New Zealand Oaks winner Miss Mossman has a golden chance at Awapuni on Tuesday to return to her best form.

Last season’s Group One heroine has yet to fire this preparation, but she has been racing at distances well short of her best and the Nufarm Handicap presents her with a much more suitable opportunity.

'Miss Mossman' Photo: Trish Dunell

“She’s a year older and she has taken a little longer to come up,” co-trainer Andrew Scott said. “She’s getting there now and her last run was a lot more encouraging.”

Miss Mossman finished fifth over a mile at Te Rapa and the 2100 metre trip at Awapuni will be to her liking.

“It’s an ideal race to step her up over more ground,” Scott said. “The trip away will bring her on as well and get her confidence going.

“Any easing of the ground will help her and we think she’s on the right track now.”

Miss Mossman will face only five rivals with last-start winners Langdon and Anniesstar obvious threats while further improvement can also be expected from fellow Matamata hope Lilly Belle.

A half-sister to the stakes performer Our Tigress, the Savabeel mare has won three of her five starts over ground and was successful over this trip on her last visit to Awapuni in the autumn.

Lilly Belle has made steady progress this campaign with minor placings over a mile at her last two appearances and she looks on the verge of winning form again.

The other open event on the card, the Agriseeds Handicap, will mark the return of the former Karaka Million placegetter Touche.

He was placed in a recent trial at Waverley and with apprentice Michael Dee’s claim he looks well-placed with 53kg to make an impact. – NZ Racing Desk.

Stretching out to 2200m obviously suited the Savabeel four-year-old's staying prowess, and the addition of blinkers and a shadow roll had him concentrating on the job for jockey Michael Coleman.

Former Matamata trainer, John Sargent, paid $100,000 for the son of flying two-year-old, Naturo, at the Karaka premier sale and when Sargent relocated to Sydney, Deschabeel entered the stable of Andrew Scott and Lance O'Sullivan.

Better footing and the roomy Te Aroha track seemed to suit the horse in his third start for his new trainers and punters were right on the mark, sending Deschabeel out as favourite for his maiden victory.

NZPA

SUPER STAYER: Prize Lady, pictured with Mark Du Plessis in celebration mode after winning the 2007 Auckland Cup, is the dam of promising stayer, Prize Lad, a winner at Taupo yesterday.

Progeny of top class racemares displayed the family ability with wins at Taupo yesterday.

Prize Lad, a Darci Brahma son of dual Auckland Cup winner, Prize Lady, scored his second win from five starts with a commanding fresh-up win in the Cheal Consultants R65 1800 ridden by Craig Grylls for Matamata trainers, Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott.

It's Bianca, an Alamosa daughter of Anca, the winner of $208,000 and seven races began her career in great style winning her strong maiden 1200 in decisive fashion giving hope for a black-type future for Cambridge trainer, Anne Herbert and jockey, Samantha Collett.

Silver Eclipse, another by Darci Brahma, is a four-year-old mare out of Gr III winner, Zino Belle, trained at Maungatautari by Stephen Ramsay and Julia Ritchie for Sir Peter Vela and promised a black-type success this campaign with her fresh-up win over 1000m in a quick 57.66 for in-form jockey, Michael Coleman.

Prize Lady won nearly $1 million in her career for former Ohaupo farmer, Joe Wallis, nowadays residing in a resthome, and while Prize Lad may never reach those heights he is giving his elderly owner some great thrills with two wins from five starts and the promise of more to come.

Wallis bred Prize Lad and offered him at the 2013 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale where he was passed in for $57,500. He was sent back to Shelby Park in Cambridge and broken-in with a view to re-offering him at the Ready-To-Run Sale but immaturity issues saw him retained and sent to the O'Sullivan/Scott barn.

While Prize Lady was less than average size, her four-year-old son is a big, rangy gelding and should continue to develop with age.

"He could develop into a real racehorse in 12 months," Lance O'Sullivan said following yesterday's win which came off a 70-day break following his win over 1950m at Rotorua in July.

