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The 2018 NZTBA Waikato Branch Cathay Pacific Group One Awards Dinner

This years 2018 NZTBA Waikato Cathay Pacific Group One Awards Dinner will be held on Friday 27th July at Sky City Hamilton commencing at 6.15pm. Tickets are now on sale at a cost of $150 per person, to purchase click below for your ticket application form or otherwise contact Waikato Branch President Keith Lunn - nztbawaikatob@gmail.com ...

London Express providing plenty of excitement for her breeder's

The winner of the listed John Turkington Forestry Ltd Castletown Stakes London Express was destined for last year’s Ready To Run sale, instead she is providing plenty of excitement for her breeders Kerrin and Mary Brophy and Kevin Landrigan and a syndicate of likely ladies. London Express was making her fourth race day appearance when she won the Castletown Stakes and provided Windsor Park Stud’s first season sire Shamexpress with his first stakes winner. For good measure Qiji Express also b...

Speedy Derryn ideal fit for Grangewilliam

A sprinting specialist who met and matched the best Australian short course performers is bound for New Zealand. Hinchinbrook’s well-performed son Derryn has been secured for duty by Mark and Jane Corcoran’s South Taranaki operation Grangewilliam Stud at Waitotora. “I approached New Zealand Bloodstock to keep an eye out for a new stallion and I was keen on a speed horse,” Mark Corcoran said. “When this one came up I looked at his race videos and I was sold. He was probably unlucky not ...

Breeders dig deep for prime land

Two prominent Waikato thoroughbred operations have signalled a major vote of confidence in the future of the industry. In a multi-million investment, Tony Rider’s Milan Park and the Hawkins family’s Wentwood Grange have paid a record price of $11.1 million for a Cambridge dairy farm. The 92.5-hectare operation, located between Maungatautari Road and the Waikato River, was recently sold at auction and will be split into two properties. “It’s on our boundary and fits in nicely with our far...

Well-bred stakes winner to stud

Group performer Thunder Down Under is preparing for the second stage of his career.“He’s been retired, he damaged the cartilage in his feet and we’re going to stand him at stud at our place at Te Kowhai,” part-owner and trainer Stephen Ralph said.“We’ve been successful at this before and Dad (John) stood Danseur Etoile and Te Puninga, so we know what we’re doing.“He’s a gorgeous animal and we never got to see the best of him. We felt we could have won a Group One with him. He�...

El Doute taking owner to another level

Canterbury vet Peter Scholes is expanding his thoroughbred involvement. He was the major shareholder in the well-related stakes performer El Doute during the entire’s racing days and this season will be standing the son of Redoute’s Choice at stud at his Leithfield Lodge operation in North Amberley. Scholes is well-known in racing circles through his veterinary work. “I graduated in Australia in 1970 and worked in England and the United States before I started the Canterbury Equine Clinic,...

Racing Minister miffed by reaction to budget tax relief

Racing Minister Winston Peters voiced his displeasure – albeit with a little mirth – at the vitriol displayed by the political minority in both the racing industry and general media after the tax relief for racing was announced in last week’s budget. “The racing industry has to show a bit of patience,” Peters said in a call from Tokyo Airport to The Informant last Sunday. “They waited nine years and got nothing from the National Party and I’m trying to put together some changes and...

Group Two winner War Decree retires to Inglewood

In a major boost for New Zealand breeding, Inglewood Stud, in partnership with Kevin Hickman’s Valachi Downs, has secured exciting young entire War Decree for stud duties in 2018.“We’ve been open to the idea of standing a new stallion at Inglewood for the past four seasons,” Inglewood’s Gus Wigley said. “But we just haven’t found the right horse for us. “We’ve been chasing this guy for nearly 12 months, he’s the horse we wanted and we’re just thrilled to bits to have h...

Zacinto moves north

Exciting young sire Zacinto will now be on the doorstep of Waikato breeders with Kevin and Jo Hickman’s Valachi Downs set to stand the son of Dansili in the 2018 season.A resident of Inglewood Stud, just north of Christchurch, since his retirement to stud in 2012, Zacinto has quickly risen through the stallion ranks to be hot property in the New Zealand breeding industry.A booming run of form over the past couple of months, including juvenile stakes winners at Flemington and Riccarton, has fur...

NZTBA Winter Seminar

Optimising reproduction and growth under New Zealand conditions. The NZTBA is hosting a seminar in conjunction with Massey University next Tuesday 29th May at the Prince Albert Tavern, Victoria Street Cambridge from 6pm. The following speakers will present information - Javier Roca  - Post-Doctoral fellow (Animal Science) New Zealand is a long skinny country with significant variation in climate and pasture growth between the regions.  Using the national Thoroughbred breeding records, ...

Michael Walker combined with fellow ex-pat Kiwi Chris Waller to guide Comin' Through to victory in the Group One Doomben Cup for owner Go Bloodstock Australia.

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Savabeel’s son writes new story at Norwegian Park

A Group One-performed son of champion stallion Savabeel will take Norwegian Park to a new level when he begins his stud career there later this year. Peter and Sue Westend have developed their operation into a large-scale agistment operation, accommodating around 200 mares on their two Cambridge properties and one in nearby Ohaupo.  The couple are vastly experienced with Peter as a former manager of Chequers Farm and Sue as an employee at several thoroughbred establishments, including a len...

Charm Spirit off the mark

Windsor Park Stud shuttle stallion Charm Spirit sired his first Northern Hemisphere winner overnight.The Mark Johnston-trained Diviner was making her second appearance when she distanced her rivals at Wolverhampton, England, over 1000m.Charm Spirit won six of his nine starts, including the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1600m), the Gr.1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (1600m) and the Gr.1 Prix Jean Prat (1600m) before his retirement.The son of Invincible Spirit has been well-received in New Zealand...

