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Living legends return to Manawatu roots

While Libby and Sam Bleakley of Highden Park haven’t set out to replicate Victoria’s famous Living Legends farm, the high-profile horses retiring to their Manawatu property shows they are well on their way. Living Legends, dubbed the international home of rest for champion horses, is home to the likes of Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winners Efficient, Brew, and Rogan Josh, while Highden Park is starting with a distinct Hong Kong flavour. Last year HK$18million Hong Kong Derby (2000m) hero Ping...

Favourite takes Matamata Breeders’ Stakes

Race favourite Vernazza overcame a wide run and a dogged local challenge to take out the feature event at Matamata on Saturday, the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Ltd Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). Carrying the colours of Cambridge Stud couple Brendan and Jo Lindsay, the More Than Ready filly had impressed many with her maiden victory at Ellerslie early last month and had thrived during her six-week break between races. Handled superbly by stand-in rider Michael Coleman, who was deputising for th...

Polzeath upsets in Avondale Cup

Lightweight runner Polzeath (Pentire – Arniston by Volksraad) upset the applecart at Ellerslie on Saturday when he took out the Gr.2 Joe McDonald Avondale Cup (2400m), and in doing so became Rich Hill Stud’s foundation sire the late Pentire’s 49th individual stakes winner. Bred by Rich Hill stud master John Thompson and his former schoolmate Peter Merton, the lightly raced seven-year-old was having his first attempt in stakes company and his first run beyond 2100m in the Group Two staying ...

Scholarship Blog- Laura McNab

Keith & Faith Taylor Equine Scholarship recipient Laura McNab provides an update on her first few weeks in IrelandI’m not very good at sitting still, so 25 hours on a plane was fairly tough!! Stepping off the plane into a chilly 2 degrees was a bit of a shock to the system, especially since it was 25 degrees when I left home. I was warned about the Irish winter and it has definitely lived up to its reputation. The winter woolies have well and truly been dusted off and put to the test so far. W...

Stellar year for Trelawney continues

It may only be February but Brent and Cherry Taylor of Trelawney Stud have already had a year to remember. Trelawney Stud recorded great returns at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale, selling 11 yearlings in the Book 1 session for an aggregate of $3.5 million, cementing their spot as the leading vendor by average at the sale. The Cambridge couple’s success has continued onto the track where three-year-old fillies Two Illicit and Loire posted black-type results at Te Rapa on Satu...

Scholarship Blog- Hannah Airey

Keith & Faith Taylor Equine Scholarship recipient Hannah Airey reports on her first week in Ireland at the Irish National Stud.25 hours on a plane does not get you pumped up for anything except standing on solid ground, no matter where that may be. Nothing permeated my brain on the ride from Dublin to Kildare either and it wasn’t until I’d woken up the next morning (or perhaps two mornings later?) that I could fully appreciate that I wasn’t on home soil anymore. The Irish National Stud wi...

Dream day at Te Rapa for Rip Van Winkle

Windsor Park Stud’s young guns have dominated the limelight in recent times with first-season sire titles for Shamexpress and Charm Spirit, but Saturday was all about Rip Van Winkle. The Te Rapa meeting delivered the biggest day of the Galileo stallion’s career. Te Akau Shark became his first southern hemisphere Group One winner with a supreme performance in the BCD Group Sprint (1400m), while Jennifer Eccles won the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) with breath-taking ease...

Scholarship winners arrive in Ireland

Keith & Faith Taylor Equine Scholarship winners Hannah Airey and Laura Macnab have arrived in Ireland and settled into their new surroundings at the Irish National Stud.Both have completed all the health and safety modules and are now out in the yard rotations. The are also attending the evening lectures that cover a range of topics. Before departing they were both looking forward to working in the foaling unit and have since had the opportunity to assist with foalings. They also atten...

First stakes winner for White Robe Lodge's sire Ghibellines

For the second time in four years, John and Karen Parsons have turned a Gore failure into an upset triumph in the Listed Mediaworks Dunedin Guineas (1500m). In 2017, the Parsons’ talented filly Residential finished 10th in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) before landing the Dunedin Guineas at odds of $15.10. This year they repeated that trick with El Gladiador, who was a late-finishing seventh in last month’s Gore Guineas. On Saturday at Wingatui, the Ghibellines gelding led all the way in th...

Curtains Draw on Karaka 2020

New Zealand Bloodstock’s 94th National Yearling Sale Series ended with the final day of Book 2 Lots going under the hammer followed immediately by Book 3 yearlings at the iconic Karaka Sales Complex.At the conclusion of Book 2, 282 Lots sold for a turnover of $9,873,500. The average and median reached $35,012 and $25,000 respectively with the clearance rate closing at 69%.Bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster topped the last session of Book 2 when he went to $120,000 to secure Lot 1097...

Gillovic buoyed by Wrote reception

Highview Stud’s Brent Gillovic is over the moon with the reception first season sire Wrote has received at Karaka this week. The Group One winning son of High Chaparral’s sole Book 1 representative sold for $50,000, while his six yearlings sold in the Book 2 session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale averaged $62,000, with two fillies selling for $80,000 each. “They have sold fantastically through Book 2 and we just sold a filly in Book 3 for $24,000, so it’s great,” ...

Spotlight on New Zealand Sires During Book 2 Opening

On the opening day of Book 2 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 94th National Yearling Sale Series, Australian Bloodstock agent John Foote continued his spending spree off the back of a strong Book 1 Sale. Foote took out the leading buyer title on Day One purchasing today’s highlight, Lot 726 a $160,000 Per Incanto colt out of Makkura from the draft of Little Avondale Stud. New Zealand-based sires have provided all three of the top Lots on Day One, with Australians present in the buying bench. G...

