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South Island a Source of Supreme Stamina

Unlike any other racing nation, the rugged terrain, cool artic environments and mineral-rich soils in the South Island of New Zealand gives the Southern-born and raised thoroughbred strength and stamina, reinforcing their immense staying power.The pristine environment that runs the breadth of the South Island has become the home of an enviable product, with the quality Southern-breds like recent Group One winner Etah James (NZ) continuing to showcase their versatility and durability to...

Windsor announce 2020 fees

2019/2020 has proven to be a breakthrough season both Australia and New Zealand for successful sire Rip Van Winkle.An established pillar among Windsor Park Stud’s stallion options, Rip Van Winkle’s exceptional Gr.1 winners Te Akau Shark (NZ) and Classic winner Jennifer Eccles (NZ) have led the way this season, together with Group winner Germanicus (NZ) and Sydney Group performer Subpoenaed (NZ). Rip Van Winkle will be available to breeders for a fee of $12,500 + GST in 2020.Windsor Park stud...

Cambridge Stud release fees

Cambridge Stud have announced their 2020 stud fees for popular young sires Almanzor and Embellish. All contracts will now be on live foal payment terms, acknowledging the difficult climate facing breeders in New Zealand.The roster will be headlined by European Champion three-year-old Almanzor, who will stand his third season at the famous nursery. Almanzor covered full books in his first two seasons at stud and will again stand for a fee of $30,000+GST in 2020.“Almanzor could not have enj...

Emergency support for Racing’s recovery

Minister for Racing Winston Peters has announced a $72.5 million dollar COVID-19 emergency support package for the racing industry. “We can’t guild the lily. The racing industry has been hit by the perfect storm of COVID-19 while in a weak financial state and in the midst of a reform programme,” Peters said.  “As a result, there is a genuine risk of insolvency and the industry losing the future gains of its reforms. “The Government has a respond, recover, and rebuild strategy for ...

Ready To Run entries open

Entries are now open for New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready to Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds, to be held on 18 & 19 November. The 2020 edition is set to build on its renowned reputation as Australasia's leading horses in training sale. In the last six years, the Sale has produced 20 Group One wins and 132 Stakes wins, with graduates excelling in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau.  The sale has produced an outstanding record...

Another Dollar continues family legacy

In the late eighties when Garry Chittick was morphing Thornton Park into Waikato Stud, he made the bold decision to buy Star Of The Knight (Sir Tristram[Ire]- Celebrity II[FR]) a stakes winning mare who has gone on to produce one of Waikato Stud’s most iconic families. In winning the Listed Gosford Gold Cup recently, Another Dollar (Ocean Park – Make A Wish) became the latest stakes winner in this illustrious family, having Star Of The Knight as her third dam. If you think the name Make A Wi...

First winner for Pure Champion

The maiden victory of the John Sadler-trained three-year-old Manhattan Spector at Ballarat on Sunday provided his Group One-winning sire Pure Champion with his first winner. Ridden by Regan Bayliss, Manhattan Spector sat outside the leader throughout and out-toughed his rivals over 1500m, having placed at his previous outing at Werribee. Pure Champion retired to Mike and Barbara Cooney’s Willow Glen Stud in Waimate in 2015 and Manhattan Spector is one of 15 foals from his first crop. A son of ...

Service fees remain unchanged at The Oaks Stud

Despite a standout season for The Oaks Stud’s flagbearer Darci Brahma, the Cambridge stud farm has elected to keep the service fees unchanged heading into the 2020 breeding season. In a standout three-year-old crop, Darci Brahma was well represented by Group Three winner Kali, Group One performer Harlech, and Group One winner Catalyst. Catalyst remained undefeated in New Zealand as a three-year-old, winning all five starts, including a dominant win in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) ...

Jockey Club Announces Breeding Cap

The Jockey Club board of stewards have announced that it has adopted a final rule limiting the annual breeding of individual stallions. The rule reflects The Jockey Club’s goal to preserve the health of the Thoroughbred breed for the long term and will apply prospectively to stallions born in 2020 or later. Effective immediately, The Jockey Club’s Principal Rules and Requirements of the American Studbook are amended by adding the following italicized language to the text ...

Highden Park paving a golden road of success

In defiance of the testing times of 2020, Sam and Libby Bleakley’s Highden Park has extended its journey of success this autumn with a brace of Australian results to reinforce its preeminent position as the pride of the Manawatu, and further elevate its status amongst the best producing thoroughbred nurseries of New Zealand. Their roll of honour now includes last Saturday’s Gr.1 Australasian Oaks winner, Toffee Tongue, who was foaled and reared at Highden Park and sold for $500,000 out of th...

First Crop Sire Focus: What's The Story

What's The Story will stand at Norwegian Park for $3,000 +GST in 2020.What's The Story is the first Group One performed son of champion sire Savabeel to stand at stud. His dam, Tall Story, is half-sister to multiple Group One winning sprinter/miler Tall Poppy, who is a daughter of Group One winning miler Fun on the Run.The first crop by What's The Story are now weanlings and are impressing in type and temperament. Some of his first crop are pictured below....

Gavelhouse.com enters South African market

Leading online thoroughbred auction platform gavelhouse.com will branch into the international market next month with the launch of gavelhouse.com South Africa. In partnership with Klawervlei Stud, gavelhouse.com will conduct an online sale of around 160 thoroughbreds from 15 to 21 June, with an announcement to be made in due course as to the format and frequency of ongoing gavelhouse.com South Africa auctions. Klawervlei Stud sales and marketing manager Grant Knowles reached out to gavelhouse....

