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The tale of Dancer's Tale

A two-year-old stakes winner in only the second two-year-old stakes race of the season is almost a perfect start for the Challenge No 1 Syndicate, the first syndicate of Adrian Clark's Challenge Syndications Ltd launched earlier this year. Dancer's Tale (Tale Of The Cat [USA]- Pineau) provided that win for the syndicate when winning the listed Welcome Stakes at Riccarton. The first filly to race from the four filly syndicate has now had three starts for two wins and a third placing in the liste...

Lady Kipling adds another group two victory to her tally

The group two NRM Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes run at Counties is one of the most coveted races for fillies and mares in the country. Each year it attracts a capacity field of the best sprinting fillies and mares in the country, and this year was no exception with 10 stakes performers in the field of 14 runners. This year's winner Lady Kipling (Savabeel- Akela) recorded her second group two victory, and her ninth career win, when she fought like a tiger to take out the event from a l...

Blyth Tait - successful breeder of Nashville

International equestrian Blyth Tait is no stranger to success. He has won four medals including a gold at the Olympics and won four World Championships and now he is enjoying success as the breeder of Canterbury Racing's Coupland's Mile(Gr 2) winner Nashville (Darci Brahma – Royal Kiss [IRE]). "I am thrilled to bits - it was a great result," said Tait who is back in New Zealand for the summer to hold riding clinics and prepare a couple of yearlings for Karaka. "He was a lovely foal, and grew...

Pero wins the Thompson for breeders Des and Kay Fleming

Just over 30 years ago Taranaki dairy farmers Des and Kay Fleming, extended their livestock interests into the thoroughbred game. They were like a lot of farmers, especially in Taranaki who had grown up around horses, rode them as kids, and used them for shifting stock and buying a racehorse or a broodmare seemed like a natural progression. They outlaid $5,000 for a non-winning Sovereign Edition(Ire) mare Paraonui Princess and embarked on the satisfying journey of breeding racehorses and becam...

Jamie's Blog - October 2012

Farewell to the Sunline Scholarship Amazingly, I find myself at the end of the Sunline Scholarship, which has seen me visit some of the most astonishing thoroughbred centers in the world. It's hard to believe that I have been away from home for the best part of eight months working as part of the remarkable teams that together run three of the worlds leading thoroughbred boutiques in England, Ireland and America. Continually the industry evolves and the international aspect of the Sunline Schol...

NZTBA Canterbury Branch to hold auction for "First Girl Home" bonus scheme

The Canterbury/Marlborough/Westland Branch of the NZTBA, supported by the Canterburey Jockey Club, is planning to hold an auction on Tuesday 13th November to raise funds for the 'First Girl Home' stakes bonus scheme. The auction will be conducted by the team from 'OFF THE RAILS' and items to be auctioned include a mounted, gold plated Zabeel shoe, a signed photo of Zabeel, a book, video and caps, all donated by Sir Patrick Hogan, 12 original watercolour cartoons by Lynnley Driver and the coffee ...

The Spring Edition of the Wellington Branch's "WellBred" Newsletter is out now

Click here to read the Wellington Branch "WellBred" newsletter - Wellington Branch...

Is it such a long way from Louis Vuitton pumps to Red Band gumboots?

There is an old saying about taking the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy – or in this case the girl, and the girl in question is Angela Williams. Following a successful career in communications and marketing and with a new husband in tow, Angela returned home to the famous Te Parae Stud just out of Masterton last year. Simon Irving, her husband and a police sergeant, had taken a position locally and Angela swapped her glamorous corporate life to establish t...

D’Cash Man, is it a case of "like father, like son"?

The Vince & Joyce Roberts bred 3yo D'Cash Man looks in fine fettle for upcoming feature races, including the New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (Group one) in which he holds a nomination for, after Saturday's highly impressive victory at Riccarton Park. D'Cash Man was dropping back in class from his last start fourth in the 1200m listed Westbury Stud Challenge Stakes at Ruakaka, where he led and was only caught late by some classy horses including the unbeaten Hawke's Bay Guineas winner, Sac...

Jamie Richards' photo blog

Got to http://sunlinescholarship.blogspot.co.uk/#!/2012/10/double-dan-horsemanship.html to read about Jamie's experience with Double Dan Horsemanship. - NZTBA...

Sacred Falls' breeder has the highest praise of all

Following his sensational win in the Gr 2 DHL Hawke's Bay Guineas, Sacred Falls has been getting huge accolades from his trainers, his rider, from those who witnessed the race and from the media, but perhaps the biggest compliment comes from Waikato Stud's Mark Chittick who likens the colt to his illustrious father. "He is the closest I've seen to his father racing wise. As a three-year-old at his first start O'Reilly did exactly the same thing - lost four lengths at the start of his race and c...

Josie Hines continues her mother's passion

Fifty odd years ago when Cambridge octogenarian Gladys Hodgson, was asked by her husband Geoff what she would like for her birthday, she asked him if she could keep a filly he had bred that was unable to race and he was considering selling. That filly, Gabadee (Gabador[FR]-Chickadee),went on to leave a couple of smart stakes winners in Urupukapuka and Dee Dee and a dynasty to follow that is still giving Gladys a huge thrill and something to bet on today. The most recent stakes winner from this ...

Jamie Richards latest blog

Jamie Richards has spent the last eight weeks at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky, preparing yearlings for the Saratoga and Keeneland Yearling Sales. Click here to read the latest blog from America - Jamie Richards...

