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Oysters and Horses - a great mix for Willie and Karen Calder

Southland branch NZTBA member Willie Calder makes his living as an oysterman and doesn't often take time out in the oyster season but last weekend was the exception as he wanted to go to Riccarton to see his filly Asavant (Zabeel-Pins'n'Needles) take out the Listed Warstep Stakes. "On Friday I was up at 4 a.m to go fishing, I put the catch in the chiller, and at 5.30 in the afternoon headed to Dunedin with my daughter Anna to watch the Highlanders play rugby. Early the next morning we drove up t...

Swiper The Fox sneaks home in the Champagne Stakes

Swiper The Fox is a character from the children's cartoon series Dora The Explorer. He is described as a sneaky fox who is fast and agile, with a penchant for thievery. He is the antagonist in most episodes of the popular series. Swiper The Fox (Align[AUS])- Canzano [AUS]) the racehorse, demonstrated similar characteristics when he sneakily snuck through the field of two-year-olds in the listed 1600 metre Novotel Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie recently. In the hands of comeback jockey Jason Col...

Life long interest in breeding thoroughbreds rewards Wanganui Breeder/Farmer

Wanganui breeder Iain Elliot is like a number of other small breeders in New Zealand. He is a man of the land, he has been involved in racing and breeding all his life, as was the norm for a lot of farmers of his generation, he has a broodmare Blue Symbol (Bluebird [USA]- Regal Salute) descended from a family nurtured by his father and maintained by him. She was a promising racehorse, achieving two wins and two placings from seven starts, before she sustained an injury and was sent to stud. Bl...

Thoroughbred Industry advertises for Industry Training Tutor

A position has become available as an Industry / Training Tutor, who will work across all Thoroughbred off-job delivery, leading the Breeders' Programme, and supporting the Stable Procedures/ Management qualifications and also supporting the Apprentice Jockey Academies as required. Click here to read the advertisement for the role of Industry Training Tutor. Click here to read the Position Description - NZTBA...

Malandrino steps up for Blandford Lodge

The win by Malandrino (Darci Brahma- Staryn Glenn) in the group three Manawatu Classic, has come at the perfect time for Blandford Lodge on the eve of the Inglis Easter Sale. "We are taking a close relation to the Sydney sale and it's great to get another black type winner in this family so close to the sale. In fact, a bit later on that day the family produced another one when Luke's Luck (Show A Heart[AUS]- Red Dream) won the group two Ausdrill/Karrakatta Plate so there was double cause for c...

NZTBA members Kylie Fawcett and Eddie Wright, the breeders of Villifye and Miss Keepsake, have a great weekend

Trainer Graham Richardson continued his winning ways when Villifye (NZ) (O'Reilly) landed the Group Two Windsor Park Stud Japan Trophy (1600m) at Tauranga on Saturday. The four-year-old daughter of O'Reilly (NZ) scored by the barest of margins from Postman's Daughter (NZ) (Postponed) and Jeu de Cartes (NZ) (Stravinsky), with winning rider Craig Grylls coming widest of all on the Slow 9 track. The victory continued a record-breaking season for Matamata trainer Graham Richardson, who registered...

Inaugural Waikato Equine Training Scheme Announced

NZTBA Equine Industry Training Education Courses - programme announcement: The Waikato Branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association invites students, studmasters, parents, and other interested parties to the inaugural Launch of the 2012 Waikato Breeders Course When: Tuesday 27th March 4-6pm Equine Academy Hannon Road Cambridge Click here to download the flyer: The NZTBA (Waikato Branch) have been delivering an equine breeding education course for a number of years. This year...

Jamie's Blog - March (wk4) 2012

The Biggest Jumping Festival in the World Cheltenham Festival To say I was a little excited about attending the second day of the Cheltenham Festival was a long shot; an underestimation with only one word that could describe what is truly an exceptional days racing, AMAZING. Mark Marris and I headed away on the two and a half hour trip to Cheltenham on Tuesday night and had booked accommodation at The Bull at Fairford, roughly thirty miles away from Cheltenham where we met Andre Klein, the CEO ...

