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El Vencedor lives up to early prediction

A prophecy made about El Vencedor by his trainer Stephen Marsh in 2021 appears to be coming true.Back then when the horse was an unraced two-year-old, Marsh told his long-term Wellington-based clients Mark Freeman and David Price that this would be the best horse they would ever race.That would have been music to the ears of the young horse’s breeders, who had bought his granddam, the Star Way mare Take Silk, in the late 1990s.Now as a five-year-old, the son of Shocking is enjoying a breakout ...

Rebecca Donovan - Sunline Management Scholarship Blog 1

Hello everyone! It’s hard to believe, but my first four weeks in Ireland have flown by, and it's time for my first blog update. I would like to start by saying, I have so far really enjoyed my opportunity to work in the Northern Hemisphere. Before boarding the plane to Ireland, I was given a piece of advice that continues to resonate with me: "Make the most of it, take every opportunity, and ask every question". I have endeavoured to follow this piece of advice every day since I arrived, and i...

Meet the Breeder - Stewart Hume

This week in Dunstan Horsefeeds Meet the Breeder, we catch up with Queensland breeder Stewart Hume, whose interest in the thoroughbred started in country Queensland and whose love for the middle-distance staying type of horse has given him many highlights throughout his journey in thoroughbred breeding.Tell us the story of Lekvarte?Yea so that was exciting on the weekend (winning the Gr.3 Mostyncopper Aspiration Quality). I bought the mare ‘Plumm’ off the track, she hadn’t won a race, but ...

Belle Of The Ball and Never Forgotten for sale on gavelhouse.com

The latest fortnightly auction on gavelhouse.com gives buyers access to a pair of blue-blooded broodmare prospects that have recently been retired from the Te Akau Racing stable.The first of these high-class offerings is the black-type performer Belle Of The Ball (NZ) (Savabeel).Bred by Waikato Stud, she is by super-sire Savabeel out of two-time winner and Melbourne Group Two placegetter Lady Tatia (Duke Of Marmalade). Belle Of The Ball’s second dam is a sister to Group One winners Shogun Lodg...

Don Goodwin on Weigh In

Weigh In's Emily Bosson catches up with breeder Don Goodwin on the recent passing of his champion mare, Verry Elleegant....

Posthumous Group One honour for grand producer

El Vencedor’s career-best performance at Ellerslie to triumph at Group One level was tinged with a bittersweet note for breeder-owners David Price and Mark Freeman.The Stephen Marsh-trained son of Shocking added to the Wellington pair’s success with the family when he capped off a lucrative campaign with victory in Saturday’s Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) under Irish jockey Joe Doyle.“It was off the charts really, you don’t go there expecting to beat what is probably the best ...

Deserved stakes win for Eternal Flame

Luckless in feature races in her two previous starts, Eternal Flame (Sacred Falls) turned things around and collected a deserved first black-type victory in Saturday’s A$200,000 Gr.3 Matron Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.The New Zealand-bred daughter of Sacred Falls was already a three-time winner, but her previous appearances at stakes level had produced a sixth in the Gr.2 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m), sixth in the Gr.2 Kewney Stakes (1600m), fifth in the Listed Black Pearl Stakes (1200...

Late charge lands Aspiration Quality for Lekvarte

Classy New Zealand-bred mare Lekvarte (Reliable Man) collected her second stakes win of the season with a brilliant late burst in Saturday’s A$250,000 Gr.3 Mostyncopper Aspiration Quality (1600m) at Randwick.The five-year-old was sent out as a warm favourite for the fillies and mares’ feature on the strength of her recent form, which included a win in the Gr.3 Belle of the Turf Stakes (1600m) at Gosford two starts back and a strong finish for fifth in the Gr.2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) ...

