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Waimate couple enjoying online challenge

Anna Miles and Michael Simpson of Pear Tree Farm are looking forward to Sunday when their two weanling colts go under the virtual hammer in New Zealand Bloodstock’s Weanling Sale on plus.gavelhouse.com. “We have been really lucky because we drew lot 1 with the Proisir colt out of Joan’s Girl,” Miles said. “He is a lovely, kind, strong, well conformed horse. “He is a full-brother to a filly we sold through the South Island Sale a couple of years ago called Harlow who was a winner on d...

Four for Belardo

Haunui Farm shuttle stallion Belardo’s flying start as a freshman sire has continued over the weekend with two more winners, taking his tally to four winners in the space of seven days. Isabella Giles, from the Clive Cox yard, stuck to her task and started to pull away over 1200m at Leicester and on Sunday Lullaby Moon made lightwork of her opposition showing a strong turn of foot and clearing out to a comfortable two-and-a-quarter lengths over her rivals. Belardo now has four winners, with ...

Filly becomes third first-crop winner for Belardo

Haunui Farm shuttle stallion Belardo continued a stellar start to his stallion career in Europe as the Clive Cox-trained Isabella Giles ran out an easy winner over 1200m at Leicester on Saturday to become his third first-crop winner. Golden Melody put Belardo on the board when taking out a 1200m event by 2-1/4 lengths at Haydock, in England, while Got Luck was just as notable when winning by a length on debut over 1300m at Craon, in France. Sent off the 9/4 favourite, Isabella Giles justified he...

Chittick delighted with results of weekend weanling parade

Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick is looking forward to strong interest in the stud’s eighteen-strong draft for the annual New Zealand Bloodstock Weanling Sale, that is currently underway on the gavelhouse.com platform, following a successful parade over the weekend. The online auction opened on Thursday and runs until June 21 with Waikato Stud offering some quality youngsters by resident stallions Savabeel, Ocean Park and Tivaci. The stud put together a parade of all eighteen weanlings on ...

Star sprinters join burgeoning Valachi Downs roster

In a strong message of support to the New Zealand breeding industry, Valachi Downs have announced two new additions to their stallion roster for the coming breeding season. Dual Group One winner Ten Sovereigns, the best and fastest son of outstanding young sire No Nay Never, will travel to New Zealand from Coolmore Ireland with U S Navy Flag, while exciting young sire Vespa will be relocated to stand at his place of birth, Valachi Downs. Ten Sovereigns hails from a long line ...

Roaring start for Belardo

Progeny of Haunui Farm shuttle stallion Belardo have made an impressive start to their careers as racing resumes in Europe. His juveniles are just hitting the track and are showing early promise, recording their sire’s first two victories this week. Golden Melody became Belardo’s first winner when taking out her 1200m event by 2-1/4 lengths at Haydock, in England, while Got Luck was just as notable when winning by a length on debut over 1300m at Craon, in France. “It is always nice to get ...

Dedicated Weanling Sale Live on Gavelhouse Plus

New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Weanling Sale is now live, with the quality 82-lot catalogue available to view on Gavelhouse Plus. Bidding on the weanling only sale launched on Thursday and will run for an 11-day period, with the first lot closing on Sunday 21 June at 3pm. While the sale may be new, New Zealand Bloodstock weanling graduates are no strangers to success, having recorded nine Group One wins and 81 stakes wins in the last six seasons, headlined by recent Gr.1 New Zeala...

NZB Insurance Pearl Series Offers Exciting New Bonus

NZB Insurance in conjunction with NZTR are contributing further rewards to owners of NZB Insurance Pearl Series registered fillies and mares with a one-off incentive this July.   For the six remaining Pearl Series races of the 2019-20 racing season, NZB Insurance and NZTR will contribute a total sum of $3,000 to the owners of Pearl Series registered fillies or mares who finish second in any of the scheduled Pearl bonus races. The additional second-place payment will be given out on top...

