Gold Trail test for Babe

12 September 2016

A decision on Babe’s major three-year-old targets will be made after she runs at Hastings this Saturday. The WS-bred and owned daughter of the late O’Reilly will face a significant step up in class when she tackles the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes.

The highly-regarded filly hasn’t raced since she made a successful debut at Te Rapa last month. “I’m very happy with her, she’s done really well,” trainer Graham Richardson said.

“The Gold Trail is going to be a very hot field – it will give us a really good guide on her. I’ll have a good chat with Mark (Chittick) afterwards to decide which direction we take with her.”

Babe, who will be ridden by the Sydney-based Jason Collett at Hastings, is nominated for the Gr 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas. She is the first foal of the French Deputy mare La Belle Femme, who is from a strong North American black type family.

The Corner with Garry Chittick

It would appear I now have to continue my weekly Corner with the amount of rumblings at the start of our new racing season. I have been around long enough to know we can never please all; my tenure as Chairman of the Racing Board was subjected to as much vitriol as subsequent Boards have had to bear, so what’s different this time, or is it different.

5 August 2026

First foal for Waikato’s Group 1 winner Skew Wiff

Group 1-winning Savabeel mare Skew Wiff (ex Starvoia), known affectionately as ‘Wiffy’, foaled a filly by Super Seth in the early hours of Wednesday, 5 August.