Photo: Race Images
In this week's edition of Dunstan HorseFeeds Meet the Breeder, we chat with Lou Weatherley, who along with husband Darryn and good friend Barry Wright, have enjoyed incredible success from their mare, La Vitesse.
Tell us the story of Maria Farina?
We owned her mother La Vitesse, she was lightly raced and retired from a raceday injury, so we decided to breed from her. Her first foal was La Velocita who won 3 races. One morning on a drive to Cambridge for work, I was on the phone to Michael Hughes, we asked him if he knew anyone that wanted to put the mare in foal for a season, he suggested Contributer with Mapperley Stud, he said it was a great cross and arranged the foal share deal with Simms. Once Maria Farina was born, we went to Mapperley to see her and Barry said we are buying Simms out of this filly, she is going to be a good one. So, we paid Mapperley for the Service fee ($17250) and the rest is history.
Tell us the history/story of your partnership with co-breeder Barry Wright and the success you have had?
We first met Barry Wright when Darryn broke-in Naturo (Granddam of La Vitesse). We had an excellent relationship and now Barry is a big part of our family, he comes to the farm each month and stays a week to visit the horses. He loves going to the Matamata track each day he is down staying and bringing the local trainers the best beef steak tomatoes in town! He is a true gentleman who loves a bottle of wine or two at the age of 87!
We would be lost without “Wrighty”, he told us to go one more time with the mare and we said Wrighty we can’t afford it and he said look you two they will repay you. We did go one more time with La Vitesse to Proisir and we got PIER. We are just so thrilled for Barry and his belief in the mare...We owe everything to Barry for his perseverance with the breeding side of things.
How many mares do you breed from?
We only have La Vitesse and soon Maria Farina (Will be mated this breeding season and race in the 120-day period they are allowed) will be our 2nd mare to breed from as we lost the full to Pier (La Velocita) the day before he won his first race. That was a very sad day for us…
What else do you have in your bloodstock portfolio (youngstock, racehorses, stallion shares etc)
So from having one it has now gone to 5.
Maria Farina
Pier
Contributer-La Vitesse 22 F (Full to Maria Farina)
Proisir-La Vitesse 23 Colt (Full to Pier)
La Vitesse is in foal to Satono Aladdin
Do you have a favourite cross?
Yes, we love the Proisir and Contributer with Darci Brahma cross (That’s all we know at this stage), we went outside that this year with the up-and-coming stallion “Satono Aladdin”.
Do you seek advice on your breeding decisions? If yes, who from?
Yes, we did seek advice from Michael Hughes to get Maria Farina and more recent times we always consult with Cameron Ring who has been instrumental in our decisions. La Velocita was booked to Sword of State when she sustained an injury and had to be put down.
James Chapman has been on our side the whole way; he loves the family and has had La Vitesse for the past 8 years on this farm. Without James we wouldn’t have La Vitesse and our portfolio today. His care for our mare has been instrumental.
Best breeding advice you have received?
John Sargent, who we worked for over a number of years, phoned Barry one night and told us to go to Rich Hill Stud and look at Proisir, he said he was in the shadow of Dundeel. Wrighty had consumed a bottle of wine that night but still remembered the conversation the next morning. So off we went for a look and off the back of that we decided to go to Proisir for $7500. At the time this was a lot of money for Darryn and I, but Barry said don’t worry one day you will get it back. – Best decision we ever made as Pier went on to win the 2000 Guineas. We are just so grateful to Barry and his belief in the mare…
What advice would you give someone entering the industry as a breeder?
You need an open cheque book and patience!!
Proudest moment as a breeder? You can have more than one!
Pier winning the Group 2 Hawkes Bay Guineas and Group 1 2000 Guineas and also, Maria Farina winning 7 races to date, 3 of which are group and listed races.
Finish this sentence: The best part of being a thoroughbred breeder is… winning races with horses you have bred and worked with from day one. Very special!!! We owe everything to Barry Wright and La Vitesse.