Vale Battle Paint

Chequers Stud have reported the death of their resident sire Battle Paint, with the son of Tale of the Cat humanely euthanised on Tuesday after a battle with colic. The winner of three races in Europe, Battle Paint was runner-up to Holy Roman Emperor in the Gr.1 Grand Criterium (1400m) as a two-year-old. He went on to become a more than useful addition to New Zealand’s stallion ranks, as the sire of seven stakes performers headed by Group Two winner Battle Time and star Singapore galloper Aff...

Vale Chris Luoni

A gentleman with a strong sense of fairness is how New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association President John Thompson described the late Chris Luoni. “Chris was an active member of the Waikato Branch and served on the Council and it’s executive for many years,” Thompson said. “He was very big on governance and ensuring that things were done correctly. With his knowledge of Bloodstock taxation and GST he was a great asset to the NZTBA and the wider industry framing many of the curre...

Sixth horse ambulance ready for racing’s re-start

Otago equine veterinarian, Dr Peter Gillespie, is proud to personally deliver the latest horse ambulance manufactured at TL MacLean’s Dunedin workshop to its new home base in Auckland. Dr Gillespie and his colleague, Dr Bill Bishop, came up with the idea of a national horse ambulance service eight years ago and Dr Gillespie acknowledges the hard work and determination of NZHAT Trust Chair Martin Burns to help make it happen. The Trust has worked closely with New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, H...

Strong LA Draft for National Sale

Little Avondale Stud are confident the New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale will continue the successful trend of previous auctions having had to move to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wairarapa nursery will offer a select line-up of youngsters in the auction to run on plus.gavelhouse.com, including two by their exciting young shuttle stallion Time Test. Weanlings from the first southern hemisphere crop of Dubawi’s dual Group Two winning son Time Test have generate...

Ocean Emperor stud fee announced

Three-time Group Two winning son of Zabeel, Ocean Emperor, will stand for a fee of $6,000+GST for the forthcoming breeding season, a reduction from $7,000+GST at his initial season at stud last year. Retired to Gary and Jenny Hennessy’s Weowna Park, Ocean Emperor covered 20 mares in his inaugural season at stud. A $450,000 yearling purchase at Karaka from the draft of Waikato Stud, Ocean Emperor had 28 starts for Gary Hennessy and recorded nine wins and five placings, headed by the Gr.2 Japan...

Golden Melody gives Belardo first winner at Haydock

Multiple Group One winner and Haunui Farm shuttle sire, Belardo recorded his first winner on Sunday when Golden Melody scored at the first time of asking at Haydock. The juvenile filly, trained by William Haggas, started 4-1 co-third favourite in the seven-runner novice event over 1200m and ran out an eye-catching two and a quarter-length winner over Star Of Emaraaty. James Doyle, the winning jockey, was impressed with the filly’s professional attitude and ability. "They said Golden Melody was...

Windsor Park bids farewell to Falkirk

Emotions stirred at Windsor Park Stud recently when their team said their final goodbyes and paid tributes to their old mate and resident sire Falkirk. Succumbing to the infirmities of aging, 20-year-old Falkirk was laid to rest at Windsor Park, the farm where he was born and raised and where he had enjoyed a successful stallion career following equally successful exploits on the racetrack. Falkirk was an unbeaten Group winner in four New Zealand starts before embarking overseas to win further G...

Industry loses great contributor

Chris Luoni, one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame and a past chairman has passed away in Hamilton overnight after a battle with illness. Luoni, an accountant by profession, had been an avid racing fan since his teenage years following the fortunes of his father George’s high-class racehorse of the 1970s, Happy Union. He experienced success as a breeder and owner with horses such as stakes winners Ma Danseuse and Oliverdance, and he also rac...

Equine exports resume

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has completed testing all adult horses considered at risk of contracting Theileria equi infection through association with an infected imported thoroughbred mare at Cambridge Stud. All 263 tests have returned negative results. The horse concerned was imported to New Zealand for breeding purposes in February 2019 and was found to be infected with Theileria equi as part of standard export certification prior to onward shipment to Australia. The horse has n...

