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David Wallace breeds his first stakes winner in No More Tears

Wellington NZTBA branch member David Wallace was probably destined to be in the thoroughbred breeding game with a pedigree almost as strong as that of the recent stakes winner he bred in No More Tears (Darci Brahma- Ocean of Tears). "I was very lucky that as a young fella my grandad (Ardsley Stud's Jim Wallace Senior), would lend me a mare and a nomination to Lord Ballina, so since those days I have been hooked," enthused Wallace, a commercial lawyer in Wellington". "It is the first stakes w...

Winx shows off her NZ family

Winx wins the 2015 Cox Plate Click here to read her story - Michael Sheridan...

Rolston in search of imported blood

New Zealand Bloodstock's Danny Rolston will spend the next week helping local breeders in a long-term plan to produce the next Trust In A Gust, Foxwedge or Anabandana. All three of those Australasian Group One winners are out of United States-bred mares, and all were bought at the Keeneland November Sale, where Rolston is headed. The sale is a mixed bloodstock sale, and it's an especially good place to find high-quality mares. This year will be the third in which Rolston has gone over, as par...

Benji’s Blog – October 2015

Benji's Final Blog Saratoga Yearling Sales My much anticipated day had finally arrived - Saratoga Sales, here we come…. We came in and mucked out as a normal day, then brought all the horses in from their paddocks as usual. We were then sent home to get ready for an 18 hour, 1178 mile road trip to Saratoga, New York State in the back of a truck! I went straight to Walmart to buy a deck chair and was given a sleeping bag, and fueled my back pack with snacks! We came back at lunch time to lo...

Mongolian Khan - New Zealand Breeding Background

Although foaled in Tasmania, owned in China, by a shuttle sire, the interesting fact is that the first ten dams of brilliant Caulfield Cup winner Mongolian Khan are all New Zealand bred. MONGOLIAN KHAN (AUS) Foaled 2011 (10-d) Mongolian Khan (AUS) by Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) - Centafit (NZ), by Centaine (AUS) - Galopede (NZ), by Three Legs (GB) - Regal Step (NZ), by Imperial March (CAN) - Aristocracy (NZ), by Agricola (GB) - Ma Reine (NZ), by Faux Tirage (GB) - Excellency (NZ), by Salmagundi...

Strada Cavallo on track for the Guineas

Matamata trainer Graham Richardson thought enough of Strada Cavallo (Alamosa-Abenroad) to nominate her for both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, even though she was only a maiden. Late last month with only two career starts under her belt, he sent her South to prepare for those targets, and recently she took a step closer to her goal with a win in the Listed John Grigg Stakes at Ashburton, with the stakes winners Windbourne (Darci Brahma-Sweet Dreams Baby) and Brighton(Buffalo Man[CAN]-Gore Bay [AUS]...

Ventura wins another NZB Insurance Pearl Bonus

Pukekohe Park trainer Richard Collett is fast becoming a fan of the NZ Bloodstock Insurance Pearl Bonus Series after Ventura (Iffraaj[GB]-Newgrange) won her second bonus in four starts. "She has certainly got herself on the right side of the ledger," enthused Collett a member of the Auckland Branch of the NZTBA. "I think it's massive, this horse has had similar financial returns as if she was racing in the city in Australia. Winning that $20,000 bonus at Otaki added to the $15,000 that she pic...

NZTR Board appoints new Chairman

The Board of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) announced today the appointment of Dr Alan Jackson as its Chairmanfrom the conclusion of the AGM on 6 November 2015. Mrs Victoria Carter was appointed Deputy Chairman. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman are appointed annually by the Board from among its six directors. This follows NZTR Chairman, Matthew Goodson's, announcement in June 2015 that he will not be seeking re-election for a further three-year term and will retire from the NZTR Bo...

New Sale Ring for NZB's South Island Sale

The New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales Series: South Island Session will have a change of venue for 2016, with the sale ring now being located in the Riding for the Disabled Building at the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch. In conjunction with the Canterbury, Marlborough, Westland & Otago branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association, New Zealand Bloodstock has taken the opportunity to move from the existing location of the Canterbury Sale Ya...

