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NZTBA website among award finalists again

The NZTBA's website is once again among the three finalists in the Best Organisation Site category at the 2003 Wilburtins McDonald Thoroughbred Internet Awards. The other two finalists in this category are RacingNSW and last year's winner Racing Victoria. The NZTBA site won the inaugural title in 2001 and was also a finalist last year. Only two other New Zealand thoroughbred industry websites are included in the list of finalists for the six categories. They are Paul Moroney Bloodstock (finali...

Racing Industry Forums: last chance to catch the future

Four racing industry forums to be held during February will give all industry stakeholders and participants an opportunity to learn more about the Working Party Report. It may also be the last chance for the industry as a whole to determine and shape its own future in a progressive and democratic manner. The Racing Industry Board, which commissioned the Report, has decided to present the forums after requests from individuals and industry bodies for a full briefing on its content and recommend...

25 NZ Oaks winners, 1969-1993 & their stud records

From the 1969 winner Mayo Gold until the 1993 winner Miltak (the most recent Oaks winner to produce named foals), the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham provides a group of 25 fillies whose subsequent race and stud careers make very interesting reading. The present race has a complex history. Three races at three different courses have at various times carried the Oaks title. It was not until New Zealand's national three-year-old classics were finally established in 1974 that the New Zealand Oaks be...

Oaks triumph for Shinko King, small breeders & the Manto tribe

Ashwell Farm's sire Shinko King got his first stakeswinner today when his strapping daughter Bramble Rose (ex Images by Gleam Machine) won the New Zealand Oaks 2400m G1 at Trentham. Shinko King (Fairy King-Rose of Jericho by Alleged) was a Group One-winning sprinter in Japan with a record of eight wins from 27 starts over four seasons, testament not only to his ability but also his physical and psychological soundness in a very tough racing scene. He shuttled from Japan for three seasons, 1998...

Fayette Park Stud adds to outstanding Group One record

Studmaster David Benjamin was a happy man at Ellerslie yesterday after Hail completed a notable Group One double for Fayette Park Stud, Matamata by winning the weight-for-age Zabeel Classic over 2000 metres. The stud also bred Wednesday's Lion Red Auckland Cup winner Bodie in partnership with Kevin Mischefski. Both horses are by resident Fayette Park sire Stark South who is steadily compiling a respectable record as a source of quality stamina and excellent temperament. Established 15 years ago...

Jillings & Yuill lead Ellerslie Carnival trainers' list

Eight wins gave Colin Jillings and Richard Yuill a comfortable win on the trainers' table at the four-day Lion Red Summer Carnival. Sedecrem contributed two of those victories including the Highview Stud Trophy G2; Marcurous added the Novotel Ellerslie Newmarket Handicap LR before running third in the Sky City Railway Stakes G1; and Foxette took out the $150,000 Mercedes Super Bonus Fillies Prelude. Sir Kinloch, Critic, Diamond Hill and Dragon Tiger completed a very satisfying week of premier ra...

O’Sullivan, Rutherford, Childs take honours at Lion Red Carnival

Lance O'Sullivan had the top of the jockeys' table at Lion Red Summer Carnival all to himself with eight wins, including Egyptian Raine's G1 Railway Stakes victory, and the G3 Eclipse Stakes on Ubiquitous. His win on Tricky Dancer in the last race yesterday also broke David Peake's record as the most successful jockey at Ellerslie with 393 wins on the course. He's in second place on the national premiership with 66 wins for the season, eleven shy of Michael Walker whose only Carnival winner, Bei...

Stark South & Zabeel dominate Lion Red Auckland Carnival

With five wins between them, including the three Group One features, Cambridge Stud's Zabeel and Fayette Park's Stark South were the star sires of the four-day carnival at Ellerslie. St Reims and Lafleur, both from Zabeel's 1999 crop, won the Mercedes New Zealand Derby G1 and New Zealand Bloodstock Royal S. G2 respectively, and Westbury Stud's up-and-coming stayer Zafar won impressively over 2100 metres on the first day. Lafleur, from the Green Desert mare Desert Lily, is raced by her breeders ...