Yesberg hoping for strong sale

Lady Zafira caught Paul Yesberg’s eye when she won the Listed Pegasus Stakes Handicap (1000m) in 2016, so much so that he bought her and is now offering her Reliable Man yearling through New Zealand Bloodstock’s South Island Sale on plus.gavelhouse.com. “The reason I bought the mare was that she won the race that I sponsor at Cup week – The Yesberg Insurance Pegasus Stakes,” Yesberg said. “She’s a beautiful yearling and was going to go to Karaka but she cut her leg in October last ...

Tapper has clear view on future

Timaru-based Clearview Park Stud will offer four lots at the New Zealand Bloodstock South Island Sale, which is being conducted online for the first time in its history due to COVID-19 disruptions. The sale, which concludes on Sunday, is hosted on gavelhouse.com’s new online platform, Gavelhouse Plus and Clearview Park’s Aaron Tapper said he was pleased with his all colt draft, while he also has an eye to the spring, where the first foals of resident sire Jon Snow are eagerly awaited. “I�...

Brighthill Fee initiative

In response to these testing times Brighthill Farm in conjunction with their stallion partners have created an initiative designed to assist breeders for the upcoming season to continue their breeding operations.We have great confidence in our stallion roaster for the season approaching. All three stallions are highly credentialed and have strong appeal both domestically and internationally. We hope this initiative will assist breeders to make positive decisions now that will have them well posi...

First Crop Sire Focus: Satono Aladdin

Satono Aladdin is the only Group 1 winning son of breed shaping Japanese stallion Deep Impact to stand in New Zealand. He has a world class female pedigree and is an exciting sire prospect being a Group 1 winning Japanese miler who possessed a devastating turn of foot. Satono Aladdin was a NZ$1.7 million dollar foal purchase himself and he has consistently stamped his foals with his own quality and athleticism.      “His first crop Japanese foals sold up to NZ$847,000 and a...

First Crop Sire Focus: War Decree

The winner of the esteemed Gr.2 Goodwood Vintage Stakes (7f) in the second fastest time in history, War Decree is a direct descendant of the globally influential matriarch Terlingua.He is from the family of breed shaping sires Royal Academy and Storm Cat, and as a son of globally influential sire War Front, War Decree has plenty of appeal as a stallion.He covered 93 mares in his first season and the resulting foals are furnishing into lovely weanlings that are complemented by all ...

First online sale for Mansfield Farm

This year’s New Zealand Bloodstock South Island Sale has taken plenty of getting used to by Mansfield Farm’s Kaye Sanders. The sale has been moved online to plus.gavelhouse.com and it is the first time the Canterbury horsewoman has had first-hand experience with an online auction. Sanders has three yearlings on offer in the sale including lot 33, the Zacinto colt out of a half-sister to Group One performer Vittoria; lot 53, the Highly Recommended colt out of a half-sister to Group One winner...

Pinhooking Gold Available in National Weanling Sale

Astute pinhookers will again have the chance to secure future Yearling Sale or Ready To Run prospects in the 2020 edition of the New Zealand Bloodstock Weanling Sale to be run from June 11 to 21. Over the last few editions of the Karaka May Sale and its predecessor the National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale, there is a long list of pinhook purchases who fetched significantly higher prices when returning to the auction ring the following year. Multiple Group One winners Gingernuts a...

Thoroughbred Racing resumption brought forward

Thoroughbred racing will resume earlier than anticipated with the Counties Racing Club hosting a meeting on Saturday 20 June. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) announced the move on Thursday based on feedback from trainers who have indicated they had horses ready to return to the track sooner than the planned resumption in early July. “We are delighted we can resume earlier than originally expected,” NZTR chief executive Bernard Saundry said. “Our first race meetings since lockdown wi...