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Stakeholders invited to NZTR Forums next week

All thoroughbred industry stakeholders (clubs, owners, breeders, trainers, riders, officials) are invited to attend the 2006 Regional Forums scheduled throughout the country next week. Dates and venues are: 12 noon Tuesday 30 May - Gallop South Regional Forum at Wingatui12 noon Wednesday 31 May - Canterbury Regional Forum at Riccarton12 noon Thursday 1 June - Northern Regional Forum at Te Rapa12 noon Friday 2 June - Central Regional Forum at Awapuni Each forum will begin at 12 noon with a bu...

Ford Report focus on Australia, 27 May-2 June

The next edition of The Ford Report comes to you from Australia with content shot at Vinery, Arrowfield and Chatswood Studs. Programme content for this edition... * Vinery Australia, NSW: BENICIO * Arrowfield Stud, NSW: FLYING SPUR * Chatswood Stud, VIC: HEMINGWAY * Pedigree subject: GAZE FIRST PLAY - Saturday, May 27 @ 7.30am (Digital) SECOND PLAY - Sunday, May 28 @ 11.00am (UHF & Digital) THIRD PLAY - Monday, May 29 @ 9.30pm (Digital) FOURTH PLAY - Tuesday, May 30 @ 11.30am (Dig...

Lord & Man rule the jumps at Te Rapa

Glorious weather and the chance to see brilliant steeplechaser No Hero attracted a large and expectant crowd for the Premier Jumping meeting at Te Rapa yesterday. Two commanding victories in the Dunstan Horse Feeds-sponsored Hurdles and the Steeples didn't disappoint them, but unfortunately, No Hero's role ended at the first fence in the $50,000 Waikato Steeplechase, run over 4900 metres and sponsored by Braxton Car Lights. The nine-year-old grey gelding appeared to lose his footing afte...

Mr Nancho announced for Stoney Bridge

Stoney Bridge has announced that Mr. Nancho (pronounced "Narcho"), an Argentine-bred Champion Miler son of Southern Halo, will stand alongside St Reims and Hawkeye at their newly acquired Stoney Bridge Waikato farm this coming season. "We are proud to announce a second champion galloper and Group One winner to join our 2006 roster," said Stoney Bridge owner Michael Tololi. "We have very close ties with Vinery Australia and their success with last season's Champion Australian First Crop ...

Waikato first-crop weanlings on show this Sunday

Weanlings from the first crops of eight Waikato-based sires will be on show this Sunday, 21 May during the Weanling Walk organised by the NZTBA Waikato branch. NZTBA members and guests are warmly invited to join the tour, which is free of charge. The programme is: TIME STUDS & SIRES OF PARADING WEANLINGS 7.30 am Hallmark Stud, Te Kauwhata - Gold Mine & Le Bec Fin 9.00 am Java Lodge, Matamata - Occidental Tourist 10.00 a...

2006 Bomac Lecture Series dates confirmed

The schedule for this year's Bomac Lecture Series has now been changed, to allow for New Zealand Bloodstock's re-scheduled Broodmare Sale on 6 August. The Series will be held as follows: Sunday 30 July Te Rapa Racecourse HAMILTON Wednesday 2 August Awapuni Racecourse PALMERSTON NORTH Sunday 6 August Commodore Airport Hotel 499 Memorial Ave CHRISTCHURCH The horse's f...

Dash for Cash on The Ford Report

The Ford Report team was in Victoria & New South Wales last week and the first item from that visit, a profile of Dash For Cash, features on the programme from Saturday. Programme content for this edition... * Collingrove Stud, Victoria: DASH FOR CASH * Stoney Bridge, Karaka: NEW STALLION FIRST PLAY - Saturday, May 20 @ 7.30am (Digital) SECOND PLAY - Sunday, May 21 @ 11.00am (UHF & Digital) THIRD PLAY - Monday, May 22 @ 9.30pm (Digital) FOURTH PLAY - Tuesday, May 23 @ 11.30am (D...

FEATURE: New article on Measuring Stallion Performance

As breeders settle down to work out their matings for the coming season, and sire premierships move towards their final results, discussion inevitably arises about the best and fairest ways to measure stallion performance. Total progeny earnings remain the basis for the major sire premierships in Australia and New Zealand, which have been slow to pick up alternative methods of assessing stallions that are widely used elsewhere, especially in the United States. NZTBA member Renee Geelen is we...

