Progressive galloper Uderzo made the best possible start to a new campaign when he powered through the heavy underfoot conditions at Tauranga to claim a comfortable victory in the Tauranga Hardware Plumbing Handicap (1200m).
Riversley Park are set to offer another bumper Ready To Run Sale draft at Karaka next week.
Few trainers would attempt to claim three victories in seven days over New Zealand Cup Week, let alone be successful, but John Wheeler isn’t like every other trainer.
Promising three-year-old Leroy Brown sang a winning tune at Tauranga on Saturday as he broke his maiden status despite attempting to throw the victory away with some wayward home straight actions.
Veteran galloper Gino Severini capped off some consistent form of late with a determined performance to take out the Gr.2 Gartshore Tauranga Stakes (1600m) on Saturday.
A year on from Pier’s heroics in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), his older half-sister Maria Farina has picked up a feature win of her own during the New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton.
Handy galloper So Risque showed plenty of fight in registering a winning performance in Saturday’s MRC Foundation Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield.
A close fifth behind Nest Egg on the first day of the carnival, imported stayer Mahrajaan went to a new level a week later and turned the tables on the hot favourite in Saturday’s Gr.3 Martin Collins 160th New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton.
Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay celebrated Group One success on Saturday as royally bred filly Joliestar claimed the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
The John Sargent-trained Toesonthenose scored the fifth victory of his career when running out a strong winner of the Karaka 2024 Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m) at the Newcastle feature meeting on Saturday.
