Parfore and her 2014 filly by Darci Brahma
There are not that many mares in the Stud Book that have left three individual Group One winners, but Parfore (Gold Brose[AUS]- Twigg Moss[AUS]) the recipient of the 2015 Broodmare of the Year Award is one of them.
According to her owner Mike Ryan, it's a very select band worldwide, and he believes that this spring with Ball of Muscle performing in Australia that he could easily join the Group One winners Terravista, Tiger Tees and Super Easy and Parfore become the dam of four Group One winners.
Abu Dhabi based Ryan is immensely proud of the achievements of the Gold Brose mare that he purchased in New Zealand in 2004 on the advice of renowned bloodstock agent Paul Willetts.
At that stage she had two foals, a colt and a filly by Generous(IRE) and was in foal to Faltaat(USA).
"Paul saw the potential in the family and just to give the mare a chance he went back to Karaka and bought the second foal the colt by Generous, but all the subsequent matings have been down to me," Mike Ryan said.
Parfore won one race, she is out of the stakes winning Twig Moss(FR) mare Classy Twiggy (AUS). Nishaani is an unraced full sister to Parfore and she has also left the champion two-year-old filly Il Quello Veloce and her stakes winning sister Donna Cattiva. Another sister Golden Sparkle has produced the Group Three Concorde winner Mosse (O'Reilly).
The first foal by Generous was Ininthree winner of two races; the second colt that Ryan purchased was named Our Lukas after his son, and went on to win 12 races, five of them Listed including the Ipswich Cup twice, and was Group Three placed.
"The Faltaat mating produced a small colt foal, quite late in the season, she always seems to go about two to three weeks over, and we tried to mate her with Montjeu before he went back but she missed. The Faltaat turned out to be quite a handy horse in Our Boy Lukas who has won nine races and over $200,000 in Victoria.
"Stravinsky (USA) was running hot and in demand so her next mating was to him and she returned to Australia in and produced a filly which was sold to Patinack Farm at the Magic Millions for $150,000. That filly raced as Frustrating and won two races before going to stud.
"I had seen Dubawi win a race at Newmarket and thought he was a magnificent looking horse; I hoped that he would come to stud down here, so when he did I sent Parfore to him. That foal is Tiger Tees I sold him privately and he has won 13 races and over $1million out of Joe Pride's stable in Sydney."
Now an eight-year-old Tiger Tees has won the Group One ATC Galaxy Handicap, the Group Two Warwick Stakes, three Group Three races and a Listed race for good measure.
It was while in foal to Dubawi that Parfore returned to New Zealand to be mated with Darci Brahma, coincidently it was just before EI struck and she was forced to stay in New Zealand at Wentwood Grange for two seasons.
The mating to Darci Brahma produced a strapping bay colt that was to be sold at Karaka – only the second of the foals that Ryan has bred out of the mare that have been through the sales ring as most have been sold privately- he was purchased by Michael Wallace for Michael Freedman in Singapore.
As Super Easy he won 15 races, 11 on end as a three-year-old including the Singapore Guineas, and the Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic, he came back as a four-year-old and won the Lion City Cup and the Patron's Bowl and the Jumbo Jet Trophy before returning to New Zealand to stand at Hallmark Stud in Te Kauwhata. His first foals are now yearlings.
When Parfore returned the following year to Australia she was in foal to Captain Rio(GB) carrying a three-quarter brother to the Champion two-year-old filly Il Quello Veloce. Named Terravista he was also sold privately to some colleagues of Ryan's and joined the Pride stable in Sydney as well.
Now a six-year-old, he has won 9 races and last season he was rated in the top of the World Thoroughbred Rankings for a Sprinter after a sensational win in the Group One Darley Classic at Flemington. Also during his five-year-old season he won the Group Two Shorts Handicap and the Group Three Southern Cross Stakes both at Randwick and was Group One placed in the T.J. Smith Stakes and the Newmarket Handicap. The season prior to that he won the Group Three Liverpool City Cup and the Group Three Show County Handicap.
Following that foal Parfore returned to Dubawi and produced another colt, Ball of Muscle who was sold privately to some of the partners of Tiger Tees and joined his siblings at Joe Pride's stable.
He is the winner of eight races and last season won the Group Two Magic Millions Cup at Doomben, and the Listed Takeover Target Stakes at Gosford. He has also been placed at Group Two level and resumed in Sydney recently running third in the Group Three Concorde Stakes. He has yet to compete at Group One level, but his connections are hopeful that he will get there this spring.
Following Ball of Muscle, Parfore was not served and returned to Wentwood Grange and the following season was mated with Zabeel and produced a colt.
