Friday Flash – 16th October 2026

Published 16 October 2026

GENEVA QUEEN makes it back to back wins – Taupo 9th October 2026- Hayley Hassman aboard

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Headline News

GENEVA QUEEN  makes it two wins from two starts in the new season
 

Lara Antipova on song for Thousand Guineas

Avondale Jockey Club goes to the High Court with a challenge to the issues around its racing future

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Fortuna has just one runner this weekend – in Victoria

 

Caulfield  – Saturday

LARA ANTIPOVA contests  the Group One 1000 Guineas over 1600m – Race 7 @ 5.45pm NZT with Craig Williams to ride from Barrier 9 on a good surface – goes into this race with impressive stats – highest rated Filly, most prizemoney, most wins (5 from 7 starts -but 4 of those in NZ) – over raced this trip and track off a moderate tempo last start finishing 4th (but first Filly home) – crossover noseband goes on, gun rider takes the reins and her gallop at Caulfield Tuesday morning was of highest quality – represents great each way value here at the odds – TAB says “Going well, but others have stronger form lines” – showing $17/$4.40 Fixed Odds

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Trackwork highlights – Fortuna Runners
 

Tuesday 13th October

Matamata

Riccarton 

Court Of Appeal (T Solomon) over 1200 metres in 1.26.7, last 600 in 38.1.

Cranbourne

Opunake (F Diard) worked over 1000 metres in 1.07.8, home in 37.2.

Caulfield

Lara Antipova (L Winks) galloped  over 1200 metres in 1.24.7, last 600 in 36.6.

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Other News

GENEVA QUEEN reigns at Taupo 9th October 2026

Securing a third win on the programme for trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson, Geneva Queen (4 m Swiss Ace – Sigiriya, by El Roca) produced another stylish performance in the $18,500 McLeod Hiabs Rating 65 1100 metres on 9 October at Taupo. Having commenced her four year old season in good fashion when winning with plenty of authority in the Maiden 1050 metres on 16 September at Matamata, Geneva Queen rated a top three chance, but like stable-mate Petite Rocher (Grunt), who won an earlier event, she required luck from a wide draw (11).

Ridden by Te Akau apprentice Hayley Hassman (a1), who also rode Petite Rocher, Geneva Queen was easy through the early stages to settle tenth of 11, had to check when runs were being made nearing the home turn, but drawn widest in the straight she powered home to snatch victory.

“There was a lot of speed on paper and it worked out just like that,” Hassman said. “She stepped away a bit slowly, which worked in our favour, and was able to follow the pace and get into the race at the right time. We bided our time a bit, held her together, and she’s really let down well. She putting things together so nicely and the team have done a good job with her. I was confident on the line. One came up to challenge us, but she’s so gritty and tough. She’s a bright, happy, horse at the moment and so happy she was still looking round after the line.”

On footing that remained Soft5 throughout the day, Geneva Queen ran 1100 metres in 1:05.3, last 600m in 35.2 (approx.), and paid $6.00 & $2.10 on the NZ TAB tote.

Click HERE to watch the full race replay

Click HERE to watch the closing stages

“It was a really good win, today, because she received quite a nasty check coming up the hill before the turn, and Hayley did well to get her balanced again and really surged late to the line,” Mark Walker said. Good to see her record back-to-back wins this time in for John & Jessica (Galvin) and all their owners in the syndicate. The way she won suggests she should win more races.”


GENEVA QUEEN makes it back to back wins – Taupo 9th October 2026
Hayley Hassman aboard

Owned by Fortuna Geneva Queen Syndicate (Mgr: John Galvin), she was purchased by Sir David Ellis and Fortuna Racing for $70,000 at the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, from the draft of Westbury Stud.

By resident, long-serving, and versatile Westbury Stud sire Swiss Ace (Secret Savings), Geneva Queen is out of a mare by another of their durable Group One producing sires, El Roca (Fastnet Rock).

“It’s always good to come here and win races at Taupo, and we’ve had plenty of success here over the years,” said John Galvin who was on track along with several Members of the ownership group. “It was a terrific effort by the horse and well done to Sir David Ellis for picking out this lovely race mare for us. It’s not easy to win a Maiden race and step up to win a Rating 65 race at the next start. It doesn’t happen very often, but it shows her ability, and it was a gun ride by Hayley from a wide draw. The speed was on, which was set-up for her, but she took the initiative to come wide on the home turn and she got the desired result in the end.

