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Auckland Branch Newsletter: Hoofprint - Spring 2009 edition

Click here to read the latest edition of Hoofprint - Auckland Branch...

Guest speaker announced for Auckland Awards Night

The Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association are delighted to announce that once again, New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance will be the Premier sponsor for their annual awards evening to be held on Friday, 4th September 2009 at the Ellerslie Events Centre. "The Auckland Branch is extremely grateful of the support given to us by New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance," said Branch President David Moore. "Jim Bruford and his team do a wonderful job in servicing the needs of c...

Laminton Vegas earns plaudits for her breeder

Ryder Stakes winner Lamington Vegas Photo: NZTM website The breeder of Lamington Vegas (Elusive City-Piece of Cake), the recent winner of the listed Ryder Stakes, Waikato Branch member Joan Egan is quite philosophical about the fact that she no longer owns her dam Piece of Cake. "I sold Piece of Cake at the May sale at Karaka. It was time for me to scale down some of my interests and I reluctantly let her go. I think I was the only vendor at the sale who was crying...

"Bred To Win"

NZ On Screen is the online showcase of New Zealand TV and film; fully funded by NZ On Air. Editor Paul Ward very kindly contacted us to provide the link to a classic 1960s National Film Unit documentary "Bred To Win", about the NZ thoroughbred industry. Paul noted that "Bred To Win is a documentary looking at thoroughbred racehorse breeding in NZ, an industry appraised as producing "the world's finest racing thoroughbreds" (e.g. 1966 Melbourne Cup winner Galilee). Made in 1968, when racing cou...

July Edition of Waikato Branch Bloodline

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"Breeders' Relative Costs are Too High"

"The domestic breeding industry has lost its way when it should be a very attractive business to invest in particularly as New Zealand has the best tax effective regime in the world," according to Chris Luoni, the recently elected Northern Region representative to the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association Council. "We have had numerous studies about the falling foal crop and its consequences but no substantial action plan to increase the foal crop. The industry has to develop better ma...

First publication of 'Well Bred"

Please open the attached Adobe PDF file of "WellBred" - the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's Newsletter. If you don't have Adobe Reader to view this attachment you can download it for free here - Adobe Reader or please send me an email and I will post you a copy. Update to the Newsletter: Unfortunately The Department of Internal Affairs has declined our application (& subsequent appeal) to conduct a raffle for the Sir Percy service. We are very d...

New Councillor for Central Region

The new Central region Councillor for the NZTBA Murray Brenton-Rule is looking forward to representing his region on the council and being involved with Council matters in the industry. "There is a fair bit going on just now in the racing and breeding industry, and I believe it is important to keep people involved and motivated. Nothing is easy in a world wide recession, but we have to ride the ups and downs. I enjoy being a part of this industry and I want to see it go forward," he enthused. ...

Guy Sargent fronts up at NZTBA AGM

NZTR Board Chairman Guy Sargent was the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' held in Auckland on 18th June. In an address to around 60 members he discussed a range of subjects of importance to the industry from governance to stakes funding and bonuses. The issue of concern to most breeders was the proposal submitted by the NZTBA to NZTR last year for a "Breed To Race" bonus. Mr Sargent told the meeting that unfortunately at this time there i...

Many owners involved in Our Lukas' dam

Listed Ipswich Cup winner Our Lukas (Generous-Parfore) became the tenth individual stakes winner this season to be born and bred at Westbury Stud in Karaka. "It's been a bumper season for us. We have been represented by 10 individual stakes winners who have won races right across the board. We have had a stayer and a sprinter, a two-year-old and a three-year-old, a miler and a middle distance horse, and they have won here, in Australia and in Hong Kong. You couldn't wish for a better result," e...

Read the latest edition of the Waikato Branch Bloodline magazine

Click here to read the June 2009 Bloodline - Waikato Branch...

Taranaki breeders rewarded with a Group One winner

Retired Taranaki dairy farmer Graeme Hill nervously watched last weekend's Group One Queensland Derby on television on the edge of his seat and didn't like the chances of the Viking Ruler colt he had bred during the early stages of the race. However, he was worried unnecessarily, as Court Ruler (ex Free Court), under the guidance of expat kiwi Larry Cassidy, cruised to the lead in the long Eagle Farm straight and went on to win by a long neck. "I was a little bit worried, I thought he had go...

Mark Baker's appreciation of Vincent O'Brien

"He was a genius, an absolute genius" that was how Hallmark Stud's Mark Baker described Dr Vincent O'Brien when asked about his time working for the legendary trainer who passed away in Ireland earlier this week. 'The boss' as Baker respectfully refers to him was a genius and a master trainer, who made a big impact on the way Baker operates as a horseman. "He was a very private person, a family man, and a very tough taskmaster, but once he got to know you, he would open up and share his knowl...