"The Zabeel colt is called Balestroid and is in work with Peter and Paul Snowden. He's a magnificent individual, he ticks all the boxes. Parfore doesn't usually throw early horses, and he has trialled quicker than any of her other progeny, he will have another trial in this spring and then probably go out for a break," enthused Ryan.
"We plan to keep him as a colt, so it would be nice to be able to win a decent race with him and stand him as a stallion, he is one of the most athletic Zabeels that I have seen. So far he is has been pretty quiet and is making good progress. He is the only one that I have kept a colt. Temperament wise the others couldn't stay colts and race the way they have. So fingers crossed."
Parfore was not served after foaling to Zabeel but the next season went back to Darci Brahma and produced a full sister to Super Easy before being mated with Rip Van Winkle(IRE).
"We have the Darci Brahma filly at Wentwood Grange and Des (Hawkins) reckons of all of Parfore's foals that she is the pick of them. He is very upbeat about her, he is still thrilled with her. She will remain in New Zealand until she is broken in next year and will go to Australia about April to join the stable of Peter and Paul Snowden, and that will be the end of our thoroughbreds in New Zealand for the time being.
"Basically Christine and I have made the decision that we are not going back to Australia when we leave the UAE and we are moving permanently to Switzerland next June. We came to Abu Dhabi for two years and have been here seven and a half. We always thought we would go back but things change.
"We have been granted residency and have enrolled Lukas at school in Oberland so have decided to consolidate our bloodstock interests and home both our mares to Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley.
"Parfore is just turning 18 years of age you never know what the future holds, she is happy at Segenhoe. We saw there a couple of months ago, actually it was the first time Lukas had seen her. We had her sex tested before she left New Zealand in May are hopeful that her upcoming colt foal by RipVanWinkle will be like her other colts. All going well she will visit Sepoy(AUS) this spring, but she tends to go nearly 12 months and often she has missed a year because of her late foaling, but now at her age it's probably best just to get her back in foal, but we will be guided by her.
"Our other mare Laravissante (O'Reilly- Mur de Sud[IRE]) was also sourced by Paul Willetts, she is at Segenhoe as well and is in foal to Epaulette (AUS), her Rothesay gelding Oberland has had one win from one start for us in New South Wales.
"I have always thought New Zealand was the best place to grow horses out, and history speaks for itself. The Hawkins family have done a wonderful job with my horses and are a wonderful family, that's a very big help when you are on the other side of the world. I have made some really good friends in New Zealand and now Parfore will always be remembered there.
- Michelle Saba
According to her owner Mike Ryan, it's a very select band worldwide, and he believes that this spring with Ball of Muscle performing in Australia that he could easily join the Group One winners Terravista, Tiger Tees and Super Easy and Parfore become the dam of four Group One winners.
Abu Dhabi based Ryan is immensely proud of the achievements of the Gold Brose mare that he purchased in New Zealand in 2004 on the advice of renowned bloodstock agent Paul Willetts.
At that stage she had two foals, a colt and a filly by Generous(IRE) and was in foal to Faltaat(USA).
"Paul saw the potential in the family and just to give the mare a chance he went back to Karaka and bought the second foal the colt by Generous, but all the subsequent matings have been down to me," Mike Ryan said.
Parfore won one race, she is out of the stakes winning Twig Moss(FR) mare Classy Twiggy (AUS). Nishaani is an unraced full sister to Parfore and she has also left the champion two-year-old filly Il Quello Veloce and her stakes winning sister Donna Cattiva. Another sister Golden Sparkle has produced the Group Three Concorde winner Mosse (O'Reilly).
The first foal by Generous was Ininthree winner of two races; the second colt that Ryan purchased was named Our Lukas after his son, and went on to win 12 races, five of them Listed including the Ipswich Cup twice, and was Group Three placed.
"The Faltaat mating produced a small colt foal, quite late in the season, she always seems to go about two to three weeks over, and we tried to mate her with Montjeu before he went back but she missed. The Faltaat turned out to be quite a handy horse in Our Boy Lukas who has won nine races and over $200,000 in Victoria.
"Stravinsky (USA) was running hot and in demand so her next mating was to him and she returned to Australia in and produced a filly which was sold to Patinack Farm at the Magic Millions for $150,000. That filly raced as Frustrating and won two races before going to stud.
"I had seen Dubawi win a race at Newmarket and thought he was a magnificent looking horse; I hoped that he would come to stud down here, so when he did I sent Parfore to him. That foal is Tiger Tees I sold him privately and he has won 13 races and over $1million out of Joe Pride's stable in Sydney."
Now an eight-year-old Tiger Tees has won the Group One ATC Galaxy Handicap, the Group Two Warwick Stakes, three Group Three races and a Listed race for good measure.
