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Meet The Team - Michelle Dando

As the new Administration Specialist for Wexford Stables, Michelle Dando, has dived into the role headfirst. Fitting into the team seamlessly, she has already stamped her mark in the office.  Always ready to offer a warm welcome to the stable, we are delighted to have Michelle on board and look forward to having her as part of the team ahead of what should be an exciting season. With a background in breeding, we learn about her special connection to Dark Destroyer and what horse has made an...

Meet The Team - Caitlin O'Sullivan

The O'Sullivan name has long been synonymous with New Zealand Racing - Caitlin O'Sullivan was destined to play a role in the industry. A hard worker with meticulous attention to detail, she plays an integral role behind the scenes.  With a passion for both racing and the marketing and media industry, Caitlin puts her talents to use through her management of the stable's marketing, work with LOVERACING.NZ and her own digital marketing business, Miss Digital.  How did you first get...

Dark Destroyer ruled out of Arrowfield Stud Plate

- Article by NZ Racing DeskThe hopes of securing the Hastings triple crown with Dark Destroyer this year are now over. The connections of the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) winner have decided to play it safe with their gelding and have given him a break following an elevated temperature following his victory on a Heavy10 track. “He won’t be heading to the Arrowfield (Stud Plate, 1600m),” said Andrew Scott, who trains the four-year-old in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan. “He just had a ...

Stable on trail of Group One double

Wexford Stables are hoping to continue their Group One winning run with Dragon Leap who contests the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday. The training partnership celebrated a significant early domestic strike when Dark Destroyer claimed the major prize on the opening day of the Hawke’s Bay spring carnival and his stablemate is doing everything asked of him across the Tasman.Dark Destroyer rounded off strongly for a first-up win in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) last weekend and...

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...

Meet the Team - Megan Fenwick

Megan leading Dark Destroyer and Sam Weatherley back after winning the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate. Image: Grant Peters....

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...