All the latest news from New Zealand.
Copy Watch Has Treble In Sights
Copy Watch will be given the chance to complete the Ruakaka treble of winter two-year-old races on Saturday.
The Donna and Dean Logan-trained Time Thief gelding has won both his starts and looks well placed in an entry of otherwise maiden gallopers in the 1200m set-weights and penalties event.
Listed Champagne Stakes runner-up Asprey looks one of the main dangers along with Savannah Somoya and Stratocaster, who both chased Copy Watch home last start, and impressive triallist Snaptoit.
Entries were left open for all races at Ruakaka, with just five nominations made for the 1400m open handicap.
Maastricht Scores On Debut
NZ-bred filly Maastricht was the impressive winner of the two-year-old Maiden (1209m) at Echuca on Monday.
The Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes-trained daughter of Mastercraftsman, who shuttled to Windsor Park Stud for four seasons produced a determined effort to defeat Parwan Prince by half a length on the line.
Bred by Shelley Frost and Raewyn Ramage of Braided River Thoroughbreds, Maastricht is a half-sister to Gr.1 Goodwood Handicap winner Velocitea. She was purchased by Alan Bell for $220,000 from Curraghmore’s 2013 Premier Yearling Sale draft.
Maastricht represents Mastercraftsman’s sixth southern hemisphere winner, second in Australia. He is the sire of 50 winners in the Northern Hemisphere, where his eldest progeny are now three-years-old, including Group One winners The Grey Gatsby and Kingston Hill and he was the leading first season sire in Great Britain last year.
