NZ Racing News

New Zealand-based syndicators Go Racing realised a dream on Tuesday when Soul of Spain secured his place in Saturday’s A$6.545 million Gr.1 Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (2400m).

It will be the first time their silks are carried in the prestigious staying race, further validating their global strategy of racehorse ownership.

“It’s very exciting times for us and our owners,” Go Racing’s Matt Allnutt said. “To have a runner in the Caulfield Cup is an absolute dream and it proves that our plan works.

“We have been buying horses in the UK and Europe to race there as young horses under the care of Joseph O’Brien before transferring them down to Chris Waller to target the lucrative prizemoney on offer in Australia.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity for our clients to experience the best of both hemispheres as racehorse owners.

“We’ve had plenty of success doing this already with Alward, Etna Rosso and Skyman to name a few, but having a runner in the Caulfield Cup is probably the pinnacle so far.

“Not only is it an extremely hard race to win, but it’s also tough to get a horse into the field and it will certainly be a very proud moment seeing the Go Racing colours in the Caulfield Cup on Saturday”.

Go Racing purchased Soul of Spain in partnership with Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman for €160,000 at the 2023 Arqana Breeze Up Sale in France.

From eight starts in Ireland, he placed on five occasions and won over 3299m at Thurles in October 2024.

Since joining Waller, he has put together a handy record, he won four races in a row last year culminating with the Gr.3 Newcastle gold Cup (2300m) and his total number of placings is now 11, from 25 starts and he has earned over A$1 million for connections.

Now six-years-old, Soul Of Spain comes into Saturday’s Group One feature having finished third in the Gr.3 Super Dry Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) two starts ago, and seventh in the Gr.2 Asahi Super Dry Metropolitan (2400m) last start. 

The son of Phoenix Of Spain has drawn barrier 13 of 15 for Saturday’s main event, and he will be ridden by Tyler Schiller.

“He’s a solid each-way chance,” Allnutt said. “It’s a competitive race every year and sometimes it just comes down to the horse that’s in great condition, gets a nice economical run and is presented at the right time.

“The blinkers go on, Chris and his team have been happy with his recent work and if there is solid speed in the race and if the breaks go his way, he is capable of fighting out the finish.

“Caulfield can be a bit of a tricky track, but he worked nicely there earlier in the week, handled the corners well and his recovery was good.”

Soul of Spain is raced by a group of New Zealand and Australian-based owners, who will be out in force at Caulfield on Saturday.

“Hospitality has been organised for them, I know they will have a terrific day regardless of the result and Go Racing’s representative Richard Lloyd will ensure they are well looked after.

“It’s a bucket list event for a lot of owners involved with Soul Of Spain and after a slightly nervous wait to see if he would make the field or not, the excitement is really starting to build now. 

“He is at long odds and will need luck from the draw, however Chris Waller is an absolute master trainer, and Tyler Schiller is in good form having ridden three winners at Rosehill last Saturday.”

 Soul Of Spain is also one of three runners that Go Racing have nominated for this year’s Gr.1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m), alongside international raider Omni Man and Kiwi mare Manzor Blue.

International syndicators Go Racing are enjoying a fruitful period, with a flurry of wins in their home nation of New Zealand and more success on the international stage, and they are only just getting started.

“Overall, the team are going really well,” said Go Racing’s Matt Allnutt. “We have some of the best trainers in the world and they’re doing a terrific job with our racing team, and long may it continue.”

Go Racing utilise a diverse global network of trainers that includes Chris Waller, John O’Shea, Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Annabel and Rob Archibald, and Charlotte Littlefield in Australia, Stephen Marsh, Andrew Forsman, Lisa Latta, Kylie Hoskin and Andrew Carston in New Zealand, Joseph O’Brien in Ireland and Francis-Henri Graffard in France.

Only one-and-a-half months into the Australasian racing seasons, the Go Racing team are excited about what is still to come this season, with a talented line-up of horses showing good form heading towards major spring targets.

“Our hopes are high,” said Allnutt. “We’ve got horses nominated for feature races here in New Zealand and races like the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in Australia.”

Their horses Manzor Blue (Latta), Omni Man (O’Brien) and Soul Of Spain (Waller) hold nominations for both the A$6 million Gr.1 Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the A$10 million Gr.1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m), while Tajanis (Littlefield) is also nominated for the latter.