“Well done to Mark, Sam, and Reece, the training team have a lot of time for her. She had a close second on debut at Matamata, then struck a couple of heavy tracks, but she’s really come into it this season, matured and developed. Well done to the ownership team. Carol Devcich has come all the way from Caloundra, and Peter Jackson, celebrating his first live win and who’s about to go to Fiji to take up a new job.”

Geneva Queen was strapped by Kohen Collett

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Lara Antipova on song for Thousand Guineas

 

Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
15 October 2026

Kiwi Group One winner Lara Antipova will test her talent at elite level in Australia for the first time when she heads to Caulfield on Saturday to tackle the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m).

The Fortuna Racing filly has had three starts from Te Akau’s Cranbourne base this spring, highlighted by an impressive win in the Listed Michael Moroney (1400m) at Flemington last month, which was bookended by unplaced runs at Caulfield.

She raced keenly when finishing fourth off a sedate pace in the Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) three weeks ago, and trainer Mark Walker is hoping for a more genuinely run contest this weekend.

“That last race was slowly run and she just got pulling a bit,” he said. “In hindsight, she might have been better rolling forward. They only ran 1:37.5 for the mile, so I just hope it is truly run on Saturday.”

Lara Antipova will have her fourth jockey in as many starts this weekend with the booking of leading Australian hoop Craig Williams, and Walker is hoping he can help turn the filly’s luck around at the Melbourne track.

“Craig has had a lot of luck for us over the years, so we are really happy with that booking,”” Walker said. “She always jumps so cleanly, I think it (barrier nine) gives us options.”

Stablemate and fellow Group One winner Geegees Mistruth will drop back in grade to the Listed Alinghi Stakes (1100m) on Saturday, having finished fifth in Group One company in her first two starts this preparation.

“She had two really good fifths in the Group Ones and we just thought we would try to get her back in winning form,” Walker said. “She has got top weight (61kg), but it is a drop in class.”

Group Two performer I Am Aria will step up to 1400m for the first time in the Listed Gothic Stakes following her runner-up effort in the Gr.3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) three weeks ago.

“We thought now is the time to try her at 1400m,” Walker said. “She is well-weighted in that considering her rating, and if she can run out the 1400m, she should be a nice chance. There is just a slight query on that distance because she is pretty brilliant.”

 

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Avondale Jockey Club seeks racing future as it details court battle

Avondale could be set to again host race meetings as the committee behind the New Zealand club seeks re-instatement on the raci ngcalendar in a High Court determination of its future.

BY BREN O’BRIEN – The Straight – OCTOBER 14, 2026

Avondale Jockey Club has detailed its High Court challenge to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s (NZTR) decision to declare the Auckland racecourse a surplus venue, saying it wants to retain racing at the racetrack alongside community use and staged development. The High Court proceedings, which also involve TAB New Zealand (TAB NZ), were confirmed earlier this week and also seek a review of the decision not to formalise race dates allocated to the club for the 2026/27 season. The club issued a statement on Wednesday saying it is seeking to have the challenged decisions set aside, including lawful reconsideration of race dates.

The club is also seeking a High Court determination of how far NZTR’s rights and interests extend over the club’s land. Standing president Andrew Skinner said the committee is proposing a direction that keeps racing and/or trialing at Avondale alongside other uses and development, with the aim of assessing a financially sustainable model.

“That ambition needs to be tested through sound evidence and engagement. We are not announcing a completed development plan or promising a particular outcome,” he said. “These decisions have far-reaching consequences for the Club and for a site that has a longstanding role in Avondale’s community. We believe it is legitimate and necessary to ask the court to determine the legal questions involved both for us, but also for the wider industry that is facing considerable change without proper engagement or due consideration.”

He added that the club remained open to discussions about its future and that going to court did not rule out a negotiated outcome.

When the proceedings first surfaced, NZTR confirmed the action to The Straight. “We are disappointed the club has chosen to take this approach, having been in discussions with them over a number of years about its future and that of the venue. As this is now a matter before the court, we will not be commenting further, including to the media, while the proceedings are underway,” it said.

Avondale’s exit has been on the cards since NZTR’s 2019 Venue Plan proposed no race licences for the track from 2024/25. The club’s allocation had already fallen from 15 meetings in 2014/15 to nine in 2018/19. In September 2024, the parties signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding outlining a process to agree the racecourse’s future after racing ends following 2025/26. Avondale hosted its last scheduled meeting on July 15. It has no race meetings for 2026/27, though five trial dates remain on the calendar through November 24.

