A group of mates who got together to race a few horses around ten years ago are now the proud owners of the 2015/16 New Zealand Broodmare of the Year Bagalollies (Zabeel-Lady's Knight).
Led by Tommy Hepinstall, Chris and John Barnao, Andrew Campbell, Dave Ellison, Tom Pivac and Dave Platt purchased four yearlings for Andrew Campbell to train and to have some fun with. Among the quartet was the multiple Group One winner and now exciting young sire Tavistock - and what a journey the group of friends and business associates have been on ever since.
The New Zealand Broodmare of the Year award, presented at the annual NZTR Thoroughbred Awards dinner held in Auckland on Sunday evening, is given to the mare "whose New Zealand-bred and/or New Zealand-conceived progeny, anywhere in the world, in the season under review, most clearly reflect true breeding merit in quality of racing performance." As the dam of the Hong Kong Horse of the Year Werther, and last season's top-rated Kiwi-bred horse in the world, Bagalollies is an indisputably worthy recipient.
Werther, a son of Tavistock, is the second foal out of Bagalollies and he was raced by his breeders to place at two, and win four races including the Group Two ARC Championship Stakes, before crossing the Tasman to run second in Delicacy's Group One South Australian Derby.
On the back of that run he was taken to Queensland to win the Group Two Eagle Farm Cup and fill the runner-up position in the Group One Queensland Derby. Following that he was sold to Hong Kong owner Johnson Chen to join the stable of John Moore.
In the season under review Werther raced solely in Hong Kong, twice running second at Hong Kong domestic Group One level, before he was successful in the Hong Kong Derby HK-1. He followed that with a devastating performance to win the Group One weight-for-age Queen Elizabeth II Cup, beating a quality field of local and international runners.
Werther ended the 2015/16season with a third place finish in the Champions and Chater Cup G1, and an international assessment of 124 on the LONGINRES World's Best Racehorse Rankings. That placed him among the world's top eight performers, and between the Australian-bred champions Winx (126) and Chautauqua (121).
At season-end he was named the Hong Kong Horse of the Year and Champion Hong Kong Middle Distance Horse.
After a successful career on the racetrack, Tavistock was purchased by Sir Patrick Hogan to stand at Cambridge Stud, with the original owners retaining a small shareholding. At that time they decided to purchase some mares to visit Tavistock and so Bagalollies was bought from the National Broodmare Sale in foal to Iffraaj(IRE) for $30,000.
Bagalollies is out of the Canadian mare Lady's Knight (by Ascot Knight[CAN]), a half-sister to Canadian stakeswinner Northern Hilite, from the well-related Night Stand (USA)(Flourescent Light[USA]-Take A Stand[USA]).
Since foaling Werther in 2011, Bagalollies has produced the winner Gobstopper, also by Tavistock, and trial-placed Adorable (by Pour Moi [IRE]), both raced by the syndicate. At the 2016 New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale they sold a full sister to Werther for $300,000. Bagalollies now has a yearling filly by Tavistock and is due to foal to him again this year.
Led by Tommy Hepinstall, Chris and John Barnao, Andrew Campbell, Dave Ellison, Tom Pivac and Dave Platt purchased four yearlings for Andrew Campbell to train and to have some fun with. Among the quartet was the multiple Group One winner and now exciting young sire Tavistock - and what a journey the group of friends and business associates have been on ever since.
The New Zealand Broodmare of the Year award, presented at the annual NZTR Thoroughbred Awards dinner held in Auckland on Sunday evening, is given to the mare "whose New Zealand-bred and/or New Zealand-conceived progeny, anywhere in the world, in the season under review, most clearly reflect true breeding merit in quality of racing performance." As the dam of the Hong Kong Horse of the Year Werther, and last season's top-rated Kiwi-bred horse in the world, Bagalollies is an indisputably worthy recipient.
Werther, a son of Tavistock, is the second foal out of Bagalollies and he was raced by his breeders to place at two, and win four races including the Group Two ARC Championship Stakes, before crossing the Tasman to run second in Delicacy's Group One South Australian Derby.
On the back of that run he was taken to Queensland to win the Group Two Eagle Farm Cup and fill the runner-up position in the Group One Queensland Derby. Following that he was sold to Hong Kong owner Johnson Chen to join the stable of John Moore.
In the season under review Werther raced solely in Hong Kong, twice running second at Hong Kong domestic Group One level, before he was successful in the Hong Kong Derby HK-1. He followed that with a devastating performance to win the Group One weight-for-age Queen Elizabeth II Cup, beating a quality field of local and international runners.
Werther ended the 2015/16season with a third place finish in the Champions and Chater Cup G1, and an international assessment of 124 on the LONGINRES World's Best Racehorse Rankings. That placed him among the world's top eight performers, and between the Australian-bred champions Winx (126) and Chautauqua (121).
At season-end he was named the Hong Kong Horse of the Year and Champion Hong Kong Middle Distance Horse.
After a successful career on the racetrack, Tavistock was purchased by Sir Patrick Hogan to stand at Cambridge Stud, with the original owners retaining a small shareholding. At that time they decided to purchase some mares to visit Tavistock and so Bagalollies was bought from the National Broodmare Sale in foal to Iffraaj(IRE) for $30,000.
Bagalollies is out of the Canadian mare Lady's Knight (by Ascot Knight[CAN]), a half-sister to Canadian stakeswinner Northern Hilite, from the well-related Night Stand (USA)(Flourescent Light[USA]-Take A Stand[USA]).
Since foaling Werther in 2011, Bagalollies has produced the winner Gobstopper, also by Tavistock, and trial-placed Adorable (by Pour Moi [IRE]), both raced by the syndicate. At the 2016 New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale they sold a full sister to Werther for $300,000. Bagalollies now has a yearling filly by Tavistock and is due to foal to him again this year.