Gee I Jane storms the fortress at Doomben

It's been a long wait for this season's first New Zealand-bred, -owned and –trained Group One winner* in Australia, but on Saturday Gee I Jane (Jahafil-Miss Distinction by Bletchencore) delivered a performance worth waiting for. Brilliant dual Group One winner GEE I JANE PHOTO: NZ Thoroughbred Marketing The five-year-old mare, raced by her breeder Kieran McCarthy with L.J. Mackie, stormed home along the rail to take out the first running of the 1200-metre BTC Cup a...

Farewell Kaapstad, 23 October 1984 - 8 May 2006

The 1988-89 edition of the excellent, but short-lived Raceform, an Australasian version of Timeform's famous annual publication, included this listing: "…appeared only twice, early spring; managed fourth in the Manikato G2 behind Rancho Ruler, Special and Our Westminster then put in a very ordinary run in Rancho Ruler's Memsie Stakes G2 on a very slow track; retired to stud. A very high quality performer; won the VRC Sires' Produce S. G1 at two, took the Ascot Vale Stales G2 at three and when...

Encouraging market at National Weanling Sale

A beautiful day and a large buying crowd contributed to an encouraging National Weanling Sale at Karaka yesterday. It was the first time New Zealand Bloodstock had presented weanlings at a stand-alone sale, following the company's well-received decision to transfer the broodmare and mixed bloodstock section of the traditional May sale to August. This was done to take advantage of the new broodmare depreciation rates which take effect from 1 August. Yesterday, the impact of the other part of...

Jacksons enjoy recent racing success

Dr Alan Jackson has received plaudits as the man behind The Plan for Lifting Economic Performance in the Racing Industry (see link on the Resources page) published in January 2005 by the Racing Board. Better known as the Jackson Report, it gave crucial support to the industry's argument that unfair taxation of betting on racing was hampering its ability to grow and contribute even more to the national economy. In conjunction with sector groups, notably the breeders' and trainers' associations, a...

St Reims, & Curraghmore weanlings on the Ford Report

St Reims, the foundation sire for Stoney Bridge Waikato, features on the next edition of The Ford Report. There's also a look at six members of the Curraghmore Stud consignment for this weekend's National Weanling Sale. Programme content for this edition... * Stoney Bridge: ST REIMS * Curraghmore Stud: WEANLING CONSIGNMENT * Pedigree Subject: KING OF ASHFORD FIRST PLAY - Saturday, May 06 @ 7.30am (Digital) SECOND PLAY - Sunday, May 07 @ 11.00am (UHF & Digital) THIRD PLAY - Monday, M...

Stoney Bridge Waikato to stand St Reims

Stoney Bridge has announced dual Group One winner St Reims (Zabeel-L'Quiz by L'Enjoleur) as the foundation sire for its new farm near Matamata, Stoney Bridge Waikato. He will stand his first season in 2006 at a fee of $8,000 (plus GST). A limited number of Lifetime Breeding Rights are also available. Sir Patrick Hogan & Rob McAnulty lead ST REIMS back to scale after his 2002 New Zealand Derby G1 victory. St Reims is one of those rare horses that has completely fulfille...

2006 Stallion Expo cancelled

The Committee of the Auckland Branch of the NZTBA has announced its decision this week to cancel this year's renewal of the Stallion Expo. The Expo has been held annually in late August for the last fifteen years at New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka Sales Centre. The reason for its canceellation this year is the declining support for the Expo from studs and stallion owners. The NZTBA Auckland branch expresses its gratitude to New Zealand Bloodstock for the use of their facilities, and thanks s...

Windsor Park Stud announces fees for 2006

Windsor Park Stud, Cambridge has announced the 2006 fees for their nine stallions. Exciting young sire Black Minnaloushe, standing this year at $17,500. PHOTO: Windsor Park Stud The fee for current leading first crop sire Black Minnaloushe rises from $12,000 to $17,500. (All fees quoted are plus GST). His leading performer, Jokers Wild (ex Miss Rory by Rory's Jester) has won both Sires' Produce Stakes G1 events, at Ellerslie and Awapuni. Remarkably, Black Minnalo...

Handsome Ransom on The Ford Report this week

Ashwell Farm's Handsome Ransom served 105 mares in his first season, making him one of New Zealand's most popular stallions in 2005. The son of Red Ransom is profiled on the current edition of The Ford Report. The programme also features four first-crop foals by Thorn Park, who stands at Windsor Park Stud. Programme content for this edition... * Ashwell Farm, Cambridge: HANDSOME RANSOM * Windsor Park Stud, Cambridge: THORN PARK foals * Archive: WINSTON PETERS interview * Pedigree Subject: ...