The club owns the 35-hectare site and leases its infield sports grounds to Auckland Council. The Avondale Sunday Markets it hosts attract about 20,000 visitors each week.

The case lands as NZTR moves into club engagement on Project Stamina, the national venue review built on a TAB NZ-funded masterplan. In that review, Avondale was considered to have exited before the assessment, rather than among the seven venues proposed to cease hosting meetings.

John says “this is an extremely interesting development and an indication that the AJC and NZTR have run out of negotiating room – AJC have been on notice since 2019 that their race dates would come to an end in the 2024/25 season and up until January of this year, there had been an impasse between the parties on the underlying issues – however in January of this year there was a formal memorandum of understanding agreed between the parties and it looked as if progress might finally be made. At the heart of the issue is what would happen to the assets of the club, which is primarily in its land. Land valuation estimates vary, but at the top end the value could be more than $200 million, a sum which would be very useful in terms of improving and developing other racing venues in New Zealand. The Racing Act of 2020 provides NZTR the ability (under very specific conditions) to access the assets of racing clubs for the benefit of the wider racing industry, subject to approval by the racing minister – this section of the act has never been utilised as, obviously, a better pathway is for negotiation between NZTR and any affected club prior to any forced acquisition – Click HERE to read an AI summary of the provisions of the Racing Act and how they may apply in this case – note that you may need to login to Chat GPT to see this

So looking at this objectively, there is no question that the AJC has a long and proud history of racing in New Zealand and its racetrack actually provides a very good racing surface, however the club has no assets of significance apart from its land asset, its infrastructure, i.e. stands, parking, public facilities etc would be some of the worst in New Zealand and without a significant capital injection (and where can that come from), it is very difficult to see how race days could be re-allocated to the AJC – and it should be noted that just because a club ceases racing at a venue, it does not necessarily mean the end of the club as an entity – there are several examples of race clubs around New Zealand who no longer race on their original tracks but still retain their identity and certain race days at other venues – and even the AJC does this, as for several years now, both of its significant landmark races, the Avondale Cup and the Avondale Guineas have been run at Ellerslie as lead up races into the Auckland Cup and the New Zealand Derby respectively.

Having said all of that, it is quite apparent that, as stated above, negotiating room has run out, although in their press release, the AJC appears to be not totally closing the door and if the matter does finish up in the high court, that will be a significant test of the provisions of the Racing Act and if they are applicable in this situation

We will watch this space
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Guest Commentator – Des Coppins

Greetings John, Fortuna followers and Friday Flash readers.THERE are so many reasons why we enjoy spring racing so much.

And good old Waitak did it yet again on Saturday to emphasise the enjoyment again in the group one Livamol to prove in no uncertain terms what a gem of a racehorse he is.

It’s quite uncanny that Waitak and Tuxedo have quinella-ed the two group ones this spring when it’s this month 4 decades ago  we celebrated the Ritchie family vs the O’Sullivan family with Bonecrusher and Waverley Star.

Of course both these great racing families are again to the fore with these two heavyweights, Waitak and Tuxedo.

We are all wishing Lara Antipova  a big showing in tomorrow’s $A1.5m Thousand Guineas.

On paper the barrier draw of 9 may look tricky but you might feel reassured to know that 4 winners have won from this alley since 1983 which puts it on 4th equal  behind barrier 5 ( 6 winners); barriers 2 and 4 ( 5 winners) and alongside barrier one!

ROTORUA ABANDONMENT – A FORMALITY SADLY

NO club wants to see its meeting abandoned because of a slip. On Sunday Rotorua copped it when a runner visibly slipped just past the post on easing down. After evaluating the incident the decision was made to pull the pin.

Times have changed. Today, unlike years gone by, Russian roulette isn’t part of the game. Increased scrutiny around health and safety is putting heavy pressure on clubs, the tracks and the industry overall. Surety in safety is a must.

If a track is suggested by a jockey to be  slippery but not backed up enough to warrant an abandonment by a consensus the club could be sued for negligence and that’s why you’ll rarely see a meeting go ahead if the slightest slip ever occurs.

FORTY YEARS AGO AND THE MAGIC LIVES ON 

WE were chatting the other day about the 40 year losing streak the Wallabies have faced at Eden Park.
It’s a long time isn’t it?

For record next week it’s also 40 years since we were treated to the Race of the Century with the 1986  Cox Plate between Bonecrusher – Waverley Star. It’s a race none of us ever get sick of watching, no matter how many times!

