For over 40 years Auckland Branch member and former NZTBA Councillor Judge John Clapham, has been passionate about breeding racehorses, and in that time he has nurtured the families from two foundation broodmares, Pantoufle (GB) (Panaslipper [IRE]- Etoile de France [IRE]) and Miyoshi (Fair's Fair [GB]-Corocutie).
This season's Group Three Hawke's Bay Cup winner Intransigent (Refuse to Bend[IRE]- Risible) is a great-grandson of Pantoufle, the family which has probably given Clapham the most success in that time.
Intransigent has now won nine races for his owners Kirsty and Steve Lawrence, Brendon and Barbara Ray, and Brian and Annette Hawkins including the Listed Taumaranui Cup and Rotorua Plate. A seven-year-old gelding, he is trained at Waipukurau by his part-owner Kirsty Lawrence.
He joins the Melbourne Cup winner Second Coming (Oak Ridge [GB] – Superior Miss), the Champion two-year-old Cellarmaster (Dubawi [IRE]- Oenology) and Intercept (Zerpour [GB]- Haughty Miss) a Group One winner in Singapore as stakes winners bred by Clapham from this family.
As well, the family has produced the stakes performers Khanate (Khairpour [FR]-Oligarchy) and Our Bahare (Bahhare – Oenology).
"It's a pretty special family that can produce a Melbourne Cup winner, a champion two-year-old, a Group One winner up to a mile in Singapore, and a staying handicapper," quipped Clapham, when discussing the pedigree of Intransigent.
"This female family has been described as one of the top three in the British Stud Book, and when you look at the extended pedigree you can see why."
Tucked away in the pedigree are dozens of international stakes winners. In fact there are 42 stakes winning direct descendants of Pantoufle not including the four bred by Clapham. Add to that the fact that Pantoufle was a winning half-sister to two stakes winners Irvine and Place d'Etoile who also produced four stakes winners.
And what is common in those stakes winners is the influence of Shirley Heights (GB) and Sadler's Wells and their sons. Pantoufle's daughter Sunbittern (Sea Hawk II[GB]), herself a winner, was the dam of the dual Group One winner High Hawk (Shirley Heights) who produced four sire sons to Sadler's Wells; In The Wings, Morozov, Hunting Hawk, and Hawker's News.
Sunbittern is also the dam of High Tern (IRE) who is the third dam of Dubawi, the sire of Cellarmaster, and Shirley Heights also appears in his pedigree as the sire of Deploy(IRE) the sire of his dam Zomaradah (GB) (ex Jahaher [IRE], by Dancing Brave [USA]- out of High Tern).
She is also the dam of Seriema (Petingo [FR]) the dam of the Group One winning mare Imfamy (Shirley Heights)who produced four stakes winners, two to Sadler's Wells and one to his son Barathea (IRE).
Clapham's four stakes winners from this family also share in this influence. Second Coming is by the Shirley Heights stallion Oak Ridge(GB) out of the Bassenthwaite (GB) mare Superior Miss, an unraced daughter of Oligarchy. The Pronto II mare he bred out of Pantoufle. Superior
Miss is also the dam of Haughty Miss (Herocity [AUS]) the dam of Intercept the winner of the Singapore Patron's Bowl and six other races. He is by the Darshaan (GB) (Shirley Heights – Delsey) stallion Zerpour (GB). Cellarmaster is as already mentioned by Dubawi out of Oenology a winning Sound Reason (CAN) mare out of Oligarchy, who is also the dam of Our Bahare (Bahhare).
Intransigent is by the Sadler's Wells stallion Refuse to Bend out of the Pentire (GB) mare Risible another daughter of Oligarchy. Clapham rates Pentire as a very influential sire who he believes will go on to be a terrific broodmare sire.
"If you find something in a family that works like the Shirley Heights/Sadler's Wells cross then you should keep doubling it up. The fascinating thing about breeding is you can go to the same stallion three or four times and get such different individuals and how they perform is the true test of success.
"Unlike cattle breeding or sheep breeding, where it is also all about pedigrees and line breeding, you have a true test as the individual animal has to go out there and compete against other individuals, and if he wins then you can measure the success," he enthused.
