NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Racing

Racing: Catalyst in dazzling form

By Michael Guerin
NZ Herald·
14 Jan, 2020 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Catalyst takes out the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton in November. He will now head to the Mr Tiz Trophy at Ellerslie on Karaka Million night. Photo / Race Images

Catalyst takes out the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton in November. He will now head to the Mr Tiz Trophy at Ellerslie on Karaka Million night. Photo / Race Images

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Trainer Clayton Chipperfield is confident he has a better Catalyst for the bigger challenges that lie ahead.

And so will be anybody else who saw the superstar 3-year-old trial at Matamata yesterday.

The 2000 Guineas winner looked bigger and stronger than his last public appearance at Riccarton two months ago when he cruised to victory in his 1000 open catchweight trial.

Winning an open catchweight trial is hardly mind-blowing stuff but it was everything about Catalyst's outing that thrilled trainer Chipperfield. Including the runner-up.

"He has tended to be a bit slow out of the gates sometimes so to see him jump so well and put himself in the one-one was really pleasing," he told the Herald.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Then the way he quickened, to win that easily against a really good horse was great. And then he blew afterwards, confirming that he has a lot of improvement in him.

"So we got everything we wanted out of it and maybe even a little bit more."

What made the trial so much more impressive was the fact a genuine Australian-grade group one galloper in Te Akau Shark finished second.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Make no mistake, the big chestnut was only there to do what he needed and this was a trial and not a race so this wasn't Catalyst thrashing Te Akau Shark, it was two very good horses pleasing their trainers.

But their performances proved that Catalyst can at least match motors with Te Akau Shark, who finished second in an Epsom in October and third to one of the world's best horses in Lys Gracieux in the Cox Plate.

"We all know he is a really good horse so to be able to beat him like that, even though they are doing their own thing, was impressive," said Chipperfield.

Te Akau Shark's trainer Jamie Richards was happy but, like everybody, taken by the winner.

Discover more

Racing

Trainer hoping 'old boys' will rule the day at Trentham

13 Jan 04:00 PM
Racing

Australia still in plans for Harlech

13 Jan 04:00 PM
Racing

Enzo's Lad aims for three-peat

14 Jan 04:00 PM
Racing

Self Assured's tricky draw in Ballarat Cup

14 Jan 04:00 PM

"Our fella was there to do what he did, hit the line on the bridle and did exactly that.

"So we are really happy and he will have an exhibition gallop again before he races at Te Rapa.

"But the winner was very good. He seems to do everything easily."

Catalyst will now head to the Mr Tiz Trophy at Ellerslie on Karaka Million night on Saturday week, the first time he will have been to Ellerslie.

"I am not going to take him up there for a look around, he doesn't need it," says Chipperfield.

"He seems to handle travel and new surroundings pretty well."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Through next week with his unbeaten record for this season intact, Catalyst is almost certain to head straight to Melbourne for a three-race campaign culminating hopefully in a spot in the All Star Mile, voting for which opens tomorrow.

That will mean no repeat clash with Te Akau Shark in the BCD Sprint at Te Rapa on February 8.

"We want to get him to Australia all going well and get him settled in because we hopefully have a big month coming up there," says Chipperfield.

The former star jumps jockey has been doing his research and knows Catalyst will need more than some fancy trials times to beat a beast like Queensland star Alligator Blood.

"I watched him win at the Magic Millions the other day, doing what he did after having a horror lead-in with all the travel and delays, he is going to be really really tough to beat.

"But hopefully in a few weeks they are feeling the same way about us."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Te Akau Shark will use the BCD at Te Rapa as his lead-up to a Sydney campaign which is aimed to culminate in the Queen Elizabeth in April, with Australia's best weight-for-age races eminently more winnable this season than during the Winx era.

With Melody Belle set to gallop between races on Karaka Million night and plenty of 1600m-2400m 3-year-olds likely to join the Australian assault after the Derby meeting in March, it would be a shock if the Kiwis can't snare a couple of major targets this autumn.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Racing

Racing

Special meeting crucial to saving harness racing in Auckland

09 Jul 06:17 AM
Racing

'Thrives on wet tracks': Belardo Boy claims 11th career win

08 Jul 04:59 PM
Racing

Purdon sticks with driver despite Inter Dominion stuff-up

07 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Racing

Special meeting crucial to saving harness racing in Auckland

Special meeting crucial to saving harness racing in Auckland

09 Jul 06:17 AM

One of the most disastrous chapters in NZ racing history could be coming to a close.

'Thrives on wet tracks': Belardo Boy claims 11th career win

'Thrives on wet tracks': Belardo Boy claims 11th career win

08 Jul 04:59 PM
Purdon sticks with driver despite Inter Dominion stuff-up

Purdon sticks with driver despite Inter Dominion stuff-up

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Mick On Monday: Pike pair could be two new stars of the saddle

Mick On Monday: Pike pair could be two new stars of the saddle

06 Jul 06:13 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP