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O’Reilly mare an inspired piece of business

Modest purchase Bella Carolina has proved herself to be an exceptional investment for Mapperley Stud principal Simms Davison.Her value has skyrocketed since she was secured for just $6,000 out of Little Avondale Stud’s draft at the 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock Broodmare Sale with the bargain buy producing three stakes winners.“She was a dark O’Reilly mare, he was doing such a great job and getting older at the time,” Davison said.“I didn’t have a lot of money then and she was the sort...

NZB Unveils World-Class Catalogues for Karaka 2024

There will be no resting on laurels for New Zealand Bloodstock after last week’s record-shattering Ready to Run Sale. Instead, the release of the catalogues for Karaka 2024 has launched the countdown to the pinnacle event on the sales calendar.The 98th National Yearling Sales Series will take place at Karaka from Sunday 28 January to Friday 2 February. The catalogues, which are now available to view online, contain an exceptional selection of 682 yearlings in Book 1 and another 442 in Book 2.T...

Undefeated KM favourite Velocious a star turn for stud

Precocious two-year-old Velocious is proving a gem of a filly on two fronts for Inglewood Stud.The unbeaten daughter of Written Tycoon was bred by Gus and Bianca Wigley’s North Canterbury nursery, who will also be offering her half-sister at next year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka.Velocious followed up her debut success at Te Rapa with a hollow victory in Saturday’s Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Pukekohe to earn $3 favouritism for the country’s r...

Molly blooms in Eight Carat Classic

Visiting Australian rider Blake Shinn made good use of his trip across the Tasman to ride at Pukekohe on Boxing Day as he guided Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Molly Bloom (Iffraaj) to a nail-biting victory in the Gr.2 Hallmark Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m).The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained daughter of Ace High had been unsighted since her victory at Riccarton last month and she gave her supporters, who backed her into a $1.60 favourite for the race, plenty of...

Sacred Satono charges to second Group victory in Counties Bowl

In a contest largely focussed on glamour mare Babylon Berlin, talented entire Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) made the most of his six-kilogram weight advantage to storm home in the Gr.3 Haunui Farm Counties Bowl (1100m) on Saturday at Pukekohe.Prepared by the Byerley Park-based partnership of Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley, Sacred Satono was among the four runners carrying the minimum of 53kg, while race-favourite Babylon Berlin and in-form sprinter Johny Johny received a 59kg impost...

Velocious makes bold statement in Challenge Stakes

Almost all of the spring’s brightest two-year-old talent gathered at Pukekohe on Saturday for New Zealand’s first black-type juvenile race of the season, but it was the unbeaten filly Velocious (NZ) (Written Tycoon) who soared above her contemporaries and dominated the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m).The $65,000 feature attracted a field of only five, but four of them had already been highly impressive winners. Velocious scored on debut at Te Rapa two weeks ago, while Poetic Ch...

Taranaki raider captures Counties Cup

One Bold Cat (NZ) (The Bold One) took his promising career to a new level in Saturday’s Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m) at Pukekohe, delivering a third feature prize of the month for Robbie Patterson.The in-form New Plymouth trainer had previously saddled One Bold Cat to win the $80,000 Feilding Gold Cup (2100m) at Trentham on November 4, followed by an all-the-way triumph with Puntura in the $250,000 Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) at Riccarton on November 15.One Bold Cat arrived at Pu...

Campionessa completes comeback double for Cameron

With a rail-skimming ride aboard Campionessa (NZ) (Contributer) in the Gr.2 Dunstan Horsefeeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), comeback jockey Matt Cameron completed a feature double at Pukekohe on Saturday that marked his best day back in the saddle.Cameron is a two-time winner of the New Zealand jockeys’ premiership and has ridden more than 1450 winners in a high-quality riding career. However, he has spent a large part of the last three years on the sidelines during a...