Jamie's Blog - September 2012

Welcome to America I've been in the Blue Grass state of Kentucky for over six weeks now working and living at Taylor Made Farm, and what a busy and brilliant time it has been on the last placement of the NZTBA Sunline Scholarship. Lexington, the horse capital of the world has been very welcoming from my initial implementation into the Taylor Made way of life, to living with Dan James of Double Dan Horsemanship, the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Sale in Saratoga and a special day out at Rood and...

Robin Hapi's Belle of Foxton

The win by Dubai Belle (E Dubai[USA]– Shy Dancer) in the group three Merial Ancare Metric Mile has made that mare the "Belle of Foxton". In the small coastal town just south of Palmerston North in the Horowhenua, with a population of around 2500, the mare is a heroine and a welcome diversion for the racing mad community who earlier this year witnessed a number of arson attacks on their race course. "She's a celebrity in town especially at the Foxton Hotel. The racetrack is an iconic part of ...

Racing Te Aroha Stallion Placement Scheme

RACING TE AROHA 2012/2013 STALLION PLACEMENT SCHEME The Stallion Placement Scheme is up and running again. If any owners have mares to mate this season please consider using the Placement Scheme. All money raised by the scheme goes to supporting the GROUP 1 Fillies and Mares Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes in April. If you wish to view stallions to hand please contact Club No. and leave your name & address or fax. No. Click here for details about the stallions or visit the stud and stallio...

Kate gets the spring off to a good start for Don Skelton

The first day of the Rush Munro Hawke's Bay Carnival heralded the start of spring racing in New Zealand and the group one Makfi Hawke's Bay Challenge Stakes lived up to expectation producing a stunning win by Ocean Park (Thorn Park[AUS]- Sayida). However, on the under card, a very smart three-year-old filly in Kate (St Reims – Dutowin) also made her presence felt. Scoring her second win, the big bay filly cleared away from her rivals in the 1200 metre New Zealand Bloodstock 3YO a race which i...

Big weekend for Waikato Branch Stallion Parade

The sun shone brightly for the two days of the NZTBA's Waikato Branch JLT Bloodstock Stallion Parade last weekend. Up to 300 people enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather as they eyed some gorgeous horse flesh in the Waikato region. Many had travelled from outside the region and were not disappointed by what they saw. A changed format saw the parade commence at Cambridge Stud in Cambridge at lunch time on Saturday before heading to Matamata for the afternoon, while on Sunday the tour concentrate...

The Auckland Branch celebrates members' success at Annual Awards dinner

The Auckland branch of the NZTBA held their annual awards dinner on Friday 17th August at the Ellerslie Function Centre. The evening sponsored by New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance was attended by around 130 guests who honoured the award recipients and enjoyed listening to the guest speaker, leading Melbourne trainer Peter Moody. Moody enjoyed a 'fireside chat' with Steve Davis and discussed how, as a boy from the bush in Queensland who wasn't keen on school , had landed a job breaking in yearl...

JLT Bloodstock and Waikato Branch Stallion Weekend - 25 & 26 August

This annual event held on the last weekend in August, is popular with vistors and broodmare owners throughout New Zealand and Australia. See Itinerary here Saturday and Sunday Tour around studs in the Waikato Area Follow the tour around in your own car (see below for map links) All welcome members, breeders, owners, public No charge for this event Win a Free Service to Battle Paint............. Clink on link of our sponsor JLT Insurance www.horseinsurance.co.nz/ - Waikato Branch...

Big sale for Rangiora private breeder

Rangiora's Kaye Sanders is the latest private New Zealand Thoroughbred breeder to prove that big results can be achieved from a modest base. In 2009 Kaye and her daughter Holly decided that they wanted to get involved in the thoroughbred breeding industry. Kaye headed off to the bank to get a loan, before attending the NZ Bloodstock National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed sale at Karaka. Kaye had spent weeks with her eyes glued to the sales catalogue and had picked out what she believed were th...

2012 New Zealand Breeder of the Year finalists announced

Last year's NZ Breeder of the Year Piper Farm is once again a finalist for Breeder of the Year at this year's NZTR Awards to be held in Hamilton on September 12th. The other three finalists are Karreman Bloodstock, Llannehock Trust, and Colin and John Thompson. Karreman Bloodstock has featured as a nominee for this award in the past and this year they have been represented by a host of stakes winners coming from their fine band of broodmares, and by a variety of stallions not just those standi...

2012 New Zealand Broodmare of the Year finalists announced

Three broodmares have been nominated for the prestigious NZ Broodmare of the Year Award. They are Sheila Cheval (Mi Preferido [USA]-Silver Sheila), Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence [USA]- Joie Denise) and Triassic (Tights [USA]- Astral Row). The award is given to the mare whose New Zealand-bred and/or New Zealand-conceived progeny, anywhere in the world most clearly reflect true breeding merit in quality of racing performance in the season under review, Sheila Cheval is amongst the nine mares owned ...

Jamie's Blog - August 2012

As I look back on the last ten weeks in Ireland, there seems no better phrase to sum up my time other than living the dream! Since arriving at the beginning of May after the conclusion of the English Guineas weekend where Coolmore and Aidan O'Brien dominated proceedings taking both the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas with Camelot and Homecoming Queen respectively, Ireland has been very welcoming, the work great and the locals outstanding. Throughout this piece, I will look back and conclude on another i...

Your Choice - Starts Monday 20th August on Trackside

Mondays 8pm Tuesdays 10am Thursdays 12:30am (Friday morning) Your Choice will be hosted by George Simon and Mark McNamara and looks back on some of our favourite racing moments on Trackside since 1992 to celebrate Trackside's 20th anniversary. And it's not just our racing moments that matter; you can have your say too and enter our Your Choice Viewers Competition! To enter the Your Choice Viewers Competition Send us your favourite racing moment since 1992 and not only could your race be...