Photo: Race Images
For over fifty years brothers Ray, Tony, Martin and Joe Dennis, have been breeding horses and hardly a year has gone by when they haven’t had a stakes performer.
Last season the Dennis brothers were rewarded with two Group One winners, The Chosen One (Savabeel [AUS] - The Glitzy One ) who was also crowned Champion New Zealand Stayer, and The Perfect Pink (Savabeel [AUS] - The Solitaire) who won the prestigious Gr.1 CJC 1000 Guineas.
Adding to that record is the Outstanding Contribution to Racing in 2015, Broodmare of the Year with The Pixie in 1981, The Fantasy in 1994 and The Grin in 2003, and the Breeder of the Year in 1994.
They also bred the Horse of the Year The Phantom Chance (Noble Bijou [GB] - The Fantasy) and his full brother The Phantom.
2022 is no exception. Last weekend He’s A Doozy (Zacinto [GB] - The Dewdroop) easily won the Gr.3 WRC Thompson Handicap, beating fellow South Island-bred Markeus Aurelius (Ghibellines [AUS] – Evancho [AUS]) and his own close relation Deerfield (Falkirk - The Dazzler).
Quite an amazing feat from four brothers from Southland who only breed six or seven mares a year while farming a mixture of sheep and cattle, while also growing baleage, potatoes, parsnips and carrots.
According to Ray Dennis the secret of success comes down to a combination of their wonderful grass, animal husbandry skills and choice of stallions.
“They have got to be well looked after,” he explained. “We are lucky down here with our grass, we don’t need a lot of feed to get them fat. The soil is good, that’s why we get a good yield on our vegetables and why all the dairy farmers have come down to Southland.
“Over the years we have mainly gone to proven sires, we very seldom go to a new stallion. Quite often the proven ones are no dearer than the new ones.
“Martin studies the pedigrees he goes right through the stallion register when it comes out to see what will suit our mares and he rates them all out of 10. He also has all sorts of programmes on his computer and we have had some good success. A lot of people now come to him for advice on their matings.
“We have only ever bred four Savabeel’s and two of them are Group One winners. We will continue to stick to the proven ones.
“Look at the pedigree of He’s A Doozy and all the mares in his family are by proven sires who were either champion sires in their own right or champion broodmare sires. Once you put that weak link into a mare it takes years to breed it out of her.”
The Dennis Brothers’ amazing dynasty was created by their father Harold when in 1961 his broodmare Eager Lady (Man’s Pal [GB] - Tray Bond) produced a filly to Kurdistaan (GB) called The Kurd. Prepared by Ray and his twin brother Tony she went on to win three races and produce 11 foals, nine to race and eight winners.
Her eight winners include the stakes winners The Wink (by Noble Bijou [GB]) and The Pixie (by Mellay (GB)), as well as the stakes placed winners The Swagger (by Mellay), The Dove (by Native Turn [USA]) and The Vision (by Noble Bijou) whose descendants include EL Chico, The Beekeeper and Sold For Song.
The Wink won nine races and produced the Group One placed stakes winner The Penny (by One Pound Sterling [GB]) and The Freckle (by Grosvenor) who was a winner and went on to be the dam of The Pearler, a stakes winner of nine races. The Dennis Brothers’ are eagerly awaiting a foal from this mare by the sire of the moment in Proisir (AUS).
Two of The Kurd’s unraced daughters also produced stakes winners; The Gull (by Grey Gull [GB]) produced The Fledgling (by Noble Bijou [GB]) while The Imp (Bellborough [IRE]) produced The Clippie.
The Pixie won four races including the Listed Southland Guineas, before retiring to a super successful stud career, that saw her named joint Broodmare of The Year with Taiona in 1981. She produced four foals - The Twinkle (by Gate Keeper [GB]) a winner of 15 races including the Gr.1 WRC Chandon Mile and Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup, the stakes placed winner The Imposter (by Native Turn [USA]) and The Fantasy and The Dimple.