Fay Fay - Another Chapter in an Eighty Year Old Tale

The NZ suffix has become synonymous with the honour roll of the HK-1 Hong Kong Derby in recent years, with Fay Fay (NZ) (Falkirk) continuing the tradition in 2012 with a determined victory in the Sha Tin showpiece. The race has been dominated by New Zealand-bred horses over the past decade, with Aoteroa providing no less than six of the past nine winners including subsequent Hong Kong Champions Ambitious Dragon (NZ) (Pins) and Vengeance of Rain (NZ) (Zabeel). For Wanganui breeders Peter and B...

Jonathan Hope celebrates his first Group One winner

Well known Cambridge veterinarian Jonathon Hope admits to experiencing a few anxious moments awaiting the outcome of the ARC Haunui Farm Diamond Stakes (Gr 1). The race was eventually won on protest by Warhorse (General Nediym [AUS]-Rathlin Island[AUS]) after Rollout The Carpet, who was first past the post, ran an erratic last 400 metres veering across the track and interfering with and taking the line of Warhorse. In a valiant effort, Warhorse came from a length behind Rollout The Carpet at th...

Sensational Win Very Satisfying for Pedigree Aficionado

The triple group one Auckland Cup winner Shez Sinsational(Ekraar[USA]-Original Sin) is everything pedigree aficionado Peter Jenkins hoped she would be. Jenkins who is currently on the staff at Arrowfield in Sydney was working in New Zealand for Stoneybridge at the time and when they imported the Red Ransom (USA) stallion Ekraar he set about deciding which mares would best suit him. Original Sin was amongst the racing team of the Karaka Group a part of Stoneybridge at that time and was selected...

Jamie's Blog - March 2012

Cheverly Park Bound… Firstly I think I should briefly introduce myself, my name is Jamie Richards and I'm twenty-two years old from Dunedin in the South Island. Prior to being awarded this scholarship I had worked mainly in racing stables, with my dad Paul having his own stables on the family farm (where I would much rather be than at school), as well spending the summer holiday periods with Mark Walker, Mark Kavanagh, Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie, all of which were great learning opportun...

Long Standing Friendship produces Matamata Breeders' Stakes Winner

A passion for thoroughbreds forged a friendship many years ago between the Hong Kong based English born New Zealander Mathew Oram, and New Zealand Bloodstock's International Bloodstock agent John Cameron, and now they are enjoying the thrill of racing a good horse. Along with their wives Elizabeth Oram and Jackie Cameron, William Fan and Moon Lai Tung they bred and race Rollout The Carpet (AUS) (Holy Roman Emperor [IRE] – Out of Egypt[USA]) the winner of the Group Two J Swap Contractors Matama...

Breeders' Bulletin - Autumn 2012

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Making a Tough Job Look 'Super Easy' For Mike Ryan

Singaporean sensation Super Easy (Darci Brahma – Parfore) carries an "NZ" after his name as he was born here, but the story behind this horse is quite international. He is raced in Singapore by the Joy N Happiness stable, and is trained by an Australian, Michael Freedman. He was bred in New Zealand, where his mother Parfore is a resident at Wentwood Grange. His breeder, another Australian, is Mike Ryan who currently lives in Abu Dhabi. A three-year-old son of Darci Brahma, Super Easy is the ...

Henley Park up and running at Karaka Premier

In January 1996, when Sarah Devcich answered the call to help out her childhood mate Robyn Cunningham at the Karaka Premier Yearling sales, little did she know that 16 years later she would be back presenting her own yearling draft at that sale? Under the banner of Henley Park, Sarah presented three yearlings in the Premier Sale and seven in the Select Sale selling one lot, Carol and Chris Chamberlain's Thorn Park (AUS)-Nightmare colt for $190,000, three times his actual reserve. Her O'Reilly â...

