Photo: Trish Dunell
He may have just won his first stakes race, but in the eyes of those close to him Justamaiz (Guillotine – Arthena) has been a “champ” since the day he was born.
His recent victory in the Gr.3 Sky City Waikato Cup was the sixth and biggest win for the five-year-old Guillotine gelding that was bred by Larry and David Greene’s Greene Thoroughbreds Limited and is raced by that entity along with Quentin Maisey and Jack and Sue Thorburn.
Champ, as he was named when his life began at Geoff and Sue Broughton’s Mystery Creek property, is a special horse for the Greene family according to a very proud David Greene who is also his trainer.
“It was a special win, and the mare Arthena has done a great job, it doesn’t matter what you sent her too she has left a hell of a lot of winners for me as a trainer, even the not so good ones have managed to get up and win.
“The first horse I ever bought was at the Ready To Run Sale in 2002 and it was called Anden (Magic of Sydney[AUS]- Tri View),” he recalled.
“He was pretty talented and before he did too much, we spotted Arthena and approached Grand Vue Lodge the breeders to see if they would be prepared to sell her. So, we got the three in one package of the mare the foal at foot and the one she was carrying. That was 15 or 16 years ago now, we decided to down size a couple of years ago and in 2016 sold Arthena.
“We kept her daughter Keely Be by Roc de Chambes, she won five, and we decided we would carry on with her as she was a good racehorse. She resides at the Broughton’s Mystery Creek property where I spell my racehorses as well.”
Arthena ended her days at that property this year as well.
After she was sold by the Greenes in 2016, to Tim Harrison for $10,000, she foaled a colt to Proisir(AUS), which Harrison subsequently sold for $38,000. But when she failed to get in foal again, he put her up for sale on Gavelhouse.
Sue Broughton picks up the story.
“Arthena was such a lovely mare, Justamaiz was foaled here and he was such a beautiful foal I called him champ, and that name has stuck, he still has his holidays here. So, when I saw her on Gavelhouse I had to put in a bid, even if it was so she had a good home for life.
“We are very lucky we have a beautiful filly out of her by Sweynesse(AUS), which we will keep but unfortunately old age caught up with her earlier this year. We now have Keely B living here and she had her first foal this spring a filly by Wrote(IRE)” she added.
Harking back to Arthena, a daughter of Desert Sun(GB) and the Three Legs(GB) mare Tri View, she was the winner of two races.
As well as being a half-sister to Anden, the winner of five races who was third in the Gr.3 Waikato Guineas, the Listed ARC Champagne Stakes, and fourth in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic, another a half-sister Tri Victory is the dam of the multiple group one winner Solzhenitsyn who won 13 races.
At stud Arthena produced 10 foals, eight have gone to the races all of them have won, and Justamaiz is her second group three winner. Her first stakes winner was Zabisco (by Zabeel) he won eight races including the Gr.3 MRC Eclipse Stakes and he was third in the Gr.2 CJC Coupland’s Bakeries Mile.
As for Justamaiz as a five-year-old he has a big future as a stayer and will now head to the Gr.3 City of Auckland Cup, the Gr.3 Wellington Cup and either the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes at Te Rapa or the Gr.1 Auckland Cup.
“He looks a candidate for two miles as well,” concluded Greene, “and I am sure there is another good win in him yet.” -Michelle Saba, NZTBA
