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Wyndspelle on parade

Group One winner Wyndspelle will be on parade at the Hawera racecourse on Saturday ahead of his debut season at stud. The son of Iffraaj will be on show to the public between races two and three, with breeders encouraged to speak with Grangewilliam Stud Principal Marc Corcoran on the day about the discounted fee on offer and the limited number of lifetime breeding rights available. A winner of the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), Wyndspelle competed in top-flight races across five seasons, perf...

Vale Emma Evans

The thoroughbred industry lost one of its most passionate supporters with the passing of Emma Evans recently. An enthusiastic and popular breeder and owner, Emma was literally born into the industry having made her arrival amidst the excitement of her mother and Aunt May winning a race at Avondale with their horse Pine Park at odds of 172 pounds. Her grandmother raced horses as far back as the 1920’s, an interest she passed to her daughters May Wilson and Phyllis Hamilton (Emma’s mother), a...

Valachi Downs offer transport incentive

Valachi Downs will be offering breeders a free transport option between Wellfield Lodge near Palmerston North and their Matamata farm for the upcoming breeding season. The incentive is for mares booked to any one of Valachi Downs’ five stallions – Ten Sovereigns, US Navy Flag, Zacinto, Vespa, and Savile Row. The first shuttle transport between the two farms is scheduled to take place on August 10. For more information, or to book a stallion service, please email: gareth.downey@valachidowns.c...

Belardo makes presence felt in both hemispheres

With just two more days until he arrives on farm, Haunui’s exciting young sire Belardo (IRE) (Lope De Vega) is making his presence felt in both hemispheres.The final day of the Goodwood carnival saw Belardo land his sixth first crop winner to date and after five filly winners, he got the monkey of his back with his first colt to salute the judge. Lining up for his second start, TITAN ROCK ran out an impressive winner over 7f and in the process, claimed a Tattersall’s Bonus for his connection...

Book full for Ocean Park

Waikato Stud has confirmed that the 2020 book is full for rising star stallion Ocean Park (NZ). The Cox Plate winner served 153 mares in 2019 and had been available for a service fee of $20,000 for the upcoming breeding season. The 2019-20 season was a breakout year for Ocean Park, who won the Dewar Award for champion New Zealand-based sire by total progeny earnings between New Zealand and Australia. This is the eighth straight year that a Waikato Stud stallion has won this prize – O’Reilly ...

Evans remembered for her massive input as owner-breeder

Emma Evans didn’t get the send-off her long-time trainer Wayne Hillis had hoped to provide for her at Matamata on Saturday, but she will be long remembered for her involvement in the racing industry as a passionate owner and breeder. Evans passed away early on Saturday morning and that afternoon Hillis was hoping Watch This Space could recapture his best form and provide a fitting farewell to his Whitford owner-breeder. But the Group Two winner, with stable apprentice Darren Danis aboard sport...

Windsor Park Stud mourn loss of Rip Van Winkle

It is with a heavy heart that Windsor Park Stud announce the loss of their very successful sire Rip Van Winkle following a short illness. By the world’s best sire Galileo, Rip Van Winkle had just completed his most successful season with a stellar year on the racetrack that included Group One winning stars Te Akau Shark and NZB Filly of The Year Jennifer Eccles. “It’s a devastating blow for us and the industry losing a successful sire, especially one who has just enjoyed a great season on ...

Sweynesse champion first season sire

The champion first season sire for 2019-20 is Novara Park’s Sweynesse, who sired three winners including Bonita Aurelia, who won the Gr.3 Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m) and placed in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). The highly regarded Walkthisswey was an impressive recent winner at Riccarton. “It’s a really good result, and a great way for the stallion to start his career,” said Novara Park manager Ray Knight. “It’s been a funny old year for everyone with Covid-19, but it...

