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Kiwi Chronicles - On the cusp

A whirlwind two weeks has passed since the last edition of Kiwi Chronicles and it is pleasing to report that the New Zealand bloodstock industry appears to be on the cusp of bigger and better things.Central to the industry’s future is prize–money which in New Zealand is unlikely to rival that of Australia’s in the near term, however it was not so long ago that the minimum on offer (for maidens) was $7,000. The minimum jumped to $10,000 and is now $18,500 with many clubs opting to set a bas...

Pivotal Ten sensational in Gore Guineas romp

Powerful filly Pivotal Ten (Ten Sovereigns) was nothing short of sensational when taking out Sunday’s Listed Liquorland Gore Guineas (1335m).The daughter of Ten Sovereigns has established herself as the three-year-old to beat in the South Island after scoring a winning hattrick this preparation, including a gusty showing to down Lil Zena in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui on Boxing Day.Samantha Wynne, who trains and rides the filly on race-day, had every faith that a r...

Local victory in New Plymouth feature

Local runner Herbert (Sweet Orange) claimed the biggest win of his career to date when he raced clear in the final stages of the feature event at New Plymouth on Saturday, the Gr.3 Denis Wheeler Earthmoving Taranaki Cup (1800m).Trainer John Wheeler has never lost faith in the four-year-old gelding, who he part-owns with a pair of fellow New Plymouth locals including former Taranaki Racing Incorporated Chief Executive Carey Hobbs, even when the son of Sweet Orange recorded five runner-up fin...

Hinekaha all class in Oaks Prelude

Highly touted three-year-old Hinekaha (Savabeel) justified some heavy support from punters as she showed her enormous promise in the Listed Grangewilliam Stud Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth on Saturday.The Andrew Forsman-prepared filly has been identified as a stayer of real potential by a number of pundits and is the $5 Fixed Odds second favourite for the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) on 8 March behind Willydoit ($2). She also fills the same position in the Fixed Odds mark...

Topweight blows rivals away in Fulton Family Stakes

Despite carrying a gruelling 61kg while all but one of his rivals had 53kg, Ellerslie specialist El Vencedor (Shocking) was in a class of his own in Saturday’s Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m).A runaway victory in the $100,000 open handicap was El Vencedor’s third black-type win from only four appearances at Ellerslie. The gelding had previously scored outstanding wins in last year’s Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) and Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m). His only defeat at t...

Satono Aladdin top of the pops again

Rich Hill Stud stallion Satono Aladdin has provided the headline acts of Book 2 of Karaka 2025, siring the highest-priced lots on both Wednesday and Thursday.Less than 24 hours after topping the sale with Brighthill Farm’s $260,000 filly out of Sparkling Rose late on Wednesday afternoon, Satono Aladdin took top billing again with two six-figure sales in the final hour of day two.The top price of the second day was $150,000, which John Foote paid to secure Lot 1079. The colt was offered by Libb...

It's in the blood - La Dorada

Sometimes breeding success comes after meticulous planning. At other times, it falls in your lap.Karaka Millions 2YO (RL,1200m) winner La Dorada (Super Seth) is the latest starlet from a Waikato Stud family that has been pure gold, one of the richest seams in the farm’s illustrious history. And to think, her heavily black typed family came to them by way of a gifted ticket in breeding’s great lottery.It begins with Gold Rocks (Oratario), a 2006 mare who, by her sire, you may twig c...

Meet the Breeder - Daniel Nakhle

In this week's Meet the Breeder, we caught up with a name synonymous in breeding and racing-  Daniel Nakhle. Daniel achieved the pinnacle of breeding when Crocetti took out the Gr.1 2000 Guineas in 2023. Crocetti has now doubled his group one tally after his success in the Gr.1 Sistema Railway at Ellerslie on Karaka Millions night.Tell us the story of CrocettiCrocetti's grand dam Irish Colleen was the very first purchase I made selecting a horse by myself. I am absolutely sure it was more l...

