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Dark Destroyer dominant in Group One victory

Dark Destroyer, one of last season’s top three-year-olds showed he has come back as a spring four-year-old in fine fettle as he produced a resolute finish to take out the first Group One of the New Zealand season, the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained son of Proisir hadn’t been seen since completing a successful campaign in Brisbane during the winter where he took out the Gr.3 Rough Habit Plate (2143m) before finishing an unlucky fourth ...

Meet The Team - Lauren Russo

Strapping, client communications, social media, photography - a woman of many talents, Lauren Russo does it all!  With an unwavering love of horses, passion for the industry and always-positive attitude, Lauren is an asset to our team, not only with the horses but also with our valued owners.  A series usually written by Lauren herself, we enjoyed reversing roles and asking Lauren her own questions as part of our 'Meet the team' segment.  How did you first get involved in the raci...

Dark Destroyer heading towards Tarzino

Australia is something Wexford is contemplating with dual Group Two winner Dark Destroyer, however, his imminent targets lie in his homeland. “We will take it one race at a time with him. He is going to have a trial (at Taupo) on Wednesday,” Scott said. “David and Dianne (Archer, owners) were quite keen to run him at Hastings in the first race (Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy, 1400m) and then look to options from there. “It looks to be a good kick-off point which keeps him closer to home in this ear...

Memsie option for Dragon Leap

There is a strong chance the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Dragon Leap will be seen in action at Caulfield rather than Te Rapa this weekend, with the highly-talented six-year-old amongst the 20-strong nominations for the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) on Saturday. With wet weather forecast in the lead-up to the Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa, where the track is currently heavy, the Matamata conditioners are keeping their options open. The son of Pierro made an imp...

Meet The Team - Mark Gage-Brown

As one of the longest standing staff members at Wexford Stables, Mark Gage-Brown has been a part of the furniture for the past sixteen years! A reliable, hard-working and well-loved member of the team, he is considered by all the staff as an absolute legend. Keeping the ball rolling on the ground, Mark manages the day-to-day maintenance of the stables. Affectionately referred to as 'Uncle Mark', he has seen the development and growth of Wexford and many horses pass through the barn. Never one to...

Australia beckons smart Karman Line

Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are keen to give their promising filly Karman Line the opportunity to impress in Australia later this year.The Matamata trainers are eyeing a Sydney campaign for the lightly tried daughter of Myboycharlie, who shaped up well in good company before a spell.The stakes-placed rising four-year-old is back in work and making good progress toward her spring return.“We would like to get Karman Line to Australia and there are one or two other hopefuls, but we certai...

Meet The Team - Emily Farr

A naturally gifted rider, with oodles of talent and determination, Emily Farr has been an asset to the team at Wexford. Bringing an abundance of knowledge and riding experience, within a short space of time Emily has already cemented her place within the stable. Her ability to ride horses of any kind or temperament is invaluable and she has a special affinity with the horses she is partnered with. With a passion for jumping and raceday riding, her career as a Jumps Jockey means she has her fair ...

Meet The Team - Jaffer Mohammed

As part of our fantastic team of trackwork riders at Wexford Stables, Jaffer Mohammed joined the crew in 2019. As strapper of 2021 Group One Derby winner Asterix, his excellent horse handling skills came into play and under the pressure of the Derby environment, he was able to strap the horse calmly and with great expertise.  Never one to miss a photo opportunity, you will see plenty of photos of Jaffer and his favorite horses across social media, showcasing his love and dedication for the ...

Meet The Team - Jade Goodwin

Having recently joined Wexford, Jade Goodwin is a new and welcomed addition to the team!  An astute horsewoman and naturally talented rider, she has begun her New Zealand apprentice jockey career under the tutelage of Lance and Andrew.  With a background in horses and a high dose of determination, Jade is a young rider that is destined to go places! She has now had her first New Zealand raceday ride and is looking forward to developing her craft further and chasing success.  We sp...

Stablemates hard to split in open sprint

Aero De Paris and Star Treasure give Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott a strong hand in the open sprint handicap at Te Rapa on Saturday with the trainers finding it hard to choose between the pair. The former will kick off his winter campaign in the Matost 60th Celebration Handicap (1200m) and has an imposing first-up record while Star Treasure is genuine and has excelled in all three outings this preparation.Aero De Paris will be ridden by Sam Weatherley, who has been successful on the s...

Meet The Team - Jitu Singh

With a deep passion for racing, Jitu Singh joined the Wexford Team four years ago and has no plans on going anywhere soon! His love for racing developed from a young age and has seen him travel to various parts of the world to work within in the industry and grow his knowledge.  The love he has for his job is exemplified through his excellent work ethic and reliability and we feel very lucky to have him as part of the crew.  We spoke to Jitu to find out more about him and the horses he...

Meet The Team - Lisa Dunbar

Office extraordinaire, Lisa Dunbar has been a central part of keeping the Wexford team in check and the stable running smoothly. As office manager for the past four and a half years, Lisa's job varies between the day to day office operations and at times helping within the stable.  With a lengthy background in the thoroughbred industry, Lisa has the knowledge and experience that is essential in understanding the inner workings of this busy racing stable! Never one to complain and always rea...

Meet The Team - Yuto Kumagai

Nicknamed 'The Weapon', Yuto Kumagai is a hard-working, friendly and talented member of the team at Wexford Stables. Always ready to greet you with a smile, Yuto has had his work cut out for him in his journey to become an apprentice jockey. Through sheer determination and strong will, he has been able to fulfil his dream career.  Yuto is well respected both within the team and in the wider racing industry and we are so pleased to have him aboard and look forward to seeing him excel over th...

