Madame Giselle and connections post race
- The 2024 four-day Riccarton Park Summer Racing Season opened on Thursday 18 January with an Industry meeting.
- The highlight of the day was the winning performances of three three-year-olds all considered good enough by connections to run in Group races in the spring.
- Anna Furlong and Shane Kennedy started both QUINTABELLE and WARNING SIGNAL in the Group 1 Barneswood Farm NZ 1000 Guineas® at the NZ Cup Meeting, Whilst unplaced both resumed with winning runs in the Ratin 65 1400 and 1200 respectively.
- Andrew Carston’s promising three-year-old MOGUL had run in the War Decree Stakes in October finishing sixth in that race. Unplaced in a maiden race at the Cup Meeting he resumed with a strong win from second last on the corner in the Vale Paul Harris Maiden. As the race name indicates the race remembered trainer Paul Harris who passed away on Boxing Day 2023. MOGUL denied MOVIE GIRL a fairytale win as the later was trained by Paul and part owned by his partner Ainsley McLeod.
- MADAME GIZELLE gave the Furlong/Kenndy partnership a trio of wins with her win in the Corin & Bobbity Murfitt Rating 65, the seventh race on the eight-race programme.
- Premiership leader Warren Kennedy rode MADAM GIZELLE to record his second win of the day a total he shared with fellow visiting rider Leah Hemi.
- The turf Course Proper performed very well after what is now an annual renovation taking place immediately following the NZ Cup Meeting.