Hooked on winning

23 March 2015

WS graduate Blue Swede continued his march through the grades in Singapore last night. The O’Reilly four-year-old was successful for the fifth time in 11 appearances when he won over 1600 metres.

Originally sold by the farm as a yearling in 2012 at Karaka for $100,000, he was later purchased by Shane Baertshiger for $150,000 at the Ready to Run Sale. Such has been Blue Swede’s progress that his trainer bought the full-brother for $100,000 during the 2014 Premier session.

They are out of the unraced Zabeel mare Hooked Ona Feeling, who is a daughter of the dual Australian Group Two winner Ugachaka. The pedigree also features the former Singapore Horse of the Year Bocelli.

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.