A quick turnaround proved profitable for the Andrew Carston-trained Hee’s Our Secret who was successful at Riccarton on Friday, five days after running out of the money at Cromwell.

The five-year-old gelding settled midfield in the Dunstan Feeds 1500 Championship Qualifier Rating 72 event before launching his challenge under Jacob Lowry at the 400m and finishing strongly to win by a length.

“It was an impressive win from the horse after an unlucky run at Cromwell Last Sunday,” Carston said.

“It was great to get another win for the owner Andy Denham who is a good supporter of the stable.”

Owner-breeder Andy Denham has had a long association with the family having also bred and raced Ogato, the dam of Hee’s Our Secret.

This was the fourth career win for the son of Sakhee’s Secret who will make his next appearance at Wingatui on Boxing Day, a meeting Carston has ear-marked for a number of his team including last-start winner Khorabella.

A change of luck awarded the Andrew Carston trained Khorabella an overdue win at Cromwell on Sunday.

The daughter of Darci Brahma struck traffic problems at her last start at Riccarton on New Zealand Cup day, but with room to move on the weekend she flew home in the final stages to win the Centrepoint Liquor Supplies (1400m) under a well-time ride from Jake Bayliss.

“I’ve always held this filly in high regard,” Carston said.

“To be fair she has taken a little bit of time physically and mentally to mature. She had no luck at all in her last run at Riccarton on Cup Day so we were confident she would run well on Sunday.”

Khorabella settled well and travelled towards the rear of the field before Bayliss made his move coming around the bend, she kicked on down the centre of the track to get her head in front just on the line to complete a hattrick for her jockey.

The Cromwell victory was Khorabella’s third career win and while Carston has no long-term plans for the five-year-old mare her immediate target is Wingatui on Boxing Day.

“At this stage she will likely go to Dunedin on Boxing Day, there is a nice race for her there,” Carston said.

“I’ve had the horse for a couple of years and the owners have been really patient because she has been a little bit mentally and physically weak, but they have stuck with her and it was great to get another result for them.

“She is definitely improving.”

The Andrew Carston-trained filly Miss Federer claimed valuable black-type in the Listed

Barneswood Farm Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton on Saturday.

The Swiss Ace filly was race favourite for the two-year-old feature, following her debut third placing and subsequent win at Riccarton on October 17.

Under a brilliant ride from jockey Matthew Cameron Miss Federer kept her followers on their toes, initially reluctant to enter the barriers, she was the first to clear the gates from barrier four and looked a place chance at best in the finishing stages before digging in to pip Challa and Diva Express at the post.

“I was a bit concerned at the furlong, but I knew she’d lift when Matt Cameron asked her. She’s only a $10,000 filly, and this is an awesome result for the whole team,” said Carston.

“There’s not a lot of her but she’s got natural ability and as we just saw, she’s a racehorse.”

It was a milestone win for the 2018 Gavelhouse.com Newcomer To Training recipient as it was his first at stakes level.

Carston selected the Nearco Stud-bred filly out of Bradbury Park’s New Zealand Bloodstock Book Two Yearling Sale Draft for $10,000 earlier this year.

“I think she was just a nice, neat filly,” he said. “I knew a little bit about her mother from being a good mare down in the South Island and she was cheap enough.

“I quite like to find a horse to suit these early South Island races, they are not normally big fields.”

Miss Federer has now has $44,435 in the bank plus a $8,000 Pearl Series Bonus for her owners Mark and Dawn Dowling, Clint and Jill Tauri, Russell and Ros McClean, Dave and Jill MacGibbon, Brian and Margaret Sheppard, Beau and Ann Trevathan, Lindsay and Kaz Harliwich, Joy Isaacs, Janice Banks and Terry Williamson.

She will now have well deserved breather before a possible tilt at the Karaka Million.

Click the image above for the race replay.

Severine poses for a photo with the Go Racing team, photo: Riccarton Park

Andrew Carston prepared three-year-old filly Severine (Pins x Paris Carver) to perfection for her big Cup Week maiden 1200 metres win.

