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Ambitious Dragon returning to New Zealand; Bosson remains sidelined; Kiwi pair entered for Hawkesbury Gold Cup; Coachella tackles Oaks; Rogersons eye juvenile features

Ambitious Dragon returning to New Zealand

A special ceremony took place at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday to bid farewell to two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon, who has been retired to his native New Zealand.

Ambitious Dragon retired with a record of 13 wins from 30 starts with stakes of HK$58,722,850 (about NZ$9.8 million) to make him the sixth-highest earner in Hong Kong racing history.

Trainer Tony Millard guided the brilliant son of Pins to a host of big-race successes at Sha Tin, notably Group One victories in the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the 2012 Longines Hong Kong Mile. He recorded a further five wins at the top level, including the Hong Kong Derby.

Ambitious Dragon was selected and purchased from breeder Pat Lowry as a yearling for owner Johnson Lam by the Masterton-based bloodstock agent Bruce Perry.

"I am delighted to confirm that Ambitious Dragon will be coming back to New Zealand to Kiwikawa Farm, the place where he was raised,” said Perry. “He will enjoy a well-earned retirement, getting the best of care in a familiar environment.”

Bosson remains sidelined

Crack jockey Opie Bosson will sit out another week of racing with a fractured rib.

Bosson had hoped to ride at Te Rapa this Saturday but wants to allow himself another week of recovery with May 9 now penciled in for his return.

Kiwi pair entered for Hawkesbury Gold Cup

Group-winning Kiwi gallopers Diademe and Surpass are among the entries for Saturday's Gr.3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m).

Waikato Gold Cup winner Surpass has crossed the Tasman to rejoin the Australian arm of Michael Moroney's stables, having won the Gr.3 Te Rapa staying feature under the care of Moroney's Matamata training partner Chad Ormsby.

Surpass is resuming with a Warwick Farm trial fourth under his belt.

Diademe, winner of the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes for Cambridge trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, has transferred to Baker's Warwick Farm-based son Bjorn.

She finished eighth in the Gr.1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes at Randwick last start.

Coachella tackles Oaks

Former Kiwi filly Coachella will have the services of Dom Tourneur and break from barrier 12 in Saturday's Gr.1 Schweppes Oaks (2500m) at Morphettville.

Formerly prepared by Jeff McVean and Emma-lee Browne at Cambridge, Coachella had five runs in New Zealand placing twice in the lead-up to the $1 million Karaka Million in which was checked out of contention and finished 12th.

Now with South Australian trainer Phillip Stokes, Coachella is one of four New Zealand-breds in the Oaks field. The Mastercraftsman filly was bred by Windsor Park Stud and is raced by Windsor Park's Mike Moran and his wife Helen plus Australian friends Barry Broomhead, Allan Jones, James Whitfield and Jonathan Lumsden.

Rogersons eye juvenile features

Husband-and-wife Hamilton trainers Graeme and Debbie Rogerson will shoot for a dual-island two-year-old stakes-race double this weekend.

The training partnership has two-win filly Thwayya entered for the Listed Hamilton Vet Services Equine Stakes (1100m) at Te Rapa, while four-win filly Jacquetta is slated for the Listed Berkley Stud Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton.

The Te Rapa juvenile feature attracted 18 nominations on Tuesday, while the Riccarton event had 13 entries.

Riccarton's other Listed race, the Speight's Mid Ale Great Easter Stakes (1400m), attracted 17 entries, including Group One winner Nashville, The Diamond One, King Montrose and Sucre.