Quality Wellfield bloodstock for sale on gavelhouse.com

As the Wellfield Lodge operation winds down over the coming weeks, buyers on gavelhouse.com will be given a rare opportunity to secure some of its respected bloodlines – starting with a quality selection of 13 horses in the fortnightly auction that is open for bidding online now.The Manawatu nursery is offering four yearlings, two two-year-olds and seven mares, including the multiple race winners Champers (NZ) (Tavistock), Heidi Belle (NZ) (Vespa), Pleasure (NZ) (Vespa) and St Nancy (NZ) (Road...

Group One celebrations at Seaton Park

Every breeder’s dream of a Group One winner came true for Seaton Park proprietor Scott Eagleton and his partner Sarah Wallace when Molly Bloom won the Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton last Saturday.“It’s our first Group One winner and we were unbelievably excited,” a delighted Eagleton told RaceForm earlier this week.“Lance (O’Sullivan) and Andrew (Scott) have always had a high opinion of her, so it was great for them to finally see the best of her. She hasn’t ...

Under The Radar - Natalie Jamieson

In this month's BetaVet Under The Radar, we catch up with NZB Marketing Manager, Natalie Jamieson.Explain your role and the company you work for.I’m the Marketing Manager at New Zealand Bloodstock, which probably doesn’t need any introduction! An incredible company owned by Sir Peter Vela, and my boss Andrew Seabrook at the helm. I’ve been at NZB for about six years and manage a small but awesome team of four.What is a typical day for you?We never have the same day in the office, or o...

Welcome to the High Chaparral club

In a straight-long powerhouse finish in the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) by the exciting filly, Molly Bloom, her sire Ace High (High Chaparral) joins a growing line of High Chaparral (Sadler's Wells) sons to sire a Group 1 winner.The February 21 edition of Kiwi Chronicles described the large impression that not only High Chaparral made while in the southern hemisphere, but also that his sons have kicked on.The stallion’s two standouts are So You Think and Dundeel. The former gave cu...

Wellfield Lodge for sale

There will be a changing of the guard at Wellfield Lodge, with the Palmerston North thoroughbred nursery being offered to the market for the first time in two decades.The Manawatu farm has undergone a change in direction in recent years, moving away from standing stallions, and farm manager Peter Didham ramping up his training operation.Farm director Bill Gleeson said the decision has now been made to sell the farm and disperse the majority of its bloodstock.“Wellfield Lodge was under Peter Di...

Ace High fulfils Group One stallion destiny at Rich Hill

A classic case of being in the right place at the right time led Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson to the stable door of Ace High.Impressed by what he saw, Thompson duly signed the son of High Chaparral to the farm’s stallion roster and at Riccarton on Saturday major celebrations were sparked by his first-crop daughter Molly Bloom when she triumphed in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained filly came from the tail of the field with a powerhous...

Molly Bloom breathtaking in 1000 Guineas

There has always been a hint of something special about Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace High), and that obvious potential turned into breathtaking Group One brilliance in Saturday’s Barneswood Farm 51st New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.Matamata trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott had been working backwards from the $500,000 fillies’ classic with Molly Bloom ever since her eye-catching third placing in her only two-year-old appearance in April.The spring campaign has been far from...

Kilgravin to offer quality RTR draft

Kilgravin Lodge has been a mainstay of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready To Run Sale in recent years and principal Eoin Kemp is excited to showcase another quality draft at Karaka this week.Kemp will offer a 20-strong draft on Wednesday and Thursday and believes it is the best line-up of juveniles he has presented at the sale.“I think it is our strongest draft we have had type-wise and it is the strongest line-up of stallions we have had,” he said.“They are by stallions that suit all market...

Maria Farina clinches thrilling win in Stewards’ Stakes

A year on from Pier’s heroics in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), his older half-sister Maria Farina (NZ) (Contributer) has picked up a feature win of her own during the New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton.A last-gasp victory in Saturday’s $140,000 Listed Lindauer Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) was the sixth win of a 23-start career for the valuable Contributer mare, who also won the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Trentham in March.That Lightning win came on a one-week bac...