"I was surprised he settled where he did [handy to the pace]," O'Sullivan added. "It does looks like he'll have a future going further [in distance]."

Jockey, Craig Grylls, was impressed with the run.

"He put himself there and travelled quite nice and had a good kick," Grylls said. "He's going the right way."

Three-year-old filly, It's Bianca, flew the gates and travelled sweetly defying her rivals with a great kick at the business-end of her race beating some vaunted opposition.

"I was surprised how quickly she jumped," trainer, Anne Herbert said. "When Sam [Collett] got off her at the trials she said 'I think she's a bit special' so it's onwards and upwards now and we will target some nice races for her."

Although not nominated for the Gr I 1000 Guineas, Herbert said that if things work out well in the meantime the race could be on the agenda.

- Waikato Times

A change in tactics and a superb ride by apprentice Jack Wong contributed to a return to winning form for handy sprinter Irish Encore at Rotorua on Saturday.

After winning her first three races as a debutant around this time two years ago, the now six-year-old mare had disappointed in her last campaign which had co-owner Sir Patrick Hogan contemplating retirement to the broodmare paddock for the well-bred daughter of Darci Brahma.

Irish Encore photo: Trish Dunell

“Sir Patrick had suggested he was considering retiring her but we managed to convince him to give her another chance so I’m glad we could deliver for him,” said co-trainer Andrew Scott who prepares the mare in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan at their Matamata base.

“She had shown so much promise earlier in her career but she didn’t get the breaks in her last campaign with some bad luck in good fields so we thought there were still some wins in her if we could get her right.

“We had been sending her forward in her races but this time we asked Jack to ride her quietly and come with one run at them.

“He did a super job as he got her in from a wide draw and had her nice and relaxed and she showed an electric turn of foot to put them away fairly comfortably in the end.”

It was the mare’s second win from three starts on the track and the fourth of her career with Scott looking forward to further success while the local tracks maintain some moisture in them.

“She does like it when there is some cut in the ground so hopefully we can have similar tracks for a few weeks more before the true summer going arrives,” noted Scott.

“The aim will definitely be to get some black-type with her so that’s where we will be looking in the immediate future and once the tracks do get too hard we will just tick her over until the autumn when they start to ease again.”

NZ Racing Desk

Don’t be surprised if Miss Mossman gives a sight on her home turf this weekend.

The Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks winner has come through her respectable first-up run at Hastings in good order and will continue her cups’ preparation with an outing in Saturday’s Listed Team Wealleans Matamata Cup over 1600m.

'Miss Mossman' Photo: Trish Dunell

“She’s pleased us in her work and, while she’s still well and truly on the way up, we still expect her to put in a cheeky run as long as the track’s okay for her,” said co-trainer Andrew Scott, who prepares the mare with Lance O’Sullivan.

“We’ll take advantage of a run on her home track and it’s a natural progression in distance.”

Formerly trained by John Sargent and Hayden Allen, Miss Mossman had her first outing for Wexford Stables on the middle day of the Hawke’s Bay carnival and did well to run sixth over 1400 metres.

“We were pleased with her at Hastings where she put in a solid performance,” Scott said.

“Obviously, she’s still at the improving stage and we’ll work her up in distance.”

A winner at two, Miss Mossman beat the older horses over a mile at Rotorua earlier this year before she finished a solid fifth in the Gr.2 Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic in her first appearance over ground.

She subsequently ran second to Miss Selby in the Gr.3 Lowland Stakes before she turned the tables on the Hastings filly in the one that mattered – the Oaks at Trentham.

A wet autumn in Sydney resulted in unplaced Group One efforts in the Storm Queen Stakes and the ATC Oaks and her new trainers are optimistic for a lucrative spring and summer with Miss Mossman.

“We’ll be looking at the cup races with her,” Scott said. – NZ Racing Desk.

Wexford Stables is back where it belongs.