Turn Me Loose - Shades of Hollingsworth at Flemington

The Kiwis have been enjoying an excellent Spring Carnival in Melbourne. It got even better for the trans-Tasman team when last season's G1 NZ 2000 Guineas winner Turn Me Loose landed the final Group 1 race of the Carnival, the Emirates S. at Flemington. Trained by Murray Baker, Turn Me Loose represents the same stable as the Caulfield Cup winner Mongolian Khan (NZ) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). The similarity does not end there, because the two horses (who were both Classic winners as 3-year-olds...

New Zealand Bloodstock to sponsor new race in China

New Zealand Bloodstock and the Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry Co. Ltd have partnered together to introduce the New Zealand Bloodstock Cup to be held in Inner Mongolia, China next year. The race is open to horses purchased by any Chinese buyer at this year's New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale in November. To be held in July 2016 at Korchin, Inner Mongolia, the New Zealand Bloodstock Cup is worth RMB500,000 and will be run over 1800m. NZB's Co-...

Serious Satire fires for David Paykel and his wife Angela

The winner of the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes, Serious Satire (More Than Ready[USA]- Zarzuela) is shaping up to be one serious racehorse. At only her third start she blitzed a strong field of well performed three-year-old fillies, to beat the well performed Serena Miss by a half a length. She commenced her racing career in June on a very heavy track at Avondale and finished a very game second, and returned to the track at Hastings on Makfi Challenge Stakes day to easily win a special conditi...

Proud breeder on hand to witness Guineas thrill

A colt that that his proud breeder thought may have been "a little on the small side" as a foal showed he had grown into a force to be reckoned with as he tore off a stunning win in Saturday's Gr. 2 Sacred Falls Hawke's Bay Guineas. Hauraki Plains farmer Barry Brown and accountant son Tony bred the Thorn Park colt, now known as Amarula, with Brown senior admitting he wasn't the most rugged individual he had laid eyes on when produced by the pair's well related broodmare, Shortblackmini. Raced ...

Vale Jill Gould

The Canterbury Marlborough Westland branch of the NZTBA recently lost one of their stalwart members in Jill Marye Featherston Gould. At 85 Gould had been an active member of the Association and a doyen of the dressage scene in Canterbury for many years. Until a stroke last year she resided at Sunfield in West Melton where she still fed horses each day and maintained a very large garden. Gould grew up in the Wairarapa hill country and was the daughter of the late Ian McRae the esteemed breede...

Calling for applications for the NZTBA Sunline Trust Scholarships

The New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association is currently calling for applications for the NZTBA Sunline Trust Scholarships. Two fantastic scholarships are up for grabs for young people wanting to further their experience and education in the thoroughbred industry. The first is the International Management Scholarship where recipients of this scholarship spend 30 weeks experiencing the operational infrastructure and management systems at three of the world's premier farms; Cheveley Park ...

Group One sire No Excuse Needed dies aged 17

Waikato Stud suffered a major blow last weekend with the passing of No Excuse Needed (USA), and the New Zealand breeding industry lost another well performed sire. The son of the former European Champion two-year-old and successful sire Machiavellian (GB) out of Nawaiet - he was just 17 years old when he suffered a paddock accident at the stud and had to be put down. A successful racehorse in the United Kingdom he commenced stud duties in 2005 and was the leading first season sire in 2006/7. T...

NZTR announces $1,000,000 bonus

NZTR (New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing), in conjunction with the Canterbury Jockey Club, the Wellington Racing Club and the Auckland Racing Club has today announced the introduction of a: ·$1 million bonus for any horse that wins all three of New Zealand iconic staying events (NZ Cup, Wellington Cup and Auckland Cup) for this season; ·$250,000 bonus for any horse that wins any two of New Zealand three iconic staying events (NZ Cup, Wellington Cup and Auckland Cup) for this season; "New Ze...

