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Another double strike for Shocking

The progeny of Rich Hill Stud stallion Shocking are on a roll. He was represented by Avondale winners Formidable and Mental Telepathy on Thursday and at Otaki on Friday he produced another winning double that emphasised the son of Street Cry’s versatility. Promising staying mare Solesefei started the ball rolling with a strong staying performance in the Summerset On The Coast Premier (2300m) before Scandalo proved too slick for the Rating 75 speedsters in the Red Diamond Services Premier (120...

Iconic Cambridge Stud sold

Cambridge Stud, New Zealand’s most iconic stud, is about to change hands and, very importantly for the New Zealand thoroughbred industry, it will re-main proudly Kiwi-owned. Sir Patrick Hogan has today confirmed that his and Justine, Lady Hogan’s historic thoroughbred nursery has been sold to Auckland couple Brendan and Jo Lindsay, ensuring that New Zealand’s internationally renowned stud farm stays in local hands. “It is no secret that there has been huge international interest in Cambr...

Another Haunui Farm toast

The Haunui Farm clan had good reason to be toasting its broodmare Valpolicella after last Saturday’s Ascot meeting in Perth.Successful on the day was Celebrity Dream, a daughter of Thorn Park and Valpolicella, who took her record to six wins and four placings from 13 starts. She was ridden by William Pike for local trainer Adam Durrant and high profile owner Bob PetersCo-bred by Haunui Farm, Celebrity Dream was sold through its 2014 National Yearling Sale draft at Karaka for $260,000 and she h...

2018 Scholarship Winners

When David Morris moved to the Waikato in 2015, it was with a rugby career in mind, but then he discovered horses. Now with a Bachelor of Business Management under his belt, he is the proud winner of the NZTBA Sunline Education Trust International Management Scholarship and 2018 will see him working at three world acclaimed international stud operations for three months at a time. According to Morris it’s like a dream job, “I have always wanted to travel and it gives me the opportunity to tr...

William Duncan's win is an inspiration to new breeders

If you need inspiration to get involved in the breeding game then talk to William Duncan. Duncan is the breeder and owner of Heni (Towkay[AUS]-Bahhzaar) the recent winner of the Group Three Valachi Downs Breeders’ Stakes at Riccarton. A race that she was placed in last season. He oozes enthusiasm and passion when he talks about Heni, her success and how she came to be bred and what he was hoping to achieve. Her victory in the Group Three event gave Duncan his first ever Stakes winner and in hi...

Owner/Breeder Paul Gollan and Alphastar win Pearl Series Bonus

It would seem that the stars were aligned for Alphastar (Battle Paint[USA]-Sanstar) to win an NZ Bloodstock Insurance Pearl Series race. At Avondale recently on debut, the three-year-old filly trained by Wayne Hillis at Matamata got up in the last few strides to win the 1200 metre maiden series race, much to the delight of her owner Paul Gollan who picked up an extra $10,000 in Stake money, plus the nominators bonus of $500. Hillis also picked up a $1,000 bonus as her trainer. “It was very sat...

Lance Forbes' final blog from the USA

After a fantastic 9 months I am sad to say that my journey on the 2017 Sunline Management Scholarship has come to an end.  My last leg in America was at Taylor Made Farm. I was focused on prepping yearlings for the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sales.  With over 100 horses in preparation for the sale it was fair to say that it was all hands on deck at the farm.  It really goes to show why Taylor Made Farm is rated one of the best farms in America at yearlings preps. The manage...

The almighty swing of the NZD

NZD/USD: The formation of a Coalition between NZ’s Labour Party and the nationalist New Zealand First party surprised investors and forced a rapid and steep NZD sell off. The Labour government, as expected, has announced they will introduce changes to the RBNZ’s mandate and the Reserve Bank Act. The changes are expected to include an employment objective which could mean a prolonged period of lower interest rates, subsequently dampening the attractiveness of the NZD as a carry trade and...

Things just keep getting better for Mount Maunganui based breeder Jim Barlow

Last Saturday afternoon just kept getting better for Mount Maunganui based breeder Jim Barlow. Barlow under the banner of Fusion Bloodstock – co owned by Tony Joyce - and Barlow’s cousin Max Brown of Brown Bloodstock, are the breeders of the listed Wellesley Stakes winner Sir Nate (Nadeem[AUS]-Just Diamonds). A few hours later his older sister Kalavarci recorded her third winner when she won easily at Randwick. Both Joyce and Brown were in the partnership that raced Dundeel. In between the t...

The King gets his chance at stud

In the winter of 2016, a five-year-old stallion with black type oozing out of every line of his pedigree was doing nothing else but eating grass on a farm near the small Southland settlement of Woodlands. So The King's owners, Ray, Tony, Martin and Joe Dennis – known colloquially in the south as the D-Boys – agreed he should be given the opportunity to serve a few mares. “There would hardly be any stallion in the register with as many Group One winners on the page,” said Martin Dennis. �...

Wait A Sec - Group One success for the Henderson family

The running of the Group One Livamol Classic at Hastings recently turned into an all Hawkes Bay affair. The winner Wait A Sec (Postponed[USA]-Security) was born just down the road from the Hastings racecourse in Poukawa, foaled by Iain Henderson who races him in partnership with his son Paul. He descends from a family that produced one of Hawkes Bay’s best fillies in the 70’s and races in the colours made famous by another great Hawkes Bay legend in Game. Wait A Sec is trained by Guy Lowry a...

2017 Singapore Report - NZTM

Singapore is a large export market for New Zealand thoroughbreds. Last season Singapore continued to be New Zealand’s second largest export market for thoroughbreds. New Zealand continues to thrive in this market, making up more than 40 per cent of the horse population. New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing’s 2017 Singapore Report provides an in-depth view on the success of the New Zealand Thoroughbred in the Southeast Asian racing jurisdiction, along with an overview of the upcoming changes an...

It could be the Main Stage for Auckland breeder Tim Harrison

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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...