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Savaria and the history of her ancestry

Following the success of Savaria, the 2015 group one New Zealand Oaks winner, much has been said about her ancestress Princess Patine, the fabulous foundation mare of the Moore family's Soliloquy Lodge. Princess Patine's sire, Pakistan II(GB), may well have provided the spark that ignited almost 50 years of unabated success yet there was another stallion, the great Sobig, by Summertime(GB), who provided the fuel and who, coincidentally, lived less than a kilometre from Pakistan II in Longburn, ...

Dylan's Blog – July 2015

The long goodbye Over the past month things have really wound down at the stud. The mares are now all pregnant and living out in the paddocks with their young ones, grazing and enjoying the sun. The stallions have slowed down almost to a stop with only 1 or 2 covers a day and Americain is getting ready to head back down south as well. With the stud slowing down, it has opened up time for us students to go on more field trips. It was great to get the opportunity to see so many different studs,...

Zabeel continues his impressive status as a broodmare sire

Pencarrow Stud were one of the original shareholders in the mighty Cambridge Stud stallion Zabeel and what a wonderful investment that has turned out to be. In an earlier interview with the NZTBA, Leon Casey Pencarrow's manager, described Zabeel's blood as gold and stated that he is a unique horse, who put range, scope and stamina into his foals, and now his mares are producing some great crosses with some great stallions. Already Zabeel has been the champion broodmare sire in Australia and N...

Close finish in broodmare sires' race

A photo-finish is looming in the New Zealand broodmare sires' premiership with former Waikato Stud stalwarts Centaine and O'Reilly locked in a tight tussle. Centaine currently leads the standings with earnings of $2,264,172, chiefly through the feats of New Zealand Derby winner Mongolian Khan. But close behind on $2,238,762 is O'Reilly, whose dual Group One-winning son Sacred Star has been his best performer. Zabeel, who has won the title for the past three seasons, sits in third spot on $1,7...

The "Rose" dynasty of Rosehill Farm continues

In 1924 a breeder in Te Awamutu acquired a filly by Wairiki from Miss Rose that he named Wee Rose, and therein started the "Rose" dynasty of Rosehill Farm, that is still producing Stakes winners some 90 years later. That breeder Bill Alexander was the maternal uncle of one Joe Pollard, whose daughter Liz still runs Rosehill Farm and bred and raced its latest Stakes winner Queens Rose (O'Reilly – Rosetti Bay). Queens Rose recently won the Listed Tauranga Classic for fillies and mares, and in ...

Benji’s Blog – June 2015

COOLMORE STUD, IRELAND Prospect Foaling Yard After arriving at Coolmore Stud I started my placement at Prospect foaling yard. Since it was getting late in the season there were only 24 mares left to foal I had not long been in the house when I got the call from Mick the yard manager at around 10.30 pm asking if I would like to see a foaling. The foaling procedure was very similar to that at Cheveley Park, the mares foal inside on a big box of straw and assisted. When the mare breaks water t...

Hawke's Bay Foal Walk and lunch this Sunday

The Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay branch will be holding their foal walk and lunch this Sunday 28th June 2015 commencing at 10.30am. It will start with Guy Lowry in Kawera Road, Okawa then on to Lime Country Thoroughbreds at Okawa Stud. This will be followed by a visit to Barry Smyth's property in Crystall Road, Havelock. The final stop will be with Gerard Moughan, 306 St Georges Road, Havelock North. Lunch will be at "Off the Track" restaurant on Havelock Road. Reservations are necessary. Please ...

2015 NZTBA Stallion Register now available

This is the time of the year that all thoroughbred breeders look forward too, as it's when the NZTBA publish their stallion register. Yes folks that's right, the 42nd volume of the Register of Thoroughbred Stallions of New Zealand is in the letter boxes of all financial members of the NZTBA. The 160 page book features the tabulated pedigrees of 89 stallions standing at stud in New Zealand along with their race and stud records and the statistics of their sires. It is crammed full of statistica...

