Shaun Phelan won’t enjoy watching his fellow jumps jockeys compete in two of the country’s feature jumps races at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Evergreen galloper Sampson will kick-off his 11-year-old season at Hawera on Saturday and trainer Howie Mathews said his pride and joy is training like a horse half his age.

Matamata trainer Jamie Richards is comfortable with star mare Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) carrying the favourite tag into Saturday’s Gr.2 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.

Danny O’Brien is hoping a rain-affected surface can trigger a return to form for VRC Oaks winner Miami Bound (NZ) (Reliable Man) when she starts her spring campaign at Flemington.

Former Kiwi three-year-old Wertheimer (NZ) (Tavistock) didn’t take long to make his presence felt across the Tasman.

South Auckland trainer Nicholas Bishara had every confidence that his former stable star Verry Elleegant would get better with time and he believes her five-year-old season will be her best yet.

Golden Sixty was crowned Four-Year-Old Champion at the Hong Kong Horse of the Year Awards on Thursday.

New Zealand-bred gelding Lucky Missile (NZ) (Rock ‘n’ Pop) scored his first Hong Kong win when successful in the Class 4 Tsoi Tak Handicap (1650m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

Hunting down his ninth premiership, expat Kiwi trainer Mark Walker bagged five wins on Sunday at Kranji Racecourse.

Choosing Siam Blue Vanda (NZ) (Echoes of Heaven) over Top Knight (Zoustar) might have been a tough decision to make for any jockey, but to Louis-Philippe Beuzelin, it was never really a toss-up.

Chi Chai Sin Sang (NZ) (Per Incanto) brought up his second career win in Macau on Saturday.

Overport Lodge trainer Mark Jones was saddened by the passing of former Balcairn trainer Maurice Bailey at Burwood Hospital, Christchurch, recently.

It’s the annual Tokoroa GRC hosted TAB meeting at the Cambridge Raceway on Sunday afternoon with the $7,000 South Waikato Cup (race 10) over 457m being the feature event.