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Rain welcome but still a long way to go with drought’s effects

Recent rain in the Waikato, with a forecast of more to come over the next fortnight, is welcome news but the region's farmers are still under significant pressure because of the drought, says the Waikato Regional Drought Committee. In the past week, rainfall has generally ranged from three to 50 millimetres in farming areas around the region. Wet weather is forecast for the next fortnight. It is estimated between 75mm-100mm is needed over several days before soil moisture conditions could be s...

Singapore Group 1 winner bred in New Zealand

"The Aussies are trying to claim Green Birdie but he has got that (NZ) by his name and there is no denying that," said a very jubilant Tim Bodle when discussing that horse's win in the Group One Kris Flyer International Sprint recently. "I was pretty confident going into the race that he would be in the money, as long as he didn't get too far back. He had good form leading into the race and I thought that the only one to beat was the local horse Rocket Man as he was on home ground and had good ...

Gavelhouse leading the way in Online Trading

Gavelhouse – leading the way in Online Trading The Internet has revolutionized the way we do business. There is nothing that cannot be sourced, bought or sold on the web. And while the thoroughbred industry has been a little slower to catch on, there is one portal that is quickly finding favor with users because they get results.Gavelhouse, the brainchild of Melbourne-based Owner-Breeder Gary Moore, is already in its second year of operation and the size and scope of the operation has necessi...

Wellington Branch Newsletter 'Well Bred"

Click here to read the latest branch news from the Wellington Branch, which includes the Presidents Report and a profile on committee member Ivan McNicholl -...

Just a Question of Time for Black Type Win!

The breeder of Time Keeper (3C Stravinsky-Organdy) Craig Harvey, NZTBA Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay branch committeeman, was not at all surprised when that horse won the Group One ARC Land Pride Easter Handicap recently. "I am absolutely thrilled but not really that surprised I always knew he was going to be a good horse, he was bred to be one," he enthused. Craig Harvey is a follower of the Tesio theory of breeding and used the philosophy of Frederico Tesio and a little encouragement from some b...

Jim Marks - a Group One Breeder

NZTBA Waikato branch member Jim Marks was on course at Te Aroha last weekend to enjoy the racing on New Zealand Bloodstock Breeders Stakes day - the Waikato Branch's flagship race day - so it was somewhat of a surprise when he picked up the NZTBA's trophy for the breeder of the Group One New Zealand Bloodstock Breeders Stakes winner Juice (4m Bertolini-Call Minder). "I didn't expect her to win. John (Wheeler) has done a fantastic job with her. It was exciting, as she is the first group one winn...

Rangiora Autumn Ball & Auction

The Rangiora Racecourse Stakeholders are holding an Autumn Ball & Auction to raise funds for projects at the Racecourse. The Ball is on 15 May at the Rangiora Racecourse & the top items for the fundraiser will be auctioned on the night, with their top online bid being the reserve. Ticket information is on our website www.rangioraracecourse.co.nz Our patron, Mark Todd, has kindly donated his jacket & poloshirt from his Sydney Olympic campaign, both clearly autographed. Sir Patrick...

Keep The Peace rewards her breeders

Matamata racing identities Judy and Danny Moss, the breeders of Keep The Peace (Keeper – Peace of Mind), have been inundated with phone calls and well wishers wanting to help them celebrate the success of that filly following her victory in the Group One Wellfield New Zealand Oaks. Family business in the Manawatu prevented them from going to Trentham, but a quick dash back to the motel to watch the race ensured that they saw the victory. "Gosh, we really screamed the place down. I hate to ...

Hallmark Stud - Two Group 1 Winning Fillies

"Unbelievable!" That one word, sums up the reaction of Hallmark Stud's Denny Baker on breeding two group one winning fillies in one season. Following the win of Banchee(Oratorio IRE) in the Group One Auckland Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie, Banchee and Katie Lee (Pins) the fillies out of the Hallmark resident mare Miss Jessie Jay (Spectacularphantom) have now between them won seven black type races, this season. "I watched the race on my own and was so proud of her. I was wandering down to con...

Military Move wins Derby for Windsor Park Stud

The team at Windsor Park had plenty to celebrate when Military Move won the $2.2million Telecom Derby last weekend and rightly so as they added the coveted derby trophy to their already laden cabinet. "It was a big thrill and a very proud moment in the history of Windsor Park in the 30 odd years since our inception we have won a lot of group one races, but this is our first New Zealand Derby," according to a very proud Steve Till. "From our perspective the most rewarding aspect was that it w...

Hall of Fame Inductees 2010 - 5 March 2010

On Friday 5th March 2010 the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inducted its 10 new inductees at a black tie dinner at Ellerslie before an audience of 400 people. The new inductees are: Ray Verner - Auckland Racing's Reluctant Maestro * Took up training reluctantly to help his aging father. * Became a Master Trainer, renowned for his conditioning of horses & named NZ * Racing Personality of the Year in 1978. * Trained top stayers like Good Lord (two Wellington Cups, Sydney Cup); sprin...

South Island success in Goodwood Handicap

It may be a long way from Southland to South Australia, but that is where the story of the Group One Goodwood Stakes winner Velocitea (Volksraad- Cat Shmea) has its roots. Velocitea was bred and initially raced in New Zealand by Raewyn Ramage and her daughter Shelley Frost, from a mare they bred and raced as well. Raewyn Ramage is Southland born and bred, although she now resides in Christchurch and it was in Southland that she developed her life long passion for racing and went to school with N...