Vale Phil Bayly

New Zealand has lost one of its most successful breeders and owners with the recent passing of Phil Bayly. He was 92. His familiar red and black stripe silks were carried to Group One successes on both sides of the Tasman by such outstanding gallopers as (My) Blue Denim, Eagle Eye, Harris Tweed and the ill-fated Lion Tamer. A sheep and cattle farmer at Kai Iwi, near Wanganui, for 40 years before his move north to Cambridge and then Tauranga, he hailed from a racing family and his uncle Horace ...

NZTR Chairman to not seek re-election

Click here to view the Press Release....

2015 Bayer Lecture Series - Equine Back Pain

The New Zealand Equine Research Foundation is pleased to be able to introduce Dr Sarah le Jeune as the speaker for this year's Bayer Lecture Series. Dr le Jeune is the chief of Equine Integrative Sports Medicine Service at the University of California Davis and specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of lameness and various performance-related musculoskeletal injuries using an integrative approach that includes acupuncture and chiropractic therapy. Her talk will include a live demonstration ...

Aussie Max Whitby enjoys Stella success in New Zealand

Charismatic Aussie Max Whitby was not in New Zealand to witness his latest stakes winner Stella di Paco (Paco Boy[IRE]-Savabeel Star) win the listed Castletown Stakes, but he was pretty happy with the performance. The distinctive emerald green jacket, with red and white chequered epaulettes, emerald green cap with red and white chequered strips are fairly familiar in Australia and New Zealand. In recent seasons they have been seen here on the stakes winning fillies Scarlett Lady and A Touch of ...

White Robe Lodge's Successful Formula to Continue

Looks are one of several considerations when judging a sire, especially a young sire setting out on a stud career and Ghibellines(AUS), White Robe Lodge's exciting new stallion, makes a strong first impression with his solid dark bay (with black points) colouring plus his magnificent balance and proportionality - a real looker. The agent responsible for his purchase, respected bloodstock consultant Michael Otto, can be forgiven some bias but his describing Ghibellines as "a stunner" is right on...

Pure Champion’s wow factor wins over stud

Totara Park Stud weren't in the market for another stallion until they recently laid eyes on Pure Champion. First impressions counted for everything and the handsome Group One winner will stand his first season at the Whangarei operation of Les Donaldson and his daughter and son-in-law, Nicci and Dirk Oberholster. "We had no intention of getting another stallion, but Pure Champion is such a magnificent looking horse, kind and genuine with the most beautiful walk and a great pedigree," Dirk Obe...

A visit by NZ’s Ambassadors and High Commissioners to the Waikato

Between 20-22 May the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade conducted a stud tour for Ambassadors and High Commissioners from many of New Zealand's major trading partners to Taranaki and the Waikato. The purpose of the study tour was to familiarise the diplomatic corps with areas of New Zealand many of them would not otherwise get to see outside of their usual work in Auckland and Wellington. One of the key goals of the study tour was to showcase the local economy in the regions visited. On...

Lightning strikes twice for lucky syndicate

They say that lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, well tell that to the members of the Challenge No.2 Syndicate whose filly Secret Spirit (Swiss Ace[AUS]- Spirit of Sandford) won the Listed Graeme Thomson Great Northern Foal Stakes, 12 months after their other filly Avisto won the same race. According to the manager of the syndicate Adrian Clark, they didn't necessarily target this race, but the filly was running out her races strongly and there are not many 1400 metre races aroun...

Valachi principal chasing further Group One success

Kevin Hickman will be tuned in from afar when Bohemian Lily attempts to follow in the footsteps of another of his Group One-winning Valachi Downs graduates in Australia on Saturday. The Matamata nursery's principal is currently in Europe where he is finalising breeding plans for his recently retired home-bred star Silent Achiever. "He's catching up with the Juddmonte people who have a lot of experience with Southern Hemisphere mares going up there," Valachi manager Jonathan Scully said. Multi...