The Fantasy, also by Gate Keeper, won 18 races including five at stakes level, went on to be the 1994 Broodmare of the Year, and produced the Champions The Phantom and The Phantom Chance, both by Noble Bijou.
Noble Bijou was also the sire of The Dimple, the winner of 16 races including the Gr.3 Timaru Cup twice, and it is this branch of the family that both He’s A Doozy and Deerfield descend from. The Dimple produced 11 foals, nine of whom were winners including the Gr.1 Auckland Cup winner Irish Chance (by Sir Tristram [IRE]), the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic winner The Cheek (by Kaapstad) the dual listed winner The Grin (by Grosvenor) and The Poseur (by Truly Vain [AUS]) who won five and was Group Three placed.
It is The Poseur’s daughter The Dewdrop that has produced He’s A Doozy, now the winner of six races and four placings from just 19 starts. He is the third foal of The Dewdrop who is by O’Reilly.
“The Dewdrop was a really smart mare actually,” Dennis said. “She won three of her last six starts.
“She has had a lot of bad luck as a broodmare, she has bad feet and we have only managed to get four foals from her. He’s A Doozy and another Commodore are the only two to get to the races.
“We had a lovely Ghibellines filly but unfortunately she got injured in a really bad thunderstorm when she was a yearling and we were unable to save her.
“We are hoping to get The Dewdrop up to White Robe Lodge next week to go to Ancient Spirit (GER).”
The Poseur has also produced another winner in A Tad Cool, and her daughter The Minty (by Gallant Guru) has this year produced foal to The Bold One (by Fastnet Rock [AUS]) another descendant of The Dimple. This branch of the family comes through The Grin.
The Grin left the Champion Three-Year-Old filly The Jewel, a dual Group One winner who won the New Zealand 1000 Guineas, and the Waikato International Stakes and nine other races. At stud she is the dam of five winners including The Diamond One (by Tale of The Cat [USA]) and The Precious One (by Darci Brahma) both stakes winners, and the stakes placed winner The Glitzy One (by Flying Spur [AUS]).
The Glitzy One is the dam of the reigning Champion Stayer The Chosen One who commenced stud duties at Highview Stud this season. He won seven races including the Gr.1 WRC Thorndon Mile, and was second in the Gr.1 Sydney Cup and third in the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup.
The Grin is also the dam of Star Affair (by Star Way [GB]) a stakes winner of four races, who has left the Champion Three-Year-Old filly La Diosa (by So You Think) and the stakes winners Solid Billing (by Rock of Gibraltar [AUS]) and Thy (by O’Reilly).
As well The Grin is the dam of The One (by O’Reilly) the winner of the Gr.2 VRC Danehill Stakes who was Group One placed at two, and The Dazzler.
The Dazzler has left six winners including Deerfield (by Falkirk) who was third behind He’s A Doozy in the Thompson Handicap, but is previously dual Group One placed listed race winner, The Sparkle (by Darci Brahma) a stakes placed winner of four and The Solitaire.
The Solitaire (by O’Reilly) is the winner of 10 races including the Listed Dunedin Gold Cup and is Group One placed in the Waikato RC Herbie Dyke Stakes and is now the dam of the aforementioned Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner The Perfect Pink.
The Perfect Pink was bred and is raced in partnership with Milan Park’s Tony Rider, and they are awaiting a full brother or sister this season. This week the Dennis Brothers’ also welcomed an Ocean Park filly out of the Group One placed The Lustre (Darci Brahma - The Pearler).
Those wanting to become part of this winning dynasty will have their chance in November with the Dennis Brothers offering a colt by Charm Spirit (IRE) out of The Pearler at the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sales through the Phoenix Park draft.
In January Phoenix Park will present a filly by Per Incanto (USA) from The Lustre and a colt by Ribchester(IRE) from The Pearler. -Michelle Saba, NZTBA
Photo: NZ Racing Desk