Silent Achiever wins the Waikato Guineas for the Hickmans

The impressive win by Silent Achiever (O'Reilly – Winning Spree) in the Group Three H S Dyke Waikato Guineas recently brought both satisfaction and pride to her owner and breeder Kevin Hickman. "We were very thrilled and it was quite nice to win after being told all week that we couldn't beat the colt," said Hickman the owner also of the boutique farm Valachi Downs that sponsored a race earlier in the day at Waikato. The colt in question was Ocean Park (Thorn Park- Sayyida) the favourite for ...

Say No More - what more can you say!

Ex-pat Kiwi Brian Hutchinson, the part-owner and breeder of the group one Thorndon Mile winner Say No More (Pentire[GB]-Our Lucy[AUS]), may be Sydney-based but his thoroughbred interests are firmly established here in New Zealand. "It's a great place to raise horses and an inexpensive way to try them out and get them going," said Hutchinson as he admired Say No More's half brother in the paddock at Club Med Lodge in the Waikato. Hutchinson and two of his partners in Say No More, Terry Boys (al...

Pussy Willow has the Heart of a Lion

Auckland branch NZTBA member Peter Walker is no stranger to winning group races, but the exciting two-year-old filly Pussy Willow (O'Reilly- Octapussy [AUS]) is the first group winner he has bred. Pussy Willow achieved group two status when she won the Little Avondale Stud Wakefield Challenge Stakes at Trentham at only her second start. "The way she won that race she is certainly causing a stir, it was incredible, she just jumped out of the ground and buried them, two-year-olds just don't do t...

Irish Rebel warms up for Karaka Million

With less than six weeks to the restricted listed $1million Karaka Million (29th of January), the debut win of Irish Rebel (Danehill Dancer [Ire]-Ballycairn) at Awapuni recently puts that exciting young colt right in contention for the race. According to Te Akau Stables principal David Ellis who manages Irish Rebel, the Danehill Dancer colt will have a lead up race at Ellerslie on New Year's Day before heading for the Karaka Million. He is currently sixth in order of entry to make the field for...

Wellington Branch's WellBred Newsletter

Click here to read the latest edition of the Wellington Branch's newsletter WELLBRED - Wellington Branch...

Mydiamond Bracelet a Christmas present for Mark Corcoran

Last Saturday Mark Corcoran had tuned into watch the listed Ag and Turf Sprint race from Te Rapa as a mare he bred, Mydiamond Bracelet (Al Akbar – Plain Jill), was a contender. When she hit the front with 300 metres to go he started to get really excited, then his digital reception dropped out and he missed the end of the race. Meanwhile as a part-owner of the said horse I was at Te Rapa with three other syndicate members yelling encouragement and hoping the fast finishing Kaptain Kirkup woul...

Durham Town wins the Concorde for his Whakatane breeders

The breeder of Durham Town (Falkirk-Durham Walk), Debbie Seebeck, wasn't going to miss seeing that horse have his first race in stakes company and insisted that she and husband Peter made the three hour-plus trip from Whakatane to Auckland to see him race in the group two Aussie Butcher Concorde Handicap. After seeing him win that race with ease, they are pleased they were there. Having only his seventh career start, the lightly raced son of Falkirk became that stallion's first stakes winner, ...

Breeders' Bulletin - Summer 2011/12

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Yearling sale pass-in wins the Levin Classic

"What a clever little pony he is!" That's how Windsor Park Stud General Manager Steve Till described Distill (Volksraad [GB] – Fairy Tipsy), the recent winner of the group one Levin Classic for three-year-olds. "It was a great thrill for all of us here at Windsor Park and although he was a relative outsider it didn't surprise us as he had good form as a two-year-old. We knew he needed good ground as he has a big stride for a small horse and in the Levin Classic he got the ground to suit and t...