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Rich Hill reveals 2024 stallion fees

Off the back of another exceptional season for its high-class stallion roster, Rich Hill Stud has announced its service fees for 2024.Proisir, Shocking, Ace High and Vadamos all sired Group One winners and Satono Aladdin also continued to build on his burgeoning Southern Hemisphere record to sire another five Group winners.Champion sire PROISIR has continued his remarkable rise through the Australasian sire ranks and has now sired six individual Group One winners over the last 20 months, while h...

Meet The Breeder - Jay Millar

In this week’s Dunstan HorseFeeds Meet The Breeder we chat to Jay Millar who along with his wife New Plymouth trainer Janelle Millar and his late mother Jan bred the Listed Hawkes Bay Cup winner Testify Me (Atlante[AUS]- Cherry Bomb). Jay and Janelle operate Millar Racing from Palm View Lodge in Taranaki.Tell us the story of Testify Me?When Janelle first started training, we asked some studs for a horse to lease.  Windsor Park was one of the first to really support Janelle and Cherry Bomb...

Rebecca Donovan - Sunline Management Scholarship Blog 2

Even though spring is starting to show itself, the blossoms are out and the days are longer, my puffer jacket has still been my best friend. It’s hard to believe I am heading into my third month here in Coolmore! I've spent the last month in my original barn, and I've found the experience to be quite valuable. I have had the opportunity to continue to develop my skills in all aspects of foal handling including parading mares and foals for clients and leading for video updates, handling the old...

Breeders’ faith in War Machine rewarded

Jim and David Wallace are savouring the best of both worlds with their Ardsley Stud homebred War Machine.While they failed in two attempts to sell the son of Harry Angel at Karaka, father and son are now enjoying the three-year-old’s burgeoning racing career as part-owners of the last-start Listed Bendigo Guineas (1400m) winner.War Machine had fallen short of his $100,000 reserve at both New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and Ready to Run Sale when offered by Ardsley.“Everybod...

Epee Beel adds to Monovale success

Epee Beel’s victory in Saturday’s Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton was a welcome result for breeder Monovale Farm.The three-year-old daughter of Epaulette became the first stakes winner out of Group Two performer Pipi Beel, who was bred by the late Paul Smithies, father of farm principals Joe and Max.Smithies senior sold Pipi Beel as a yearling for $75,000 to Murray Baker at Karaka 2013, for whom she went on to win three and place in three of her seven starts, including runne...

Surgenor set to unveil exciting juvenile

Joanne Surgenor had plenty of success a couple of seasons ago with multiple Group Two winner Showoroses, and now she is set to unveil a close relative that she believes has just as much talent.Showoroses was a standout for Surgenor, winning five of her 20 career starts, including the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m), Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile and Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), and also placed in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m), Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m), Cal Isuzu Stake...

Regally-bred colt to make debut at Rotorua

Regally-bred colt Magice has plenty of pressure to live up to his family name, but he will begin that challenge when he makes his debut in the Arawa Park Hotel 2YO 1150 at Rotorua on Wednesday.Bred by Waikato Stud, Magice is by the farm’s champion stallion Savabeel and out of Group Three winner Magic Dancer, making him a full-brother to Group One winner Noverre.Purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis out of Waikato Stud’s 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for $...

Lloyd Jackson - Kiwi Chronicles - 16th April 2024

Invoking memories of Phar Lap (Night Raid) for any comparison might be a sign of over-enthusiasm. The reverence surrounding Phar Lap places him in the untouchable category as he was in a world of his own in 1930 and has been ever since. Yet newspaper reports of his win in the Weight-for-Age King's Plate, staged at Flemington on March 8, 1930, are eerily similar to the performance from Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) which we all witnessed on Saturday at Randwick. A phenomenal powerhouse, Phar La...

Memorable week for Elsdon Park

Matamata thoroughbred nursery Elsdon Park have had a memorable week in Sydney with the progeny of young broodmare Daniela’s Magic, culminating in stakes success at Randwick on Saturday.While the eight-year-old daughter of Per Incanto never made it to the races, her progeny is more than making up for it, with her first foal, Panic, extending his record to four wins from six starts over the weekend when taking out the Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) for trainer Michael Freedman.Bred by Elsd...

Reserve met on blue-blood Stella Splendida

Bidding is now open for the 51 lots available on the latest gavelhouse.com fortnightly auction, which includes a former Te Akau Racing mare with outstanding pedigree credentials.Stella Splendida was bred by Sir Peter Vela’s internationally renowned Pencarrow Stud and has star power on both sides of her pedigree.Her sire Zoustar was himself a dual Group One winner from a nine-start career before embarking on a top-class stallion career at Widden Stud. He was Australia’s champion first-season ...

Nucleozor delivers ninth Welcome Stakes for Te Akau

The Listed Riccarton Park Function Centre Welcome Stakes (1000m) has been moved to a new position on the South Island’s racing calendar, but its first autumn running at Riccarton on Saturday brought no change to Te Akau Racing’s dominance of the two-year-old feature.The Welcome Stakes was previously run during the New Zealand Cup carnival in November, when Te Akau won it with Maroofity (2002), Xbert (2005), Encosta Diablo (2009), Bespoke (2010), Sassy ‘N’ Smart (2015), Al Hasa (2017), Av...

Matscot puts small stable in the spotlight in Southern Alps Challenge

The brand-new $350,000 TAB Southern Alps Challenge (1600m) was created with the goal of giving lower-profile southern stables their moment in the sun, and the inaugural running at Riccarton on Saturday could hardly have done that better.The race was won by the underrated local Matscot, whose trainer Sharon Robertson co-bred and part-owns the six-year-old with her partner Alan Reeves and fellow owner Ross Falloon.There are currently just six horses registered to Robertson’s Riccarton stable, wh...

