Wexford Stables

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Wexford Stables

A New Zealand Racing Powerhouse Since 1961, based in Matamata.
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19/09/2025

TE ATATU MEMPHIS made a lot of people very happy today with a well deserved victory at Te Aroha!

🥂 The first win for amateur jockey Brandon Holliday.

🥂 No one was cheering louder than Emily Farr, Memphis’ regular trackwork rider (she then turned around and won the very next race over the fences!).

🥂 Proud owner/breeders Chris, Kat, and John from Te Atatu Farm, who have shown incredible patience.

A brilliant result for the whole team. Cheers to Memphis!

18/09/2025

TE ATATU MEMPHIS will line up in race 5 at Te Aroha, scheduled for 2.38 pm today. He's fitter for recent racing, has enjoyed some jumping at home and we hope he can get a result for owners Kat, Chris and John, who very kindly shouted the team morning tea yesterday morning 🙏

Brandon Holliday is booked to ride in the Amateur contest and the pair will jump from barrier 5.

16/09/2025

The team heads to Taupō Racing Club today, with four horses on the truck 🏇

GISSPY GOD (Lynsey Satherley, barrier 3) will line up in race 1 at 12.07pm. His first up run for 4th at Te Rapa was encouraging, and singled that today's 1800m trip should suit. From a low gate, he looks a nice E/W chance.

WOMAN IN CHARGE (barrier 4) will line up in race 5 at 2.27pm. On debut today, whatever she does, she'll take natural improvement from the raceday experience. She has ability and is one to watch over the spring/ summer months ahead.

SHE'S ALL THAT (pictured) (Matt Cartwright, barrier 5) will line up in race 6 at 3.02pm. Fresh up today, she's returned stronger as a 4YO. Her work has been encouraging and we're expecting a competitive performance.

SICILLIAN (barrier 14) will line up in race 7 at 3.39pm. Another that's fresh up today, her work has been particularly encouraging at home. She'll need luck from the outside gate.

15/09/2025

It’s feeling a lot like spring – longer days, youngsters at the trials, and our better performed horses starting to step out on raceday.

The team had a good day at the Ellerslie trials on Tuesday, with a number of promising performances from both our seasoned gallopers and up-and-comers. 2YO filly POUNCE looked every bit the natural, handling the day like a seasoned professional. L’AIGLE NOIR has returned as a stronger, more mature 3YO and trialled up nicely. And how about KING OF THE NORTH? The "people’s horse" with a 25-strong syndicate behind him had a PB, relaxing beautifully in his trial and finishing with plenty in hand. He ended last season with one of the better performances we saw – missing the jump by six lengths before storming home to win in thrilling fashion. There’s definitely more to come, and the team have their sights set on collecting a few more Ellerslie spoils this time around.

It’s been a little quieter on the raceday front lately, as we’ve held back much of our 3YO spring/summer team in anticipation of better tracks. That said, SMART LOVE gave us a real spring in our step with her dominant 3.3-length victory. She’s a mare we’ve always rated highly, and if you caught Lance and Andrew’s pre-season predictions video, you might recall she was Lance’s ‘one to watch’!

On the two year old front, a couple of our youngsters quickened up this past week ahead of the trials tomorrow. They also now have their ‘official’ names! Our Alabama Express x War Goddess filly will race as DASHING DIXIE, and our Rubick x Rebel’s Choice c**t is now known as NEVER TOO MUCH.

Thanks, as always, for your support. Go well!

14/09/2025

A smart return for SMART LOVE! After 309 days off the raceday scene, Smart Love made a dazzling return today, storming home to a dominant 3.3 length win under Opie Bosson.

A huge congratulations to Gary Chittick on a well deserved win! By Savabeel and out of an O’Reilly mare, she's the epitome of a Waikato Stud product.

A name to watch moving forward - welcome back, ‘Smarty’! 💚🖤

13/09/2025

It's starting to look a lot like spring! The team is looking forward to seeing the following horses step out at Te Rapa Racing today 🏇

TE ATATU DREAM (Matt Cartwright, barrier 1) will line up in race 3 at 1.52pm. She’s continued to train on well since her last start win. This will be her first genuine staying test, but her pedigree suggests she should handle the trip. She enjoys racing at Te Rapa, having already recorded a win on the track.

SASSY LASS (Warren Kennedy, barrier 4) will line up in race 4 at 2.30pm. She’s had two trials to prepare for her fresh up run and the team are really happy with the way she’s coming up. Kicking off her new campaign at a venue she races well at, we believe she’s in for a top summer ahead.

RIBKRAKA (Sam McNab, barrier 9) will line up in race 5 at 3.10pm. He was well competitive in this grade last start and there’s no reason he can’t do similar today. He’s handled a long preparation well, and the rain throughout the week should only enhance his chances.

SMART LOVE (Opie Bosson, barrier 8 ) will line up in race 7 at 4.25pm. A lightly tried and promising mare, she’s trialed well leading into today. While she’ll take natural improvement from the run, her class will take her a long way in this.

JAFFIRA (Gareth Lahoud, barrier 3) will line up in race 8 at 5.05pm. Forget his last run - he was unlucky on the day. With a big claim and favourable soft track conditions, he can certainly pop up in this grade and is deserving of another win.

CRACKERCOL (Masa Hashizume, barrier 15) will also line up in race 8. He put in a real improver’s run last start off the back of a long layoff. He’s better going left-handed and it wouldn’t surprise us if he was right in it at longer odds.

10/09/2025

It was a proud night for the team on Sunday as Grail Seeker was crowned Champion Sprinter/Miler for the 2024/25 season at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Awards.

Affectionately known as ‘Gloria’, she has had just four raceday starts - but among them, two scintillating Group 1 victories in the Tazrino Trophy and Telegraph Handicap. A phenomenal achievement!