Competitive Buying Bench Sees Out Book 1

After a solid finish at Book 1 of New Zealand Bloodstock’s 94th National Yearling Sales Series, the key critical indicators were up on last year’s Sale, which reflected a strong market. The turnover reached $67,130,000, representing an average of $138,698 for 484 horses sold. The median closed at $107,500, with the clearance rate climbing to 79%. The increased Australian spend was up by a total of $4.8 million on last year’s Sale. NZB’s Managing Director Andrew Seabrook was pleased wi...

Racing Hall of Fame Accolade for Sir Peter Vela

The New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame ahve announced their intention to induct Sir Peter Vela, principal of New Zealand Bloodstock and Pencarrow Stud, into the Racing Hall of Fame. “Inducting Sir Peter Vela into the Racing Hall of Fame is an honour,” commented Cherry Taylor, Racing Hall of Fame head. “An instrumental figure in racing, Sir Peter has won numerous owner titles and a host of other awards and accolades over the years. We look forward to the official function celebrating his succe...

Waikato Stud on top again at Karaka

Matamata nursery Waikato Stud continued their dominance of recent years at the National Yearling Sale at Karaka, taking out the leading vendor title for the seventh consecutive year. Powered by the progeny of champion sire Savabeel along with the excitement of debuting youngsters by first season sire Tivaci, the raw numbers make solid reading. The stud consigned seventy-one yearlings through the auction ring, selling 59 at an aggregate of $9.9million. Their top priced lot was the Savabeel colt o...

Karaka Millions win caps great season for Fell

Fairdale Stud’s Duncan Fell had every reason to be feeling proud on the eve of Karaka Million night, as he had two graduates in the Karaka Million 2YO and one in the Karaka Million 3YO, not bad from yearling drafts of six in 2018 and five in 2019. However, the pride turned to jubilation when Cool Aza Beel (Savabeel[AUS]- Cool’ n ‘ Sassy(AUS), stormed away with the Karaka 2YO race. “It’s important to get a win like that on the eve of the sales,” enthused Fell, “it’s our annual har...

Excitement building for Karaka 2020

Less than two days out from the start of the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale the buzz around the Karaka sales complex is steadily rising. Horses arrived at the venue early in the week with the first potential buyers conducting their initial inspections from Tuesday onwards. Feedback received by vendors from those early parades has indicated that buyers are pleased with what they have seen. “We were a little behind on Wednesday as to what we were last year, in terms of parad...

Perfectly timed win

Auckland NZTBA branch member Terry Archer was rather pleased with the win by Showbeel (Savabeel[AUS]-Showileo(AUS) in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham last Saturday. “I’m pretty happy with that” enthused the Northland based breeder who bred the filly in partnership with Waikato Stud. “It’s very timely as we have a close relation going through the sales early on Monday afternoon. It’s a Choisir(AUS) filly out of Show And Tell another daughter of Showileo(AUS). So, it’s good f...

Road To Karaka 2020

Join Kiwi Bred host Emily Murphy, Aidan Rodley and New Zealand Bloodstock’s Danny Rolston as they preview Book One of Karaka 2020....

Savabeel underpins another quality Waikato draft

This year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale will be the final bow for one Waikato Stud stallion and a debut for another, but Savabeel remains an all-conquering constant. Savabeel has won the Grosvenor Award (champion New Zealand sire) for five consecutive seasons, as well as the Dewar and Centaine Awards for Australasian and worldwide earnings four times each. He has sired 18 individual Group One winners, of which 14 were sold through Karaka. The massive demand for Savabeel’s p...

Quality offering from Pencarrow Stud

Situated in the lush countryside of the Waikato region, Pencarrow Stud was established by international businessman Sir Peter Vela. Developed in tandem with his late brother Philip, the pair created a legacy for their families and the New Zealand thoroughbred industry through years of dedication, passion and expert judgement. Fashioning some of the best thoroughbred families in New Zealand over the past four decades, Pencarrow Stud’s famed family of Group Three winner Richebourg, Group winnin...

Catalyst to head sales boost for The Oaks Stud

The excitement over the Karaka Million twilight meeting is already high for The Oaks Stud, but it could provide an even greater boost for the Cambridge establishment leading into this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales at Karaka. One of the Ellerslie features on Saturday, the Gr.3 Henley Park Mr Tiz Trophy (1200m, will mark the reappearance of Catalyst, New Zealand’s leading three-year-old who was bred and is raced by The Oaks Stud’s Queensland-based owner Dick Karreman....

Mare returns due February 28

2019 mare returns are due by 28 February 2020. There is a penalty of $120.00 for late lodgement. Owners are responsible for registering their mare as a broodmare after she is covered for the first time and for maintaining her registration in the Stud Book until she is retired from breeding or is sold or leased out. Owners must lodge a return every season even if the mare does not produce a live foal or isn’t covered. You can complete your return: ·        O...

Louis Herman-Watt of Radio Sport – 2020 Leishman Media Awardee

The NZ Racing Hall of Fame Board has recognized that many mainstream media journalists and aspiring journalists do not have an awareness of the NZ racing and breeding industries so it has set up the bi-annual Leishman Media Racing Awareness Award which has as its objective “to improve the awareness of mainstream media people in the NZ horse breeding and racing industries”. The award provides the awardee with a practical exposure to the NZ racing and breeding industries which will enable them...

Eras intertwined in Cambridge Stud draft

The proud Hogan legacy joins forces with the influence of new owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay to create a quality Cambridge Stud draft for the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. Cambridge Stud was lifted to world renown by Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan, breeding more than 40 Group One winners and claiming the title of leading vendor at New Zealand’s national yearling sale for 31 consecutive years. The iconic property was bought by the Lindsays in late 2017, and they took ow...