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Josh Herd - Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship - Blog Two

My final chapter at Coolmore Stud in Ireland began with a week in the foaling unit known as Prospect. I was lucky enough to be working alongside a friend I’d met during the Karaka Sales earlier this year, who had just completed a season at Haunui Farm. The work was intense, but incredibly rewarding. I had the chance to assist in delivering a few new arrivals and saw firsthand just how quickly foals develop their own fiery personalities. There’s something truly humbling about being there for ...

Meet the Breeder - Simon Lawson

This week in Dunstan Horsefeeds Meet the Breeder, we caught up with Simon Lawson who is having great success with his small broodmare band from breeding a stakes winner to a six-figure yearling.Tell us the story of Matahga?Matahga is the first foal of Reliable Man mare Mohegan Star. Luckily for me he was a breeze from the day he was born, sold at Karaka 2024 to Stokes Racing and now 18 months later he’s a stakes winner. How did you get into thoroughbred breeding?Naturally working at Waika...

Vale Joe Yorke

The racing industry has lost one of its more colourful characters with the passing of Joe Yorke on Sunday.The Manawatu horseman was a respected breaker and pre-trainer for a number of top Central Districts racing stables before becoming a bloodstock agent, but he is more known for his feats in the Equestrian world, having competed in showjumping at the 1976 Montreal Olympics with Big Red.The pair were inducted into the Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame at their 75th Anniversary dinner o...

Istataba adds international flavour to National Online Breeding Stock Sale

Buyers can currently bid on 11 stakes-performed mares in the National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus, including one that brings South American bloodlines and Singaporean racetrack performance.The Argentinian-bred Istataba is by the Galileo stallion Treasure Beach, who won the Irish Derby (2400m) and is the sire of nine Group One winners among a total of 21 stakes-winning progeny. He has already racked up 15 winners as a broodmare sire including Group Three winner Candlelit (Equal ...

Blane’s passion rewarded with Stud, Stable and Kennel Excellence Award

Transitioning into the breeding side of thoroughbred racing reignited Olivia Blane’s love for the industry, a passion that was recognised at Entain’s Industry Excellence Awards where she was named winner of the Stud, Stable and Kennel Excellence Award.Blane leads the yearling preparation team at Waikato Stud, one of New Zealand’s premier breeding operations. Despite holding such a pivotal role, she was caught by surprise when announced the winner on Sunday night.“I was surprised, but rea...

Molander recognised for contribution to breeding

Wentwood Grange Yearling Manager Brad Molander was recognised for his contribution to the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeding industry at the Entain Industry Excellence Awards on Sunday night when he was bestowed the Dedication to Breeding Excellence Award.It comes two years after Molander was awarded the Mary Lynne Ryan Young Achiever at the National Breeding Awards, and he was delighted to be recognised by the wider industry on Sunday.“It was awesome to get the award and be recognised,” Mola...

Jeffries recognised as rising star in breeding industry

Alice Jeffries didn’t always see a future for herself in the breeding industry, but a very special filly played a key role in getting her to where she is today, working as Cambridge Stud’s Assistant Yearling Manager, and receiving Entain’s Newcomer Excellence Award on Sunday.Growing up on a sheep and beef farm in Tauranga, Jeffries’ father Warwick Jeffries delved into breeding on a small scale and was rewarded in a big way, breeding glamour mare Legarto out of his mare Geordie Girl.Befor...

Memorable weekend for Lawson

Waikato horseman Simon Lawson has an eye for a bargain, and the product of one of his purchases turned into his first stakes winner over the weekend.As Waikato Stud’s dry mare manager for a couple of years, Lawson was looking to get into breeding himself a few years ago and an unplaced mare called Mohegan Star caught his eye on online auction house gavelhouse.com, and he secured the daughter of Reliable Man with a final bid of $1,100.She quickly proved to be an astute purchase, with her half-b...