The O'Sullivan family training establishment was bathing in Group I glory again on Saturday.

More than 70 Group I winners have come from the Matamata base but Pure Champion's triumph in the Windsor Park Plate at Hastings was the first for more than three years.

There had been just one other black type win for the stable since Miss Raggedy Ann paid $87 when winning the Group I Railway Handicap in January 2011.

Miss Raggedy Ann was trained by Andrew Scott who also produced My Keepsake to win the 2010 Queensland Oaks.

Scott had begun his career at Wexford in partnership with Lance O'Sullivan and then had five seasons on his own before Lance revived the partnership at the start of last season.

''We had been short on numbers and good horses,'' O'Sullivan said yesterday.

''The numbers had dropped into the twenties and we have had to rebuild the team, in part by going out and buying yearlings ourselves. But we are up to 45 now, which is probably a good number for us, but we can take more.

''I don't think we even had a runner in a Group I race last season. The hardest part has been just to find a good horse and it had been a long time between drinks.''

Pure Champion was the first leg of a double act at Hastings, with stablemate Whosyourmaster taking the $40,000 open sprint one race later.

O'Sullivan's only other runner on Saturday was New Zealand Oaks winner Miss Mossman, who finished a creditable sixth in the rating 85 1400m at her debut for the stable.

''It was a really exciting day,'' O'Sullivan said. ''It was great for the stable and all the staff.''

It was also a memorable day for the extended O'Sullivan family as Pure Champion is raced by Lance and his wife, Bridgette, in partnership with Lance's parents, Dave and Marie.

Dave O'Sullivan, the founder of Wexford Stables and the winner of 12 training premierships, has now won Group I races as a jockey, trainer, breeder and owner.

''Mum and Dad have two stables to follow, with Paul in Hong Kong, and they get a thrill if we win any race, let alone a Group I,'' Lance said.

Pure Champion was sourced by Paul O'Sullivan, after the horse had done his time in Hong Kong and was ''pretty much'' a gift horse.

He is an eight-year-old entire and not an easy horse to work but his two runs in New Zealand have produced a win and a third in two of the most competitive Group I races on the calendar.

He did not finish closer than ninth in his last seven starts in Hong Kong and had not won a race since February 2013, when he won a Group III 1800m, though he finished second in the Group I Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) at his next start.

He is now a $9 third favourite for the $250,000 Livamol Classic (2040m) on October 4, which completes the Hawke's Bay triple crown.

''His record suggests he's best at 1800m but he obviously performs well at 2000m,'' O'Sullivan said.

''There was quite a bit of improvement between his first and second runs and there should be some natural improvement for his next run.

''But Puccini will be hard to beat. I thought he was very impressive at Awapuni and Soriano      

The TAB bookmakers share O'Sullivan's views and have Puccini as a $3 favourite, with Soriano at $6.

Nashville, who raced keenly before wilting to sixth on Saturday, shared the third line with Pure Champion, while Sangster was at $10 and Shuka at $12.

O'Sullivan, the best jockey of his time, was well served by his riders on Saturday, with Craig Grylls giving Pure Champion an ideal run and Whosyourmaster skilfully handled by Hayden Tinsley.

''Hayden's ride was as good as you would ever see,'' O'Sullivan said. ''He's a class rider. If he could ride at 54kg there's no-one else you would want on your team.''

O'Marilyn is a $4 favourite for the Group I One Thousand Guineas (1600m) after a stunning return in the Group III Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings.

The O'Reilly filly was tardy early and then held up for a run in the straight, but dashed clear when a gap opened on the inner.

She is likely to head to Riccarton via the Sarten Stakes at Te Rapa at Labour Weekend.

- The Dominion Post

A family finish to the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate at Hastings on Saturday saw the once retired Pure Champion deny the favourite I Do another leg of the Triple Crown series.