Manzor Blue and Tajanis also hold nominations for the $450,000 Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m), and they’re joined by the in-form Kylie Hoskin-trained mare With Grace.

The six-year-old daughter of Ocean Park has won her last three races in a row at Te Rapa, the most recent of which she won with ease by four-lengths on Sunday.

“With Grace has really found form since stepping up in distance,” said Allnutt.

“She was very impressive again at Te Rapa on Sunday. It was only a small field, and you can only beat what’s in front of you, but she just never left second gear.

“George Rooke (her jockey) is confident that she will get two miles, and she’s come into a $14 chance for the New Zealand Cup.”

Go Racing will have a strong hand to play during New Zealand Cup Week at Riccarton, with a stellar crop of three-year-olds also Guineas-bound.

“Our class of 2025 is one of our strongest yet,” Allnutt said. “We purchased some lovely yearling fillies last year and we’re really excited to see what they can do this season.”

Stephen Marsh-trained fillies Miss Janet, So Fear, Rose Aye Reign, Royal Asset and Acclivitous are among the nominations for the $600,000 Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) alongside Vodka and Caviar (Hoskin) and Vaultique (Carston). So Fear, Acclivitous and Vodka and Caviar are also nominated for the $700,000 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m).

Royal Asset and Rose Aye Reign followed pleasing trials with promise-filled placings at Taupō on Friday, confirming their Group One aspirations for the spring.

“Rose Aye Reign resumed with a good, solid second,” said Allnutt. “She showed huge improvement mentally and physically from her two-year-old campaign.

“We gave her a decent break and she’s come back nice and settled. She took the inside gap in the straight on Friday, which she possibly would have hesitated to do last preparation.

“Royal Asset was having her first start and she ran a really nice race. She didn’t get all the luck in the running but got home well late, recording the fastest 200m, and she was only a half-length from the winner. She looks to be a very promising filly.”

So Fear, who resumed at Whanganui last month, finishing eighth in the Listed HS Dyke Whanganui Guineas (1200m) on a Heavy10 surface, will run in the Hello Youmzain – Champion 2nd Season Sire 1400 at Ellerslie on Saturday.

“She just didn’t handle the heavy track at Whanganui,” said Allnutt. “She will be much better suited to racing at Ellerslie. She’s raced there before, when she finished third in the Star Way Stakes, and I think we can expect to see good improvement from her on Saturday.”

She’s joined by stablemate Acclivitous at Ellerslie on Saturday. The half-sister to fellow Go Racing horses Velocious and Alacritous makes her debut in the Myracehorse 1200.

“She’s shown us plenty at the trials,” Allnutt said. “We’ve had to be patient with her, but our patient approach looks to be paying off.

“She’s up against a competitive field over 1200m, so she will learn a lot from it, but we hold her in high regard, and we do think she can factor in the race.”

The Andrew Carston-trained Vaultique is another set to make her debut at Phar Lap Raceway in Timaru on Wednesday.

“She finished second to Sweetest Thing in a trial at Ashburton recently, and she went on to win the Canterbury Belle Stakes at Riccarton on Saturday, so the trial form around her is good.”

Allnutt said the 2026-27 racing season was off to a terrific start for Go Racing, who have eight wins on the board since August 1.

Three of those wins have come from the Stephen Marsh-trained four-year-old Confectionist.

“She’s really picked up in confidence, winning three of her last four starts,” said Allnutt.

“Those wins have all been on the synthetic track, but she’s racing with a lot of confidence at the moment, and she’s run good, competitive races on the turf previously, so there’s no reason she can’t transfer that form back to the turf.”

They’ve also had two new winners in the northern hemisphere, both trained by Joseph O’Brien.

Benjamin Hornigold won the United Kingdom’s richest maiden race, the £100,000 British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes (7f), at the York Ebor Festival, and Leadlight broke his maiden at Galway last week.

“Benjamin Hornigold is a very exciting horse up there and Leadlight was a good winner last week,” said Allnutt.

“He looked like he was beaten at the 200m mark, but he really dug deep over the last 100 to 200m and got up on the line to beat a $1.50 favourite. He’s a progressive type who will take a lot of confidence from that win.