Back to Blog

2025 Mary-Lynne Ryan Young Achiever Award - Jack Stewart

Hear from 2025 Mary-Lynne Ryan Young Achiever Award recipient, Jack Stewart of White Robe Lodge. This award was sponsored by LOVERACING.NZ...

Steve Davis Named NZTBA Personality of the Year

Bloodstock auctioneer and media personality Steve Davis has been honoured as the 2025 NZTBA Personality of the Year, in recognition of a lifetime of contribution to the New Zealand thoroughbred breeding industry. Sponsored by Entain, the award celebrates an individual whose impact extends far beyond a single year — someone who has helped shape the culture, success, and spirit of the industry over many decades. The award came as somewhat of a surprise to Davis, who along with co-host ...

Rookie breeder Auret basks in Ka Ying Rising glory

Group One winning trainer Fraser Auret collected trophies of a different variety on Saturday night as he took centre stage at the Property Brokers National Breeding Awards at the Sir Don Rowlands Centre in Cambridge. Auret’s first foray into thoroughbred breeding struck paydirt when he sent five-win mare Missy Moo to Windsor Park Stud stallion Shamexpress. The resulting foal, whom Auret sold after a dominant jump-out victory as a juvenile is now known as Ka Ying Rising, the world’s best...

Waikato Stud claim 11th Breeder of the Year title

Another year of New Zealand thoroughbred breeding excellence was celebrated on Saturday night at the Property Brokers National Breeding Awards at Karapiro, with powerhouse breeders Waikato Stud claiming top honours.Hosted by the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, the awards recognised the elite performances of 24 individual Group One winners plus outstanding achievements in a host of categories. Sprint sensation Ka Ying Rising was named the Seton Otway Horse of the Year, with...

Latta favourite captures final stakes race for the season

Talented juvenile filly Platinum Diamond (Hello Youmzain) made all posts a winner when she captured her second consecutive stakes victory in the last black type feature of the 2024-2025 racing season, the Listed Phils Electrical & Gypsy Caravans Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki.The Lisa Latta-trained daughter of Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain had scored handsomely in the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at the venue last month with Bruno Queiroz in the saddle and the visiti...

Centaine Award caps career-best season for Per Incanto

Hall of Fame stallion Savabeel’s nine-year hold on the Centaine Award has been broken by the pride of the Wairarapa, Per Incanto.The Little Avondale Stud star has achieved worldwide progeny earnings of more than $20 million in the 2024-25 season, giving him a comfortable buffer over Savabeel ($17.85 million) in the Centaine standings. Waikato Stud supremo Savabeel continues his dominance of the Grosvenor and Dewar Awards for New Zealand and Australasian progeny earnings, collecting his 10th an...

Joshua Brown triumphs in Opunake Cup

The rookie pair of Joshua Brown (Dalghar) and his owner-trainer Lance Gussey took out one of New Zealand racing’s biggest winter prizes in Saturday’s $120,000 Listed Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth.Things have happened quickly for Joshua Brown, who made his debut only 15 months ago in April 2024, and also for Cambridge-based Gussey and his wife Angela. With only five horses in work, Gussey now boasts four wins from just 20 career starters.Guss...

Yulong joins Sunline Scholarship fundraiser

Following the announcement of this year’s Sunline Scholarship stallion auction, another major name has thrown its support behind the next generation of New Zealand industry leaders – Australian powerhouse Yulong Investments.Yulong, one of the most influential and ambitious breeding operations in the Southern Hemisphere, has joined Rich Hill Stud, Windsor Park Stud, and Cambridge Stud in offering a service nomination – this time to their exciting young stallion Lucky Vega.The nomination wil...

Kiwi Breeders to be Honoured at National Awards

The New Zealand thoroughbred breeding community will come together on Saturday July 26 to celebrate another year of excellence at the Property Brokers National Breeding Awards at the Sir Don Rowlands Centre in Cambridge. The evening will acknowledge 24 individual winners of 37 Group One races as breeders can again take pride in the global success of horses with the NZ suffix. Recently crowned Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ka Ying Rising and Australian star Mr Brightside will be among the...

Backing Tomorrow’s Leaders: Sunline Trust and Stallion Auction Unite for the Future

On Saturday 26 July, the New Zealand thoroughbred breeding community will gather at the National Breeding Awards — not only to celebrate excellence, but to invest in the future of our people and our industry.At the heart of the evening is a fundraising effort supporting the Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship, which gives emerging Kiwi leaders a unique nine-month global experience to build the skills, confidence, and connections our industry needs to thrive. Over 20 past recipie...

Arcadia Park captures Aquanita Stakes

New Zealand-bred three-year-old Arcadia Park (Ocean Park) passed his first black-type test with flying colours in the A$125,000 Listed Aquanita Stakes (2019m) at Bunbury on Saturday.The Michael Grantham-trained gelding went into the race with two wins and three placings to his name from eight career starts, most recently a smart last-start success over 1600m at Pinjarra on June 28. The Aquanita was a step up in class and distance, but Arcadia Park was well and truly up to the task.Arcadia P...

Pencarrow takes top billing in National Online Breeding Stock Sale

Pencarrow Stud’s select offering of four broodmares proved to be the star attraction in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus on Wednesday, earning the two highest prices of the sale.Pencarrow’s draft achieved an aggregate of $288,500 and an average price of $72,125, including the two mares in the catalogue that broke the six-figure mark.The Group Three-placed Asama Blue (Fastnet Rock), who was offered in foal to the exciting Windsor Park Stud shuttle stallion Paddi...

Quantity and quality in Rich Hill Stud’s Online Breeding Stock Sale draft

Rich Hill Stud is a prominent player in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus, offering more than 10 percent of the 87-lot catalogue.The Rich Hill consignment features 10 mares, six of which are in foal to the stud’s promising sire Ace High. Two others are carrying pregnancies to the well-performed Rich Hill resident Shocking, while another is in foal to Embellish (NZ).“There’s certainly some nice young mares from good families, and most of them are going to have ...

High-flying Pencarrow Stud offers well-bred mares in Online Breeding Stock Sale

The 2024-25 season has been one of the best ever for Pencarrow Stud, and some of the renowned bloodlines that have underpinned that success are now available for purchase in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus.Graduates of the famous Waikato nursery have won over 100 races this season, headed by a pair of Group One classic winners in Australia – Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) in the Australian Guineas (1600m) and Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth) in the Queensland Derby (240...

Quality Cambridge Stud draft in National Online Breeding Stock Sale

The need for Cambridge Stud to control the size of their star-studded broodmare band has opened up some special opportunities in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus.Cambridge Stud is offering six well-credentialled mares – Critical Angel (NZ) (O’Reilly), Friwi (Almanzor), Runway Queen (Star Witness), Stellar Maccartney (NZ) Tavistock), Western Belle (Domesday) and Ziffel (NZ) (Zabeel). They are all being offered in foal to Cambridge Stud stallions.“We’re very ...

NZTBA partners with Ardex Technology

The New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association is pleased to welcome Ardex Technology as a sponsor of the Association.Ardex Technology is a familiar name in the thoroughbred world, that many of you already know and trust. Founded in 1998 by two technologists Scott Miers and Bruce Baker and their passion for racing, Ardex has grown into Australasia’s leading provider of software solutions for the bloodstock industry. From stable management systems to sales, client communication, and finan...

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 ...