Icepin strengthens Pins position on sires' premiership

The winner of the Waikato Stud Two-year-old Classic Icepin (Pins-Ice Maiden) was rather fittingly Waikato Stud's latest stakes winning graduate. Icepin became the 31st stakes winner for his sire Pins (Snippets-No Finer), who leads the sires premierships both here and in Singapore. He became the 10th stakes winner for Waikato Stud this season and later in the day, across the Tasman in Melbourne, Tootsie (Pins-Hyades) added the Group Three Mannerism Stakes to her valuable black type tally. "Ic...

Patience, persistence and perseverance pay off for breeder and trainers

"Without the patience, persistence and perseverance of Mark and Yolande Brosnan, Veloce Bella wouldn't be a group one winner and all the credit for her win in the Darci Brahma International Stakes at Te Rapa should go to them," according to a very proud and humble Margaret Hardy. Margaret is the breeder of Veloce Bella and is a member of the "Case Lot" syndicate that races her. Despite her obvious excitement with the group one success, she couldn't stress enough that the accolades should be go...

"Bring on the Derby with Zarzuela"

"Overwhelmed" was the word that NZTBA Auckland branch member David Paykel used to explain his feelings following the sensational win of Zarzuela (Zabeel- Star Satire) in the Group Three H S Dyke Waikato Guineas. "When a filly gets up and beats the boys it's pretty exciting. We were quite overcome watching her win with such ease." David Paykel is both the breeder and owner of this brilliant Zabeel filly, who is now the firm favourite for the $2.2 million Telecom Derby in March. It is a welc...

Waikato Branch Bloodline Jan 10

Click here to read the latest edition -...

Wall Street's Thorndon Mile victory another chapter in NZTBA member Jo Wilding's list of successes

North Canterbury breeder Jo Wilding is no stranger to breeding winners. Under the Te Mania Thoroughbred banner she has bred numerous group winners including the outstanding filly Analie, Champion three-year-olds Zonda, and Joker's Wild, Magnolia Hall, Fiscal Madness and Whey To Go, and it turns out she had a hand in breeding the recent Group One Thorndon Mile winner Wall Street (Montjeu- Villa Wanda). The spritely octogenarian was at the Karaka sales this week overseeing the Te Mania draft and...

Vonusti's Group One Telegraph Handicap win overwhelms his breeders

"It's quite surreal, breeding a group one winner is what happens to other people, not people like us, who potter around with a couple of mares on a 10 acre block," according to an almost overwhelmed Liz Fairweather, who along with her husband Jeff bred the Group One Telegraph winner Vonusti (Ustinov-Reasonably). "Since he won the $1million Telegraph Handicap it's been a three day champagne fest that looks like it could go on for a week or more! The phone has been running red hot since the win ...

O’Cartier the Jewel of the South

If you can imagine the excitement and enthusiasm you would witness if you gave a woman a piece of Cartier jewellery. Well then, that just about sums up how Bev Jones feels about her wonderful racehorse O'Cartier. In fact O'Cartier (My Halo- Carinda) is probably more precious to Bev than any Cartier piece as she bred and raised him as well. "Isn't he wonderful - we are so lucky to have him. You don't get a horse like him every day, he is the loveliest horse I have ever had and there has been ...

Proud moments for the breeders of Veronic Franco

Waikato Branch member Vicki Pike knows all about the ups and downs of the breeding industry and this season has really experienced it first hand. So far this season, they have produced the two Group winners from their boutique stud Longlands in Cambridge; Rangirangdoo (Pentire - She Wishes) and Veronica Franco (Johar - Crystal Hailey), but tragically, the dams of those two group winners have both died. Even so, Vicki remains upbeat and remarkably proud of the achievements of their stock and ...

Exciting day for breeder at Trentham

Amongst all the participants in the celebrations at Trentham following the win of Ekstreme (Ekraar- Cashcade) in the Dixon and Dunlop Captain Cook Stakes (Gr 1) was a gentleman named Alan Jackson with a smile a mile wide. He had travelled to Trentham from his home in Hawkes Bay, specifically to watch Ekstreme race, and while at the races had by a fluke met up with a couple of members of the Waimea Racing Syndicate, the owners of the mare, and following her win they invited him to participate i...

When You're Hot - You're Hot! More success for the Moore family

When you are hot you are hot, and that would be the only way to describe the descendants of Richard Moore's famous family at the moment. Hot on the heels of Culminate(Elnadim- Solstice) taking out the Group Two NRM Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes, her close relation Eileen Dubh (Storm Creek-Vingtaine) grabbed a victory in the Group One Levin Classic. Eileen Dubh Picture by Trish Dunell She becomes the latest group one winner to directly descend from ...

Katie Lee impresses with winning double

The reality of Katie Lee's (Pins- Miss Jessie Jay) outstanding achievement in winning both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas is only just starting to sink in almost a week after the event according to her co-breeder Denny Baker of Hallmark Stud. "It didn't really hit us until a few days after the 1000 Guineas what a fantastic achievement it was, it is only now starting to sink in, it's incredible. For the first time I am thinking about getting a really large photograph and putting it on the wall in th...

Culminate illustrates the phenomenal legacy of the mighty Soliloquy

The grit, determination and will to win demonstrated by Culminate (Elnadim-Solstice) in the Group Two NRM Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes, illustrates the phenomenal legacy of the mighty matriarch Soliloquy. It was the 10th win for this game six year old mare, who has now won just shy of $700,000, and last season was victorious at Group One level in the First Sovereign Otaki-Maori WFA Stakes before going down to Typhoon Tracy in the Group One AJC Coolmore Classic. Like her grandmother S...

Canterbury Branch CIBIS winners

Click here For full details of CIBIS winners - ...