Photo: Supplied
The progeny of former Haunui Farm shuttle stallion Iffraaj were in hot demand this week.
For the second year running he topped the second session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale when the colt out of Busted Love (Flying Spur x My Other Woman) was knocked down to the Hong Kong-based Golden River Investments for A$310,000. A result that bodes well for his progeny on offer at Karaka over the coming week.
The colt was offered on behalf Haunui Farm’s Sales and Marketing Manager Shannon Taylor and her parents-in-law Rodney and Barbara Doidge.
“Rodney used to race horses many years ago but had got out of the industry,” Taylor, who holds several roles in the thoroughbred industry including Secretary of the Auckland branch of the NZTBA, National NZTBA Council Member, and Trustee of the Sunline Education Trust, said.
“Rodney has remained interested and is still a keen punter and follows the races. When I met him through his son Kelvin, it piqued a bit more.”
Taylor was contacted by bloodstock agent Paul Beamish who had a mare, Busted Love, available for purchase. It was a mare Taylor knew well having prepared it as a yearling on behalf of her breeder Marie Leicester.
“I thought it would be a nice mare if Rodney and Barbara wanted to get into that side of things,” Taylor said. “She was bred by Marie, so it is quite funny as we took her to the Easter Yearling Sale which is showing my age.”
Busted Love won over a mile and is a granddaughter of Burst (Maurading x Sudden) who was Champion 2YO in Australia in 1992 and won seven races including the Gr.1 Golden Slipper, Gr.1 Champagne Stakes and Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes.
Photo: Supplied
The Iffraaj yearling colt is the fourth foal out of Busted Love, whose first living foal Disruption (Showcasing) was a winner of 1200m. She is also the dam of an unraced three-year-old filly All Over Now (Echoes of Heaven) and the stakes placed Cool Change (Showcasing).
“When we bought Busted Love she was in foal to Showcasing and subsequently had a filly,” Taylor said. “The intention was to sell her but as soon as Rodney saw her he fell in love and wanted to race her.”
That proved to be an astute decision as the filly, Cool Change, finished third on debut in the Fasttrack Insurance 2YO Stakes (1100m) at Pukekohe in November, providing the family with a timely black-type update.
Rodney Doidge’s renewed interest in the breeding industry couldn’t be going better and he is quick to acknowledge the role Taylor’s expertise in the area plays in that success.
“My wife and I bred the odd horse over the years but we haven’t been involved for past decade,” Doidge said. “We had Battle-waggons and War Hawks but since those stallions have passed on we haven’t been involved.
“When my wife and I were presented with the opportunity to buy into Busted Love we did.
“We do have a discussion about things but Shannon’s input dictates where we go ten times out of ten. She has the up-to-date knowledge on stallions and their potential.”
With Cool Change retained to race the decision was made to put the Iffraaj colt on the market.
“We thought since we had the filly to race we would sell the colt,” Doidge said. “He left in late November to go to Scone to be prepared for the sale and from my point of view that’s then end of the story. Till he was sold and then it was a decent story.
“I said to my wife I was dreaming pretty high, he was a lovely colt and he didn’t have any obvious faults.
“It was quite a highlight as far as we were concerned.”
Busted Love resides at Haunui Farm, an easy commute for the Pukekohe-based Doidges to visit each month.
“Every month when I pay the account I ask where she is and whether we can come and see the mare and her foal,” Doidge said. “She is the only broodmare we have got but that keeps us going and we can call ourselves breeders in a mild manner.
“We are at a stage in life where we possibly don’t have that much to look forward to but we hopefully can look forward to a decent horse.”
As a daughter of Flying Spur, Busted Love’s Danehill blood makes her an ideal match for Iffraaj. Though he didn’t return to the southern hemisphere in 2020, that cross was continued this season via his sire son Ribchester.
“It could be said mating decisions are discussed but the mare is generally going back to a Haunui stallion,” Doidge said. “She has another Iffraaj colt at foot and this time she went to Ribchester who was an outstanding miler in England and has a huge amount of potential so it was an easy decision to make, as it was to go to Iffraaj.”
Iffraaj, who shuttled to Haunui Farm for 12 seasons, will have his penultimate southern hemisphere crop go through the ring at the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale. He will be represented by 24 yearlings in Book 1, six in Book 2, and two in the online Book 3 sale.
Iffraaj is the sire of 72 individual stakes winners worldwide, with 21 in New Zealand and his influence in the Australasian sire ranks is set to continue through his sire sons Ribchester, Turn Me Loose, Jon Snow and Wyndspelle. He is also he grandsire of popular shuttle stallion Almanzor (Wootten Bassett). -Amie Best, NZTBA
