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It could be the Main Stage for Auckland breeder Tim Harrison

Auckland based breeder Tim Harrison has made an art form out of buying non-performing older mares only to have them go on and produce Stakes winners. Harrison’s most recent acquisition was Kiri at this year’s NZB National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock sale for $22,500, and she is now the dam of the VRC Derby favourite and recent Listed UCI Stakes winner Main Stage. “I always buy at that sale.  I do a little bit of home work. With this mare I thought if I got her at the rig...

Two wins in two days for Super Easy

Former Ruakaka filly Lisdoonvarna capped a successful couple of days in Australia for Hallmark Stud sire Super Easy when winning decisively on Tuesday. Lisdoonvarna had been a trials winner for the Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs stable and was sold to Australia after an eye-catching debut third at Ruakaka last May. Raced by Warwick Farm trainers Mandy Turner and Mauro Poletti, she was a trials winner on her home track before clearing maiden ranks decisively over 1100 metres in her Australian debut ...

NZTBA Waikato member Ray Johnson is excited about the season ahead

Like most breeders at this time of the year, NZTBA Waikato based branch member Ray Johnson is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a foal. Johnson’s eagerly awaited foal is by Swiss Ace (AUS) out of the Stravinsky (USA) mare The Nightingale, and will thus be a half-sibling to the Singapore Derby and recent Kranji Mile winner Infantry, and his stakes performed sister Night Nurse. Both those stakes performers are by Tavistock and that is where The Nightingale is bound for this season. Johnson is pret...

Infantry leads home Kiwi trifecta

Tavistock gelding Infantry led home a New Zealand trifecta in the S$700,000 Kranji Mile in Singapore on Sunday night, beating a game Countofmontecristo (NZ) (Echoes of Heaven) and 2016 Singapore Horse of the Year Debt Collector (NZ) (Thorn Park). The Alwin Tan-trained runner was fresh-up when winning the first leg of the Singapore Triple Crown, which was his first start since his victory in the S$1.15 million Singapore Derby in July. “This horse has such a big heart,” Tan said. “Back to t...

Exciting times for Syliva and Paddy Kay

Septuagenarians Sylvia and Paddy Kay, race and breed horses for the fun of it, but over the years two families they have nurtured have kept popping up with some fabulous winners for the couple. The latest star is Dolcetto (Per Incanto[USA]- Our Shiraz) the recent winner of the Group Three Marton JC Metric Mile at Manawatu. A five-year-old gelding he is trained by Sylvia Kay at Levin and was bred and is raced by her and her husband Paddy, and retired Christchurch veterinarians Chris and Helen Bis...

Burgundy's second Stakes winner

Matamata based breeder Mac Robinson has been laid low with a lingering dose of the flu recently, but this week received a bit of a boost when Dijon Bleu won the Listed O’Leary’s Fillies Stakes at Whanganui. Robinson a member of the Waikato Branch of the NZTBA bred Dijon Bleu with Auckland Branch member Craig Grammer with whom he owns the dam Pristino, a More Than Ready(AUS) mare who was purchased by his late wife Joy. Joy Robinson worked for Roger James as his personal assistant for nearly 2...

A new, exciting opportunity in the New Zealand thoroughbred industry

Business Operations and Development Manager The NZTBA encourages, supports and ensures co-operative efforts in the improvement of the NZ Thoroughbred industry.  A strategic review of our organisation means we have an exciting new position for a dynamic and industry-experienced person to continue our excellent reputation for our stakeholders. Based in Hamilton, the Business Operations and Development Manager reports directly to the Chief Executive and takes responsibility for managing the im...

Aurets thrilled with new stallion addition

An international Group One winner is on his way to the Auret family’s thoroughbred operation on the outskirts of Wanganui. The well-performed Unusual Suspect has been purchased for stud duty at Letham Thoroughbreds, where he will stand at $5000 + GST alongside Montjeu’s stakes-winning son Mettre En Jeu. “We had been keeping an eye out for another horse and one that we could send all our mares to,” Nigel Auret said. “We weren’t going to take anything just for the sake of it. We wanted...