RTR sale not Ormsby’s first rodeo

Chad Ormsby has been preparing two-year-olds for New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready To Run Sale for the last decade and he believes he will be offering his best draft at Karaka next week.Ormsby, who operates under his Riverrock Farm banner, has produced some handy graduates out of the sale, most notably Sakura Girl. The daughter of Iffraaj was a $260,000 purchase out of his 2021 draft by Upper Bloodstock and went on to win the Gr.3 Sunline Vase (2100m) and was runner-up in the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (...

Meet the Breeder - David Price

Tell us the story of Nest EggI bred him with my mate Brian, he had 10% and I had 90% of his dam ‘Run To The Bank’, we then sold 50% to two guys who wanted to have him for the Derby, I went down to 45% and Brian went 5%. They basically only wanted to a win a Derby and so when he went to Aussie and it just poured, Sydney had had a full year’s rain by the 1st of April it was horrible, so by the time he got a decent track in Queensland, he had had enough.He then came home and I re-syndicated h...

Back to Riccarton as Not Guilty chases black-type double

Longlands Stud owners Vicki and Wayne Pike don’t go to the races very often these days, but they will be back off to Riccarton on Saturday to watch their smart sprinting mare Not Guilty looking to complete a black-type double in the Listed Lindauer Stewards’ Stakes.Trained by the Pikes’ son Tony, Not Guilty was an impressive winner of the Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes over 1000 metres at Riccarton last Saturday, and according to her co-owner/breeder, she’s ready to go again.“Sh...

Vale Brian 'Bee Cee' Collins

A champion bloke, who was always fun to be around that is how many people describe Brian Arthur Collins or Bee Cee as he was known, and indeed he was.Bee Cee passed away suddenly last Sunday at home on the Delph Common property he shared with his partner Sandra Townsend, following a successful day playing golf.Horses and golf were two of his favourite pass times, and he loved any opportunity to get involved and enjoy both. He will be a notable absence at the Karaka sales next week, sitting in hi...

Kennedy’s Cup Week raid continues with Breeders’ crown

The Riccarton Park crowd is getting all too used to the masterful tactics of Warren Kennedy, and the premiership-leading hoop produced another black-type winning ride in guiding Fashion Shoot (NZ) (Savabeel) to victory in the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m).Kennedy arrived back in Christchurch on Wednesday fresh off a successful first day of the New Zealand Cup Carnival last Saturday, where he took out the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) with Crocetti and ...

Great mates team up for major Riccarton success

Trainer Robbie Patterson and jockey Craig Grylls were again to the fore at Riccarton where they combined with Puntura (NZ) (Vespa) to claim the major prize on Wednesday’s program.They have proven to be a formidable pairing in recent seasons and joined forces on the middle day of the New Zealand Cup carnival to claim top honours in the Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m).“He’s a big horse and it was great to have Craig on him, we gel really well and he’s a great mate of mine. He�...

Trelawney full of pride after history-making double

Pride of Jenni did something last week that hasn’t been achieved in nearly a quarter of a century – record a Group One double during Melbourne Cup Week – and breeders Brent and Cherry Taylor of Trelawney Stud couldn’t be prouder.Rogan Josh was the last horse to record the feat with his Mackinnon Stakes – Melbourne Cup double in 1999, with Empire Rose scoring the same double 11 years prior.It was only fitting then for Pride Of Jenni to kick-off her Group One double with victory in the G...

Crocetti reigns supreme in 2000 Guineas

Undefeated three-year-old Crocetti (NZ) (Zacinto) confirmed his superstar quality with another scintillating performance in Saturday’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 51st New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.It was the sixth win of a spectacular six-start career for the super-talented chestnut, who became only the third horse to ever win the 2000 Guineas with an unbeaten record. Sacred Falls also recorded his sixth win in succession in the 2012 edition of the race, while Aegon too...