Photo: Christine Cornege
Famed Cambridge nursery Trelawney Stud were announced the Sir Patrick and Justine, Lady Hogan Breeders of the Year at Saturday’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Property Brokers National Breeding Awards.
From a band of under 40 broodmares, the historic Trelawney Stud, run by Brent and Cherry Taylor, have produced outstanding results this season, headlined by star front-running mare Pride Of Jenni.
The daughter of Pride Of Dubai is out of the O’Reilly mare Sancerre and started nine times during the season, winning three Group One events.
This included a bumper Melbourne Cup week landing the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) and Gr.1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) before starring in the autumn with stellar performances when winning both the All-Star Mile (1600m) and Gr. 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
Trelawney also bred Singaporean champion Lim’s Kosciuszko, who in the period under review won seven races, including the Listed Singapore Gold Cup, Kranji Mile & Raffles Cup - all Local Group One events - and the EW Barker Trophy as well as finishing second in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
He was Horse of the Year in Singapore in 2023 and rated Champion Sprinter, Miler & Stayer as well and trounced his rivals in Sunday’s Lion City Cup (1200m).
Trelawney also bred a further 18 individual winners in the 2023/24 season.
“We are truly honoured to receive the Breeder of the Year award,” Brent Taylor said. “This reflects the hard work of our team and the exceptional talent of horses like Pride of Jenni.
“We’ve had a breeding program for a long time where we send a number of maiden mares and young mares to Australia breeding them, get them in-foal, foal them down and bring them home and Pride Of Jenni followed that program.
“Although she was foaled in Australia, she was here at about two months old and spent all of her time in New Zealand at the stud until we returned her back to Australia for sale in February the following year.
“She’s been extraordinary. For a filly that looked unlucky all the way along, she is on her fourth trainer and the owner has given her every opportunity and she has gone from strength to strength this season.
“It is one of the first families that we bought when we bought Trelawney Stud. We bought a mare called Real Success who was bred at the farm by her previous owners and was trained by
Frank Ritchie and she was a Group Two winner.
“She has gone on to breed Vouvray (Gr.1 Queensland Oaks winner) and it’s the family of Group One winners Loire, Touch Of Ruby and obviously Pride Of Jenni, among others.”
Taylor is also proud of breeding Singapore’s dominant horse in the Daniel Meagher-trained Lim’s Kosciuszko.
“He is an absolute war horse. He has won 21 of 27 starts and he has three runs left to go for the season until Singapore racing finishes. It is a crying shame that we are losing Singapore as a racing jurisdiction but he is certainly one of the best we have seen there.”
Taylor said it was a big thrill to win an award which carries the name of Sir Patrick and Justine, Lady Hogan.
“I worked for them for a long time and they were enormous supporters,” he said.
“It is fantastic to see the industry in such good stead and with Entain coming on board, it is only going to get better.
“We have bred from between 35 and 40 mares over the past ten years and we have quite a big team of racing fillies coming through and some will make the cut and others won’t lets hope we have got a good one in there.”
In addition to the Breeder of the Year award, Faith Taylor, a valued member of the Trelawney team, was honoured with the Entain Personality of the Year title. Her dedication and positive influence within the industry were warmly recognised.
“We are also delighted that my mother, Faith Taylor, was recognised with the Personality of the Year award,” Taylor said. “Her passion and commitment have been vital to our success.”
After operating a successful business, Taylor and her late husband Keith became the benefactor of the Arts, Ecological projects and many charities including the Malaghan Institute - a world leader in cancer research.
The couple’s shared passion for the thoroughbred industry led them to establish Waimanu Stud in Horowhenua in the 1980s, where they raised yearlings for sale at Trentham until 1993, when the couple purchased the iconic Trelawney Stud.
The famed thoroughbred nursery has continued to thrive under the management of Taylor’s son Brent and is a noted source of high-class racehorses.
Despite Keith’s untimely passing in 1997, Faith Taylor has remained actively involved in breeding and racing at Trelawney. Her dedication and keen eye for talent are reflected in the horses she owns shares in, including Sancerre, the dam of Pride of Jenni.
The generous and unassuming Taylor provided seed funding for the Catwalk Trust and continues that support that today, along with supporting the likes of Riding for the Disabled and the Horse Ambulance Trust.
Taylor’s passion for education and the thoroughbred breeding industry has seen her sponsor 21 young New Zealanders to attend the Irish National Stud Breeding course over the past 18 years as benefactor of the Keith and Faith Taylor Family Trust Irish National Stud Scholarship.
“I’m so undeserving,” a humble Faith Taylor said. “Keith would be very proud. He was my absolute rock and a wonderful man.
“I came from a long line of small breeders and I am so proud of Trelawney Stud. There are so many good things that happen in New Zealand and I am happy to be part of some of them.” – NZ Racing Desk
