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Broodmare’s unretirement works wonders for Pencarrow

Pencarrow Stud’s decision to bring a broodmare out of retirement has been spectacularly rewarded by the dual black-type winner Sleeping Beauty. The Rip Van Winkle six-year-old mastered the gruelling conditions for a dominant victory in Saturday’s Listed Ultimate Ford and Mazda Tauranga Classic (1400m), having also taken out the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) at her previous start. Sleeping Beauty is the tenth and final foal out of the Danehill mare Kailey Princess. “She was quite an old mare ...

Changing of the guard at NZ Racing Hall of Fame

Chris Luoni, the driving force behind the establishment of the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame, is stepping down as Chairman after serving seven years in the post but will continue as a director. “Chris was the catalyst behind establishing the Racing Hall of Fame,” past Chairman and director Gerald Fell said. “I was the first Chairman of the Hall of Fame and between us we drove the development of it. “I retired and Chris took over, and it has just got stronger and stronger.” Luoni, an...

Racing Industry Transition Agency Board Appointed

Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced who is being appointed to the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) following the passing of the Racing Amendment Bill this afternoon. RITA will be led by Dean McKenzie (Chair), Bill Birnie, Liz Dawson, Kristy McDonald, Anna Stove and Sir Peter Vela. “With transitional powers, RITA will enable the urgent changes required to drive the racing industry toward a financially sustainable future,” says Mr Peters. To provide continuity and maintain th...

Son of Frankel joins Brighthill roster

In a coup for the King family’s Brighthill Farm, Group One performed son of Frankel, Eminent, will retire to their Tauwhare property for the forthcoming breeding season, where he will stand for a fee of $8,000+GST. Eminent becomes the first son of the all-conquering Frankel to retire to stud in the southern hemisphere. Raced by Sir Peter Vela, in conjunction with Hubie De Burgh, Eminent won three of his 14 career starts, prepared predominantly by Martyn Meade before transferring to the care ...

Racing Reform Bill passes third and final reading

“The revitalisation of this industry is underway,” says Racing Minister Winston Peters as the Racing Reform Bill passed its third and final reading in Parliament today. The Bill, which comes into force on 1 July, opens the starting gate for the transition of the New Zealand Racing Industry into a financially sustainable future. The Bill reconstitutes the New Zealand Racing Board as the Racing Industry Transition Agency, (RITA).  RITA will have a new membership and a legislative mandate...

Rich Hill has Ace in the pack

High Chaparral’s dual Group One winning son, Ace High, has been retired to Rich Hill Stud, near Matamata, where he will stand for a fee of $10,000+GST for the forthcoming breeding season. Prepared by David Payne, Ace High was a winner at two and dominated as a spring three-year-old, winning the Gr.3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) before successive Group One victories in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) and VRC Derby (2500m). As an autumn three-year-old he was a close-up fourth in the Gr.1 Randwick ...

Emperor to stand at Weowna Park

Three-time Group Two winning son of Zabeel, Ocean Emperor, has been retired to Gary and Jenny Hennessy’s Weowna Park ahead of the forthcoming breeding season, where he will stand for a fee of $7,000+GST. Ocean Emperor will be the last Group winning son of Zabeel to retire to stud and boasts a strong pedigree, with his dam the Group One-placed Pins mare Tootsie. A $450,000 yearling purchase at Karaka from the draft of Waikato Stud, Ocean Emperor was raced by his trainer Hennessy in partnership ...

Stallion having Fabulous run

Peter McKenzie called it. When contacted last week for a story about the first winner for his resident stallion Fabulous he said call back next week when there would be another one to talk about. Seven days later and the son of High Chaparral, whose oldest crop are now three-year-olds, has three wins to his credit. The flag bearer for Fabulous is the McKenzie-trained Happy Star (x Carlton Queen) who won at Trentham in testing conditions on June 8 before backing up seven days later with a convinc...

Breeders' Bulletin: Autumn 2019

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Breeders' Bulletin: Summer 2019

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Hawke’s Bay Foal walk coming up

The Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay Thoroughbred Breeders’ annual foal walk around several properties in Hawke's Bay will be held on Sunday, June 30. The walk will start at Guy and Brigid Lowry's property at 305 Kawera Rd, Okawa, at 10am sharp. At the completion of the foal walk a luncheon has been arranged at Off The Track Restaurant in Havelock Rd. For luncheon bookings RSVP Sharyn Craig at mike.sharyn@xtra.co.nz...

Racing Reform

In mid-May the much anticipated Racing Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament, it received its first reading on the 31st of May, and following submissions to the Bill which had to before Parliament by June 4th it is now at the Select Committee stage with a report due this week. There were 46 submissions presented to the Select Committee from industry stakeholders and sporting codes. The NZTBA presented a submission in support of the changes. During the debate of the Bill the age of old questio...