Von Hauke comes of age in Shaftesbury Avenue

Promising New Zealand-bred Von Hauke (Savabeel) took his career to new heights with his first black-type victory in Saturday’s A$200,000 Gr.3 Furphy Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap (1400m) at Flemington.The Savabeel gelding had made only one previous appearance in stakes company, finishing fifth in the Listed Paris Lane Stakes (1400m) over the same course and distance back in October.But the four-year-old had caught the eye with a strong finish in his resuming run over 1100m at Caulfield on Februa...

El Vencedor causes massive upset in Bonecrusher Stakes

An inch perfect front running ride by Irishman Joe Doyle paved the way for outsider El Vencedor (Shocking) to upset the applecart in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie.Despite a consistent form-line with a win and three placings along with a last-start fourth in the Gr.1 Otaki-Māori Weight For Age Classic (1600m), the five-year-old son of Shocking was overlooked by punters as he closed at $21 on the Fixed Odds market.All the smart money was on class four-year-old ...

Lowland win starts Ormsby’s big weekend on a high

This weekend is set to be one of the biggest in Chad Ormsby’s career, and the Cambridge trainer kicked it off in style with Pulchritudinous (Wrote) winning Friday’s Gr.2 Little Avondale Lowland Stakes (2000m) at Taupo.The three-year-old fillies’ feature was run less than 24 hours out from tomorrow’s Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington, in which Ormsby will saddle his unbeaten star sprinter Master Fay.“You can’t really ask for a better way to kick off the weekend,” Or...

Meet the Breeder - Lou Weatherley

In this week's edition of Dunstan HorseFeeds Meet the Breeder, we chat with Lou Weatherley, who along with husband Darryn and good friend Barry Wright, have enjoyed incredible success from their mare, La Vitesse.Tell us the story of Maria Farina?We owned her mother La Vitesse, she was lightly raced and retired from a raceday injury, so we decided to breed from her. Her first foal was La Velocita who won 3 races.  One morning on a drive to Cambridge for work, I was on the phone to Michael Hu...

Seachange still playing a starring role

Champion mare Seachange was a flagship performer for The Oaks Stud and her legacy continues to be felt on both sides of the Tasman.Bred and raced by the Cambridge nursery, the two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year landed seven Group One titles during her decorated career and the daughter of Cape Cross’ influence remains current.Seachange features prominently in the pedigrees of The Oaks Stud’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) runner-up Antrim Coast and farm graduate Drakaina, successful in th...

Stud continuing to celebrate with top families

Waikato Stud celebrated trans-Tasman success at the weekend with female representatives of two of their leading families and the nursery is well-placed to continue reaping future rewards.The Matamata farm’s colours were carried to victory by Savabeel filly Certainly in the Gr.3 Mufhasa Stakes (1400m) while their champion stallion also sired homebred Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) winner Atishu.Australia now beckons the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Certainly, a retained daughter of the Pin...

Certainly continues Te Akau’s Mufhasa Stakes dominance

Te Akau Racing’s former trainer Jamie Richards had a stranglehold on the Mufhasa Stakes (1400m) on New Zealand Derby Day, and his successors Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson continued that tradition at Ellerslie on Saturday.The runaway premiership leaders won the Mainstream Plumbing-sponsored Group Three feature with classy Waikato Stud homebred Certainly (Savabeel), who became the fourth Mufhasa Stakes winner in the last five years to come from Te Akau’s Matamata stable.Richards had previously...

Extraordinary Orchestral makes Derby history for James

Roger James is now the most successful trainer in the history of the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m), but even that enormous achievement was overshadowed at Ellerslie on Saturday by the new superstar of his Cambridge stable.Orchestral (Savabeel) became the sixth Derby winner for James, following on from Tidal Light (1986), Roysyn (1995), Zonda (1997), Hades (1999) and Silent Achiever (2012). Saturday’s win took him one ahead of the great Colin Jillings, who had previously shared ...

Maria Farina shines in King’s Plate

Underrated mare Maria Farina (Contributer) outsprinted several of the country’s top gallopers to secure Saturday’s Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m) at Ellerslie.The daughter of Contributer has flown relatively under the radar this season, despite having accumulated six career victories, including the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m), and Listed Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) during New Zealand Cup Week in November.Maria Farina lined up in both the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) and Gr.1 Teleg...

