Oaks Stud were represented by two runners at Hastings on Thursday, and both came home winners.   The first winner for the day was the regally bred Sea Goddess, a 3YO filly by Darci Brahma from The Oaks Stud’s champion racemare Seachange (pictured). Having just her third raceday start, Sea Goddess lived up to trainer Ralph Manning’s expectations by stylishly taking out the 1300m maiden for jockey Michael Coleman. Paint The Town was The Oaks Stud’s second winner for the day, a...

Change of plan works perfectly for Dagny

Kerrin McEvoy's intuition has paid dividends as he disregarded Chris Waller's instructions to boot Dagny (Darci Brahma) to victory in the Eremein Handicap (1800m) at Rosehill....