Charm Spirit goes back-to-back

Twelve months after being crowned New Zealand’s champion first season sire, Windsor Park shuttle stallion Charm Spirit has added a second season title to his CV. The son of Invincible Spirit sired four winners in New Zealand in 2019-20, three of them at black-type level. Aretha, who had been the standout performer in Charm Spirit’s first crop of two-year-olds, added the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings in September, while Lilikoi captured the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and placed i...

Little Avondale marks major milestone

Wairarapa nursery Little Avondale Stud has added another major milestone to its rich history, celebrating 80 years of operation. Founded as Te Parae Stud and passed down through three generations of the Williams family, New Zealand’s oldest family-owned stud has amassed a proud list of accomplishments. There have been famous names such as Sunbride and Oncidium, and in 1974 they were the very first in Australasia to crack the $100,000 mark for a yearling. “This anniversary is a pretty special...

An update from Dean McKenzie

Good afternoon,  This Saturday, 1 August 2020, the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) will become TAB New Zealand (TAB NZ). The change marks a significant milestone in the history of the TAB and the racing industry. It also brings to an end a 13-month period of transitioning, as RITA, from the New Zealand Racing Board. The creation of TAB NZ is part of the final steps in a transformation that started back in April 2018 when John Messara was appointed by the Minister for Racing Rt H...

2020 gavelhouse.com stallion parade schedule

Saturday 22nd August 9am Valachi Downs (165 Buckland Road, Matamata)Savile Row (NZ)Ten Sovereigns (IRE)US Navy Flag (USA)Vespa (NZ)Zacinto (GB) 10.15am Mapperley StudComplacent (AUS)Contributer (IRE)Puccini 10.50am Seaton Park The Heights, 5 Henry Watson RoadOcean Emperor (Standing at Weona Park)Wyndspelle (Standing at Grangewilliam Stud) 11.30am Waikato Stud + lunchArdrossan (AUS)Ocean ParkSavabeel (AUS)Super Seth (AUS)Tivaci 1pm Rich Hill StudAce High (AUS)Proisir (AUS)Satono Aladdin (JPN...

Complacent sires first winner

Mapperley Stud stallion Complacent made the perfect start to his stallion career at Ipswich on Thursday when his first starter Calm Seeker was victorious over 1350m. Despite enduring a tough three-wide trip, Calm Seeker powered away from his rivals to win by a length and a quarter with a bit in reserve under Michael Cahill for trainer Matt Kropp. “We were really happy with his effort,” Kropp said. “Not a lot went right. Mick Cahill was hoping to get in and just said it was a pretty ugly ol...

New editor at the helm of RaceForm

Next week marks the return of New Zealand’s stand-alone racing publication RaceForm, and with that a change at the helm following the appointment of Liz Whelan as editor. For more than five years from mid-2012 Whelan was a familiar face to Trackside viewers, most closely associated with the greyhound code. In early 2018 she moved to Australia, where she was employed as the media and communications manager at Country Racing Victoria. Covid-19 precipitated Whelan’s decision to return to New Ze...

NZB Update- Karaka 2021

Karaka 2021 Sales Update on behalf of NZB Managing Director Andrew Seabrook in regard to the Covid-19 situation  Dear Breeders,  On behalf of New Zealand Bloodstock, I would like to give you a further update on the 2021 National Yearling Sales at Karaka.   We believe that a trans-Tasman bubble is very important to the success of the Sale, and given the current outbreaks of COVID-19 in Victoria, a January Sale is looking more and more unlikely.  After consulting a number ...

Ocean Park shares spoils with Savabeel

A breakthrough season has ended on the perfect note for rising star Waikato Stud stallion Ocean Park, siring another impressive city winner on the final Saturday of the 2019-20 season. Three-year-old filly High Emocean scored a stylish two-length victory at Caulfield on Saturday, the fourth win of her nine-start career. She is one of 43 individual winners in Australia this term for Ocean Park, whose runners have amassed an impressive total of A$$10,095,873 throughout the season. He sits in 12th ...