Bonneval takes Horse Of The Year title

It was the Bonneval show in Auckland on Sunday night. The Cambridge mare dominated the 2017 New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards. Bonneval’s connections spent much of the night on stage as the dual Oaks winner was voted Horse of the Year, Three-Year-Old of the Year and Stayer of the Year for the 2016-17 season. Her owners were also presented with the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year trophy. In addition, Bonneval’s trainers, Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, gained all bar...

Hargreaves off to Dubai

Kaiwaka-based owner breeder John Hargreaves was the lucky recipient of the Al Basti Equiworld VIP Experience at last night’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards ceremony, held at the Langham Hotel in Auckland. Hargreaves only found out he would be attending the event on Saturday and said he would be taking his wife Jan on the trip to Dubai. “Jan is at home looking after the grandchildren and I’m sure she will be very excited when I tell her she off to Dubai. “I’ve never...

Grandstand finish tipped for top award

Another tight battle is expected for the 2017 New Zealand Horse of the Year title, which will be announced in Auckland on Sunday night. Just one vote separated the leading contenders for the 2016 title, with Mongolian Khan edging out his stablemate Turn Me Loose. A sound case could be made for at least three contenders this year, though it would be a shock if the Horse of the Year came from outside a group comprising Kawi and the star three-year-olds Gingernuts and Bonneval. A 57-member voting p...

Restructure for the NZTBA

The New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association is to undergo a restructure at Head Office level. “Like a lot of organisations in this day and age we have to reposition ourselves in the marketplace to be better placed going forward, without losing sight of the fact that we are still a key player in the Thoroughbred Industry by representing the Breeders,” said NZTBA President John Fokerd. “Over the past few years we have witnessed many changes in our organisation and in the thoroughbre...

Gingernuts tops Free Handicaps

Dual Group One winner Gingernuts takes pride of place at the head of the New Zealand Free Handicaps for the staying three-year-olds of 2016-17. Released by the handicapping panel of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing on behalf of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, the New Zealand Derby and Rosehill Guineas winner Gingernuts was allotted 61kg in the 1601m plus division. Australian Derby winner Jon Snow was given 60.5kg, while the ATC Oaks heroine Bonneval was rated on 58.5kg, with...

A Close Up with Shelley Hale

Cambridge horsewoman Shelley Hale is currently on cloud nine, revelling in the glory of the Group One win by Close Up (Shinko King[IRE]) the gelding she bred, trains and races with Robin Stent and the Noel and Alison Johnstone Family Trust. “It’s the ultimate prize to get a Group One, it’s a huge buzz, you get involved with horses and you battle along and then everything comes right all at once,” enthused Hale who was still fizzing days after winning the Group One Tarzino Trophy at Hasti...

Sophie’s Choice in tribute race to Sir Colin

Sophie’s Choice will run at Hastings on Saturday in a race fittingly dedicated to the late Sir Colin Meads, who recently lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Part-owned by Sir Colin and his wife Lady Verna, the filly will race in the Cancer Society colours and will wear saddlecloth five, which was the All Black icon’s playing number, in the Listed El Roca Sir Colin Meads Trophy. Sir Colin and Lady Verna enjoyed success as racehorse owners, most notably as part-owners of Group One-winning ...

Tivaci shuttle deal a landmark agreement

An esteemed English breeding operation has come knocking on Waikato Stud’s door and the Matamata nursery has been honoured to answer the call with a positive response. News that the farm’s exciting new stallion Tivaci has been sought out for Northern Hemisphere shuttle duties at the iconic English National Stud is a feather in the cap of the New Zealand breeding industry. “It’s a great endorsement for Tivaci and demonstrates to breeders just how in demand these horses with Australian Gro...

