Bonneval, Humidor, Jon Snow, La Diosa and Melody Belle, all Group One winners from last season, were among the 14 Group race winners bred by members of the Auckland Branch of the NZTBA.
Last Sunday around 80 guests attended a luncheon, hosted by the Auckland Branch, to celebrate the breeding achievements of those breeders at the NZ Bloodstock Centre at Karaka.
Karaka based breeder Richard Moore of Soliloquy Lodge, scooped the major award being named the Jane Bunbury Auckland Branch Breeder of the Year. The deeds of Group One Australian Derby winner Jon Snow, Group Three Newcastle Cup winner Sacred Master, and Group Two place getter Caped Crusader, contributed to Moore being voted Breeder of the Year. All are descendants of his mighty mare Soliloquy.
Jon Snow was also awarded the Faltaat Award for the Best International Performance nosing out Bonneval and Humidor. Imposingly, the dam of Bonneval and Imposing Lass, was awarded the Sybil Hayward Award for Broodmare of The Year, and her award was collected by Russell Warwick on behalf of Australian based City Bloodstock Limited.
Besides the specialist awards, individual awards were presented for the five Group One winners. Bonneval (Makfi[GB]- Imposingly) bred by City Bloodstock Ltd, won Group One races in both Australia and New Zealand taking out the Australian Oaks in Sydney and the New Zealand Oaks in Wellington. She also won the Group Two Sir Tristram Classic and the Group Three Lowland Stakes. Her year older sibling Imposing Lass (Makfi[GB]- Imposingly) won the Group Three Belle of the Turf Stakes at Gosford.
Humidor (Teofilo[AUS]-Zalika) bred by Jomara Bloodstock, and now raced in Australia scored his Group One in the VRC Australian Cup, while Jon Snow (Iffraaj[GB]-Orinda) bred by Richard Moore, won the Group One ATC Australian Derby and the Group Two ATC Tulloch Stakes.
La Bella Diosa (So You Think – Star Affair) bred by T W Archer Trust, won the Group One One Thousand Guineas, the Group Two ATC Surround Stakes, and the Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes, and the Listed Barneswood Stakes. She is raced by Terry Archer in a syndicate with some friends which also includes Grant Currie and together they bred the Brisbane Group Three Rough Habit Plate winner Shocking Luck (Shocking[AUS]-Sharmadal Luck[AUS]).
Melody Belle (Commands[AUS]-Meleka Belle) is the last of the Group One winners having won the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes, and the Restricted Listed Karaka Million. She was bred by Marie Leicester and is a descendant of the amazing race mare and matriarch, Star Belle.
Lasarla (Rip Van Winkle[IRE]- Imco Main) bred by Clyde and Pat Buckingham’s Emblem Limited, won the much coveted Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, a much coveted Group Two event for fillies and mares promoted by the Auckland Branch.
Gerry Harvey’s NZ Thoroughbred Holdings Limited received awards for two Group Two winners Music Magnate (Written Tycoon[AUS]-Concert Girl[AUS]), the winner of the two Group Two events the BRC Victory Stakes and the ATC Expressway Stakes, and Swissta (Swiss Ace[AUS]- Sacrista[AUS]) who won the ARC Great Northern Guineas.
The last of the six Group Two winners bred by Auckland branch member Susan Hart, was Wyndspelle (Iffraaj[GB]-Western Star) winner of the Group Two Waikato Guineas.
There were five Group Three winners bred by Auckland Branch members. Mangaroa Flo Jo(High Chaparral[GB]-No Fibs) bred and raced by Northland based John Wood, won the Group Three Manawatu Breeders Stakes, and Our King Sway (Shinko King[IRE}- Yendarra) bred by Pamela Lewis and C P Tau won the Taranaki Cup. Imposing Lass, Sacred Master(Mastercraftsman[IRE]- Trickle) and Shocking Luck have already been covered earlier in the article.
The luncheon was held following the annual Auckland stallion parade at Haunui Farm and Westbury Stud which was attended by 100 people. - Michelle Saba