Level 3 on Farm Bloodstock Inspections for Agents

COVID-19 SAFE PRACTICE GUIDE- Hygiene and protocol measures for Bloodstock Agents and industry licensed professionals entering studs and agistment farms at Level 3 If in doubt please refer to the government website: https://covid19.govt.nz/   The NZBTA recommends at Level 3 that bloodstock inspections are by appointment only and can be conducted by a registered bloodstock agent or NZTR licensed professional, specific to their area. Prior to arrival the agents and licensed professionals must...

Roles slashed at TAB

The Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) confirmed to its staff on Tuesday it would commence consultation about changes to the TAB in response to the impact of COVID-19. The proposal includes a reduction of approximately 30 percent of roles across all areas of the organisation and is in addition to other cost saving measures aimed at reducing total expenditure. The detail of the proposal, which will be presented to staff on Monday, and if progressed, would see the business becoming leaner, m...

He’s Remarkable among 125 Lots online now

The current 125 Lot gavelhouse.com auction is brimming with opportunities for breeders featuring 53 broodmares plus Mapperley Stud’s Group One performing son of Pentire, He’s Remarkable. As farms gear up for another breeding season, Mapperley Stud have made a strategic decision to give another farm the opportunity to stand the impressive individual with him for sale on an unreserved basis. "Due to the competitive nature of the stallion market in the Waikato, we feel he would be better suited...

Hot streak continues for Raise The Flag

The progeny of regally-bred stallion Raise The Flag continue to make an impact on staying and jumping features in Australia. The White Robe Lodge stallion is the sire of Tuesday’s dominant Warrnambool Grand Annual Steeplechase (5500m) winner Ablaze. The win comes less than a month after Raise The Flag’s daughter Etah James took out the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) while a host of progressive staying and jumping prospects, including Novice Hurdle (3200m) winner Riding High, continue to ably repres...

Exciting filly sets tongues wagging at Cambridge Stud

It was an emotional day on Saturday for the team at Cambridge Stud. The prestigious thoroughbred nursery went through a tumultuous few months last year when losing three stallions, including flagbearer Tavistock, but they had something to cheer about on the weekend when celebrating his first Oaks winner. His daughter Toffee Tongue went close when finishing runner-up in the Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m), but she was not to be outdone on Saturday when taking the inside alley down the straight to ru...

Reliable Man heads Westbury 2020 Roster

In a year where the resilience of breeders is likely to be tested in New Zealand, Westbury Stud have taken a positive approach to the troubled times when announcing their roster and fee structure for the upcoming season.  “It is imperative for breeders to mate their mares this year, as the long term future of the New Zealand Industry is dependent on mares being bred and as many foals as possible being born in 2021,” Wetbury Stud General Manager Russell Warwick said. “Under the di...

Wong gets instant return on well-placed investment

Race favourite Toffee Tongue had plenty of international supporters during the running of Saturday’s Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m), none more so than thoroughbred enthusiast Edmund Wong, who was cheering hard from his home in Hong Kong as the daughter of Tavistock claimed her maiden victory in the blue riband event . The Chris Waller-trained three-year-old filly is the latest stakes winner for blue hen broodmare Bagalollies, who was recently purchased by Wong in a private sale after plans to ...

Toffee Tongue sweet in Australasian Oaks

Chris Waller has pulled off another Group One training coup with Toffee Tongue (NZ) (Tavistock) breaking her maiden in style in the Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville on Saturday. The filly had been runner-up at her four starts leading into Saturday's Adelaide feature, twice to Colette (Hallowed Crown) in the Gr.2 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) and the Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m). Her victory was also a milestone for jockey Damien Thornton who recorded his first win at the highest level aft...

Wrote service fee unchanged

Highview Stud announced that Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1600m) winner Wrote will stand for an unchanged fee of $5,000 + GST in 2020. The first of Wrote’s southern hemisphere yearlings went through the sales ring at the Karaka this year and were well received by buyers, averaging over $60,000 in Book 2. Meanwhile in Florida, where the son of High Chaparral served a low number of mares of limited quality, Wrote has already produced an impressive 54 percent winners from starters on both...

LA lowers stud fees in response to Covid-19

Little Avondale stud have reduced their 2020 service fees in response to the Covid-19 crisis. Little Avondale’s announcement of its service fees for 2020 was made prior to the onset of the pandemic. Considering subsequent events and the economic implications for breeding horses and the economy in general, Little Avondale have lowered the service fees for all three of their stallions. The roster is headed by Per Incanto (Street Cry) whose fee has been lowered from $17,500 + GST to $15,000 + GS...

NZB 2020 Weanling Sale

New Zealand Bloodstock has been forced to cancel their 2020 May Sale due to Covid-19 restrictions.Instead they will hold an online auction on the new Gavelhouse Plus platform in June. As breeders we will need to embrace a changing world and this an opportunity to sell quality weanlings online, with the added incentive of these weanlings, for the first time ever, being eligible for the Karaka Million Series. With a reduced commission, entry fee, no travel and/...

Vale Charles Roberts

The last surviving founder of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, Charles Roberts, has passed away. In January 1948 Roberts, at the time a young veterinarian, along with seven high-profile New Zealand breeders and businessmen joined together to canvas the establishment of a National Association for breeders. Two months later the first general meeting of the Association was held in Wellington and the first secretary appointed. Within six months they had 500 members. Roberts was ...

First Crop Sire Focus: Time Test

With an outstanding pedigree matched by his looks and multiple Group victories on his CV, Time Test has been hugely popular in the early stages of his career both at the English National Stud and at Little Avondale Stud.In response to the COVID-19 pandemic Little Avondale Stud has lowered their 2020 service fees, as such Time Test will stand this season at $6,000 +GST.Time Test's oldest southern hemisphere crop are now weanlings and are impressing in type and temperament. You can view a range of...