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An opportunity to witness first-hand some fabulous spring racing as well as viewing some exciting stallions presents itself with the Gavelhouse.com Waikato Stallion Parade weekend on August 24 and 25.
As local President Scotty Buchanan, points out, the Waikato Branch of the NZTBA have scheduled their annual stallion parade event to coincide with the racing at Te Rapa.
"We're thrilled to present this year's Gavelhouse.com Stallion Parade with an adjusted schedule that allows our attendees to experience both the parade and the exhilarating Foxbridge Plate and Pakuranga Hunt Steeplechase raceday. It's a perfect blend of showcasing top-tier stallions and enjoying high-calibre racing.”
The parade will commence early on Saturday morning in Matamata and will conclude in Cambridge by 1pm to enable attendees to get to the race meeting at Te Rapa.
First stop is Waikato Stud, where breakfast and coffee will be available while viewing Ardrossan, Banquo, Noverre, Ocean Park, Savabeel, and Super Seth. From there it’s off to Mapperley Stud to view Armory, Contributer and Savile Row.
The next stop is Rich Hill Stud, where Ace High, Proisir, Satono Aladdin and Shocking will parade before the tour heads through Scotsman Valley to Brighthill Farm, home to Dalghar, Eminent and Preferment.
On Sunday morning the parade starts a little later at 9.45am at Highview Stud west of Hamilton, where a coffee cart will be located for your morning caffeine fix. There you will see the first of the spring debut stallions in Mr Mozart, who will stand alongside Divine Prophet, Santos and Wrote.
A multiple Group-winning son of the champion sire Snitzel, Mr Mozart was a Sydney winner at two and fourth in the Gr. 3 ATC Schweppervescence Handicap. At three he won four races up to 1500 metres including the Gr. 2 Phar Lap Stakes, Gr. 3 Doncaster Prelude, Gr. 3 Hawkesbury Guineas and the Listed Exford Plate in Melbourne, beating Artorius and Hilal.
As a spring four-year-old he raced four times and ran a courageous second in the Gr. 2 ATC Theo Marks Handicap after pulling a plate and was then narrowly beaten in his next start.
“He’s a multiple stakes winner in both Sydney and Melbourne, he's a really good type and I think anybody that comes to see him won't be disappointed, he's a real bull,” enthused Highview Stud’s Brent Gillovic. “He’s by a champion sire in Snitzel and he's got a very strong female pedigree.”
Mr Mozart is out of the Group Three-winning mare Euro Angel, a daughter of Rip Van Winkle out of the stakes-winning mare Polish Princess, who is also the dam of the stakes winners Leebaz, Polish Knight and Zebrowski.
From Highview the parade heads to Windsor Park Stud, where the highly regarded new recruit Paddington will be on show alongside Circus Maximus, Profondo, Shamexpress, Turn Me Loose and Vanbrugh.
As stud principal Rodney Schick points out, Paddington was an exceptional racehorse who offers breeders a fresh pedigree source.
“He’s by Siyouni, a wonderful stallion, a champion sire in Europe, and he’s out of a Montjeu mare, and we know how well they have performed down here with the likes of Tavistock,” Schick said.
“Paddington is a very exciting horse; he’s physically outstanding, very athletic and very much in the style of his father.”
Paddington raced twice at two and won over seven furlongs (1400m) at The Curragh. At three after winning a premier handicap race at Naas over seven furlongs, he started a six-race winning streak racing exclusively in stakes races. The first of those was the Listed The Tetrarch Stakes at the Curragh, before easily taking out the Gr. 1 Irish 2000 Guineas over the same Curragh mile course.
On to Royal Ascot, he triumphed again over a mile in the Gr. 1 St James’s Palace Stakes by nearly four lengths, beating Chaldean and Charyn, before heading to Sandown Park and winning the Coral Eclipse Stakes over 10 furlongs (2000m).
Back to a mile at Goodwood, he won the Gr. 1 Sussex Stakes and then finished third when he stepped back up to 10 furlongs in the Gr. 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York.
Lunch will be served at Windsor Park before the parade makes its next stop at Novara Park to view King of Comedy, Press Statement, Staphanos and Sweynesse.
The Oaks Stud follows at 1.30pm, where Roc de Cambes, The Chosen One and US Navy Flag, will be on show, then it’s on to Cambridge Stud for the final parade commencing at 2.30pm.
The last of the Waikato-based new season sires is Chaldean, who will be paraded alongside Almanzor, Embellish, Hello Youmzain and Sword of State.
Chaldean, a son of champion sire Frankel, was a Group One winner at two and three. He won the last four of his five races at two years, rounded off by the acclaimed Gr. 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.
As a three-year-old the showy chestnut had five starts, headlined by his victory in the Gr. 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, as well as being placed second in the Gr. 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