Most of Risible's matings reflect the theory that Clapham is following. After Refuse To Bend she visited High Chaparral (IRE), a son of Sadler's
Wells out of the Darshaan mare Kesora and produced a filly Disdain, a winner of two races from Kirsty Lawrence's stable. Also in that stable is a two-year-old filly named Portent by Thewayyouare (USA), who is out of a Sadler's Wells mare. Risible has a yearling colt by Sir Percy (GB) a grandson of Shirley Height's son Darshaan, and she is in foal to the Dubawi stallion Makfi (GB). Chagrin, an unraced daughter of Don Eduardo (NZ) and Risible is in foal to another Dubawi stallion in Poet's Voice (GB).
It doesn't end there. Haughty Miss is in foal to Cape Blanco(IRE) a grandson of Sadler's Wells and her daughter Avoid (by Cullen [AUS]) has gone to Raise the Flag (GB) (Sadler's Wells –Hasili) and Conserves La Foi (Keeper [AUS] – Superior Miss) to his half-brother Zacinto. Another Keeper mare Clan (ex Cabal out of Superior Miss, by Carnegie [IRE]) and Aidez Moi (Montjeu (IRE) – Superior Miss) are in foal to Bullbars(AUS), and that stallion is out of the Singspiel(IRE) mare Accessories(AUS), Singspiel is of course a son of In The Wind(Sadler's Wells – High Hawke). Clapham is a shareholder in Bullbars.
"Pantoufle was imported to New Zealand by James Sarten and I purchased her from him at the Trentham broodmare sale in foal to Zamazaan (FR), about the time I was just setting up Relance Park in Masterton where I stood Pronto II. In those days the Wairarapa had a thriving racing and breeding industry, with Te Parae, Ardsley and Riddlesworth to name a few.
"I had a share in Sound Reason, and I planned to send Pantoufle to him, but she had a bit of bother after foaling the Zamazaan so Ollie Goodwin wouldn't take her. However with the help of the genius vet Jim Wallace senior we got her in foal to Pronto II and she produced Oligarchy."
Some years later Oligarchy went on to visit Sound Reason and produced Oenology and it was Sound Reason that gave Clapham his first stakes winner when in 1989 Erudite won the Listed ARC Haunui Farm Stakes. She was also placed in the Group Three Royal Stakes, Eulogy Stakes and Manawatu Breeders Stakes. Erudite was out of Conflict, a placed War Hawke II (GB) mare that he bred out of Miyoshi the aforementioned Fair's Fair me he purchased from the Stead dispersal in the mid 80's. Conflict produced 11 foals, six of whom were winners and her unplaced daughter by Pronto II Madam Quick went onto produce Perspicacious also by Sound Reason and thus a three-quarter sister to Erudite to win seven races and run second in the Group Three Wellington Stakes.
Madam Quick also produced the Listed Canterbury Breeders' Stakes winner Bridie Jo (Exploding Prospect[USA]) but after Clapham had sold her.
At stud Perspicacious produced seven winners, the best of which was Sutology (Straussbrook[AUS]) who won eight races including the Group Two Matriarch Stakes in Melbourne. Baha and Myladys were also stakes placed winners. Clapham is breeding from Perspicacious's Bertolini daughter Amica Giovane.
Clapham grew up in Wanganui and attended St Augustine's College before heading to Victoria University to study law. It was while at university that he became interested in punting. He began his career as a lawyer in Lower Hutt working in the practice of John Jeffries who was later honoured with a knighthood for his services as an esteemed High Court Judge.
"I was keen on punting and while working in Lower Hutt I befriended a young John Norwood, and in 1971 the pair of us went to the Melbourne Cup. That was the year John's father Sir Walter had Silver Knight running, well after experiencing that win I was hooked.
"Not long after that I became a partner in the practice and had the opportunity to extend it to Masterton, and in the Wairarapa back then there were lots of owners and breeders around with some pretty useful horses. I bought the old Rosswood Stud property - it was pretty run down, that's where the mighty Beau Vite stood at stud and decided to have a go at breeding racehorses. And that is when I bought the two mares Pantoufle and Miyosh.
"In the early 90's I was appointed a District Court Judge and moved north to Auckland where I worked for 23 years mainly in South Auckland, unfortunately I was forcibly retired from the bench last year due to my age!" he exclaimed.
