Great racing at Ellerslie yesterday, although I didn't predict those results.

Did NOT play at all last night and boy am I glad cause I would have had everything wrong (reverse redboarding is acceptable, right? :D).

Now how on earth did Xiong Feng look like he was having a grand old time while the rest of them looked all out?

Was considering going with The Soultaker who I continue to like but then figured nah... it's all about Manolo Blahniq and What Choux Want.

Godspeed, Dillinger (at Motukarara wherever that is)... time for that 6th win, good boy! :{>: (Should I know the name Gosen Jogoo cause I don't!).

Speaking of names thanks for the info on Xiong Feng!

Wasn't Xiong Feng amazing? He's undefeated, but I never gave him a thought. I was very, very wrong.

The 3yo Mile was unexpected too, and it has just made me even more confused about the Derby. I might have to give up on Scrutinize after that. Maybe Tavago? That was a good effort.

Yeah that sure was!

Xiong Feng was an easy toss for me. Ugh. He was wonderful!

The Karaka sale has been great so far, and I can't wait for the Frankel colt later today.

Meanwhile, I just can't wait to watch this...:D

He sure had a nice last couple of races, didn't he?!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/racing/...for-white-robe

In Style... loved it! :)

Amazing win for In Style. She deserved that so much, and so did her trainer. Thrilled for them.

YAY!!!!!! That was amazing!!!!!

Hooray for Mary Quant and Duchess Kate too.

Oh and Antonio Lombardo was frigging scintillating! That was some run!!! :) :tro:

Aaagh how much longer till they post the Turn Me Loose /VSB barrier trial??!!

Thrilled seeing the Mongolian Khan headline!

Are you going today?

If you do please blow a kiss to TJL when he wins. :)

Not sure if I'll make it there today. Wednesday and Thursday are really busy days where we finish off and publish our weekly newspaper. I'll see what time we finish. :)

What I was gonna say was blow a kiss to Our Pink Diamond who will not hit the board and to TJL who will win.

Aaah well... :D

That was an awfully nice run from Bhiwani!

It was!

And, wow, what a win by Provocative. Likely to take on the boys in the Derby. :)

Wow she was impressive!

So many nice fields this weekend, impossible to talk about all of them but for now do you think Tavago wins?

Can't wait, think he will be monstrous but then I am also secretly :D hoping for a nice showing by Ali Baba (not holding my breath, just sayin...). :)

Honestly, I don't know!

Tavago has been the most impressive so far, but I'm not 100% convinced yet. At this time last year, both Mongolian Khan and VSB had delivered jaw-dropping performances and we knew they were both the real deal. I haven't had that yet with this group, but hopefully today will be the day.

Tavago is probably the most likely to do it, but maybe a late-developer will come from nowhere and suddenly rise to the top - someone like Humidor?

EDIT: Not Humidor - scratched because of a slight injury.

I am pretty sure that when last I checked (before you edited your post) you had mentioned both Rangipo and Raghu so well done, hope you had it... have not yet watched ANY replays but am especially looking forward to this one AND to The Diamond One winning for the 3rd year (outstanding and yay Tommy Tucker and Illuminati)!!!

Oh and GOOD LUCK TO HABIBI at Gulfstream!!!!!

Weird Guineas. Both Rangipo and Raghu are terrific horses, but they don't feel like Derby winners to me. I don't know if they want to run that far. I'm even more confused now than I was before!

Great races down at Wingatui - The Diamond One was sensational, as were Kaharau, Miss Seton Sands and Son of Maher.

Ed is the Herbie Dyke Stakes this coming weekend? Just wondering cause of the swansong of Ms. Soriano which will be bittersweet.

Watched ALL the replays and agree one hundred percent.

The Diamond One was my favorite one. :)

Yep! Herbie Dyke Stakes (Soriano plus Kawi, Stolen Dance and Vavasour), NRM Sprint (Sacred Star, In Style, Allez Eagle, Ryan Mark, Xtravagant) and Sir Tristram Fillies' Classic (Capella). It should be a great day.

AAAHHHH I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Whew, good to see a few extra horses join the Herbie Dyke Stakes field. There were only four noms!

It's a hot day here at Te Rapa today! Should be some great racing.

What a good girl Mime is. That was a tough trip, but she just kept giving.

VALLEY GIRL!

Just amazing.

Oh, Xtravagant. I'm speechless.

WOW! I am finally catching up and FINALLY watched this... I LOVE HER. Kawi looked spectacular as usual and oh Soriano.... I am so sad to have watched her final race (but happy at the same time) but oh wow I am a fan of this filly. Wonderful win! Will continue catching up later but in the meantime I am dreading looking at the angels thread. Any time I see your name there I just feel like the wind has been knocked out of me. Guess I'll go look.

I think my favourite part of the Valley Girl story is that she went to auction as a yearling and didn't get a single bid! So her breeders kept her, and this was their biggest win. :)

I'm still very confused about the Derby, and it's only two weeks away now!

Valley Girl would have to be my number one at the moment. We'll see if the Avondale Guineas changes my mind. :)

Oh my God is it really? I can no longer keep track! That's insane.

Brilliant!