Rockspell ready for next step

An eye-catching late run that carried improving four-year-old Rockspell to victory at Pukekohe on Saturday was just the performance that co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan was looking for as he eyes a step up in grade for his charge.The lightly raced son of Per Incanto had indicated he had the talent to win races when finishing third at his first two starts in the summer of the 2020/21 racing season however a severe lung infection saw him off the scene for over ten months before making a return to th...

Meet The Team - Pratap Singh

As the strapper and track work rider of multiple Group winners, Pratap Singh had an unconventional introduction into the racing industry. With meticulous attention to detail and fantastic horsemanship skills, Pratap is an asset to the team and is able to get aboard some of our most tricky rides. We spoke to Pratap to learn a little more about his time at Wexford, what he was doing before he came to New Zealand and the horses we should all be keeping an eye on...  How did you first get ...

Meet The Team - Nathan Trumper

Having joined the Wexford Team as Assistant Trainer at the start of 2022 , Nathan has stepped into the role with gusto. With experience in the racing and breeding industry, he has been an excellent addition to the team. Having also been the recipient of the Irish National Stud Scholarship, Nathan has a wealth of knowledge in all areas of racing and has great passion and enthusiasm for his role! We spoke to Nathan to find out more about what he enjoys about his role, his most memorable momen...

O’Sullivan looking to repeat Derby success

Lance O’Sullivan won the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) as a jockey 30 years ago and he is hoping to repeat the feat as a trainer at Eagle Farm on Saturday.“I won the Derby on a filly called Royal Magic. She won the Oaks and then a week later she won the Derby. She was a good filly,” O’Sullivan told RSN.The Kiwi horseman, who trains in partnership with Andrew Scott, will line-up race favourtie Dark Destroyer in the three-year-old feature this weekend.The son of Proisir has made an im...

Summer Passage: A look back on the career of a Gr.1 winner

There was a toast amongst team Wexford following the purchase of a cracking Snitzel colt at the 2016 Inglis Easter Yearling Sales. That colt would not disappoint. Summer Passage's resume is a long and rather impressive one. He shone during his two-year-old season, winning the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper before claiming Gr.1 glory in the Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie. A frequent flyer, Summer Passage travelled to Sydney where he was narrowly denied victory in the Gr.1 Sires Produce Stakes at Randwick, f...

Dark Destroyer game in Rough Habit

Kiwi raider Dark Destroyer has been building towards a Queensland breakthrough and at the third run of his Australian campaign, the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained son of Proisir prevailed in the Gr.3 Rough Habit Plate ($272,000) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. It was a hard-fought victory for the talented gelding who had won the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) in his homeland on New Year’s Day before the focus switched to an autumn campaign in Australia. After closing well for second in...

Scott on a special mission as he heads back to Brisbane

This time two weeks ago Matamata trainer Andrew Scott was in Brisbane when he received the tragic news of the death in a traffic accident of his father, popular Horowhenua horseman Jack Scott. Having joined his family in Foxton on Monday to farewell their 91-year-old patriarch, Scott headed back to Brisbane today hoping to honour his father in the best way possible. The day after his father’s death, Scott saddled up Dark Destroyer, who he trains in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan, for seco...

Dark Destroyer Shines in Queensland Guineas

A gallant run for second in Saturday’s Gr.2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) by Dark Destroyer brought some welcome relief for co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan.O’Sullivan prepares the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) aspirant with training partner Andrew Scott and was delighted to see the son of Proisir bounce back to his best in the hands of jockey Sam Weatherley as he went down fighting in the Group Two feature by just under a length to the James Cummings-trained Character.Having just his second start...

Dark Destroyer ready to kick off Queensland campaign

Exciting three-year-old Dark Destroyer is ready to make his raceday return in the Listed Daybreak Lover (1400m) at Eagle Farm this coming weekend.The David Archer-owned three-year-old son of Proisir hasn’t been seen since his gritty victory in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, with trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott keen to see him perform up to his best during a Brisbane winter campaign.“We’re very happy with him and keen to see him st...

Gone With The Wind gets deserved victory

The stable picked up another win at Rotorua on Saturday with four-year-old mare Gone With The Wind, who O’Sullivan believes can excel on the wet tracks likely to be on offer in the next few months. “She (Gone With The Wind) deserved her win on Saturday as she had gone some nice races lately without an ounce of luck,” he said.“Andrew and I both think she will be better on the yielding surfaces, so hopefully she can take the step up and perform to a similar level throughout the rest of thi...

Son of Vadamos impressive on debut

The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Uderzo, a three-year-old gelding by Vadamos, closed over the top of runner-up Eridor to score impressively on debut.“He is quite a nice horse, he just needs to learn to settle a wee bit, that is why we ran him over 1200m to run him off his feet a bit,” Scott said.“He will certainly get around two corners at some part of his career, when the penny drops.“We will take it race by race and we are in no big hurry to go anywhere. The group that o...

Wexford in the thick of the day two action at Karaka

Fresh from their stunning Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) triumph at Ellerslie on Saturday, Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott were back in the limelight at Karaka on Tuesday.The pair purchased three individuals on the first day of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale and midway through the second day of selling had added two more youngsters to their haul including Lot 303, the US Navy Flag colt out of Fastnet Rock mare Honfleur from the Valachi Downs draft.The colt comes from a ste...