A Group Three winner in his native Ireland and in Hong Kong, the winner is co-trained by part-owner Lance O’Sullivan, who races the entire with his wife Bridgette and his parents Dave and Marie, while I Do is part-owned by his brother-in-law Mark Chittick.

Pure Champion photo: Trish Dunell

“It’s a fantastic thrill for all the staff at Wexford Stables, Andrew (Scott, O’Sullivan’s training partner) and the family,” O’Sullivan said.

“He was retired when we got him and Andrew has pretty much done everything with him so all credit to him.”

Pure Champion won the Gr.3 Solonaway Stakes at The Curragh in his eighth and final appearance in Ireland before he was sent to Hong Kong where he was successful in the Gr.3 January Cup at Sha Tin and the Gr.3 Centenary Vase. He was also runner-up in the Gr.1 Hong Kong Gold Cup.

His form subsequently tapered off and the eight-year-old found his way to Matamata.

"A jockey up in Hong Kong said to my brother, Paul (who trains in Hong Kong), that he had heard he had a brother training in New Zealand and suggested Pure Champion might have a future down here and that's pretty much how we came by him,” O’Sullivan said.

A strong third in the Gr.1 Makfi Challenge Stakes behind I Do, Pure Champion enjoyed a good run behind the pace on Saturday and he let down strongly in the straight to account for I Do, who covered ground from a wide gate. Soriano came home strongly to cut Sacred Star out of third.

“It was a wonderful ride by Craig (Grylls) and we wanted him to hold his ground coming into the first corner with the speed coming from the outside and that’s exactly what happened,” O’Sullivan said.

“He’s a very happy animal and hopefully he’ll get a job at stud somewhere in time.”

But not before he returns to Hastings on October 4 for the Gr.1 Livamol Spring Classic. – NZ Racing Desk.

The outstanding beginning made by Mastercraftsman to his stud career advanced to a new level at the weekend with two 3YO members from his first crop, Kingston Hill and The Grey Gatsby, delivering an exceptional Group One-race double for their champion sire.

Mastercraftsman was crowned Europe's Champion First Season Sire last year and following the victories of Kingston Hill in the time honoured Gr.1 English St Leger and The Grey Gatsby in the Gr.1 Irish Champion Stakes, Mastercraftsman now leads Sea The Stars and Le Havre on Europe's Leading Second Crop Sire's table.   

Against all European sires of three year olds in the year to date, Mastercraftsman is second only to the great Galileo in terms of prizemoney won while on Europe's General Sires table only Invincible Spirit and Shamardal separate Mastercraftsman from Galileo, with those three great sires all having considerably more runners to represent them.

Kingston Hill (Mastercraftsman) the 9-4 favourite for the St Leger, the final classic of the English flat racing season, came from deep in the pack to beat second-place Romsdal (Halling) and in doing so franked the form of the English Derby where he finished second to Australia (Galileo) with Romsdal in third position. Kingston Hill's victory has paved the way for a possible tilt at the Gr. 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris next month.

Just hours later in a classic clash at the Curragh, Mastercraftsman's French Derby winning son The Grey Gatsby downed English and Irish Derby winner Australia (Galileo) in the Gr.1 Irish Champion Stakes, coming with a sustained run from the rear of the field under champion jockey Ryan Moore to defeat his great rival by a neck.

Mastercraftsman is also represented by a number of promising first-crop Australasian 3YO's including Stratocaster, an impressive first-up winner at Hastings a fortnight ago and currently equal second favourite for the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton in November.

Champion European two-year-old and classic winning 3YO Mastercraftsman, who shuttled to Windsor Park Stud, Cambridge in 2010 through to 2013 from Coolmore, Ireland will be represented by his third crop of yearlings at next year's 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock yearling sales at Karaka.

Tiger Moss ran away to a convincing win in the Veterinary Associates Equine & Farm 1200 at Pukekohe today – a performance that came as a bit of a surprise to everyone, including her connections.

When asked if he was confident in his mare’s ability to get through today’s deep and testing track, co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan’s reply was straight to the point. “No.”