Loved your Ali Baba piece and desperately hope he wins. Nice field for Farm Boy and Pondarosa Miss tonight (Jimmy Mac too.. can't forget him!). :)

... and of course good luck to Tomorrowland :{>:, Storming the Tower and to Barbaric as well.

Love the Valley Girl story as well... the stuff of dreams.

Rangipo wins again in the Guineas. He's such a good horse.

But I still doubt he'll run the 2400 metres of the Derby, so I'm more confused than ever.

I guess it's that time again...

RANGIPO

gelding, Styker-Holloway

Trainer: Tony Pike (no Derby wins)
Jockey: Vinnie Colgan (Roysyn 1995, Zonda 1997, Hades 1999, Redoute's Dancer 2007, Habibi 2013 - all-time record)

11 starts
6 wins
0 seconds
1 third

NZ$234,570

1st Great Northern Guineas
1st Waikato Guineas
1st Avondale Guineas
3rd Levin Classic
4th Wellington Stakes

This horse keeps exceeding expectations! He's by a sprinting sire and it looked like a mile would be too far for him, but he's getting better and better with every race. He loves a tight battle down the stretch and never surrenders.

With three G2 wins leading into the Derby, his form is pretty similar to Jimmy Choux, Silent Achiever, Puccini and Mongolian Khan. All of those were very hot favourites for the Derby, and all of them won. So you'd think his odds are too high at 5-1!

But there's still that doubt about stamina. He's proven us wrong a few times already, but 2400 metres is a long way. Can he do it?

Odds: 5

GET THAT JIVE

gelding, Street Sense-Cobbley

Trainers: Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman (Mongolian Khan 2015)
Jockey: Opie Bosson (Mongolian Khan 2015)

6 starts
1 win
3 seconds
2 thirds

NZ$57,250

2nd Great Northern Guineas
2nd Foal Stakes
3rd Waikato Guineas
3rd Avondale Guineas

He hasn't won a race since his debut, be's never finished further back than third, which makes him one of the most consistent horses in this group.

He's got the same owner-jockey combination as last year's winner Mongolian Khan (plus the same owners as Turn Me Loose!), and I love how strong he's been looking towards the end of his races. I think he'll get the distance.

Odds: 6

Oh thank you!!! I just assumed you wouldn't have time for it this year and am very grateful and excited to see the rest!

This is pretty much the only racing I have followed lately and it always takes me a little bit to catch up so hooray... very excited to see the others and THANK YOU!!!!!

No worries! I enjoy it too. :)

VALLEY GIRL

filly, Mastercraftsman-Leigh Valley

Trainers: Donna Logan (Habibi 2013) & Chris Gibbs
Jockey: Danielle Johnson (no Derby wins)

6 starts
3 wins
0 seconds
1 third

NZ$236,125

1st Herbie Dyke Stakes (G1 against older horses)
3rd Eight Carat Classic
4th Trevor Eagle Memorial
5th Royal Stakes

My opinion is that this filly's win in the Herbie Dyke was the best performance all season by any of the horses in this Derby field. She was amazing that day.

Her trainers have reported that she's made excellent progress since that win, and they would know - in the last three years the Logan team has gone to the Derby with Habibi (1st 2013), Rising Romance (2nd 2014) and Volkstok'n'barrell (2nd 2015).

We know this horse has the talent, and I believe she has the stamina as well. In an even group, Valley Girl is my top choice for this year's Derby. :)

Odds: 8

BRIGHTON

colt, Buffalo Man-Gore Bay

Trainer: Nigel Tiley (Ring The Bell 1980 as jockey, Look Who's Talking 1994 as trainer)
Jockey: Lee Tiley

11 starts
2 wins
1 second
2 thirds

NZ$93,900

1st Champagne Stakes
2nd Avondale Guineas
3rd John Grigg Stakes
4th New Zealand 2000 Guineas
5th Foal Stakes
6th Karaka Mile
7th Bonecrusher Stakes
8th Great Northern Guineas
11th Wanganui Guineas

I'm not sure what to think about this horse. He's run quite a few bad or disappointing races, but some of his performances have been sensational. Did you see his finish in the Avondale Guineas?! I think the distance will be fine for him, and if he can repeat that Avondale Guineas run, he could be a great chance in this race.

Odds: 8

PROVOCATIVE

filly, Zabeel-Betwixt

Trainer: Tony Pike (no Derby wins)
Jockey: Leith Innes (Wahid 2006)

4 starts
2 wins
0 seconds
0 thirds

NZ$18,275

6th Avondale Guineas

Her win at Ellerslie two starts ago was unbelievable. Front-runners were winning that day, but she came from the back and blew them away.

I thought she would be hard to beat in the Avondale Guineas, but she got a long way back and had too much work to do in the stretch. But she was finishing well, and she is definitely one of the leading chances in this race.

Zabeel has sired three Derby winners - Zonda (1997), Hades (1999) and St Reims (2002). This is the first Derby since the legendary sire died in September 2015.

Excellent racing so far today, particularly at Matamata. Aotearower was amazing! She deserved that after all her unlucky races recently.

Congrats to Matt Cameron for his 1000 wins. VERY nice performance from Heroic Valour.