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2015 Bayer Lecture Series - Equine Back Pain

The New Zealand Equine Research Foundation is pleased to be able to introduce Dr Sarah le Jeune as the speaker for this year's Bayer Lecture Series. Dr le Jeune is the chief of Equine Integrative Sports Medicine Service at the University of California Davis and specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of lameness and various performance-related musculoskeletal injuries using an integrative approach that includes acupuncture and chiropractic therapy. Her talk will include a live demonstration ...

Aussie Max Whitby enjoys Stella success in New Zealand

Charismatic Aussie Max Whitby was not in New Zealand to witness his latest stakes winner Stella di Paco (Paco Boy[IRE]-Savabeel Star) win the listed Castletown Stakes, but he was pretty happy with the performance. The distinctive emerald green jacket, with red and white chequered epaulettes, emerald green cap with red and white chequered strips are fairly familiar in Australia and New Zealand. In recent seasons they have been seen here on the stakes winning fillies Scarlett Lady and A Touch of ...

White Robe Lodge's Successful Formula to Continue

Looks are one of several considerations when judging a sire, especially a young sire setting out on a stud career and Ghibellines(AUS), White Robe Lodge's exciting new stallion, makes a strong first impression with his solid dark bay (with black points) colouring plus his magnificent balance and proportionality - a real looker. The agent responsible for his purchase, respected bloodstock consultant Michael Otto, can be forgiven some bias but his describing Ghibellines as "a stunner" is right on...

Pure Champion’s wow factor wins over stud

Totara Park Stud weren't in the market for another stallion until they recently laid eyes on Pure Champion. First impressions counted for everything and the handsome Group One winner will stand his first season at the Whangarei operation of Les Donaldson and his daughter and son-in-law, Nicci and Dirk Oberholster. "We had no intention of getting another stallion, but Pure Champion is such a magnificent looking horse, kind and genuine with the most beautiful walk and a great pedigree," Dirk Obe...

A visit by NZ’s Ambassadors and High Commissioners to the Waikato

Between 20-22 May the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade conducted a stud tour for Ambassadors and High Commissioners from many of New Zealand's major trading partners to Taranaki and the Waikato. The purpose of the study tour was to familiarise the diplomatic corps with areas of New Zealand many of them would not otherwise get to see outside of their usual work in Auckland and Wellington. One of the key goals of the study tour was to showcase the local economy in the regions visited. On...

Lightning strikes twice for lucky syndicate

They say that lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, well tell that to the members of the Challenge No.2 Syndicate whose filly Secret Spirit (Swiss Ace[AUS]- Spirit of Sandford) won the Listed Graeme Thomson Great Northern Foal Stakes, 12 months after their other filly Avisto won the same race. According to the manager of the syndicate Adrian Clark, they didn't necessarily target this race, but the filly was running out her races strongly and there are not many 1400 metre races aroun...

Valachi principal chasing further Group One success

Kevin Hickman will be tuned in from afar when Bohemian Lily attempts to follow in the footsteps of another of his Group One-winning Valachi Downs graduates in Australia on Saturday. The Matamata nursery's principal is currently in Europe where he is finalising breeding plans for his recently retired home-bred star Silent Achiever. "He's catching up with the Juddmonte people who have a lot of experience with Southern Hemisphere mares going up there," Valachi manager Jonathan Scully said. Multi...

Sunbride Descendant Proisir Groomed for Success

Rich Hill Stud's recent addition to their stallion roster, Proisir [AUS], has much to recommend him, with interesting bloodlines and a worthy race record. His best winning performance was a win at Newcastle in the Gr.3 Spring Stakes -often a difficult race to win. His lead-up into the Spring Stakes was in a benchmark 69 1400 metre race at Rosehill in which he ran a slashing 1.22.71 and comfortably held future dual Gr.1 winner Norzita by more than two lengths. Two starts - two wins. Well beaten...