Ombre Rose sniffs success for Canterbury friends

The victory of Ombre Rose (O'Reilly-Lady Chanele by Citidancer) in Saturday's CJC Inglewood S. 1600m LR confirmed the class she'd already shown in four previous wins. It also gave her Canterbury owner-breeders Michael and Michele House, and Sheldon Murtha another reason to be very satisfied indeed with their first joint venture in thoroughbred breeding and racing. Michele & Michael House, part-owners & co-breeders of Ombre Rose Michael is a harness trainer, and he ...

Bonus Scheme entries close 30 April

Owners of rising two-year-olds have six days to complete their 2006 Thoroughbred Bonus Scheme (TBS) entries. Already this season, owners who paid up for yearlings in April 2005 have claimed almost $180,000 in bonus prizemoney. They can look forward to two more seasons of bonus racing. Owners of TBS-qualified three-year-olds have been paid out more than $600,000 and their horses remain eligible until the end of next season. TBS administrator Sally Cassels-Brown says, "For about a month's ...

Sydney Cup day review

Results on the final day of the 2006 Easter Carnival at Randwick didn't give too much fresh information to New Zealand breeders, but they did reinforce a couple of lessons of the past decade: Danehill rules, ok – without siring any of the day's winners himself, he still dominated the card. Three different Danehill sons, Commands, Flying Spur and Danewin, sired the winners of the Champagne Stakes G1 (two-year-olds), All Aged Stakes G1 (wfa 1600m) and Sydney Cup G1 (3200m handicap). Commands ...

Omens are good for Fooram in Sydney Cup

Fooram's victory in last Saturday's $A200,000 AJC Chairman's H. 2600m G2 was noteworthy for several reasons. FOORAM (NZ) winning the AJC Chairman's H. G2 on 15 April PHOTO: Australian Jockey Club Firstly, he led home a New Zealand-bred trifecta in an Australian Group race, which used to be more common than it is at present. Even better, he and the runner-up Three Chimneys (Generous-Star On Ice) are both owned by New Zealanders. Three Chimneys is also trained here,...

Joe Walls on the Ford Report, 22-28 April

Joe Walls, recently appointed chairman of New Zealand Bloodstock, talks about some of the issues facing the New Zealand breeding industry in an exclusive interview with Adrian Clark on the next edition of The Ford Report. Programme content for this edition... * New Zealand Bloodstock: Joe Walls interview * Stoney Bridge Auckland: Storm Creek foals * Pedigree Subject: ARLINGTONBOULEVARD FIRST PLAY - Saturday, April 22 @ 7.30am (Digital) SECOND PLAY - Sunday, April 23 @ 11.00am (UHF & ...

Whakanui Stud celebrates Australian Derby winner

Saturday's AJC Australian Derby G1 winner Headturner doesn't have an (NZ) suffix, but he does have strong Kiwi connections. He was bred by Tim and Karen Bodle's Waikato-based Whakanui Stud, offered for sale at Karaka and purchased by a New Zealand agent for New Zealand owners. By Danzig's brilliant son Anabaa, Headturner is from the Zabeel mare Monroe Magic, a winning daughter of smart New Zealand juvenile My Marilyn (Bakharoff). However, neither of them had the ability of his third dam G3 Tas...

NZTBA raffle delivers many happy endings

Denny Baker was overcome with emotion after Rags To Riches won Saturday's ARC A tearful Denny Baker (left) is congratulated by bloodstock agent Robert Dawe after RAGS TO RICHES wins the $150,000 ARC Easter H. G1 at Ellerslie on 15 April. Easter Handicap 1600m G1. And no wonder. The five-year-old gelding gave him and his family their first Group One victory in more than thirty years of racing and breeding horses. Denny owns and operates Hallmark Stud near Te Kauwhata wi...

Bonus schemes feature on the Ford Report

Four of the first-crop southern hemisphere foals of Spartacus can be seen on the next edition of The Ford Report. There's also a profile on D'Cash, the sire of Udiditagain, plus comment on Bonus Schemes in this country, past, present & future. Programme content for this edition... * The Oaks Stud: SPARTACUS foals * Ashwell Farm: D'CASH profile * Breeders' Association: BONUS SCHEMES, with Michael Martin, NZTBA * Pedigree Subject: DE BEERS FIRST PLAY - Saturday, April 15 @ 7.30am ...