Egan generously supports National Awards

Waikato breeder Joan Egan, owner of Legacy Lodge, is getting behind the inaugural NZTBA National Breeding Awards being held at Cambridge next month, sponsoring the Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan Breeder of the Year Award. “I am delighted to sponsor this award,” Egan said earlier this week. “Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan have an outstanding record from their years establishing and developing Cambridge Stud. “We don’t hear anything about excellence these days. This is the word t...

Last Opportunity to Secure Pearl Series Bonuses for the Season

There are limited opportunities remaining this season for NZB Insurance Pearl Series registered fillies and mares to secure Pearl bonuses, as well as the one-off incentive for second-placegetters running until the end of July. The first of three NZB Insurance Pearl Series races taking place this weekend is the Maiden 1200m event at Wanganui, where six Pearl registered fillies and mares have been accepted among a mixed sex field of 11 runners. Pukekohe Park’s meeting on Saturday will see the r...

Becca Perry joins family bloodstock business

Bruce Perry Bloodstock is becoming a family affair with Perry’s daughter Becca joining the Wairarapa-based bloodstock agency. Since leaving school Becca has completed a Bachelor’s degree and spent time living and travelling around the United States. Upon her return to New Zealand she joined the travel industry in Wellington. Perry said it was always her plan to become more involved in her family’s business and with the impact COVID-19 is having on the travel sector she thought it was an i...

Outgoing McKenzie hails Racing Industry Act

Dean McKenzie believes his time at the helm of New Zealand racing reform is ending on a high with the passing of the Racing Industry Act. An accomplished administrator both within and outside of racing, McKenzie was appointed chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee when it was established by Racing Minister Winston Peters in 2018 following the release of the Messara Report. McKenzie was then made chair of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) in July 2019, and he became executive chai...

Stakes levels for 2020-21 announced

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) have announced that stakes levels for the 2020/21 racing season will return to those in the 2019/20 season pre-COVID-19. “The NZTR Board met yesterday and I am pleased to advise the wider industry that our stake levels were determined for the coming season,” NZTR chief executive Bernard Saundry said.  “It is our intention that stakes levels will remain consistent with the pre-COVID levels, however we need to be aware that we continue to operate ...

Inaugural national breeding awards highlight bumper weekend

New Zealand thoroughbred breeders will congregate in the Waikato next month to celebrate their achievements at the inaugural NZTBA National Breeding Awards. The function will take place at the Don Rowlands Centre, Lake Karapio, near Cambridge on August 22 and will coincide with the annual gavelhouse.com Waikato Stallion Parade weekend. The inaugural awards will include the Breeder of the Year Award and Eight Carat Broodmare of the Year Award, previously presented at the New Zealand Thoroughbred ...

Changes to Essential Skills work Visas and Skilled Migrant Residence Visas from 27 July 2020

Essential Skills work visas - Remuneration and median wage The combination of ANZSCO and salary to assess skill level is being replaced with a simple remuneration threshold, (aligned to the national median wage calculated by Statistics NZ). Remuneration will be used to determine the following for an Essential Skills work visa application: Whether an employer needs to engage with The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) in order to meet the labour market testThe maximum duration of the visaWheth...

Posthumous purple patch for Tavistock

The strong recent form of Tavistock’s progeny has given Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre a feeling of déjà vu. A multiple Group One winner as a racehorse and a sire, Tavistock was put down in December due to complications from a paddock injury. He was 14-years-old. Since then he has sired 76 individual winners, 40 of them in the last two months alone. Toffee Tongue became his fifth individual Group One winner with an impressive performance in the Schweppes Oaks (2000m) in Adelai...

Rock ‘N’ Pop enjoying new surroundings

Standing his first season at Okawa Stud in Hastings, Rock ‘N’ Pop was represented by Super Oasis winning over 1400m on Sunday in Hong Kong. Super Oasis had raced previously as Surely Sacred in New Zealand, winning three of his eight starts including the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) and Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) before finishing third in the GR.1 ATC Derby (2400m) at Randwick. Group One winner Rock ‘N’ Pop was purchased out of Esker Lodge’s 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearl...