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Shailer returns to training ranks
Joshua Smith • October 9th, 2025 2:30 pm
Magice winning at Matamata in May 2024. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Trainer Kris Shailer’s name has been absent from the racebook for the last three years, but will make a return on Sunday at Arawa Park, albeit with a line running through it.
He was set to line-up regally-bred gelding Magice in the Rotorua Racecourse’s Race For The Ladies 1215, however, after drawing barrier 13 on the Heavy10 track, the son of Savabeel will likely be scratched.
“He is going to be over 12 months between races and we don’t want him to have a real gut buster first-up,” Shailer said. “We have drawn wide and we just want to give him every opportunity to race up to the best of his ability first-up.”
Formerly trained in Matamata by Glenn Old, Magice won one and placed in two of his three starts in New Zealand as a two-year-old before transferring to the care of Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman in Australia.
He had four jumpouts across the Tasman but remained unraced and returned home to Waikato Stud earlier this year and entered the care of Shailer at the farm’s private training facility, Courtza Park.
“He had good form when he was with Glenn Old and then he went to Peter Moody’s, who found a chip in his fetlock, so he came home and got gelded and he has stayed on the farm,” Shailer said. “Garry (Chittick, owner-breeder) is happy to have him home and see him most days.”
Magice, a full-brother to Group One winner and Waikato Stud resident stallion Noverre, ran fourth in his returning trial at Arawa Park last month over 1000m, pleasing Shailer with his hit-out.
“It was a great trial,” Shailer said. “It was good to see him settle in behind them. He overdid things as a colt, but now that he is a gelding and he has travelled to Australia and back, hopefully we can see him get up in trip and hopefully win a race or two.
“We are still learning about him. We might possibly go back to the trials and then try and find another race somewhere.”
Meanwhile, Shailer was pleased with stablemate Justin Case’s trial over 850m at Te Awamutu on Thursday, with the two-year-old son of Banquo finishing runner-up behind the Tony Pike-trained Harvey Wallbanger.
“He is a nice horse and got beaten by a well-bred Home Affairs horse of Tony Pike’s. He did everything right and he is only going to improve,” Shailer said.
“We will just see how he pulls up. He will possibly go to Taupo in a couple of weeks’ time for further education.”
Justin Case was bred by Waikato Stud and is raced by the farm in partnership with Ohukia Lodge’s Jamie Beatson.
“They (Ohukia Lodge) have done our breakers for a long time and the ready to run sales,” Shailer said. “They are also great clients of the farm, they breed a few horses of their own, and they do an outstanding job.”
Alongside Stephen Autridge, Shailer was formerly the private trainer for Valachi Downs, but after the Matamata farm was sold, he joined Waikato Stud’s Courtza Park and he said he is enjoying his time at the leading thoroughbred nursery.
“It’s a great place to be working,” he said. “I am very privileged to have a couple of racehorses horses as well as the pre-trainers and spellers.
“We can have anywhere between 40-70 horses here at a time. All the breakers get done outside of the farm and they come back in and we pre-train them and maybe get them to the trials, and then they go off to their trainers, be that in New Zealand or Australia.”
Shailer retained his trainer’s license and said he is pleased he has the opportunity to dust it off this season, with a couple of racehorses in his care.
“When I started out here, they said to keep it (trainer’s license), there might be one that pops up that we bring home and poke around with here,” Shailer said. “It is great to now have a couple of racehorses to train here.”
