Photo: Supplied
White Robe Lodge celebrated a red-letter day for their resident sire Ghibellines on Saturday.
The son of Shamardal was credited with two quinellas, including one in the Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, and a win in the Hororata Gold Cup at Riccarton.
Live Drama (ex Sheeza Drama [AUS] and Burgie (ex Norah), both bred by Lorraine and Brian Anderton ONZM, were first and second respectively in the Group Three feature for fillies and mares, while Second Thoughts (ex Wellsey), bred by NZTBA members David and Hazel Voice, was the winner of the Hororata Gold Cup.
The final event of the day was taken out by Noble Knight (ex Flight Arrival) bred by White Robe Lodge Stud managers Wayne and Karen (nee Anderton) Stewart, with Mayor of Norwood (ex Gallant Babe), bred by long term White Robe Lodge client the Estate of the late Patrick Smith, coming in second.
To add to the excitement of the afternoon, talented stayer Smokin’ Romans (Ghibellines x Inferno) finished fourth in the Gr.1 Australian Cup at Flemington.
“They were great results,” Wayne Stewart said. “We sold Noble Knight, Smokin’ Romans and Live Drama, they are all off the farm. Burgie is leased to stable clients who have been with us for years.
“Ghibellines has been going great of late. He was going along well last season but this season he has gone to a different level.
“He had a couple of good three-year-olds last season, along with Markus Aurelius, and this year he has the likes of Smokin’ Romans and now those two mares Live Drama and Burgie have produced a Group Three quinella.
“He has really established himself as a stallion that produces horses from two years through to older horses and from 1000m to 2000m.
“After eight seasons at stud, and not all of them with a lot of mares, we now know what suits him. We have found that he has crossed well with Yamanin Vital mares – Smokin’ Romans is out of a Yamanin Vital mare, and so is Noble Knight. He has a good strike rate with them, and we have more of them than most people.”
Live Drama, however, is out of a mare more recently acquired by the stud but from a family that they had previously had success with.
“Brian bought Sheeza Drama in Australia in 2014 as she was from the same family as Cherry Creek and Coulee and she had already left a winner. Cherry Creek was out of Stage Flash who was out of Stage Show who is the dam of Sheeza Drama.”
Live Drama was the first foal out of the mare bred at White Robe Lodge and was sold at the 2018 South Island Sale to The No 8 Syndicate for $8,500. She placed with trainer Lance Robinson, who also shares in the ownership with his wife Christine, Jack O’Dea and John and Callum Dunnett.
She is now the winner of nine races. She won on debut at two and was placed second in the Listed Gore Guineas at three as well as recording one win. At four she went through the grades winning four races on end and going through to open company.
At five she won one race, the Listed Great Easter Handicap, in the autumn she had placed in the Gr.3 Stewards Handicap, Listed Pegasus Stakes and Listed Timaru Stakes.
This season she won second up in the spring, and on her way to victory in the South Island Breeders’ Stakes, recorded placings in the Listed Timaru Stakes and the Gr.3 White Lodge Stud Stakes.
Photo: Race Images South
Sheeza Drama’s next foal was No Drama, also by Ghibellines. He was bought privately by clients of Lance Robinson and after winning one race at two was on sold to Australia where he has won one race. Her next foal a two-year-old by War Decree (USA) named War Drama was sold privately to Ciaron Maher and is set to trial shortly with Maher reportedly very happy with the horse’s progress.
She has striking colt foal by Hello Youmzain (FR) who will be sold next year as a yearling and she is now back in foal to Ghibellines.
Sheeza Drama, a daughter of Pure Theatre (AUS), won three races and is a half sister to Stage Whisper, a stakes placed winner of five races, and also to Stage Flash the dam of Cherry Creek (by Monashee Mountain [AUS]).
Cherry Creek won eight races including the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes before going on to leave three winners including Coulee (by Gallant Guru), and Stella Creek (by Per Incanto [USA]). Coulee won 10 races including the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Stud Stakes, and the South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes twice. Stella Creek won three races and was stakes placed.
Sheeza Drama’s dam Stage Show won on two occasions and is a half-sister to the Champion filly Stage Hit (dam of the stakes winners Encores, Irradiate and Sir Laurence) and Indian Raj, a Group Two winner of six races. There is a host of other stakes winners in the family that descends from the third dam Oh Calcutta.
“It’s been a good family for us, and we have bred a lot of winners out of it,” Stewart said.
“Brian also bought another mare from this family in Swapping who in turn left Barter, the dam of Haggle who is a three-year-old by Ghibellines that Brian and Shane train for stable clients. He won a race at two and another at three.
“It was a top run from Burgie, who is trained by Shane and Brian for some good clients of ours. She is out of a Gallant Guru winning mare Norah. She’s a daughter of Anna who produced the stakes winners Requisite and Rose Marada both by Yamanin Vital. Anna is a half-sister to Renee who won seven races including the Stewards.
“Norah has also left another lovely filly by Ghibellines in Mabel that we are racing. She is three, she has had a couple of starts but is a wee bit immature. She has also left a colt by Jon Snow which has been purchased privately by clients of Mike Moroney.
“We sell a lot of horses privately off the farm. It started with a few jumpers and the likes of Who Shot Thebarman. Now it’s lots of two, three- and four-year olds. They have a chance to grow out naturally on the farm and we have a reputation for producing good horses.
“I believe the marketplace is looking more and more for that readymade horse. We have a good rapport with a lot of clients. It saves a lot of work time and cost not having to go to the sales. Especially now we don’t have a South Island sale, for those Book Two or later maturing horses, they grow out naturally.”
Ghibellines, who will stand his ninth season at stud this term, stood for $8,000 +GST in 2022 and sits on a 51.1 percent runners to winners ratio. – Michelle Saba, NZTBA