Millar savours special win in Hawke’s Bay Cup

New Plymouth trainer Janelle Millar secured the seventh black-type win of her career in Saturday’s Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) at Otaki, and this one meant more than most.Millar also co-bred and part-owns the emerging stayer Testify Me, who added Saturday’s $120,000 feature to his last-start success in the New Zealand St Leger (2600m) at Trentham last month. In an even more special twist, Testify Me races in the colours of her late grandfather, the highly successful Stratford trainer Ja...

Pride Of Jenni steals Queen Elizabeth show

On a day of great racing at Randwick, bonny Trelawney Stud-bred mare Pride Of Jenni was the undoubted star with her dashing display to win the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) under another daring Declan Bates ride.The duo are an inseparable combination as Bates allowed the Ciaron Maher-trained Pride Of Jenni to do as she pleased. Upping the tempo substantially after the first furlong to run her rivals ragged, Pride Of Jenni had a remarkable margin of 91m on her rivals with 700m to run, ...

War Machine provides tonic for Moroney stable

A tough week for Ballymore Stables ended on a positive note after New Zealand-bred three-year-old War Machine ran away with the Listed Bendigo Guineas (1400m) on Saturday under the guidance of Jordan Childs.It had been a week since his trainer Mike Moroney was admitted to hospital and his long-serving right-hand man Anthony Feroce said the Guineas success will provide the trainer with a great boost.“It’s been a tough few days for everyone at the stable and so this is a great tonic,” Feroce...

Panic continues Freedman’s winning roll

The in-form stable of Michael Freedman notched another stakes success during the Championships when Panic scored a narrow victory in the Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.Freedman sent out Manaal to win the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Ducasse to win the Gr.3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on Day One of the Championships and was quick to claim further stakes glory on Day Two.A three-year-old son of Time Test, Panic was always prominent throughout under jockey ...

Alice Wilkinson - Irish National Stud Blog 3

The first week of spring has finally arrived here in Ireland! However the temperatures stayed at an all time low when we all woke up to snow. It was a truly beautiful yet freezing day. This day was my final day in Sun Chariot (the foaling unit).Turning out the mares into the snow was so beautiful and a memory that will be treasured. The week following I was in Kildare and Strawhall yards. Kildare is the home for vaccinated mares and foals and Strawhall is where resident mares stay until they are...

Derby path continues for Antrim Coast

Antrim Coast continued his upward Derby trajectory on Saturday, despite having to settle for second in the Listed Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Caulfield.The Stephen Marsh-trained three-year-old finished second behind Orchestral in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) in March and franked that form with a tough victory in the Gr.3 Alistair Clark Stakes (2040m) over Kiwi filly Quintessa at The Valley.Antrim Coast lined-up on Saturday at much shorter odds, but came off second-best to fellow Kiwi-b...

Stellar month for Temperton

Manawatu horsewoman Gail Temperton has experienced a stellar month, which got even better on Saturday when her homebred mare Royal Flower attained black-type when placing in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m) at Trentham.While the outsider in the field for Saturday’s contest, Royal Flower’s result didn’t come as a surprise to Temperton, who was delighted to earn some black-type with her mare.“It is always good for a mare, especially as I am a breeder ...

Blandford family full of stakes success stories

An investment in an English mare more than 30 years ago is continuing to reward Blandford Lodge, with a homebred descendant successful on the opening day of The Championships at Randwick.The John O’Shea-trained Good Banter appreciated the step up in distance to claim the Gr.3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) and double her winning tally from a handful of appearances.“It was fantastic to get a win on that day, it was really good and being by Tavistock out of that family she was always going to be a...

Flying Handicap caps huge day for Pinn

Jockey Wiremu Pinn put the icing on the cake of his most successful day in the saddle when he guided Bradman to an upset victory in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) at Trentham on Saturday.The win came 35 minutes after Pinn won the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) aboard Move To Strike. That was Pinn’s second Group One win and came more than two years after his Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) win with Mascarpone.Pinn is forming a special...

Ormsby strikes again with Classic upset

Waikato horseman Chad Ormsby is making a habit of landing major prizes at Trentham with three-year-olds that he was unable to sell at the Ready to Run Sale.Ormsby scored an $18 upset victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic (2100m) with Outovstock, who he bought for $50,000 as a yearling at Karaka before passing him in with a $150,000 reserve at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale.A similar script produced Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) glory on March 16 with Pulchritudinous, who was...

Favourite prevails in Breeders’ Stakes

Fresh from an incredible interstate double in Australia last weekend with Orchestral and Mark Twain, the Roger James and Robert Wellwood stable picked up another black-type feature in New Zealand this time when race favourite Apostrophe ($3.50) claimed victory in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m) at Trentham.The lightly raced six-year-old mare enjoys the spacious surroundings at the venue having won and been placed twice in three starts there with those two ...

Nereus rises to Awapuni Gold Cup challenge

Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray continued an outstanding season with their stayers when up-and-coming star Nereus powered home to win the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) at Trentham on Saturday.The Cambridge-based training partnership completed a rare double in March with two-mile specialist Mahrajaan victorious in the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) and Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m), and look to have another staying star on their hands with four-year-old Nereus.The son of Savab...

Captain adds to envious record in Easter Cup

A ground saving ride by Thomas Stockdale paved the way for the Paul Preusker-trained Captain Envious to upset the applecart when he prevailed in a thrilling finish top the Gr.3 Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield.The son of Savabeel went into the race after two less than impressive efforts to open his autumn campaign with punters sending last year’s Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) winner out at odds of better than $32 on the tote.He looked to be travelling easily in midfield against the fence for Stoc...