Sunline Scholarship recipient David Morris latest blog from Goffs to Coolmore

I started my time with Tony Williams and GOFFS UK in Hawick, Scotland where there main office is located. I was very fortunate to be hosted by Tony and spent the first couple of days in the office working alongside a few different members of staff. I spent time with Mark Palmer in the accounts area which he would argue the most important area of the company and I soon realised he wasn’t too far wrong.  I also spent time with Charlie King in Bloodstock and Michael Orton in Marketing. Micha...

Student Danielle Southey's April update from the Irish National Stud

I have been rostered into the stallion yard and which has been a totally a different experience for me. The opportunity to work with the stallions and learn the routine of the covering shed has been both an enjoyable and invaluable experience.  We have 8 stallions standing at the stud and when I was looking office I noticed some plaques which had some familiar names but one in particular was Elusive City. I knew I had seen this horses name previously in New Zealand somewhere, so with a litt...

Enrolments sought for breeding course

The annual equine breeding winter block course will take place later this month and prospective participants are being urged to enroll in the course. Enrolments are being called for the annual equine breeding winter block course, which will take place over three days between May 29 and May 31. The course, which is restricted to 20 students, will cover a wide range of topics including anatomy and conformation, nutrition, foaling, weaning and reproduction. The course cost is $250 including accommo...

Sir Patrick active at Karaka

The top lot in the broodmare section at New Zealand Bloodstock’s May Sale was knocked down to one of the most familiar faces at the Karaka sales complex, Sir Patrick Hogan. The famed thoroughbred breeder swapped his usual role of vendor to that of purchaser when he went to $150,000 to buy lot 468, Passion Cut, a Pins mare in-foal to Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock. Consigned by the farm he sold to Brendan and Jo Lindsay last month, Sir Patrick was delighted with his first purchase since sell...

Debut purchase by former Black Cap

Former top class cricketer Adam Parore has dipped his toes into the thoroughbred industry with his first purchase at New Zealand Bloodstock’s May Sale on Tuesday afternoon. The former Black Cap wicket keeper went to $36,000 to secure lot 381, All By Myself, a Zabeel mare who is in-foal to Waikato Stud’s freshman sire Tivaci. Parore became interested in thoroughbreds through his partner Danielle Francis, whose family have been involved in breeding both standardbreds and thoroughbreds. “My p...

Wentwood Grange's Our Abbadean adds another black type success

Every breeder knows the disappointment of passing a filly in at the sale, so it’s very satisfying when three years later that filly becomes a dual group two winner. This is what happened to the  Cambridge based Hawkins Family of Wentwood Grange, with their bonny mare Our Abbadean (Looking At Lucky[USA]- Highland Lights[AUS]). At the 2014 National Yearling Sales, she failed to reach her $75,000 reserve, the decision was made to race her, and she was placed in the Te Akau Stable of Stephen ...

European champion for Cambridge Stud

The changing of the guard at Cambridge Stud has been ushered in with the addition of an international Group One star to the 2018 stallion roster. The iconic nursery has purchased the Southern Hemisphere breeding rights to the champion European performer Almanzor. The triple Group One winner will be syndicated to stand in New Zealand, his arrival coming at a pivotal time for the farm as it moves into its next phase with the recent sale of the property to Brendan and Jo Lindsay.  “Our purch...

Fastnet Rock’s Group Two-winning son to Willow Glen

Willow Glen’s successful association with the Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry has gone to another level with the Waimate stud to stand Mongolian Falcon. Mike and Barbara Cooney’s South Island operation will launch the stallion career of the well-performed son of Fastnet Rock, whose promising career was pre-maturely ended by injury. Rider Horse Industry principal Lang Lin, affectionately known as Mr Wolf because of his love of his pet wolves, has been a regular visitor to Willow Glen. “...

Savile Row tailor made for Valachi

The first New Zealand-based son of Makfi will go to stud this year with Savile Row to stand at Valachi Downs, the Matamata breeding operation of the stallion’s owner Kevin Hickman. The four-year-old was trained at Ballymore Stables by Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard and won three races over 1200m, including the Listed Hallmark Stud Handicap (1200m). Savile Row was also a three-time Group One runner-up in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m), the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and the Levin Classic ...

Breeding industry mourns the loss of Pins

Waikato Stud’s champion resident stallion Pins passed away on Sunday due to complications from colic. A Gr.1 Australian Guineas (2000m) winner for trainer Clarry Connors, he retired to the Matamata farm in 2000 and enjoyed an outstanding career. “I was on course the day he won and knew then that he would be a great horse to be a part of and he has been such a great stallion for us for the past 18 years,” stud principal Mark Chittick said. “He has been a massive part of the growth we have...

Prudent broodmare investment for breeder

It takes a special two-year-old to win a group one race, especially one over 1600 metres, and Seabrook(Hinchinbrook[AUS]-Midnight Revels), the recent winner of the Gr.1 Moet and Chandon Champagne Stakes, appears to be just that. Starting with a 1000 metre Listed race at Moonee Valley last October, this filly has only ever raced in black type company. She resumed racing in February, when she was promoted to third in the Gr.2 Blue Diamond Prelude after being knocked sideways in the straight. A mon...

International Group One performer to stand at Little Avondale

The Southern Hemisphere breeding rights to the European Group Two winner and Group One-placed Time Test have been secured by Little Avondale Stud.The well-credentialed son of Dubawi will shuttle to the Wairarapa farm in 2018 and will stand at $10,000 + GST.“We are extremely proud and excited to be standing Time Test here at Little Avondale,” principal Sam Williams said.“It has been over four decades since we stood the English-bred Oncidium, who won the Gr.1 Coronation Cup and went on to be...