The finalists for the 2017 Breeder of the Year and Broodmare of the Year have been announced with the winners to be presented with their awards at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Awards in Auckland on September 10th.
Following the dominance of our leading three-year-olds in Sydney over autumn it is understandable that the breeders of Jon Snow(Richard Moore), Bonneval (City Bloodstock Ltd) and Gingernuts(Goodwood Stud) are among the nominees, along with the breeders of Kawi (John and Christine Goodin). While in the broodmare category the dams of Gingernuts (Double Elle),Bonneval (Imposingly)and the Myer Classic winner I Am A Star (Star Band[USA]) are finalists.
Bonneval has already been crowned the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year, for her performances in the Group One New Zealand Oaks, Group Two Sir Tristram Fillies Classic, the Group Three Lowland Stakes and her third in the Group Three Desert Gold Stakes. That was before she crossed the Tasman and blitzed the best three-year-old fillies in Australia taking out the Group One ATC Australian Oaks.
By Makfi (GB), she was bred by City Bloodstock Ltd, a partnership between three Australian mates Peter Newsom, Mac Whiteman and Tony Wales, from their Zabeel mare Imposingly(AUS).
A winner of one race, she is a three-quarter sister to the Group One winners Champagne, St Reims and stakes placed Sursum Corda, being out of the Defensive Play (USA) mare Quiz Queen, from L'Quiz(USA).
As well this season Imposingly(AUS) has left Imposing Lass a four-year-old full sister to Bonneval, and from only three starts in the 2016-17 season she won the Group Three Gosford RSL Belle Of The Turf Stakes. Imposingly is also a finalist for the Broodmare of the Year.
Fellow three-year-old Gingernuts was among three Group winners bred by Goodwood Stud, in Palmerston North. He was joined by a couple of other Stakes winning three-year-olds in Nicoletta and Order Again.
Goodwood Stud was established by William with his late father Rex in 2007. Prior to going into business with his son, Rex had enjoyed a 45 year partnership with his brother Gerald in the famous nursey Fairdale Stud.
Gingernuts came into his own in the autumn. After winning a rating 65 at the end of the January he went on to win the Group Two Avondale Guineas, followed by the Group One New Zealand Derby and the Group One Rosehill Guineas.
A son of Iffraaj(GB) he is out of the Generous(GB) mare Double Elle originally bred at Fairdale Stud out of the Oregon(USA) mare Timberland Lass. Timberland Lass was by Sir Tristram(IRE) from Windrift a descendant of Bob Steads fabulous Oaks winning mare Devante (Sobig-Skylit). Windrift is a three-quarter sister to the Western Australian Oaks winner Trappings (by Grosvenor) and a half-sister to Record Breaker (Taipan II[USA]). Devante is a half-sister to the dams of the Group One winners Leggings, She's Fun and Sound Horizon.
Double Elle has left two other winners Rideitlikestoleit a winner of three races, and Griffin a full brother to Gingernuts a winner at two in 2016-17, and these have attributed to her being a finalist for Broodmare of The Year.
Another Goodwood graduate Nicoletta won the Group Three Desert Gold Stakes, and was placed second behind Bonneval in the Group Two Sir Tristram Classic. Nicoletta, a daughter of Savabeel is the third foal of the Doneraile Court(USA) mare Celtic Crown(USA) a Listed winner in America who was purchased by Goodwood Stud direct from America.
Goodwood’s third stakes winner Order Again, another by Iffraaj(GB), was bred in partnership with the Stewart brothers from Taranaki who race the gelding in Queensland.
He won the Group Three Grand Prix at Eagle Farm, after running second in the Group Three Rough Habit Plate. The second foal of the Van Nistelrooy mare Glass Half Full herself a half-sister to the multiple Stakes winner Jetset Lad.
Karaka based breeder Richard Moore, was a finalist for Breeder of The Year back in the 90’s when his stunning fillies Solvieg and Solstice, were dominant, both were daughters of his group one winning mare Soliloquy. This year through the deeds of Jon Snow and Sacred Master he is again a finalist for the prestigious award.
Jon Snow is out of the O’Reilly mare Orinda, a direct descendant of Solvieg and Sacred Master out of the Storm Creek mare Trickle, who descends from Solstice. Jon Snow is also by Iffraaj(GB) and helped amass the earnings that saw that saw Iffraaj(GB) finish the season as New Zealand’s leading sire of three-year-olds.
Although he didn’t win a race in New Zealand this year, he was second in the Group Two Hawkes Bay Guineas and Great Northern Guineas, as well as third in the Group One New Zealand Derby, Levin Classic and listed Karaka Mile. However he was dominant in Sydney in the autumn, winning the Group One Australian Derby, and the Group Two Tulloch Stakes at Rosehill.
Sacred Master a son of Masterscraftsman(IRE) won the Group Three Newcastle Cup after running second in the listed Gosford Cup.
The fourth finalists for Breeder of The Year are the breeders of Kawi, John (Steak) and Christine Goodin of Okato in the Taranaki. Now a six-year-old Kawi is from their Volksraad mare Magic Time, who has also left two other winners. She is just one of four broodmares owned by the Goodins.
Kawi added three Group one wins to his tally of 14 career wins, giving him a total of six Group one victories. He won the Group One Makfi Classic, the Group One Windsor Park Plate and the Group One Otaki Weight-For–Age Classic.
Harking back to the Broodmare Of The Year, the third finalist for this honour is Star Band (USA) a Dixieland Band(USA) daughter of Spenderella. She is the dam of the Group One Myer Classic winner I Am A Star, (by I Am Invincible[AUS]) who in the season under review also won the Group Two Sunline Stakes and the Group Three Quezette Stakes. She was also placed second in the Group One MRC The Thousand Guineas, and the Group Two Rubiton Stakes and third in the Group One Ubet Classic and the Group Two Moonee Valley Fillies Classic.
I Am A Star was bred by Victorian based Laurence Eales, but Star Band (USA) is now owned by South Auckland based Christine Wilkinson and Craig Gray
Finally for the second year in a row Waikato Stud’s stallion Savabeel has made a clean sweep of the three major Stallion Awards in New Zealand winning the Grosvenor Award (Champion New Zealand Sire), Dewar Award (Champion New Zealand Sire for Australasian stake money) and the Centaine Award (Champion New Zealand Sire for global earnings).
In the past season he was the sire of 19 individual stakes winners, 10 in New Zealand, seven in Australia and two in Macau. The 10 individual stakes winners in New Zealand won 16 stakes races, including six new stakes winners, including three three-year-olds and two two-year-olds. - Michelle Saba