Sale boost for stud ahead of mare’s Group test

Off the back of a lucrative result at Karaka, Mark and Jane Corcoran’s Grangewilliam Stud will be chasing another top outcome on the track this weekend.A son of Proisir was the headline act of their small Book 1 draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and the farm will be hoping to make another top impression with Utopian Wine at New Plymouth on Saturday.Bred by Mark’s father John, the Proisir colt will in time be heading offshore after he was knocked down to the Hong Kong...

Te Akau strikes sale-topping blow

Fresh from a pair of million-dollar successes at Ellerslie and another leading buyer title in Book 1, Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis remained in the headlines with some Book 2 fireworks at Karaka on Wednesday afternoon.In the final hour of a solid opening day of trading in the Book 2 sale, Ellis secured the top-priced yearling of the day with his $260,000 purchase of Lot 855.The filly by Satono Aladdin was offered by Brighthill Farm and is a full-sister to this month’s Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (120...

Haunui Farm leading the way at Karaka

Haunui Farm have been crowned leading vendor of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Book 1 Yearling Sale at Karaka for the first time this week following a pleasing set of results, led by the $2.4 million sale of the full-sister to glamour mare Orchestral.The Karaka farm sold 24 of its 30 yearlings, for an aggregate of $6.74 million, nearly $900,000 more than its closest rival in Waikato Stud with $5.88 million, and their average of $280,883 was second only to Curraghmore with $322,222.“It was a specia...

Sword Of State ends strong Karaka debut on a high

An outstanding few days for Sword Of State’s first-crop yearlings at Karaka culminated in a $540,000 purchase price towards the end of the Book 1 session on Tuesday afternoon.The Group One-winning son of Snitzel took up stallion duties at Cambridge Stud in 2022 at an introductory service fee of $15,000. He had 20 first-crop yearlings sell for a total of $4.03 million, with an average price of $201,500.Seven of his yearlings fetched $250,000 or more, headed by the $540,000 price tag for Lot 628...

Third time lucky for Hawthorne

After being an underbidder on the two highest-priced yearlings of the sale, Dean Hawthorne had to wait until the last hour of the Book 1 session on Tuesday afternoon to finally secure one of the fillies on his Karaka wish list.Hawthorne went to $850,000 to purchase Lot 637. Offered by Curraghmore, the filly is by Proisir out of the Tavistock mare Golden Hind.Hawthorne was pleased to finally have one of the high-end lots knocked down in his direction, having come up empty-handed on the $2.4 milli...

Million-dollar double for Donna Marie

For the second year in a row, Hallmark Stud has struck seven-figure gold at Karaka with a yearling filly by Proisir out of Donna Marie.The Baker family’s Te Kauwhata operation topped the Book 1 sale 12 months ago with a filly that fetched $1.6 million, and they were in the spotlight again on Tuesday with $1.1 million for Lot 564.The remarkable double comes from a mere $20,000 purchase price to secure Donna Marie from the 2014 National Broodmare Sale at the same Karaka sale ring.“We had this ...

South African newcomer makes an impact at Karaka

New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale attracts buyers from far and wide in search of the classic-type horses this country is famous for producing, and a new name joined that list during the Book 1 session at Karaka this week.Bloodstock agent Craig Ramsay made five purchases for his South African-based client, who was a first-time purchaser at Karaka under the name Betting Entertainment Technologies International Limited. The total spend was $885,000.“They’ve been bought for an em...

Fairytale sale for Green

It was an emotional scene at Karaka on Monday after the regally-bred full-sister to glamour mare Orchestral was sold for $2.4 million.Fresh off Orchestral’s sensational win in Saturday’s $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m), there was plenty of interest in her Savabeel full-sister (lot 345), who was being offered through Haunui Farm’s draft at Karaka for breeders Barneswood Farm.Expectations were high as eager spectators flocked into the Karaka auditorium to see the action unfol...