New stallion for White Robe

A lengthy search for the ideal addition to the White Robe Lodge stallion roster has ended successfully. The leading South Island farm's patience has been rewarded with their dream signing of the well-related Group Two winner Ghibellines. The rising four-year-old is a lightly-raced son of the international Group One winner and producer Shamardal, sire of the Hong Kong champion Able Friend, in a deal brokered by the respected Auckland bloodstock agent Michael Otto. "We've been looking for a h...

Battle Paint flys the flag for Chequers Stud

Last year's Champion two-year-old in Singapore, Affleck (Battle Paint[USA]-Greenstone), has come back this season an improved horse and recently took out the Group One Singapore Guineas. Bred by Chequers Stud he was sold to one of Laurie Laxon's major clients Phua Chian Kin on the back of two impressive trial wins. He made a winning debut in Singapore in April last year, and at the end of his two-year-old season had won three from four starts. He continued in winning form until November scorin...

Huge bonus beckons Kiwi duo

Paul O'Sullivan will stick close to home with Aerovelocity in their bid for a massive pay-day. The Hong Kong-based expatriate New Zealand trainer has bagged two legs in the Global Sprint Challenge with his Kiwi-bred stable star, with a $US1 million bonus on the line for any horse to claim three wins in the series. Aerovelocity is two-thirds of the way there after he added Sunday night's Gr.1 KrisFlyer International Sprint at Kranji, Singapore, to his Gr.1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen title won in J...

Lime Country Thoroughbreds have had an exciting past week...

Courage, and determination, combined with good equine and sound business skills are reaping rewards for Jo and Greg Griffin of Lime Country Thoroughbreds. Members of the Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay branch of the NZTBA, the energetic and enthusiastic couple took a huge leap of faith when they established their business at the historic Okawa Stud property in Hawkes Bay nine years ago, one of only a handful of new equine operations to be established in the Central Districts in recent years. Lime Count...

Benji’s Blog – May 2015

My time at Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket is coming to an end. I have had a great time and the weather has been improving every day. During my time at the stud I have had the opportunity of visiting a couple of studs in the area. Visiting Stud Farms My highlight had to be seeing champion racehorse Frankel, a very beautiful and professional looking horse, Frankel is the first horse in 60 years to be champion at two, three and four years of age, and the record holder for European consecutive...

Dylan's Blog – May 2015

The Flat is Back! The National Hunt season is finally coming to an end and there was no better way to see it out other than with a massive festival held at Punchestown. What a festival it was with Willie Mullins going out with a bang, breaking his own record claiming 15 winners over the 5-day festival with 10 of those being Grade 1 winners! As Punchestown is not far from us we were lucky enough to have a half day to go experience the festival first hand, and what a festival it was with most of ...

Murray Baker breeds a stakes winner in Sucre

Champion race horse trainer Murray Baker has many accomplishments in the thoroughbred industry and he can now add breeding a stakes winner to that impressive list. Baker is the breeder of the Listed Great Easter Stakes winner Sucre a six-year-old Ishiguru(USA) mare who has now won 12 races and $224,938 in stakes. "She's not a bad horse, not many mares win that many," said Baker when discussing the mare who has also been stakes placed four times. "I still own her, but you can't race them all. ...

John and Margaret Thompson enjoy recent success with Windsor Park Stud

Breeding stakes winners is nothing new for Windsor Park, they have an extensive roll of honour to be proud of, and recently they celebrated the success of two more black type wins when Leebaz (Zabeel-Polish Princess[GB]) won the Group Two Hollindale Stakes and Lady Le Fay (Thorn Park[AUS]-Mia Le Fay) won the listed Manawatu ITM Classic. However while Leebaz was bred by the farm, Lady Le Fay was bred in partnership with a retired Auckland couple John and Margaret Thompson. "We have been dealing...

Proisir available for inspection

Rich Hill Stud's new signing Proisir has arrived at Rich Hill Stud and is available for inspection. Appearances don't lie and the striking son of the internationally-successful Choisir compiled an impressive race record to the highest level. With a pedigree to match, he is an exciting addition to New Zealand's stallion ranks. "He is a beautifully balanced horse with a lovely fluent walk," Rich Hill studmaster John Thompson said. "He has strength and quality and should sire a lovely line of fo...

