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Waikato Stud, Ron and Fran Dixon combine for an exciting win

Waikato Stud's champion sire O'Reilly is showing no signs of slowing down and is continuing year after year to produce stakes winners. Hera (ex Corsica), the winner of the Listed Graeme Thomson Jewellers Great Northern Foal Stakes for two-year-olds, is his 15th stakes winner this season, and brings his total to 66. He has left five three-year-old stakes winners this season including the Group One winners Shamexpress (ex Volksrose) and Sacred Falls (ex Iguazu's Girl) and the fillies Emerald Que...

Holly's Blog - May 2013

My last few weeks in Newmarket were just as busy and exciting as the first few seizing to make the most of every opportunity before I left. I accompanied Chris Richardson on a Saturday morning to watch some of the Cheveley Park horses in training. ...

Bruce Gray says "I Do"

Karaka breeder Bruce Gray was among those cheering on I Do (No Excuse Needed(USA)- Freequence) when she won the listed Windsor Park Rotorua Stakes recently as he is the proud owner of her dam Freequence. In fact, Bruce actually bought Freequence (O'Reilly – Freequent) while she was carrying I Do, knowing that the foal was to be kept by Alan Sharrock and Waikato Stud who had leased the mare for two seasons. "Freequence was owned by Shirley and Ross Hayward who have been friends of my family f...

Graeme Hunt has great faith in Eulogy line mares

Salamanca's (Alamosa- Anca) impressive win in the recent listed Berkeley Stud Champagne Stakes at Riccarton did not come as a surprise to his breeder Graeme Hunt. What did surprise him was how well he won. "I am surprised that he won that well in the wet, on what he had shown in his first win (at his only other start). I knew he was capable of winning. It's very exciting for me as not only is he Alamosa's first stakes winner, but he is also Anca's first foal. For a first foal he was outstandin...

Brampton Legs leaves a Group 2 winner for Eric and Moyra Johnston

Mosgiel breeders Eric and Moyra Johnston only have one broodmare, Brampton Legs (Zabeel- La Suffragette), on their 30 acre property, but in their eyes she is pretty special especially after her first foal Pimms Time became a group two winner. Pimms Time, a four-year-old mare by Pins (AUS), recently won the group two Travis Stakes, taking her winning tally to five wins from 12 starts. In fact, this time last year she was still a maiden, winning her first race at Otaki in late May before having a...

NZTBA member Don Gordon wins his local Cup

Hawke's Bay octogenarian Don Gordon has been breeding horses and racing horses for nearly sixty years, and is no stranger to breeding or racing stakes winners. However his most recent stakes winner Survived (Zed – Liberal) is lucky to have done exactly that. When Survived was born in October 2009 he was so small Gordon didn't think he would survive. "I decided to foal Liberal (Generous[GB]) – Political) at home to save the $500 foaling fee and got Arthur Ormond around to give me a hand. It...

Bel Esprit and Sacred Falls both descend from No. 34 family

BEL ESPRIT the sire of champion Australian racemare BLACK CAVIAR, along with SACRED FALLS recent winner of the $2 million ATC Doncaster Handicap in Sydney belong to the Bruce Lowe No.34 Family. BEL ESPRIT traces back to one of Southland's oldest families involving veterinarian and studmaster Mr.A. Chisholm, of Glentriun Stud, Otautau, Western Southland. For many years Alex Chisholm was the official veterinarian at the Trentham Yearling Sales, and when the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Ass...

Holly's out and about in Newmarket

Read Holly Ross' latest blog from Newmarket, England. - Holly Ross...

Tremec keeps the Horlicks' family flag flying for the de Gruchys

The legacy of the champion mare Horlicks continues to live on, and recently her grandson Temac (Zabeel – Tipple), winner of the group two ATC Chairman's Handicap, added his name to her tally of stakes winning descendants. "It's great to see her descendants excel in the hottest racing scene in the world at the moment in Australia. She has left a great legacy and it will live on," according to Hawkes Bay breeder Graham de Gruchy who bred and owned the great mare, and bred her grandson Temac. "...

Holly's Blog - April 2013

I have now been in England for five weeks which means I am halfway through my time at Cheveley Park Stud. Everything on the stud is going well; haven't had many foals in the past couple of weeks (probably due to the cold weather) so we are expecting a few very soon! Each day I am learning something new and adjusting to the different way tasks are carried out in the Northern Hemisphere. There are so many great places to see in Newmarket for a horse racing and breeding enthusiast. Running a few e...

Holly's Blog - April 2013

I have now been in England for five weeks which means I am halfway through my time at Cheveley Park Stud. Everything on the stud is going well; haven't had many foals in the past couple of weeks (probably due to the cold weather) so we are expecting a few very soon! Each day I am learning something new and adjusting to the different way tasks are carried out in the Northern Hemisphere. There are so many great places to see in Newmarket for a horse racing and breeding enthusiast. Running a few e...

Dozintmateranyway thrills his South Island breeders

A good many years ago a group of mates in the South Island keen on racing got a syndicate together to race a horse. They have had a bit of luck in that time and three of them are still racing a horse together - Dozintmateranyway who recently won the listed CJC Easter Cup at Riccarton. According to one of the trio, Southland NZTBA branch member Robbie Gibson, it all started years ago with a Conquistarose (USA) mare, Conquisate (ex Princess Daisy). "We started with Conquisate. She won a couple ...

Great news for The Oaks

If you are a breeder, or an owner, winning a group one race is the ultimate aim. Winning a group one race when you own the horse, bred the horse, still own its dam, stand the stallion and sponsor the race, is euphoric. Just ask Dick Karreman. Queensland-based Karreman owns Recite (Darci Brahma – Chant) the winner of the group one The Oaks Stud Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes. He is also a shareholder in Darci Brahma who stands at his The Oaks in Cambridge, which is also home to his extensive b...