Positivity takes out Sunline Vase

Unheralded Almanzor filly Positivity (Almanzor) sprang an upset at Ellerslie on Saturday when she fought doggedly in the run home to take out the Gr.3 McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m) and claim her first stakes victory.The Andrew Forsman-prepared three-year-old was having just her fifth start and had looked a likely staying prospect when breaking her maiden status over 1600m a Tauranga at just her second start.She was spotted running on nicely in two subsequent efforts in black-type compan...

Australian Cup focus for Blamey winner Atishu

Multiple Group One winning mare Atishu has claimed a berth in the A$4 million All-Star Mile (1600m) with a strong victory in the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. The Chris Waller-trained daughter of Savabeel was ridden more forward than usual under Blake Shinn, who was aboard the six-year-old for the first time, defeating Holymanz by three-quarters of a length, with Ayrton close-up in third after being held-up for a run. “We know she is a filly that has had her s...

Drakaina dominates NZB Airfreight Stakes

Drakaina’s (Ace High) commanding victory in Saturday’s Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui completed a remarkable rise to prominence for a filly that was bought for just $3,000.The daughter of Ace High caught the eye of her trainer and part-owner Ebony Turner on Gavelhouse last year. She was unplaced on debut at Ascot Park in November, then won at $50 odds at Gore on December 24 before finishing fourth in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) and second in last month’s Listed Dunedi...

Alice Wilkinson - Irish National Stud Blog 2

In the last month I have spent most of my time in the Sun Chariot yard which is the foaling unit here at the INS. I spent three nights on foal watch alongside another student named Luis, Carol and Lauren who are the foaling supervisors here at the stud.On my first night of foal watch we had two mares foal. One of which was a high risk foaling due to Neonatal Isoerythrolysis. (NI) is caused by an incompatibility of blood types between a mare and her foal, in which the foal’s red blood cells are...

Jon Snow records first win as a sire

Group One winner Jon Snow got off the mark as a sire on Thursday when his son King Of The North took out the Farewell Dave Bradford (1400m) at Matamata.It was the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained gelding’s third start, having run fourth on debut over 1200m at the Waikato track in January before placing over 1300m at Te Rapa a fortnight later.Jon Snow stands at Clearview Park, near Timaru, and farm principal Aaron Tapper was rapt to see King Of The North get his sire on the board.“...

gavelhouse.com auction brings curtain down on Live Drama’s quality career

Six years after being bought for just $8,500 from New Zealand Bloodstock’s South Island Sale, Live Drama (NZ) (Ghibellines) has retired with more than $330,000 in prize-money to her name and is being sold as a valuable broodmare proposition in the latest fortnightly auction on gavelhouse.com.Live Drama’s high-class career spanned six seasons, winning on debut as a juvenile in May of 2019 and placing at Group Three level as a seven-year-old in November.She had a total of 35 starts for nine wi...

Meet the Breeder - James Chapman

This week in Dunstan Horsefeeds Meet the Breeder, we catch up with James Chapman of Jamieson Park. James bred Saint Alice, winner of the Listed Kaimai Stakes and also has an exciting new addition to add to the stallion ranks!Tell us the history/story of Jamieson Park?Jamieson Park is the culmination of a desire to build and live on a thoroughbred horse stud, developed after visiting some of the best New Zealand studs. I was fortunate to employ Sam Munro and together we set about transforming a...

Vale Dave Bradford

Respected racing journalist and administrator Dave Bradford passed away peacefully in Auckland on Thursday, aged 91.Having started out as a cadet reporter with the Thames Star, Bradford moved onto the Rotorua Daily Post before later becoming racing editor of the Auckland Star/8 O’Clock.A committee member of Auckland Racing Club and Matamata Racing Club, Bradford was the first editor of the New Zealand Racing Annual from early 1970s for MOA Publications.He managed Whitford agistment property Lo...