Breeders & Sales Records of NZ Derby runners

The runners in today's $500,000 ARC Mercedes New Zealand Derby 2400m G1, listed with their sire and 2002 service fee, breeders, and sale details where available. BANK NOTE Sire: Woodborough, $6,000 Breeder: D.B Bolton Sold: NZ Select $15,000; then NZ Ready To Run Sale $9,000 BOB'S BOY Sire: Lord Ballina, $5,000 Breeder: A.R. Campbell Withdrawn from 2001 NZ Ready To Run Sale; retained by owner-breeder-trainer CHEERINE KID Sire: Gaius, $2,000 Breeders: Glyn & Edwina Morris COUP D'ETAT Sir...

Shannon Taylor wins NZTBA International Management Scholarship

Shannon Taylor, winner of the 2003 NZTBA International Management Scholarship The Auckland branch of the NZTBA is pleased to announce that Shannon Taylor is the recipient of their 2003 International Management Scholarship. The inaugural 2002 Scholarship was won by Grant Bennett, now working at Ashwell Farm, Cambridge. Shannon was educated at Pukekohe High School and gained a bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Waikato, with a double major in marketing and human ...

Sheikh Mohammed warns British racecourses

On the evidence of his speech at the Gimcrack Dinner held at York, England on Tuesday evening Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum would be a philosophical ally of the stakeholder groups pursuing the rocky path of fundamental reform within New Zealand racing. The conflict between UK racecourses and the rest of the industry which Sheikh Mohammed highlighted has recently become evident in New Zealand where reports acknowledging the critical state of racing and recommending major industry chang...

2003 NZTBA Overseas Training Scholarship winners announced

Cathie Heald (left) and Elizabeth Paddy, winners of the 2003 NZTBA Overseas Training Scholarships. Cathie Heald, 24, and Elizabeth Paddy, 23, are the winners of the two NZTBA Overseas Training Scholarships for 2003. They were selected from seven applicants after interviews conducted last week by a five-person panel: Michael Martin & Sally Cassels-Brown (NZTBA National Office), Tom Burn (NZTBA Councillor & Wellington branch president), Geoff Turner and Henry Ward (NZTBA Wellington b...

NZTBA President speaks at Glenmorgan opening

Peter Hutt speaking at the Tuscany Farm opening, with studmaster Brett Jenkins and the Prime Minister to his left. Peter Hutt, the President of the NZTBA, addressed around 400 people at the opening of Glenmorgan Farm's new sales preparation facility, named Tuscany Farm, at Karaka last Thursday. Special guests included the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Helen Clark and Dr Takamatsu from the Japan Racing Association's Sydney office. The text of Mr Hutt's speech follows: Thank you for ...

2002 NZTBA Wellington Branch Award Winners

The NZTBA's Wellington Branch presented the following 2001-02 awards after the last race on Wellington Thoroughbred Breeders' Guineas day, 26 October, at Trentham Gardens: Breeding Excellence Awards BRYAN KERR St Steven (1994 g. Hula Town-Gabby) Season Record: 9 starts: 4 wins-2 placings Wins incl: 1st Nakayama Grand Jump S., Japan 1st MVRC AV Hiskens Steeplechase – for the second consecutive year 1st MVRC St Steven Steeplechase 2002 Australian Champion Jumper 2002 Mercedes (New Zealand) Jump...

Honor Bound honoured by Te Aroha JC

The Te Aroha Jockey Club will re-name its President's Room the "Honor Bound Lounge" in recognition of the fine racemare Honor Bound who retired earlier this year after winning the ARC EAster Handicap G1. The club has three other rooms named after Group One winners also trained at the course: Barbut Delcia, Battle Heights and Chrisarda. Honor Bound's owner-breeders, NZTBA members Terry & Vicki Pascoe will sponsor a maiden fillies and mares 1600 metre race on 30 October to be named the Honor...

New Zealand Sires on the Rise: O'Reilly

Just how good is Waikato Stud's young sire O'Reilly? If we look simply at numbers of stakeswinners his performance is comparable to that of his fellow third-crop sires Woodborough and Pentire. Yet his 2002 fee of $15,000 is considerably higher than these horses command and he is one of the few stallions in New Zealand this season whose book has been advertised as full. Why? The answer lies partly in the quality and location of O'Reilly's stakeswinners. From his first crop he has left Final De...