End of an era at Cambridge Stud as Zabeel passes away

A remarkable era in New Zealand thoroughbred breeding history has ended with the death of the champion stallion Zabeel. The son of another great sire in Sir Tristram, Zabeel passed away peacefully overnight in the paddock he has occupied at Cambridge Stud since 1991. "What a loss for Sir Patrick and the team at Cambridge Stud, it must be a sad day for them and our thoughts are with them," stated NZTBA President John Fokerd. "Zabeel produced a lot of outstanding stayers and we will miss him, h...

NZTR implements comprehensive reviews following Hawkes Bay abandonment

Click here for press release - NZTR...

New Zealand Pattern Committee (NZPC) Annual Review

The New Zealand Pattern Committee (NZPC) has undertaken its annual review of the Group and Listed races run in New Zealand in the 2014-15 season. In accordance with the Rules of Racing the following decisions have been made: 1. The James & Annie Sarten Memorial S. (3YO, 1400m) at Te Rapa has been upgraded from Group 3 to Group 2 for the 2015-16 season. 2. The Manawatu Challenge S. (1400m) has been upgraded from Group 3 to Group 2 for the 2015-16 season. 3 The Westbury Classic (F&M,...

Kindaleica gives hobby breeder Gavin Saunders the thrill of a lifetime

For small time breeder Gavin Saunders the win by Kindaleica (Captain Rio [GB]- Leica Gazelle) in the Listed Westbury Stud Karaka Classic was a thrill of a lifetime. "It was really exciting, I knew the horse had it in him to win a good race, it is by far the biggest win I have had. Heck, to breed a stakes winner when I am only a hobby breeder with one mare, that's a huge thrill. "I am just a tin pot breeder who thinks it's a wonderful achievement seeing something I have bred on the racetrack le...

Dan Myers and Kevin O'Hara look forward to New Zealand Cup week

Taranaki based breeders Dan Myers and Kevin O'Hara, are looking forward to New Zealand Cup week, and the prospect of more black type for their promising young broodmare L'Artiste (AUS)(Peintre Celebre [USA]-Glittering Girl). Just recently the pair bred their first stakes winner out of the mare, The Justice League, and he is headed to Riccarton for the Group One New Zealand 2000 Guineas, and his four-year-old half-sister Vive La Difference (by Choisir[AUS]) is nominated for the Group Two Couplan...

Jakkalberry - future sire of middle distance and staying performers

Experienced Stud Master and Manager of Novara Park (just south of Cambridge) Ray Knight is looking back in order to chart the future. Novara, in northern Italy, is where the legendary breeder Federico Tesio made his indelible mark on the bloodstock breeding world. Without Tesio, highly influential stallions Nearco (ITY) (Pharos [GB]) and Ribot(GB) (Tenerani [ITY]) would not have existed. Knight has taken on the task of establishing widely travelled international Group One stayer Jakkalberry(IR...

Parfore - 2015 NZ Broodmare Of The Year

There are not that many mares in the Stud Book that have left three individual Group One winners, but Parfore (Gold Brose[AUS]- Twigg Moss[AUS]) the recipient of the 2015 Broodmare of the Year Award is one of them. According to her owner Mike Ryan, it's a very select band worldwide, and he believes that this spring with Ball of Muscle performing in Australia that he could easily join the Group One winners Terravista, Tiger Tees and Super Easy and Parfore become the dam of four Group One winners...

Jaggard to begin stud career

Group One performer Jaggard has been retired and will begin his breeding career from a northern base. Wingatui co-breeder and part-owner Shaun McGarry, who also trained the son of Falkirk and the Centaine mare Centastage to win the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Handicap, said the eight-year-old would stand this season at Karen Petch's Blue Heaven Farm at Kaitaia. Jaggard, who had four wins and nine placings from his 26 starts, was transferred to Foxton trainers Sue Walsh and Bruce Gregory later in his...