Say Racing Manager Matt Allnutt who was on course for the win, “Full credit to Andrew for having her spot on. It’s not easy for a three-year-old maidener to cope with big fields and the Cup Week crowds but it is a testament to Andrew’s abilities and the way he has with his horses.”

Says Andrew, “She’s a very progressive filly. We knew it was a big ask from the wide draw but she was ridden to perfection by Sam Spratt. She jumped nicely tracked across and got a bit of cover, she was wide the whole way but got some room in the straight to finish it off – right on the line for a photo finish.”

Andrew has his work cut out with the French Cutlet syndicate who races Severine. “Let’s just say they are one of the most demanding. With Go Racing trainers Stephen Marsh, Stephen McKee and Lisa Latta involved there can be a lot of ‘advice’. Matt and Albert are also owners and they think they know a thing or two. What did I do to deserve that lot?”

Severine will now go out on a high for a brief break and will be bought back in to target the South Island summer Guineas races, starting with the Listed $50,000 Gore Guineas on the 19th of January.

Miss Federer, photo: Race Images

Local trainer Andrew Carston will have a strong presence at the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton on Saturday where he will line-up 12 runners, including Miss Federer and Sanctify in the Listed Barneswood Farm Welcome Stakes (1000m).

Miss Federer heads into the race as a $2.50 favourite with TAB bookmakers after her last-start winning performance on her home track, while Sanctify is less favoured, opening at $23.

Miss Federer ran third on debut at Riccarton over 800m before going on to break her maiden in her second start and Carston said the two-year-old Swiss Ace filly has taken a lot of improvement from each run.

“I’m really happy with her progress,” he said. “I think she made massive improvement from her first race into her second run and I think she has improved again, so I am very happy with her.

“I thought she got away on them in the end (in her last start) which is encouraging going up to 1000m. She’s got a reasonably good draw (barrier four), so we’ll use that again. She’ll be somewhere on the speed.”

Carston purchased the Nearco Stud-bred filly out of Bradbury Park’s New Zealand Bloodstock Book Two Yearling Sale Draft for $10,000 earlier this year with South Island juvenile races in-mind.

“I think she was just a nice, neat filly,” he said. “I knew a little bit about her mother from being a good mare down in the South Island and she was cheap enough.

“I quite like to find a horse to suit these early South Island races, they are not normally big fields.”

While Carston has been pleased with Miss Federer’s race day performances he said she has been far from impressive in her trackwork.

“She’s not a very good trackworker, so nothing has changed there. She hasn’t worked very well, but she saves it for race day.”

A filly that does impress Carston in her trackwork is stablemate and Welcome Stakes rival Sanctify. The Reliable Man filly is also a graduate from this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales where she was purchased by Go Racing for $45,000.

“She’s a lovely filly, I really like her,” Carston said. “Her work has been really good, but it’s disappointing to draw the outside gate (barrier eight).

“She drew out in her first start and got lost. She's taken improvement from her first run and is definitely progressing in the right way, but she is going to need a bit of luck from the outside gate. She is a nice filly to follow.”

While Carston does favour Sanctify based on trackwork, he has labelled Miss Federer the pick of the two heading into Saturday’s contest.

“On track work Sanctify would probably be the pick,” he said.

“They work together all the time and if trackwork is anything to go on Sanctify definitely worked as good as Miss Federer.

“But race day form and race day experience has got to account for a lot, so I would probably favour Miss Federer from the gate.”

Meanwhile, Carston believes he has plenty of other good chances at the premier meeting.

“I think I have got a really nice team at Riccarton on Saturday,” he said.

“On a firm track I think Hee’s Our Secret has got to be a chance. Khorabella is a nice mare and Red River Rock is definitely a chance.

“It’s a good day to have a few runners, so fingers-crossed.” – NZ Racing Desk

Andrew Carston pictured with Strowan, strapper Chris Butt, jockey Kozzi Asano and co-owners Clive and Lesley McCall. Image: Riccarton Park Racecourse

Carston Racing Stables fittingly won both the New Zealand Bloodstock sponsored races on the card at Riccarton Park Racecourse on Saturday with two graduates of the sale company.

Miss Federer was the first to salute in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race for two-year-olds over 800m.