Latest Auckland Branch Newsletter

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Laminitis claims the life of NZ Champion mare Sunline

SUNLINE (NZ) 29 September 1995-1 May 2009 Bred in New Zealand by Susan Archer & Michael Martin We are devastated by the news of Sunline's death and feel both profound grief, and profound gratitude for everything she gave us and the entire racing world. There have been and will be other great Australasian champions, but there will never, ever be another Sunline. Her magnificent physique, ferocious competitive spirit and indomitable courage were all that any breeder could hope to produce...

New Zealand-breds quinella Hong Kong Champion Mile Gr 1

It's all good when there is a Group One winner in sight. Patience and faith are just two of the attributes that you need in abundance to be a small breeder but every now and then you are rewarded with a little bit of luck and a group one winner in the family. Over the weekend Sight Winner(Faltaat-Kinjinette) added his name to the New Zealand Bred Group One honours board when he won the Hong Kong Champions Mile, one of the coveted few international Group One events in Hong Kong. Against a ver...

Chittick family celebrate an outstanding year

Celebrating Group One success is a habit that the Chittick Family of Waikato Stud have become very used to this season. With six individual Group One winners this season, three in the Spring and three in the Autumn, it has been a fantastic year. And for the icing on the cake three of those Group One winners Daffodil, Vision and Power and Metal Bender have won dual Group One races. "When we had two group one winners and a listed winner in one afternoon when Daffodil, Swick and Tootsie won las...

AJC Derby Winner a 'stunning foal"

"Roman Emperor was a stunning foal, the first time I saw him I thought he was magnificent – equal if not better to Military Plume whom I had prepared for David Renton all those years ago," enthused a delighted Arthur Ormond when discussing the merits of Roman Emperor winning the Group One AJC Derby last weekend. Obviously he wasn't the only one impressed with the son of Montjeu and Gussy Godiva (Last Tycoon-Sneetch), champion trainer Bart Cummings also thought so when he parted with $240,000...

Breeders' Bulletin, Autumn 2009 out today

Click here to read the latest issue of the Breeders' Bulletin has been mailed to NZTBA members today. Members will recall in the Summer issue published in December 2008, PhD Massey student Charlotte Boswell had written an article on a survey being undertaken on the management and exercise of yearlings in preparation for the yearling sales. Charlotte now provides an update on her findings of this research and a thank you to participating members: "With the yearling sales at Karaka over for an...

Phil Bayly no stranger to success

The octogenarian owner and breeder of Harris Tweed Phil Bayly is no stranger to success, yet when interviewed about the Group Two winning deeds of his horse last weekend he humbly admits that winning is always enjoyable. A three-year-old son of Montjeu from Sally, Harris Tweed impressively won the Group Two Tulloch Stakes over 2000 metres at Randwick. It was the gelding's third win from only 10 starts. Bayly, a Gold Badge member of the NZTBA, was in Christchurch watching his other two raceho...

Latest Waikato Branch Bloodline

Click here for a link to the April 09 edition of Bloodline. - aikato Branch NZTBA...

Metal Bender is Waikato Stud's 4th Group 1 winner this season

Waikato Stud-bred three-year-old Metal Bender (Danasinga-Jacqwin) has now claimed two legs of the Australian 3YO Triple Crown, after winning the Group One Dubai Rosehill Guineas (2000 metres) at Rosehill last Saturday, two weeks after winning the Group One Randwick Guineas (1600metres). He will now be a leading contender for the Group One AJC Derby on April 11 and if successful, will be the only three-year-old since the mighty Octagonal to achieve this feat. It's no surprise that he has achi...

Rockdale wins the Rough Habit Plate (Gr 3) at Doomben

According to Donna Logan watching Rockdale win is as thrilling as watching one of her own stable runners win. "It's like he is one of mine. It was a great thrill to see him win again. I get just as excited watching him win as I do watching the horses I train win, " said the Ruakaka horse trainer. Last weekend Rockdale (Danroad-Komplete Kaos), bred by Donna and her partners, won the Group Three Rough Habit Plate at Doomben, for three-year-olds over 2020metres. At the Brisbane carnival last wi...

'My Astron' a shining light for the Sturt family

"He's a wonderful little horse, it's so exciting to watch him win and I was so excited especially for Anne and Peter Evans who have been so patient with him," gushed an obviously delighted Charles Sturt the breeder of the Group Two First Sovereign Japan/New Zealand Trophy winner My Astron (My Halo-Salute). With an enthusiasm rarely seen in the breeding industry these days, Charles went on to describe how My Astron was like a member of his family and how the whole Sturt family gained so much pl...

Breeders' thrilled with continued success on the race track

There is no greater thrill for a breeder than breeding a winner, even though all breeders aspire to breed a Group One winner any winner is a fulfilment in itself. 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, to name a few, and although the winners she has bre...