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Tazima continues hot winter form in 2026

Published

3 weeks ago

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Jockey in black-and-blue silks and helmet smiles while riding a dark horse at a racetrack.

Tazima and jockey Grima combined for their third successive victory in the Precise Air Handicap (1800m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The promising gelding Tazima has now amassed five wins this season, a commendable achievement. Trainer Chris Waller indicated that this latest win was his horse’s most impressive effort to date.

“I feel that was close to his best win,” Waller said. “He was up in grade but he won quite easily. “We will keep him going through the winter, he’s thriving, he’s well, and he’s winning with plenty in hand. “He could be a Wyong Cup-type of horse. Those type of races will come around pretty soon and there is an 1800m race at Rosehill or Randwick next month which is going to be his next run to keep him ticking along.”

Tazima, who was heavily backed into $3.90 favouritism, completed a winning treble on the Randwick program for Grima. He accelerated clear to win by two lengths from Boniface ($5.50), who chased hard but was safely held. Sly Boots ($5) finished more than three lengths adrift in third.

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Grima disclosed that her first-ever ride for the Waller stable was on Tazima, when the gelding won on the Kensington track in August last year.

“Tazima was my first winner from my first ride for Chris and that is my fourth win on the horse now,” Grima enthused.

The race didn’t entirely go to plan for Grima, as Tazima was caught three-wide early on, albeit with cover.

“I honestly don’t mind the three-wide line today if you can get a bit of cover,” said Grima, who also rode winners on Perfect Justice and Beneva. “Tazima travelled beautifully for me, he got a lovely cart into the straight and was just too good.”

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Grima’s Randwick treble takes her to 33 city wins for the season, and she now leads Braith Nock by three wins in their battle for the Sydney apprentices premiership.

Although Grima took riding honours at Randwick, Reece Jones celebrated a brace of wins in close finishes.

Jones found the shortest path home on Zouripper to score narrowly in the Kieran Moore Handicap (1000m).

This was the second tight but successful finish for Jones after he won the opener on Proxima Dea.

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But just as in Jones’ win on Proxima Dea, the jockey was unsure if Zouripper had won in another finish that left everyone guessing.

“I didn’t know if we got there, I just put my head down and went for it,” Jones said. “To his credit, Zouripper tried very hard. He got through the heavy pretty well and I’m glad we got there right on the line.”

Zouripper settled three pairs back, one off the fence early. As they approached the turns, Jones could have easily moved the sprinter out towards the centre of the home straight to make his finishing run.

Instead, Jones made a tactical decision to switch back to near the inside rail, a move that proved to be a masterstroke, providing the jockey with the second leg of his Randwick double.

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Zouripper ($4.40) arrived in time to edge out the brave Petticoat ($3 favourite), with Prima Bella ($3.50) a half-length away third.

Trainer Joe Pride had a rare Saturday off racing, but stable representative Orla Pearl stated that Zouripper is only just getting started this winter.

“This was Zouripper’s third run this time in and he’s going well,” Pearl said. “He ran such a strong race last time we were pretty confident coming here today because he handles these wet tracks.”

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5 players who are switching states ahead of India’s 2026-27 domestic season ft. Shashank Singh

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12 minutes ago

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3 August 2026

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The annual pre-season transfer window in Indian domestic cricket allows players to switch state associations as outstation or guest recruits under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regulations.

State teams are permitted up to three guest players to strengthen their squads ahead of the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaigns. These transfers are driven by players seeking more game time, specialized roles, or leadership opportunities, while developing state teams aim to recruit veteran talents to bolster their squad depth.

The upcoming 2026-27 season features several notable moves, with prominent domestic regulars and IPL players shifting allegiances. Let’s take a look at five such moves.

#1 Shashank Singh

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Shashank Singh will turn up for Puducherry in the 2026-27 season after shifting base from Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS) has already issued an NOC to the player.

Singh alleged that the state association didn’t support him while he was recovering from an injury that he suffered last season. He further claimed that the association questioned his commitment, saying that the batter only wanted to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 27-year-old added that CSCS officials didn’t give him any clarity over why he was left out of the Chhattisgarh Premier League and the team’s pre-season camp.

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Singh has played 21 first-class games for Chhattisgarh over the last seven years. He has also represented the state in 31 List A and 42 T20s.

#2 Yash Dayal

Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler Yash Dayal will represent Chhattisgarh in the upcoming domestic season. He has already joined the team’s pre-season camp in Alur.

Dayal has not played any competitive cricket since the IPL 2025 final, after which he faced charges relating to sexual assault. The left-arm pacer was retained by Gorakhpur Lions for the upcoming UP T20 League. However, he didn’t feature in the 18-member squad the franchise announced following the auction.

The 28-year-old has represented Uttar Pradesh in 27 first-class, 23 List A, and 71 T20s, picking up 186 wickets across formats, including two five-wicket hauls.

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Dayal will look to start fresh for Chhattisgarh in the upcoming season and make his way back to the scheme of things.

#3 Dharmendrasinh Jadeja

Chhattisgarh is looking to build a strong squad for the upcoming domestic season. As a result, they have roped in Saurashtra‘s veteran left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja.

The 35-year-old spinner has been a stalwart in the domestic circuit, picking up 423 wickets in 100 first-class matches, including seven 10-wicket hauls and 26 five-fors. Jadeja also has 121 List A and 65 T20 wickets under his belt.

Jadeja is also a very handy batter in the lower order, accumulating almost 2900 runs across formats. He also has 10 fifties under his belt.

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Jadeja’s addition will certainly boost Chhattisgarh’s squad depth as they look to put in a spirited performance next season.

#4 Prasad Pawar

Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter Prasad Pawar has signed with Puducherry to play alongside Shashank Singh as a guest player in the upcoming domestic season.

Prasad has struggled for game time in the Mumbai squad, with Hardik Tamore playing as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. As a result, Prasad has decided to shift base to Puducherry in search of more playing time.

Prasad made his List A debut in 2021, while his first-class and T20 debuts came in 2023. Overall, he has represented Mumbai in 27 matches, scoring 591 runs, including one hundred and fifty each.

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#5 Jayant Yadav

An offspinner from Haryana, Jayant Yadav, has decided to join Chhattisgarh for the 2026-27 domestic season. He brings truckloads of experience along with him, having represented India in six Tests and two ODIs while picking up 17 wickets in total.

Yadav has 96 first-class, 74 List A, and 95 T20s under his belt, picking up 272, 68, and 61 wickets, respectively, including two 10-wicket hauls and 15 five-fors. He is also very handy with the bat in the lower order, scoring 4781 runs, including three hundreds and 22 fifties. The 36-year-old cricketer also has one Test hundred and fifty each to his name.

Chhattisgarh will rely heavily on the spin duo of Yadav and Jadeja to bring laurels for the team in the upcoming season.