"Now I spend most of my time on the farm here in Waiau Pa, where my dozen or so mares and various youngsters are more than capably looked after by Cushla Reid."
- Michelle Saba
This season's Group Three Hawke's Bay Cup winner Intransigent (Refuse to Bend[IRE]- Risible) is a great-grandson of Pantoufle, the family which has probably given Clapham the most success in that time.
Intransigent has now won nine races for his owners Kirsty and Steve Lawrence, Brendon and Barbara Ray, and Brian and Annette Hawkins including the Listed Taumaranui Cup and Rotorua Plate. A seven-year-old gelding, he is trained at Waipukurau by his part-owner Kirsty Lawrence.
He joins the Melbourne Cup winner Second Coming (Oak Ridge [GB] – Superior Miss), the Champion two-year-old Cellarmaster (Dubawi [IRE]- Oenology) and Intercept (Zerpour [GB]- Haughty Miss) a Group One winner in Singapore as stakes winners bred by Clapham from this family.
As well, the family has produced the stakes performers Khanate (Khairpour [FR]-Oligarchy) and Our Bahare (Bahhare – Oenology).
"It's a pretty special family that can produce a Melbourne Cup winner, a champion two-year-old, a Group One winner up to a mile in Singapore, and a staying handicapper," quipped Clapham, when discussing the pedigree of Intransigent.
"This female family has been described as one of the top three in the British Stud Book, and when you look at the extended pedigree you can see why."
Tucked away in the pedigree are dozens of international stakes winners. In fact there are 42 stakes winning direct descendants of Pantoufle not including the four bred by Clapham. Add to that the fact that Pantoufle was a winning half-sister to two stakes winners Irvine and Place d'Etoile who also produced four stakes winners.
And what is common in those stakes winners is the influence of Shirley Heights (GB) and Sadler's Wells and their sons. Pantoufle's daughter Sunbittern (Sea Hawk II[GB]), herself a winner, was the dam of the dual Group One winner High Hawk (Shirley Heights) who produced four sire sons to Sadler's Wells; In The Wings, Morozov, Hunting Hawk, and Hawker's News.
Sunbittern is also the dam of High Tern (IRE) who is the third dam of Dubawi, the sire of Cellarmaster, and Shirley Heights also appears in his pedigree as the sire of Deploy(IRE) the sire of his dam Zomaradah (GB) (ex Jahaher [IRE], by Dancing Brave [USA]- out of High Tern).
She is also the dam of Seriema (Petingo [FR]) the dam of the Group One winning mare Imfamy (Shirley Heights)who produced four stakes winners, two to Sadler's Wells and one to his son Barathea (IRE).
Clapham's four stakes winners from this family also share in this influence. Second Coming is by the Shirley Heights stallion Oak Ridge(GB) out of the Bassenthwaite (GB) mare Superior Miss, an unraced daughter of Oligarchy. The Pronto II mare he bred out of Pantoufle. Superior
Miss is also the dam of Haughty Miss (Herocity [AUS]) the dam of Intercept the winner of the Singapore Patron's Bowl and six other races. He is by the Darshaan (GB) (Shirley Heights – Delsey) stallion Zerpour (GB). Cellarmaster is as already mentioned by Dubawi out of Oenology a winning Sound Reason (CAN) mare out of Oligarchy, who is also the dam of Our Bahare (Bahhare).
Intransigent is by the Sadler's Wells stallion Refuse to Bend out of the Pentire (GB) mare Risible another daughter of Oligarchy. Clapham rates Pentire as a very influential sire who he believes will go on to be a terrific broodmare sire.
"If you find something in a family that works like the Shirley Heights/Sadler's Wells cross then you should keep doubling it up. The fascinating thing about breeding is you can go to the same stallion three or four times and get such different individuals and how they perform is the true test of success.
"Unlike cattle breeding or sheep breeding, where it is also all about pedigrees and line breeding, you have a true test as the individual animal has to go out there and compete against other individuals, and if he wins then you can measure the success," he enthused.