“No, we thought the Heavy11 track would tire her out,” he added.

But Tiger Moss, ridden by apprentice Jack Wong, went for gold at the home turn and opened a big break on the field. She was able to keep kicking strongly and repel her challengers all the way down the long Pukekohe home straight.

Tiger Moss crossed the line with a length and a half up her sleeve, with Ramarro in second and Oui third. The time for the 1200 metres was 1:17 flat.

“We’ve been aiming her at this race for a while,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s the right distance, a low weight on her back with Jack Wong’s allowance, and it’s a nice prize on a Saturday.”

Tiger Moss, a five-year-old mare by Mossman, has now won four of her 11 career starts, with earnings in excess of $30,000 for a group of owners that includes Sir Colin and Lady Meads.

Connections have no specific plans in mind for the impressive winner.

“She’ll just go through the grades,” O’Sullivan said.

Young stallion Battle Paint has made a promising start to his stud career, with a plethora of trial winners and two black-type performers to date from his first crop, which recently turned three.

Runner up in the Gr.1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (1400m), Battle Paint is a son of Tale Of The Cat and was retired to the Campin family's Chequers Stud in 2010.

Battle Paint

“We’re very proud of him," said Chequers Stud's Mark-Fraser Campin. "He’s had 13 runners at the trials for 11 winners. He had two trialers at Te Teko (on Tuesday) for a first and second."

Leading the way for Battle Paint has been Singapore-based juvenile Affleck, who won the Sgp-3 Juvenile Championship (1200m) for trainer Laurie Laxon last month, while the Anne Herbert prepared Jet Trac (NZ) finished third in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie in April.

“Everyone knows about Affleck whose gone to Singapore. We won two trials with him here at Cambridge and Te Aroha and he’s gone up there and won three from four and will get champion two-year-old up in Singapore," Fraser-Campin said.

“It's good to be going into mid-august and having a stallion that’s hot like him.

“Normally at this time of year we struggle a little with bookings, and this year we’ve picked up quite well particularly in the last 10 days.”

Battle Paint is proving a good money-spinner for breeders, standing for a very reasonable $4,000+GST.

“They’re being sold pretty quickly, so it’s good for the people that have put money in and getting good returns," Fraser-Campin said.

“Unfortunately you won’t see many of them racing in New Zealand. Two fillies that trialed last month have both been sold to Singapore. A lot of them are going up there but while they want them, we’ll sell them.” - NZ Racing Desk

Racing industry participants are being given a unique opportunity to help severely injured jockey Thomas Russell.


Russell remains in intensive care in Christchurch Hospital with no feeling below his neck after a trackwork fall at Bulls last month.

Thomas Russell photo: Race Images PN

Doctors have inserted a device in his chest to help it inflate properly with the assistance of a ventilator, which is why he has not yet been moved to Burwood Spinal Unit.

Those close to Russell are working with New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing to make it easier for racing industry participants to donate to helping Russell with his future.


“We want to give them the opportunity to donate even a small part of any raceday earnings or winnings,” friend and jockey Darryl Bradley said.

“This way a jockey or trainer can donate a percentage of any money won by a certain horse or horses they are associated with. And we are hoping some owners will want to do the same with their horses over the next month.
 

“It is great NZTR are helping out through their website because that makes the whole process easier.”
 

NZTR GM Finance and IT Campbell Moncur said NZTR will have an Authority to Deduct form available on the NZTR website (www.nzracing.co.nz) on Friday to facilitate donations. The form can be downloaded at the bottom of this article. 

All that needs to happen is the designated racing manager of a horse to complete the form and send it to NZTR and the agreed prize money deduction will be taken care of.

“We are proud to be able to offer some help with the logistics because obviously people in the industry are aware of Thomas’s situation,” Moncur said.

The TAB is also helping Russell with 10 per cent of all bets placed in the Jockeys’ Challenge for the month of August being donated to him.
 - Michael Guerin