Battle Eve's grand-daughter does the business at Tauranga for the Browns

There was a sense of déjà vu when Our Famous Eve (Fast'N'Famous [AUS]- Expoeve) won the group two Windsor Park Stud Japan Trophy recently. She was upholding a family liking for the Tauranga track, her famous grandmother Battle Eve (Battle Waggon [GB] – Summer Eve) won the race 39 years ago, along with another 24 races in her career, and her mother Expoeve (Exploding Prospect [USA]- Battle Eve) only won one race and that was the Owens Services Handicap at that course. Ironically it was Bay ...

Sue and Stuart McGiffert breed a stakes winner at Trentham

South Canterbury breeders Sue and Stuart McGiffert admit to being "pretty excited" when watching Natuzzi (Coats Choice[AUS] – Monsanto) taking out the listed Sahkee's Secret Melbourne Racing Club Lightning Handicap at Trentham recently. "We enjoy sitting here and watching our progeny race on a Saturday, and its pretty exciting watching them win a black type race at Trentham. We have been in the industry a long time and so know how hard it is to breed a black type winner, but it shows that the...

Ex-pat Kiwi enjoys breeding success with the promising So Wotif

As promising three-year-old So Wotif (NZ) (Iffraaj [GB]) hit the line to score his biggest win to date in the Gr. 3 NZB Insurance Pearl Series Mr Tiz Trophy at Ellerslie last week, the cheering wasn't just confined to an enthusiastic support crew in the main grandstand. Breeder and ex-pat kiwi Phillip Chen was also letting loose with a "you beauty" from the comfort of his lounge in Kurrajong, New South Wales where he now lives and has operated his own medical practice for the past twenty two ye...

Holly's Blog - March 2013

After much anticipation on the 20th February 2013 a very excited young lady set off on a brilliant opportunity and experience, the Sunline International Management Scholarship. Introduction My name is Holly Ross and I am the fortunate recipient of this years' Sunline Scholarship which allows me to spend 10 weeks each at three of the world's most renowned thoroughbred operations travelling to Cheveley Park Stud in England, Coolmore Stud Ireland and Taylor Made Farm in America. Prior to being a...

Golden run continues for Raffles Farm

The dream run for the Cambridge based Raffles Farm breeding and racing operation continued on Auckland Cup day at Ellerslie when More Than Sacred (Aus) (by More Than Ready [Aus]) scored a dogged win in the Gr. 3 McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m). Refusing to be beaten the filly showed plenty of determination, not unlike the champion mare the race is named after, as she fought back to score by a short neck over Savabeel filly Ray's Girl. The win of More Than Sacred denied the Waikato Stud based...

Breeders' Bulletin -Autumn 2013

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Long Acres Stud breeds the Taranaki Cup winner Capone

A remarkable coincidence went largely unnoticed recently when two New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association Council Members swept the black type races at Taranaki Racing's premier meeting at New Plymouth on the 16th of February. Just eighty minutes after Girl of My Dreams (Gold Centre [Aus]) scored in the Gr. 3 Phoenix Park 2YO Classic to the delight of her breeder and Central Districts council member John O'Brien, Canterbury and districts branch president Myles Gordon and his partner Debbi...

John O’Brien reflects as gift horse scores Group Three triumph

The dashing win of Girl Of My Dreams (Gold Centre [Aus]) in last weekend's Gr. 3 Phoenix Park 2YO Classic (1200m) at New Plymouth produced a somewhat bittersweet moment for the man who bred the promising filly at his Newmarket Lodge property where he stands her unheralded sire Gold Centre (Aus) (Danehill [USA]). Popular Central Districts-based veterinarian and NZTBA Councillor John O'Brien continues to cement his family reputation for breeding quality thoroughbred performers that was establishe...

"Fix" is a wonderful advertisement for her dam

Achieving the optimum price for a yearling at the sales is all about timing, just ask Haunui Farm and Frantic Bloodstock, the vendors of the Zabeel – Destined (GB) filly the highest priced yearling filly at Karaka this year. "It's absolutely all about timing. The filly's half sister Fix (by Iffraaj (GB) achieved Group 2 black type performance one month out from the sales and that made all the difference," according to Haunui Farm's general manager Mark Chitty. "She was always a marketable fi...

Castlzeberg's impressive win has him in contention for the New Zealand Derby

An impressive win in the recent group two H S Dyke Waikato Guineas by Castlzeberg (ex Stylish Cent) has propelled the Castledale (IRE) gelding into contention for the New Zealand Derby next month. Castlzeberg has only raced on six occasions and the Waikato Guineas was his second win. He was soon in front in the 2000 metre event, and was tackled as they turned for home. However, he kicked clear at the 250 and went on to win easily by three and three-quarter lengths. He won his first trial in Oc...

NZTBA instigates new NZB Insurance Pearl series

Racing a filly or mare will be a lot more rewarding in the 2013-14 season thanks to the NZB Insurance NZB Insurance Pearl Series a new $2.6million bonus scheme instigated by the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association. The NZB Insurance Pearl Series will commence in the new racing season. The first fillies eligible for the series are the current crop of yearlings and in their two-year-old season there will be 15 bonus races available. As three and four-year-olds there will be bonuses on 1...

Heather and Peter's dream comes true!!

Taranaki Branch members Heather and Peter Crofskey feel like they have been catapulted into another universe following the deeds of their unbeaten filly Habibi (Ekraar[USA]-Danny Holiday). "She has turned our lives around. It was totally unexpected and it's wonderful," Heather Crofskey enthused. "It's a journey that as little people in the racing and breeding game you dream about, you occasionally see someone like yourself having a lot of success and you dream about it but you never really bel...