Lance arrives in Kentucky

After a fantastic time in Ireland it was time to start my next leg on the 2017 Sunline Scholarship. After a 24 hour flight delay and a lost bag, I finally arrived in Kentucky America. The first thing that took me by surprise when I arrived was the heat, Kentucky was suffering from a massive heat wave, and let’s just say that coming from Ireland to a heat wave in America was going from one extreme to another. My last stop on the Scholarship is at Taylor Made Farm. The farm  is famous for t...

Pressure on to provide alternative winter footing

Pressure is mounting on the thoroughbred racing industry to solve the conundrum of raceday abandonments due to unsafe or unsuitable racing surfaces during periods of inclement weather that has once again reared its ugly head in recent months. Last season 34 race meetings were abandoned which has seen renewed calls for the Industry’s governing body, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), to find a solution to what has become a blight on the national racing scene. While debate has raged for a n...

NZTBA Waikato Branch - 2017 Stallion Parade Roundup

Approximately 250 breeding enthusiasts, many from out of the district, attended the annual NZTBA Waikato Branch stallion parade over the weekend. Sponsored by JLT Bloodstock Limited, the parade which ran over two days featured 40 stallions resident at 10 studs.According to the Waikato NZTBA Branch President Keith Lunn the numbers were way above the numbers that have attended in the past. “It was great to see such a large turnout I know the studs were happy, I think the number of new sires was ...

2017 Waikato Stallion Parades

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Steve Brem on Underthemoonlight

Sydney based ex pat bloodstock agent Steve Brem is looking forward to returning to New Zealand this summer, and with good reason. Brem owns Midnight Dip(O’Reilly – Midnight Assembly) the dam of the recent Group Two Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate winner Underthemoonlight, but he has never laid eyes on the mare! “I actually haven’t ever laid eyes on her, but hope to see her when I return to Karaka this summer, I’m looking forward to seeing her and  visiting the Karaka sales,” said ...

Auckland Branch Breeders Awards 2017

Bonneval, Humidor, Jon Snow, La Diosa and Melody Belle, all Group One winners from last season, were among the 14 Group race winners bred by members of the Auckland Branch of the NZTBA. Last Sunday around 80 guests attended a luncheon, hosted by the Auckland Branch, to celebrate the breeding achievements of those breeders at the NZ Bloodstock Centre at Karaka. Karaka based breeder Richard Moore of Soliloquy Lodge, scooped the major award being named the Jane Bunbury Auckland Branch Breeder of t...

NZTBA Auckland Stallion Parade & Awards Lunch

Sunday 20th August 2017Stallion ParadeHaunui Farm – 10.30am – Belardo (NEW) | Iffraaj | ShowcasingWestbury Stud – 11.00am – El Roca | Postponed | Redwood | Reliable Man | Swiss Ace | Tarzino (NEW) | Telperion (NEW)Awards LunchNew Zealand Bloodstock – 12.30pm arrivalJoin the Auckland Branch of the NZTBA to celebrate the outstanding results of the 2016/2017 season – 6 G1 winners, 8 G2 winners, 9 G3 winnersTickets: $70.  Please contact Shannon Taylor | P 09 292 7154 | M 0212 855 51...

South Island Foster Foal Service

After more than 10 years of running the South Island Foster Foal Service, Mike Perkins has decided to take a step back from the job. Mike has provided an immensely valuable service to breeders throughout the South Island over the years and the CMWO NZTBA Branch would like to thank him sincerely for his great work. The Branch would like to introduce to you the new co-ordinator of the service, Anna Miles who is based in South Canterbury. Anna was awarded the Gold Medal from the Irish National Stu...

Initiative hopes to attract youth

In a bid to attract young New Zealanders into a career in racing, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing has launched a pilot programme called ‘Ride to Time’ to teach pony club riders how to judge the pace of their horse. “Essentially, it is about recruitment,” NZTR Industry Training and Education Consultant Chris Watson said. “We want to do more to recruit young people into the industry. There is probably no better place than the pony clubs to start that recruitment and get them experience o...