Spellbinder Back On Track
Group One performer Spellbinder will gallop between races one and two at Avondale on Friday.
The Jason Bridgman-trained mare is on target to resume in the Gr.3 Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa on August 16 and, all going well, she will then go to Hastings for the Gr.1 Makfi Challenge Stakes a fortnight later.
Spellbinder was a runaway debut winner and next time out she turned the Listed Soliloquy Stakes into a procession with a six and a-half length victory.
Runner-up in the Gr.3 Sarten Memorial, she then finished third to stablemate and subsequent NZB Filly of the Year Costa Viva in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
Following a break, Spellbinder came back to win over 1200 metres in January, won the Listed Karaka 3YO Mile on Karaka Million night and finished runner-up in the Gr.2 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic.
Breslin Stable In Form
Awapuni trainer Mike Breslin will be hoping a win at Waverley is a forerunner to further and more important success at the weekend.
Breslin produced Heni for a maiden victory on Thursday at just her third appearance from his stable.
“She got bogged down at Wanganui on a heavy track and then did a little bit wrong at Hawke’s Bay and she raced more professionally today,” he said.
Heni’s well-performed stablemate Mighty Matt is currently rated a $12 chance for Saturday’s Gr.3 Estaronline Winter Cup.
He has been in good form this preparation with an open class defeat of Authentic Paddy at Awapuni and last time out he finished strongly to run fourth in the Listed Opunake Cup.
Zabeel’s Champion Reign Continues
Super stallion Zabeel has again been crowned the champion broodmare sire of Australia and New Zealand as well.
It is the third season in a row the now retired Cambridge Stud star has dominated both the premierships.
In Australia he was the dam sire of 206 individual winners, including 18 individual black type winners while Group One winners Atlantic Jewel, Its A Dundeel, Go Indy Go and Silent Achiever are all out of Zabeel mares.
In New Zealand, he was the dam sire of 69 individual winners, including six individual black type winners and Group One winners out of Zabeel’s daughters were O'Marilyn and Silent Achiever.