New Zealand Sires on the Rise: Mellifont

By a champion sire son of the great US sire Mr Prospector from a three-quarter sister to the dominant stallion of Europe, Sadler's Wells, Mellifont is not short of northern hemisphere genetic power. His other relatives include champion sires Nureyev and Fairy King, plus Perugino who produced 36 winners from 50 starters out of his 1996 Australian crop but did not return to Australia until 1999. Those 36 winners include two Group One winners, champion Australian Sprinter Testa Rossa (TFE rating 12...

New Zealand Sires on the Rise: Pentire

With 164 foals from three crops now of racing age, Pentire (Be My Guest-Gull Nook by Mill Reef) is gathering enough momentum to give breeders some confidence that he will deliver on the promise of his classic pedigree and superlative racing career. By the sire of classic winners Assert (Irish & French Derbys), On The House (The 1000 Guineas) and Valentine Waltz (French 1000 Guineas) from a three-quarter sister to Irish & English Derby winner Shirley Heights, it's hardly surprising that ...

New Zealand Sires on the Rise: Woodborough

When Bank Note (ex Take Note by Lanfranco) won the Wanganui Guineas LR for owner John Wells on 31 August he provided Woodborough with his first three-year-old, and third overall stakeswinner, after Shinnecock and Ultra Vires, who won the WRC Wellesley S. LR in successive seasons. Woodborough's sire Woodman was Head of the Irish Two-Year-Old Free Handicap in 1985, and has twice been champion sire of two-year-olds in both the United States and France. His dam Performing Arts won twice at two and...

Sunline meets high expectations - again

New Zealand's champion Sunline (Desert Sun-Songline by Western Symphony) has carried the weight of public expectation for the best part of four years now. Her own competitiveness in the very best company has sharpened that expectation to an almost unreasonable degree. How many seven-year-old mares in Australasia - or the world - could meet an outstanding field including eight other Group One winners over 1400m, fresh, without even a trial, and be expected to win comfortably? Only one. And yet...

Four Breeding Awards made at Mercedes Dinner

Stallions, broodmares and breeders were honoured at the Mercedes New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Awards presented at the Ellerslie Function Centre, Auckland on 16 August: Dewar Stallion Trophy: Zabeel, Cambridge Stud, Cambridge The Dewar Stallion Trophy recognises the leading New Zealand-based sire by combined Australasian progeny earnings. Zabeel has now won the title seven times in consecutive years, and is closing on his sire Sir Tristram's record of nine Dewar Trophy wins. The Trophy was ...

FAMIS 2000 pool tops $200,000

With entries from South Island Sale fillies still to be finalised, the FAMIS 2000 pool stands at $204,380. A total of 458 two-year-old fillies are entered in the Fillies And Mares Incentive Scheme, established by the NZTBA in 1992. The Association's administration manager Sally Cassels-Brown says "We're delighted to see last year's entry level exceeded, and thank breeders and owners very much for their continued participation. The Scheme has built up a large group of loyal supporters, many of ...

Simply The Best wins her third FAMIS bonus

Three-year-old filly Simply The Best earned her third FAMIS bonus when she won the Lion Foundation Manawatu Hotel 3yo, 1200m at Foxton on Sunday 11 August. By Kingdom Bay from Chickero, Simply The Best is raced by her co-breeder John Borich in partnership with Pioneer Racing Ltd, and is prepared by Chris and Colleen Wood at Cambridge. She has now won three of her six starts and race stakemoney of $20,125, plus FAMIS prizemoney of $17,250. Simply The Best is only the third filly in the ten-yea...

Breeder of the Year finalists announced

Three previous winners of the Mercedes Breeder of the Year title are among the four finalists for this year's award, to be announced at the Mercedes Thoroughbred Racing Award dinner on Friday 16 August. Nominations are made by the NZTBA council and branches, and the 11 councillors' votes decide the finalists and the winner. This year's finalists are: Susan Archer & Michael Martin, Auckland Breeders of champion Sunline, three-time Australian & three-time New Zealand Horse of the Year, ...

Sunline makes history at Australian awards

New Zealand champion Sunline made history in Melbourne on Tuesday evening when she was admitted to the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and named Australia's Champion Racehorse for the third consecutive year. The six-year-old mare was one of twenty inductees to the Racing Hall of Fame, established by the Australian Racing Museum last year to honour the great horses and people of the Australian turf. Fittingly, Sunline was inducted alongside the greatest mare bred in Australia, Wakeful; two other...