Five-time Group winner Bonny Lass retired

After a formidable career competing at the highest level, Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall’s star mare Bonny Lass has been retired from racing.A daughter of Super Easy, Bonny Lass made an immediate impression when winning her first start as a juvenile, followed by the first of five Group victories in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). Her two-year-old campaign was completed by placings in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1200m).At three, ...

Sargent secures half-sister to class filly

John Sargent will return to Australia from New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale with the half-sister to his Group One-performing filly Powers Of Opal, after securing lot 335 for $700,000.Sargent outlaid $130,000 to purchase Powers Of Opal at the 2023 sale from the draft of Curraghmore, the daughter of Ocean Park going on to finish runner-up in the Gr.2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) and Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m).Curraghmore presented her younger half-sister by Proisir, out of Strada Cavallo, wh...

Lawson scores popular result at Karaka

Former Group One-winning harness racing driver Simon Lawson experienced one of the biggest moments of his career at Karaka on Monday when he turned a $500 purchase into $300,000.Lawson underwent a code switch five years ago when he began to work for Waikato Stud and elected to fully commit to the thoroughbred breeding industry, subsequently purchasing a share in the farm’s resident stallion Noverre.In search of a mare to send to the Group One winner, Lawson happened to come across an unraced J...

Go Racing head back to proven well

New Zealand-based syndicator Go Racing have gone back to the proven well at Karaka to source what they hope to be their next champion juvenile.They went to $190,000 to secure last season’s New Zealand Champion Two-Year-Old Velocious out of Inglewood Stud’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft, and the daughter of Written Tycoon took her syndicate on the ride of a lifetime.She carried the Go Racing silks to victories in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m) and Karaka...

Curraghmore filly red-Hot in the sales ring

The colts had taken centre-stage on the opening day at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale before lot 168, a well-bred daughter of Too Darn Hot, entered the Karaka auditorium and was knocked down for $675,000 to the bid of bloodstock agent James Harron.Presented through the draft of Curraghmore, the filly is out of So You Think mare On The Ball, who was a placegetter at two, while her half-brother Swords Drawn is a multiple-Group Three performer, with Group Three winner Vigor Winne...

Wootton Bassett in vogue at Karaka

Wootton Bassett was in vogue at Karaka on Sunday, with two of the top lots in the opening session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale sired by the Coolmore stallion.Just six lots in, a colt by the boom European sire, from Curraghmore’s draft, was knocked down to the $725,000 bid of Michael Freedman, Michael Wallace and Tom Magnier, the latter standing Wootton Bassett and owning his current Gr.1 Golden Slipper (1200m) favourite Wodeton.He is the first foal out of Nearco Stud ma...

Hong Kong strike early at Karaka

The Hong Kong Jockey Club struck early at Karaka in the opening session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale, going to $625,000 to secure lot 11, the Savabeel colt out of Group Three performer Indecision, a half-sister to dual Group One winner Viadana.The Jockey Club’s southern hemisphere buying agent Craig Rounsefell, of Boomer Bloodstock, was taken by the colt when inspecting him at Trelawney Stud, and he believes he is an ideal prospect for Hong Kong.“I think it is a stron...

Barneswood Farm go back-to-back in Aotearoa Classic

Barneswood Farm have made the $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) their own, winning last year’s inaugural running with Desert Lightning, and backing that up as breeders of this year’s victor Orchestral.The pair gave Barneswood Farm’s Sarah and Chris Green, and business partner Ger Beemsterboer, their biggest moment in racing when recording a memorable double in the Aotearoa Classic-Karaka Millions 3YO double at the Karaka Millions meeting last year, and they were rapt to see f...

Stakes success for Elettrica

Tough and talented mare Elettrica (Vespa), who has a half-brother in the catalogue for Karaka 2025, added valuable black type to her CV with a dominant victory in Saturday’s A$160,000 Listed Coastline BMW Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m).It was the first black-type success for the Vespa mare, who has had 36 starts for six wins, 14 placings and A$528,317 in prize-money. She has won over distances ranging from 1300m to 1800m.Elettrica is trained by Richard and Will Freedman at Rosehill, and all o...