Here’s a fun fact from that race.

I put this to a couple of genuine die hard racing mates the other day around the third horse home. While they all knew the first two in the Cox Plate  with a bit of head scratching they eventually  identified correctly fellow NZ’er, The Filbert.

The next question, who rode him? Some said Gary Phillips, who was his regular rider in NZ. A good stab but no, it was Australian  jockey Gary Murphy.

For the record Gary rode for 40 years between 1973 and 2013. His big three wins had to be the Blue Diamond, the Stradbroke and Brisbane Cup. He also rode a very good horse in Karaman, who may have been born in the wrong year as he ran second to the mighty Dulcify in the VRC Derby and also finished second to Manikato in the Caulfield Guineas.  Gary was forced out of riding through a white tail spider bite as a 55 year old.

CAULFIELD CUP NOW IN THE EVEREST’S SHADOW

THE Caulfield Cup v’s The Everest to be run within an hour splits my interest right down the middle.  But I’m unashamedly a traditionalist.

In reality, the great lead up to the Melbourne Cup clearly now plays second fiddle to the Everest and the weight of media hype and public is testament. As the world’s richest turf race ($20m) The Everest, by having the greatest NZ-bred sprinter ever, the world’s best, Ka Ying Rising back for a  second crack is elevated further.

Some 55,000 patrons will be at Randwick while half that number should attend Caulfield.  World pool wise, the betting figures were almost on a par last year but of course there are 18 runners in the Caulfield but only 12 in the Everest.

Ka Ying Rising is shooting for his 22nd win in a row. If the track is dry it’d be hard to imagine his downfall.

At $1.50 the $100,000 plus punters won’t be holding back!

In the meantime down in Melbourne it’s not nearly anywhere easy to pinpoint the Caulfield Cup winner.  The favourite is Cosmic Crusader at the $4.50 quote and it may pay to remember that 40 favourites have won the race in its 149 year existence.

MELBOURNE CUP COUNTDOWN 

WE have been giving you an insight to two international stayers that have been set for the First Tuesday.
Here’s the latest pairing:

ENFJAAR trained by Roger Varian
By Lope de Vega from Tesoro ( Galileo)
16 starts for 5 wins, 2 seconds and 2 thirds

Major wins include the group 3 Glorious Stakes at Goodwood on August 1 and the John Smith’s Cup over 2000m in July 2024

His trainer said that his stayer is a progressive type who was luckless at Ascot before winning at his last start.
He’s in the Caulfield Cup on Saturday and has drawn barrier one.

STARFORD 
4yo gelding by Beckford ex Red Stars
Trainer Joseph O’Brien

12 starts for 4 wins, one second and one third

A progressive stayer who is noted to handle wet tracks.

At his last start he ran third on July 1 in a listed 2400m at Roscommon ( Ireland). Last win in April at The Curragh in a group 3 over 2000m.

HASTINGS IMPROVERS

CARLOW: was slowly away in the rating 75 over 1200m but became the second quickest to the line when running 5th. He’s showing distinct promise and as long as the tracks have moisture  he will maintain the form and grab win number 3 in limited starts.

AMAZING SON: ran out of his skin behind War Princess when third in the open 1400 and no horse came home quicker. He’s won 3 of his 12 starts all on soft and heavy ground. Maybe a race like the Thompson Mile at Trentham could be on the cards.

WHO KNOWS : stormed into third in the Livamol and it’ll be fascinating to see where she goes next. She isn’t nominated for the Nz Cup – race she looked unlucky in last year when 9th – but on rain affected footing she will be all the rage wherever she goes next.

TIPPING IN OUR FAVOUR

You’re invited to grab a spot on my email tipping service for the rest of October and the following 2 months. It’s been a profitable time over the last fortnight.

For example:

1 Quaddie of $2200 on an investment of $16 at Ashburton last Saturday

2 Both Best Bets winning at Hastings and Ashburton with Saturday morning $3 plus quotes

3 A $33 winner first pick at Woodville

4 The value bet Chino’s Boy ($20) winning at Timaru

There are others, too.

Between now and December 31 there are 79 NZ gallops meetings and a few handpicked big races in Melbourne ( while I’m over there) with the lengthy form analysis to come your way.

If you’d like to share in hopefully the fruits of the labour send me an email dcoppins@xtra.co.nz

The cost for this period is $200 ( gst inclusive). It equates to just $2.50 per Raceday.

Please advise before 7pm today.

Good Punting
Des Coppins
021 448 052

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