Manzoice back on top in Tattersall’s Cup

Manzoice (Almanzor) has already been a Group One winner during the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington, and a welcome return to winning form in Saturday’s Gr.3 Tattersall’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm may earn him a return to that big stage.The son of Almanzor ventured to Melbourne and won the Victoria Derby (2500m) in the spring of 2022. He had gone winless through the two and a half years since that classic triumph, but has been a regular placegetter since then including in the Gr.3 N ...

Goodwood celebrating surprise outcome

Goodwood Stud’s William Fell is enjoying an exciting ride with unbeaten star steeplechaser Jesko.While it has been an unforeseen outcome, it’s nevertheless a successful one with the son of the late Atlante quickly rising to the top of the jumping ranks.The late bloomer won three on the flat before a successful transformation for trainers Shaun and Hazel Fannin with the former also taking the reins.Jesko began his hot run at Wanganui before claiming the Manawatu Steeplechase (4000m) and Welli...

Tivaci two-year-old takes Oaklands Plate

New Zealand-bred colt Matahga (Tivaci) stamped himself as an exciting spring three-year-old prospect with a hard-fought victory in the A$120,000 Listed David Peacock Oaklands Plate (1400m) at Morphettville on Saturday.The step up to black-type level came less than a month after Matahga’s raceday debut, where he finished second over 1100m at Morphettville on May 31. The son of Tivaci won his next race in smart style at Murray Bridge on June 14, earning favouritism for Saturday’s Oaklands...

National Online Breeding Stock Sale online now

The National Online Breeding Stock Sale has launched on Gavelhouse Plus with bidding open on the 87 Lots sale which is set to end from 7pm on Wednesday 9th July.This year’s sale boasts a quality selection of both young and proven mares plus stallion shares in Reliable Man, Santos, Shamexpress and Wrote.gavelhouse.com and New Zealand Bloodstock representative Patrick Cunningham is pleased with the assembly of stock. “This annual sale of premium breeding stock holds plenty of appeal for breede...

Profondo makes impact with first weanlings

The first progeny of Windsor Park Stud stallion Profondo made a favourable impression during the NZB National Weanling Sale at Karaka on Thursday.The son of Japanese super-sire Deep Impact was himself a A$1.9 million yearling and won the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) in Sydney as a three-year-old. He commenced his stud career at Windsor Park in 2023 and has served books of 177 and 173 mares in his first two seasons.Thursday’s catalogue featured four weanlings from Profondo’s first crop...

Per Incanto colt tops NZB National Weanling Sale

Little Avondale stallion Per Incanto’s outstanding season carried on in the Karaka sale ring on Thursday, where his weanling colt fetched a sale-topping $190,000 in the opening hour of the NZB National Weanling Sale.Catalogued as Lot 13, the colt is the second foal out of the Shamexpress mare London Express – the winner of seven races including the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) as a late-season two-year-old.The sale-topping colt was offered by Seaton Park and was bought by Australian bloo...

Kaha Nui Farm crowned leading buyer at NZB weanling sale

Successful pinhookers Kaha Nui Farm were to the fore at Karaka on Thursday, and were rewarded with the crown of leading buyer at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Weanling Sale.The boutique Waikato thoroughbred operation, operated by Nicky and Nick White, purchased three weanlings for a total spend of $300,000, and the couple were pleased with their acquisitions, who will return through the Karaka sales ring in next year’s National Yearling Sale.“It has been a really good sale and we have ...

Meet the Breeder - Olly and Annabel Tuthill

This week in Dunstan Horse Feeds Meet the Breeder, we caught up with Olly and Annabel Tuthill of Beaufort Downs. The couple, who have lived and breathed horses all their lives, bred Listed Castletown Stakes winner, Platinum Diamond (Hello Youmzain).Tell us the story of Platinum Diamond?We bought the mare Spritz, a few years ago. One of the main reasons we bought her was because she was from Annabel's Grandparent's family, they raced the group 1 winner Seamist.Spritz was a very tricky breeder, an...