It was while in foal to Dubawi that Parfore returned to New Zealand to be mated with Darci Brahma, coincidently it was just before EI struck and she was forced to stay in New Zealand at Wentwood Grange for two seasons.
The mating to Darci Brahma produced a strapping bay colt that was to be sold at Karaka – only the second of the foals that Ryan has bred out of the mare that have been through the sales ring as most have been sold privately- he was purchased by Michael Wallace for Michael Freedman in Singapore.
As Super Easy he won 15 races, 11 on end as a three-year-old including the Singapore Guineas, and the Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic, he came back as a four-year-old and won the Lion City Cup and the Patron's Bowl and the Jumbo Jet Trophy before returning to New Zealand to stand at Hallmark Stud in Te Kauwhata. His first foals are now yearlings.
When Parfore returned the following year to Australia she was in foal to Captain Rio(GB) carrying a three-quarter brother to the Champion two-year-old filly Il Quello Veloce. Named Terravista he was also sold privately to some colleagues of Ryan's and joined the Pride stable in Sydney as well.
Now a six-year-old, he has won 9 races and last season he was rated in the top of the World Thoroughbred Rankings for a Sprinter after a sensational win in the Group One Darley Classic at Flemington. Also during his five-year-old season he won the Group Two Shorts Handicap and the Group Three Southern Cross Stakes both at Randwick and was Group One placed in the T.J. Smith Stakes and the Newmarket Handicap. The season prior to that he won the Group Three Liverpool City Cup and the Group Three Show County Handicap.
Following that foal Parfore returned to Dubawi and produced another colt, Ball of Muscle who was sold privately to some of the partners of Tiger Tees and joined his siblings at Joe Pride's stable.
He is the winner of eight races and last season won the Group Two Magic Millions Cup at Doomben, and the Listed Takeover Target Stakes at Gosford. He has also been placed at Group Two level and resumed in Sydney recently running third in the Group Three Concorde Stakes. He has yet to compete at Group One level, but his connections are hopeful that he will get there this spring.
Following Ball of Muscle, Parfore was not served and returned to Wentwood Grange and the following season was mated with Zabeel and produced a colt.
"The Zabeel colt is called Balestroid and is in work with Peter and Paul Snowden. He's a magnificent individual, he ticks all the boxes. Parfore doesn't usually throw early horses, and he has trialled quicker than any of her other progeny, he will have another trial in this spring and then probably go out for a break," enthused Ryan.
"We plan to keep him as a colt, so it would be nice to be able to win a decent race with him and stand him as a stallion, he is one of the most athletic Zabeels that I have seen. So far he is has been pretty quiet and is making good progress. He is the only one that I have kept a colt. Temperament wise the others couldn't stay colts and race the way they have. So fingers crossed."
Parfore was not served after foaling to Zabeel but the next season went back to Darci Brahma and produced a full sister to Super Easy before being mated with Rip Van Winkle(IRE).
"We have the Darci Brahma filly at Wentwood Grange and Des (Hawkins) reckons of all of Parfore's foals that she is the pick of them. He is very upbeat about her, he is still thrilled with her. She will remain in New Zealand until she is broken in next year and will go to Australia about April to join the stable of Peter and Paul Snowden, and that will be the end of our thoroughbreds in New Zealand for the time being.
"Basically Christine and I have made the decision that we are not going back to Australia when we leave the UAE and we are moving permanently to Switzerland next June. We came to Abu Dhabi for two years and have been here seven and a half. We always thought we would go back but things change.
"We have been granted residency and have enrolled Lukas at school in Oberland so have decided to consolidate our bloodstock interests and home both our mares to Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley.
"Parfore is just turning 18 years of age you never know what the future holds, she is happy at Segenhoe. We saw there a couple of months ago, actually it was the first time Lukas had seen her. We had her sex tested before she left New Zealand in May are hopeful that her upcoming colt foal by RipVanWinkle will be like her other colts. All going well she will visit Sepoy(AUS) this spring, but she tends to go nearly 12 months and often she has missed a year because of her late foaling, but now at her age it's probably best just to get her back in foal, but we will be guided by her.
"Our other mare Laravissante (O'Reilly- Mur de Sud[IRE]) was also sourced by Paul Willetts, she is at Segenhoe as well and is in foal to Epaulette (AUS), her Rothesay gelding Oberland has had one win from one start for us in New South Wales.
"I have always thought New Zealand was the best place to grow horses out, and history speaks for itself. The Hawkins family have done a wonderful job with my horses and are a wonderful family, that's a very big help when you are on the other side of the world. I have made some really good friends in New Zealand and now Parfore will always be remembered there.
- Michelle Saba