Breeders' Bulletin: Autumn 2018

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Breeders' Bulletin: Spring 2018

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Breeders' Bulletin: Winter 2018

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Scholarship Blog: Ryan Stacey

It’s hard to believe that I only have 5 weeks left at the Irish National Stud. The past 20 weeks really have flown by, almost at the click of a finger. The stud has really slowed down now as we get near to the end of the breeding season. Foaling season has officially been completed with a total of 218 foals born this year on the farm. With Donnacha having the honours of delivering the last baby. A big thanks to our foaling managers Lauren Eisemann and Nicola Joyce for their knowledge, support ...

Kiwi-bred Kolding shines in Queensland Guineas

Ocean Park gelding Kolding has emerged as the latest New Zealand-bred star for Queensland owner Neville Morgan, extending his winning sequence to four with a brilliant win in Saturday’s Gr.2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) at Eagle Farm. Carrying the same colours as multiple Group One-winning New Zealand-breds Kermadec and Rangirangdoo, Kolding produced an irresistible surge from fourth-last to beat Baccarat Baby by half a length. Adding to the New Zealand flavour of the result, he was trained and ...

U.S. Navy Flag to Valachi Downs

Matamata Stud Farm Valachi Downs will welcome three-time Group One-winning sprinter U.S. Navy Flag to their stallion roster for the forthcoming breeding season. “There has never been a sprinter of this elite-level stand at stud in New Zealand, let alone with the incredible pedigree U.S. Navy Flag possesses,” Valachi Downs General Manager Jonathan Scully said. “We are beyond delighted to offer this precocious speed sire to breeders.” A son of top international sire War Front, U.S. Navy F...

Scholarship Blog: Sam Bergerson

Sunline Trust Scholarship winner Sam Bergerson provides an update on his time overseasFrom Goffs UK I was on the plane to Ireland, bound for Coolmore Stud. Coolmore Stud, based in Fethard, County Tipperary, is generally known to be the world’s biggest, and best, thoroughbred racehorse breeding operation. They have a long list of champions in its past and present rosters which are trained nearby in Ballydoyle stables by Aidan O’Brien. I was fortunate enough to work at Ballydoyle back in 2017 ...

First winner on the board for Sacred Falls

Exciting prospect Shoshone delivered the first win for her sire, the Waikato Stud-based Sacred Falls, in fine fashion when she led all the way over 1200m at Ellerslie on Monday. The Ken and Bev Kelso-trained two-year-old had been earmarked as one to watch after several impressive trial efforts including a runner-up finish to subsequent Listed Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m) winner Rhaegar. Sent out a warm favourite in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series sponsored contest, Shoshone jumped smartly to ...

Time called on Ocean Emperor’s career

Three-time Group Two winner Ocean Emperor has been retired from racing and is about to embark on a stud career. “He’s not going to race again, and now I’m looking for a home for him to stand at stud,” trainer and part-owner Gary Hennessy said. By Zabeel out of the Group One-placed Pins mare Tootsie, Ocean Emperor was a $450,000 yearling purchase at Karaka. He was raced by Hennessy in partnership with Andrew Wong and Stephen Yan – the same team that owned the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) win...

Wentwood Grange on a winning roll

Wentwood Grange are on a winning roll and are hoping that momentum continues this weekend in Queensland. Last Saturday the Cambridge farm enjoyed a winning double at Randwick courtesy of Lifesaver (Helmet – Storm Fronts) and Kolding (Ocean Park – Magic Star). “We weren’t expecting that result,” Wentwood Grange’s Sean Hawkins said. “Lifesaver goes alright fresh and he has been thereabouts but it was a massive surprise. Then Kolding really showed a good turn of foot at the end. It w...

Book Closed for Roaring Lion

Cambridge Stud has closed the 2019 book for their freshman sire Roaring Lion. “From the moment the horse was released to the market, the response from breeders in both New Zealand and Australia was immediate and we are now closing his book,” Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said. “Bringing champion racehorses of the calibre of Roaring Lion and Almanzor into New Zealand, to stand alongside our champion international sire Tavistock, at very competitive service fees is a key comp...

Jon Snow a southern coup

Clearview Park Stud in Timaru have announced they have secured Group One winner Jon Snow ahead of the forthcoming breeding season where he will stand for a fee of $6,000+GST. Aaron Tapper and his partner Lacy Stewart are delighted to welcome the good-looking son of Iffraaj, named after the lead character in the hit-series Game Of Thrones, to Clearview Park Stud. “We’re just so excited to have the King in the North down here,” Tapper quipped. “It’s a real coup for South Island breeder...

Pear Tree prospers from trip north

Anna Miles and Michael Simpson are not afraid to go against the status quo to get results. The husband and wife team set up Pear Tree Farm in Waimate 14 years ago and made the trip north with a homebred weanling for the New Zealand Bloodstock May Sale held at Karaka last week. “It is the first time we have taken a horse up to that sale,” Miles said. “We were told we were the first South Islanders to take a weanling up there, usually the South Islanders go up to pinhook so we did things a b...