A big congratulations to owners Chris and Trevor on the deserved accolade. Gloria has come through her Proisir Plate run well and will now head towards the Sweynesse Stakes in five weeks.

📸: LOVERACING.NZ

05/09/2025

Group 1 racing returns today, and the team are proud to have four runners in the opening elite level event at Ellerslie today! Representing team Wexford... 🏇

SWEET BUT PSYCHO (Warren Kennedy, barrier 12) will line up in race 2 at 12.34pm. She’s been set for this race. She’s proven at the distance, has worked on well following narrowly missing last start and we believe she can go one better today.

GRAIL SEEKER (Bruno Queiroz, barrier 8 ) will line up in the Group 1 Proisir Plate at 4.35pm. The defending champion, we believe she’s going as well as she was heading into this race last year. We’re excited to have Bruno up to ride her and expect a similar performance to 2024.

WAITAK (Craig Grylls, barrier 7) will also line up in the Group 1 Proisir Plate. A super consistent galloper, that's proven at Group 1 level. In a fresh state with only a single trial under his belt, the 1400m will be right up his alley and he'll be screaming home. A shower of rain on the day will only aid his chances.

CHECKMATE (Lynsey Satherley, barrier 2) will line up in the Group 1 Proisir Plate. The up-and-comer, we have full confidence that he’s up to this level. The barrier draw is a big plus, and we’ve enjoyed good success with Lynsey in the past. He races well at Ellerslie and should be right in the mix.

TOMODACHI (Joe Doyle, barrier 14) will also line up in the Group 1 Proisir Plate. She’s been set for the race since the autumn. She’s put great energy in at the trials and will parade very fit and forward. We've always believe she has the talent to become a Group 1 winner and will be hitting the line hard.

01/09/2025

Wexford Weekly - 1/9 🌱

The first day of spring, and we're pretty happy about it! Matamata is certainly turning it on with some very spring-like weather, unpredictable as always. While conditions can be challenging when trying to get horses worked, the team is rolling with it, and we look forward to clearer skies and good racing in the coming weeks.

We had a great morning at Ellerslie on Thursday, where we were grateful to take part in the gallops and trials with our Proisir Plate contenders. A big thank you to the club for hosting these. WAITAK enjoyed a track gallop, while CHECKMATE, GRAIL SEEKER and TOMODACHI all had a quiet trial in preparation for the big day this Saturday.

We were at the Te Awamutu trials on Tuesday, where YAMATO SATONO and ACER both impressed. They will both make their raceday debuts this spring and look to be two to follow.

There’s a real buzz in the barn ahead of the season’s first Group 1 this Saturday... but more on that later in the week.
Until then, go well and thank you for your continued support.

30/08/2025

All eyes are on TE ATATU MEMPHIS today, our sole runner for the weekend.

Lining up in race 5 at 2.28pm, he’ll relish the heavy conditions at Te Aroha today. With the blinkers off, we’re hoping he’ll relax better and have more of a finish. He’s going better than his form suggests and we’re quietly confident that he can make his presence felt here.

Brandon Holliday is booked to ride and the pair will jump from barrier 8.

28/08/2025

There’s another birthday in the Wexford camp… Happy Birthday ‘Boss’ 🥳

A passionate horseman, proud family man and fearless leader, join us in wishing Lance a very happy birthday today!

25/08/2025

WEXFORD WEEKLY - 26/8 🏇

What a crew we have! It was fantastic to get together as a team last week to celebrate the season that was, over a beautiful dinner at The Red Barn. Plenty of reminiscing, laughs, and excitement shared, especially with the horsepower we’ve got sitting in the barn for the new season!

Both SWEET BUT PSYCHO and CRACKERCOL put in gallant performances at Te Rapa on Saturday and have 'next up' written all over them.

On Tuesday, we welcomed James and Sarah from OnTrack NZ to the barn to share their important message about mental health in the racing industry. They gave a fantastic presentation to the team as part of our journey toward becoming the first racing stable in New Zealand to be On Track accredited. Of course, a solid morning tea accompanied the chat!

Thursday morning saw jumpouts, including our ALMANZOR x CAMINATA filly, GOOD TEMPO, and NEODYMIUM. The later two will now head out for a break, while our Almanzor x Caminata filly - a Wexford Karaka yearling purchase from the Cambridge Stud draft - will continue through to the trials in early September.

A busy day at the trials today, although a few of our runners were balloted out of the fields. Our Group 1 bound CHECKMATE, TOMODACHI and GRAIL SEEKER will now head to Ellerslie for a hit out on Thursday. WAITAK will join them on the truck north for a day out in anticipation of the Group 1 Proisir Plate.

Among those that are trialing today are our first 2YO's: CALL ME SUZIE and NEVER TOO MUCH. It’s early in the season for us to have 2YO's trialing, but both are natural early runners and we're looking forward to furthering their education today.

Go well, team!

Address

7595 State Highway 27
Matamata
3473

Telephone

+6478887639

Website

http://www.wexfordstables.co.nz/

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About us

Established in 1961 with legendary trainer Dave O’Sullivan, Wexford Stables is one of the oldest training facilities in New Zealand.

Wexford have won every major race on the New Zealand racing calendar, various group 1s in Australia, including the Cox Plate and the Japan Cup, which at the time was the world’s richest race.

Our highly experienced staff, vets, farriers, chiropractors and trainers ensure that every horse at Wexford is provided with the best care possible. We recognise that every horse is a unique individual and we tailor extensive training plans for each horse, preparing them for specific targets.

Constant communication with our owners is a priority, with Lance and Andrew sending weekly videos, photos and updates of horse's progress via Ardex.