Auckland Branch members Margaret and Vern Trillo were understandably very excited to see Shamrocker (O'Reilly – Bohemian Blues) win the Group One Australasian Guineas recently.
"It was a great thrill," according to Margaret, "we were yelling and screaming at the TV and very excited, she's our first group one winner!"
The Manukau based couple are hobby breeders and until this season were breeding from only one mare. Vern is a renowned equine dentist and Margaret admits that until she married Vern 27 years ago she had no interest in horses at all.
They bred Shamrocker from their Blues Traveller mare Bohemian Blues (ex Winter's Tale) and as she was the third filly the mare had produced from three foals they decided to sell her at the 2009 Select sale at Karaka. From the Valachi Downs draft she was purchased by Danny O'Brien for $65,000 and from his Melbourne stable has now won three races including the group two VRC Sires Produce Stakes at two, and earlier in the season was a close second to Brazilian Pulse in the group one VRC Oaks. She will now be aimed for the AJC Oaks at Randwick in April.
From six foals Bohemian Blues has only produced one colt, by Shinko King he was offered by Valachi Downs at this year's Premier Sale and sold for $200,000 to Graeme Rogerson. Her 2009 filly a full sister to Shamrocker is in work for the Trillo's with Peter McKay and this year she foaled a Lucky Unicorn filly, and is back in foal to O'Reilly. 'Boho' as she is affectionately known resides at Valachi Downs in Matamata.
The Trillo's acquired the Blues Traveller mare Bohemian Blues from Taranaki trainer Dick Bothwell at the end of her racing career, she had won five races up to 1200 metres, and was a half sister to Fairy Tale (Shinko-King) a stakes winner of eight races in Singapore and Juryman aka Rock N Roll (Justice Prevails) a winner of 12 races in Macau. All bred by Waikato branch members John and Chris Richardson of Cambridge.
"We raced Juryman here and he won three races before he was sold to Macau. We kept a small share in him and travelled up to see him race up there, he did really well and was named Horse of The Year in 2006.
"Anyway we bought Bohemian Blues while Juryman was still racing and her first foal Kablues by Danske wasn't very big so we didn't put her into work, but after the success of Shamrocker we decided to send her to stud this season and she is in foal to Sufficient (Zabeel-Fleur de Chine).
"Sufficient was a horse that really impressed Vern so that is why we selected that mating, the mating of the Shinko King- Bohemian Blues $200,000 yearling was done on the back of the success of Fairy Tale, making him a three-quarter brother.
"Vern sees a lot of lovely horses in his line of work and gets lots of advice on breeding and pedigrees which seems to get him highly confused, but judging by the results he's obviously made some good decisions," Margaret concluded.
- Michelle Saba
"It was a great thrill," according to Margaret, "we were yelling and screaming at the TV and very excited, she's our first group one winner!"
The Manukau based couple are hobby breeders and until this season were breeding from only one mare. Vern is a renowned equine dentist and Margaret admits that until she married Vern 27 years ago she had no interest in horses at all.
They bred Shamrocker from their Blues Traveller mare Bohemian Blues (ex Winter's Tale) and as she was the third filly the mare had produced from three foals they decided to sell her at the 2009 Select sale at Karaka. From the Valachi Downs draft she was purchased by Danny O'Brien for $65,000 and from his Melbourne stable has now won three races including the group two VRC Sires Produce Stakes at two, and earlier in the season was a close second to Brazilian Pulse in the group one VRC Oaks. She will now be aimed for the AJC Oaks at Randwick in April.
From six foals Bohemian Blues has only produced one colt, by Shinko King he was offered by Valachi Downs at this year's Premier Sale and sold for $200,000 to Graeme Rogerson. Her 2009 filly a full sister to Shamrocker is in work for the Trillo's with Peter McKay and this year she foaled a Lucky Unicorn filly, and is back in foal to O'Reilly. 'Boho' as she is affectionately known resides at Valachi Downs in Matamata.
The Trillo's acquired the Blues Traveller mare Bohemian Blues from Taranaki trainer Dick Bothwell at the end of her racing career, she had won five races up to 1200 metres, and was a half sister to Fairy Tale (Shinko-King) a stakes winner of eight races in Singapore and Juryman aka Rock N Roll (Justice Prevails) a winner of 12 races in Macau. All bred by Waikato branch members John and Chris Richardson of Cambridge.
"We raced Juryman here and he won three races before he was sold to Macau. We kept a small share in him and travelled up to see him race up there, he did really well and was named Horse of The Year in 2006.
"Anyway we bought Bohemian Blues while Juryman was still racing and her first foal Kablues by Danske wasn't very big so we didn't put her into work, but after the success of Shamrocker we decided to send her to stud this season and she is in foal to Sufficient (Zabeel-Fleur de Chine).
"Sufficient was a horse that really impressed Vern so that is why we selected that mating, the mating of the Shinko King- Bohemian Blues $200,000 yearling was done on the back of the success of Fairy Tale, making him a three-quarter brother.
"Vern sees a lot of lovely horses in his line of work and gets lots of advice on breeding and pedigrees which seems to get him highly confused, but judging by the results he's obviously made some good decisions," Margaret concluded.
- Michelle Saba