Most of Risible's matings reflect the theory that Clapham is following. After Refuse To Bend she visited High Chaparral (IRE), a son of Sadler's
Wells out of the Darshaan mare Kesora and produced a filly Disdain, a winner of two races from Kirsty Lawrence's stable. Also in that stable is a two-year-old filly named Portent by Thewayyouare (USA), who is out of a Sadler's Wells mare. Risible has a yearling colt by Sir Percy (GB) a grandson of Shirley Height's son Darshaan, and she is in foal to the Dubawi stallion Makfi (GB). Chagrin, an unraced daughter of Don Eduardo (NZ) and Risible is in foal to another Dubawi stallion in Poet's Voice (GB).
It doesn't end there. Haughty Miss is in foal to Cape Blanco(IRE) a grandson of Sadler's Wells and her daughter Avoid (by Cullen [AUS]) has gone to Raise the Flag (GB) (Sadler's Wells –Hasili) and Conserves La Foi (Keeper [AUS] – Superior Miss) to his half-brother Zacinto. Another Keeper mare Clan (ex Cabal out of Superior Miss, by Carnegie [IRE]) and Aidez Moi (Montjeu (IRE) – Superior Miss) are in foal to Bullbars(AUS), and that stallion is out of the Singspiel(IRE) mare Accessories(AUS), Singspiel is of course a son of In The Wind(Sadler's Wells – High Hawke). Clapham is a shareholder in Bullbars.
"Pantoufle was imported to New Zealand by James Sarten and I purchased her from him at the Trentham broodmare sale in foal to Zamazaan (FR), about the time I was just setting up Relance Park in Masterton where I stood Pronto II. In those days the Wairarapa had a thriving racing and breeding industry, with Te Parae, Ardsley and Riddlesworth to name a few.
"I had a share in Sound Reason, and I planned to send Pantoufle to him, but she had a bit of bother after foaling the Zamazaan so Ollie Goodwin wouldn't take her. However with the help of the genius vet Jim Wallace senior we got her in foal to Pronto II and she produced Oligarchy."
Some years later Oligarchy went on to visit Sound Reason and produced Oenology and it was Sound Reason that gave Clapham his first stakes winner when in 1989 Erudite won the Listed ARC Haunui Farm Stakes. She was also placed in the Group Three Royal Stakes, Eulogy Stakes and Manawatu Breeders Stakes. Erudite was out of Conflict, a placed War Hawke II (GB) mare that he bred out of Miyoshi the aforementioned Fair's Fair me he purchased from the Stead dispersal in the mid 80's. Conflict produced 11 foals, six of whom were winners and her unplaced daughter by Pronto II Madam Quick went onto produce Perspicacious also by Sound Reason and thus a three-quarter sister to Erudite to win seven races and run second in the Group Three Wellington Stakes.
Madam Quick also produced the Listed Canterbury Breeders' Stakes winner Bridie Jo (Exploding Prospect[USA]) but after Clapham had sold her.
At stud Perspicacious produced seven winners, the best of which was Sutology (Straussbrook[AUS]) who won eight races including the Group Two Matriarch Stakes in Melbourne. Baha and Myladys were also stakes placed winners. Clapham is breeding from Perspicacious's Bertolini daughter Amica Giovane.
Clapham grew up in Wanganui and attended St Augustine's College before heading to Victoria University to study law. It was while at university that he became interested in punting. He began his career as a lawyer in Lower Hutt working in the practice of John Jeffries who was later honoured with a knighthood for his services as an esteemed High Court Judge.
"I was keen on punting and while working in Lower Hutt I befriended a young John Norwood, and in 1971 the pair of us went to the Melbourne Cup. That was the year John's father Sir Walter had Silver Knight running, well after experiencing that win I was hooked.
"Not long after that I became a partner in the practice and had the opportunity to extend it to Masterton, and in the Wairarapa back then there were lots of owners and breeders around with some pretty useful horses. I bought the old Rosswood Stud property - it was pretty run down, that's where the mighty Beau Vite stood at stud and decided to have a go at breeding racehorses. And that is when I bought the two mares Pantoufle and Miyosh.
"In the early 90's I was appointed a District Court Judge and moved north to Auckland where I worked for 23 years mainly in South Auckland, unfortunately I was forcibly retired from the bench last year due to my age!" he exclaimed.
"Now I spend most of my time on the farm here in Waiau Pa, where my dozen or so mares and various youngsters are more than capably looked after by Cushla Reid."
- Michelle Saba