Mission accomplished for Ardrossan partnership

The emergence of the Victorian-based Taken (Ardrossan) is another winning story for a New Zealand breeding and ownership group established to support the three-year-old’s young sire.The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained son of Ardrossan made it four wins on the bounce when he carried 60kg to victory at Flemington last Saturday.He was bred by the Dewar Partnership, established to promote the Waikato Stud stallion through the early stages of his career.“Taken has come a long way and...

Third time lucky for Cork in Tauranga Classic

After hard-luck stories in the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m) in both of the last two winters, Cork (Complacent) made amends in style on Saturday with a $22 upset in the fillies and mares’ feature.Cork had already proven herself as a Tauranga specialist, winning three of her five previous starts at the track including a seven-length Rating 75 romp on the Tauranga Classic undercard in 2022. But the Bay Of Plenty’s midwinter black-type feature had proved frustratingly elus...

Platinum Diamond provides Latta’s missing piece

The Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) was one of the few age-group features in the lower North Island that was missing from Lisa Latta’s CV, but the fast-improving filly Platinum Diamond (Hello Youmzain) dealt to that unfinished business at Otaki on Friday.Latta has picked up more than 80 black-type victories in her 1200-win training career, including Central Districts two and three-year-old prizes such as the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ P...

Gifted Pier continuing to do Mum proud

Pier’s (Proisir) latest black type success at Eagle Farm prompted major celebrations, but there was also a bittersweet side for connections of the high-class son of Proisir.He demolished his rivals in Saturday’s Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m) to further his record, which already featured three-year-old victories in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).Pier is trained by the father and daughter combination of Darryn and Briar Weatherley with t...

Campaldino triumphs in Brisbane Cup

The Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) looms as a possible spring target for New Zealand-bred stayer Campaldino (Ghibellines), who continued his rapid rise with another outstanding win in the A$400,000 Gr.2 XXXX Brisbane Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.Within the space of nine weeks, the Ghibellines gelding has strung together four increasingly impressive victories. He kicked off with wins in the Orange Cup (2100m) and a Benchmark 78 handicap on Randwick’s Kensington track, prompting trainers Ga...

Poignant Stradbroke win for War Machine

With a powerful and poignant performance in Saturday’s The Star Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, budding superstar War Machine (Harry Angel) added extra Group One sparkle to the legacies of two much-missed New Zealand industry figures.The triumph came less than a week after the sudden passing in Kentucky of internationally renowned bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, who sourced War Machine’s dam Caserta on behalf of his brother David and late wife Maddy and parents Jim and Mary...

Pier picks up Stradbroke consolation

A runaway victory in Saturday’s A$160,000 Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm was a proud moment for Pier’s (Proisir) connections, but they could also be forgiven for wondering what might have been in the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).Pier ventured across the Tasman as the winner of four races in New Zealand, headed by the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) in 2022. The son of Proisir has found a promising vein of form in his latest preparation, producing powerful finish...

Kovalica back on top in Q22

Kovalica (Ocean Park) made a welcome return to winning form when he prevailed in a pulsating three-horse finish to the A$1.2 million Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Q22 (2200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.The Kiwi-bred son of Ocean Park was the standout three-year-old of the Queensland Winter Carnival two years ago, winning the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) and Gr.2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) and placing against older horses at weight-for-age in the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m).Kovalica went winless in 20 s...

Pencarrow graduate continues family legacy

Pencarrow Stud’s foundation mare Richebourg (Vice Regal) has left a lasting impression on the Australasian thoroughbred landscape, with Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) victor Maison Louis (Super Seth) further adding to that legacy with his Classic triumph at Eagle Farm on Saturday.The likes of Gr.1 Melbourne (3200m) and Caulfield Cup (2400m) heroine Ethereal, five-time Group One winner Darci Brahma, Group One winner Grand Echezeaux, and Group One performers Burgundy, Romanee Conti, Sup...