The daughter of Swiss Ace was purchased by Carston out of Bradbury Park’s 2018 Karaka Book 2 draft for $10,000.

“I knew a little bit about her mother because she was a South Island-trained horse that had a bit of ability and I like Swiss Aces and I was looking for an early runner and most of them run a bit,” Carston said.

“She’s a little beauty. I’m really happy with her, I knew she would improve from her first run but it was good to get the win on the line and she just keeps improving.

With a third placing already under her girth Miss Federer has made a quick return for her syndicate of owners having already won $16,310 in prize money plus a $8,000 pearl series bonus.

“They’re a great group of owners who have been with me for a while including Janice Banks who I co-own Xpressmymind with, wwshe was my first Karaka purchase,” Carston said.

Carston, who won the 2018 Gavelhouse Newcomer to Training Award, paid $14,000 for Xpressmymind at the 2017 NZB Select Yearling Sale and the three-year-old has won $23,000.

Miss Federer will have her next run in the Listed Barneswood Farm Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton Park Racecourse on November 17.

The stable’s second winner on Saturday was NZB Ready To Run Graduate Strowan who won the NZB Ready To Run Sale Rating 65 (1200m) which included a special trainers prize worth $3,000.

“Strowan was my first Ready To Run purchase and second sales purchase overall,” Carston said.

“Clive McCall and his wife Lesley, approached me to go to Karaka and buy a horse for them. They’ve been with me from day one and they’re part of a great group of owners.

“It was also great for my apprentice Kozzi Asano to get his first win on him as he bucked him off last start.”

Cartson paid $30,000 for Strowan who was prepared for sale by Kilgravin Lodge in 2015. The son of Zacinto has since won $68,000 in prizemoney.

Cartson’s trainers bonus includes a travel and accommodation subsidy, an insurance policy and a float trip home from Karaka, for the Ready To Run Sale which he is eager to take advantage of.

“I’ve been studying the catalogue and breeze ups and I’m really looking forward to getting up to Karaka later this month,” Carston said.

“This is a great bonus and another example of the brilliant support New Zealand Bloodstock provides for young trainers. They really look after us and they want to help us which is what I like about them.”

Carston Racing Stables six-year-old Celtic Cross rewarded her followers with an easy win at juicy odds at Phar Lap Racecourse in Timaru on Friday.

The keeper mare returned $42.80 for the win and while trainer Andrew Carston wasn’t overly confident with her heading into the race, he was thrilled to get another win with the mare he now owns outright.

“That’s her fourth win for us,” said Cartson. “She’s a little darling and a stable favourite, she’s a pleasure to have in the stable.

Ridden by Andrew Calder, Celtic Cross won the Dianne McIntosh Catering Handicap (1200m) by two lengths from He Kin Fly with Somethings Burning a further 2 lengths behind in third place.

Celtic Cross’s next run will be at Wingatui on Melbourne Cup day, which is also where her the meeting where she last won.

The I'llav Bubbles team with plenty to celebrate at Riccarton on Saturday

Plenty of bubbles were consumed by the Pussy Galore syndicate, who race I’llav Bubbles, at Riccarton Park on Saturday.

They were already steadily flowing at the oncourse Hen’s Party for syndicate member Wendy Dunn, who is engaged to Canterbury Jockey Club chief executive Tim Mills, when their star mare won the last race of the day, the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Rating 65 (1800m).

“They were having a big party upstairs so it was a great result that she won, you couldn’t have scripted it better,” said trainer Andrew Carston.

The seven-year-old, ridden by Kylie Williams, showed determination to claim back-to-back wins on her home track, finishing a head clear of Flying Agent with Amour La Vie a long head third.

“I thought she was really tough and she put on a good performance,” said Carston. “She was headed three times and she still won.

“She’s just turned the corner and she’s like a different horse. She’s tough and she’s going really well.”

I’llav Bubbles has come through the run well and will look to make it a hat trick of wins at Riccarton on September 22, a meeting at which the Cartston Racing Stables team will be out in force.

“I’m planning to have my whole spring team in action on the 22nd, with a bit of luck I’ll have a dozen runners stepping out and we will see what we’ve got for the spring,” said Carston.