New Cambridge farm ready for business

Wellington property investor and thoroughbred enthusiast Luigi Muollo has called on his Italian heritage in the establishment of his new breeding operation. Muollo's Novara Park is the home of his globe-trotting Group One performer Jakkalberry, who will stand his second season at stud at the recently-acquired Cambridge property. "Novara on the banks of Lake Maggiore is the province in northern Italy where Federico Tesio established his famous breeding operation," Muollo said. Tesio is one of ...

Major coup for the New Zealand breeding industry

The winner of three successive Gr.1 races at his last three starts including the Ascot Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Charm Spirit, highest earning son of boom sire Invincible Spirit, has been secured to join the stallion roster at Windsor Park Stud. Following only world champion Kingman (Invincible Spirit) in the 3YO mile category (Turf) on the 2014 World Thoroughbred Rankings, Charm Spirit won six races and over €1.4 million from nine starts as a two and three year old. His wins included succes...

Ponderosa Miss beats her rivals and her life-threatening injuries

It's been a rollercoaster season for the Te Awamutu mare Ponderosa Miss (High Chaparral[IRE]- Bak da Princess) and her win in the Group One Manco Easter Handicap was thoroughly deserved. One month into the season the four-year-old mare was involved in a fall in a race at Hastings that almost claimed her life. In six starts as a three-year-old she won two races and was unplaced once. She started her four-year-old season with an impressive win at Te Rapa and was a two dollar shot in her next sta...

Group 3 winner for Allan and Colleen Jackson

When Decorah (Pins[AUS]-Nordic Dancer) won the Group Three Manawatu Breeders' Stakes recently she became the 150th winner for her owner/breeders Alan and Colleen Jackson. Included in that number are two very classy mares they have raced in partnership Faint Perfume and Irlanda, but this is the first stakes winner bred by the couple, who are members of the Auckland Branch of the NZTBA. "It was a fabulous win even though we weren't able to be there, nor were any of the other partners, and neithe...

Vale Philip Vela, a bloodstock pioneer

New Zealand racing lost a hugely influential figure on Saturday with the passing of Philip Vela. He was a respected and popular identity whose contributions to both the business and bloodstock worlds were both successful and far reaching. With his brother Sir Peter, he became a powerhouse thoroughbred identity with the 1997 purchase of the then struggling Wrightson Bloodstock. Renamed New Zealand Bloodstock, they oversaw the growth of the Karaka-based operation into one of the most highly-reg...

Dream addition to the Waikato Stud line-up

The latest addition to the Waikato Stud stallion roster is a wish come true for the Matamata farm. "We've always wanted to stand O'Reilly's best son and this season we will be doing so with the brilliant four time Group One winner Sacred Falls," principal Mark Chittick said. "We identified Sacred Falls early in his career and it has been hugely exciting to have subsequently been a part of his two Doncasters and George Main successes with co-owner Dato Yap and the Raffles Racing team." Sacr...

Dylan's Blog – April 2015

Spring Has Come The temperature has finally crept up to the double digits and even touched over the 20's in the past couple of day's bring smiles and even more enthusiasm into the yards as we finally strip of the five or so layers of winter clothing and change into t-shirts. The sun is definitely a mood booster for everyone as we are now in full swing with paddocks overflowing with sprightly newborn foals and the amount of covers rising by the day. The combination of foals in the sun tends to ...

New Zealand's Point of Difference

The phenomenon that is Danehill [USA] seems to be endless. His sons and grandsons crowd the current and recent Australian sires lists. Nine Australian premierships (six in succession) in an 11 year stretch (the last in 2004-05) has laid the foundation for Danehill's subsequent champion sire sons Redoute's Choice [AUS], Fastnet Rock [AUS], and Flying Spur [AUS], with Redoute's Choice topping the list four times. A seventh Australian premiership for a Danehill son is virtually certain this seaso...