Sunbride Descendant Proisir Groomed for Success

Rich Hill Stud's recent addition to their stallion roster, Proisir [AUS], has much to recommend him, with interesting bloodlines and a worthy race record. His best winning performance was a win at Newcastle in the Gr.3 Spring Stakes -often a difficult race to win. His lead-up into the Spring Stakes was in a benchmark 69 1400 metre race at Rosehill in which he ran a slashing 1.22.71 and comfortably held future dual Gr.1 winner Norzita by more than two lengths. Two starts - two wins. Well beaten...

New stallion for White Robe

A lengthy search for the ideal addition to the White Robe Lodge stallion roster has ended successfully. The leading South Island farm's patience has been rewarded with their dream signing of the well-related Group Two winner Ghibellines. The rising four-year-old is a lightly-raced son of the international Group One winner and producer Shamardal, sire of the Hong Kong champion Able Friend, in a deal brokered by the respected Auckland bloodstock agent Michael Otto. "We've been looking for a h...

Battle Paint flys the flag for Chequers Stud

Last year's Champion two-year-old in Singapore, Affleck (Battle Paint[USA]-Greenstone), has come back this season an improved horse and recently took out the Group One Singapore Guineas. Bred by Chequers Stud he was sold to one of Laurie Laxon's major clients Phua Chian Kin on the back of two impressive trial wins. He made a winning debut in Singapore in April last year, and at the end of his two-year-old season had won three from four starts. He continued in winning form until November scorin...

Huge bonus beckons Kiwi duo

Paul O'Sullivan will stick close to home with Aerovelocity in their bid for a massive pay-day. The Hong Kong-based expatriate New Zealand trainer has bagged two legs in the Global Sprint Challenge with his Kiwi-bred stable star, with a $US1 million bonus on the line for any horse to claim three wins in the series. Aerovelocity is two-thirds of the way there after he added Sunday night's Gr.1 KrisFlyer International Sprint at Kranji, Singapore, to his Gr.1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen title won in J...

Lime Country Thoroughbreds have had an exciting past week...

Courage, and determination, combined with good equine and sound business skills are reaping rewards for Jo and Greg Griffin of Lime Country Thoroughbreds. Members of the Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay branch of the NZTBA, the energetic and enthusiastic couple took a huge leap of faith when they established their business at the historic Okawa Stud property in Hawkes Bay nine years ago, one of only a handful of new equine operations to be established in the Central Districts in recent years. Lime Count...

Benji’s Blog – May 2015

My time at Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket is coming to an end. I have had a great time and the weather has been improving every day. During my time at the stud I have had the opportunity of visiting a couple of studs in the area. Visiting Stud Farms My highlight had to be seeing champion racehorse Frankel, a very beautiful and professional looking horse, Frankel is the first horse in 60 years to be champion at two, three and four years of age, and the record holder for European consecutive...

Dylan's Blog – May 2015

The Flat is Back! The National Hunt season is finally coming to an end and there was no better way to see it out other than with a massive festival held at Punchestown. What a festival it was with Willie Mullins going out with a bang, breaking his own record claiming 15 winners over the 5-day festival with 10 of those being Grade 1 winners! As Punchestown is not far from us we were lucky enough to have a half day to go experience the festival first hand, and what a festival it was with most of ...

Murray Baker breeds a stakes winner in Sucre

Champion race horse trainer Murray Baker has many accomplishments in the thoroughbred industry and he can now add breeding a stakes winner to that impressive list. Baker is the breeder of the Listed Great Easter Stakes winner Sucre a six-year-old Ishiguru(USA) mare who has now won 12 races and $224,938 in stakes. "She's not a bad horse, not many mares win that many," said Baker when discussing the mare who has also been stakes placed four times. "I still own her, but you can't race them all. ...