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New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse Of The Year Awards Finalists

The high quality of New Zealand’s three-year-old crop last season is illustrated by the finalists for the Champion Three-Year-Old category at the NZ Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards.Eight horses, including five fillies, are finalists in the three-year-old division, which will provide the voting panel with plenty to mull over.Seven of the eight contenders won a Group One race in the 2019-20 season and between them the finalists recorded 29 wins and 29 placings from 67 starts.The Kiwi three...

A HUNDRED NOT OUT FOR SUPERSTAR SAVABEEL

Waikato Stud’s star resident Savabeel has cracked another significant milestone in his remarkable career with daughter Savacool providing the multiple champion sire’s 100th individual stakes winner.Savabeel has achieved extraordinary dominance since his retirement to the premier Matamata nursery and Savacool’s victory in the Listed Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury adds to his list of extraordinary achievements.He has won the Grosvenor Award (champion New Zealand sire) for five consecutive se...

Stallion Parade cancelled

The gavelhouse.com Waikato Branch New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association stallion parade planned for this weekend (August 22/23) has been cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.After consultation with several stud masters the decision was made not to go ahead with the planned tour.“It’s unfortunate for the Waikato Branch who have put so much effort into this tour, but we cannot risk up to 100 people going around the Waikato from farm to farm under the current COVID-19 restrictions,”...

NZB to Unveil New Bidding Technology

New Zealand Bloodstock have announced the development of a new, robust online bidding platform specifically developed for the future of their thoroughbred and standardbred auction sales.After introducing market-leading technology into the digital auction-sphere four years ago via popular online subsidiary gavelhouse.com, NZB has now been able to adapt the technology to be used extensively during their upcoming physical sales.The development of the advanced bidding module is underway and wil...

Stallion Coverings

Leading into the breeding season, we reflect on the volume of mares covered by stallion with 10+ mares in 2019....

First foal for Embellish

Savabeel’s Gr.1 winning son Embellish was well supported in his first season at stud and the next phase of his stallion career got underway when his first foal arrived at Colero Park last week. High Chaparral mare La Achiever delivered a filly for breeder’s Graeme Rogerson and Eric Thompson. Colero Park’s Christine Juett was impressed by the filly, which is also the dam’s first foal. “We were delighted to have our first foal of the new season by Embellish,” Juett said. “She has a g...

First foal for Staphanos

The first foal by Staphanos, a son of global sire sensation Deep Impact, has arrived.Bred by Andrew Burton and Linda Hunt, Novara Park report the filly out of Sepoy mare Hirondelle is a strong ,correct foal with good bone and a lot of presence and an encouraging start to her sire’s stud career.Staphanos, a multiple Group One performer in Japan and Hong Kong, served 108 mares in his first season.He was ranked consistently as one of Japan’s top racehorses over four consecutive seasons. He reti...

Ground Control to Major Tom

In the first stakes race of the new New Zealand season, Major Tom (Red Giant[USA]) belied his preferred wet-track form with a game win in the 1600 metre Group Three feature to score his maiden stakes success. The Riccarton Park track, rated as a Dead 5, was in great shape for the 123rd running of the Winter Cup and attracted a decent field in which Major Tom, a raider from the far north of the country, took over soon after straightening and was tenacious to the line, holding off two serious late...

Wootton Bassett sale welcome news for Cambridge Stud

The arrival of Almanzor at Cambridge Stud on Friday in preparation for his third Southern Hemisphere breeding season coincided with a major announcement from Coolmore Stud overnight. Coolmore announced that they have purchased Almanzor’s sire Wootton Bassett from Haras d’Etreham and he will take up residence at the international powerhouse’s Irish base. The announcement of Wootton Bassett’s sale and departure for Coolmore vindicates the decision made by Cambridge Stud in 2018 to purchase...

Finalists announced

The four finalists for the Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan Breeder of the Year Award were announced by the New Zealand Breeders Association this week. Last year’s winner Nearco Stud is nominated, along with The Oaks Stud, Trelawney Stud and Waikato Stud. The NZTBA have also announced the nominees for the Eight Carat Broodmare of the Year as Bak da Chief, Evana, Meleka Belle and Platinum Elle. Nearco Stud Limited is owned by South Island businessman Greg Tomlinson, who after a passion f...

First foal for Eminent

Brighthill Farm stallion Eminent has welcomed his first foal with the birth of a colt out of High Chaparral mare Rose Meer at Cambridge Stud on Saturday. “I went to Cambridge Stud and couldn’t be happier with him,” Brighthill Farm principal Nick King said. “He is a smart, strong correct colt with a lovely head and a bit of presence about him. It’s certainly exciting to have the first foal on the ground safely and leaving a good impression.” Before retiring to stud, Eminent won three...

A late racing starter but a major investor

Kevin Pratt’s death on Wednesday morning has left behind a racing legacy which mushroomed within just nine years to include a major investment.Pratt (67), who passed away after a short illness, may have been a late starter in horse racing, but he immediately developed a love of the industry and his horses, one which saw him establish the showplace Kamada Park, an elaborate pre-training, agistment and training property on the outskirts of Palmerston North. Pratt was so proud of Kamada Park...

AGM Reminder

The Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay branch will hold their AGM on Thursday August 27 at 6pm in the Special (VIP) Room at the Hawke's Bay Racing Club....

Wellington branch celebrates breeding success

The Wellington Branch of the NZTBA held their annual awards evening last Thursday recognising the achievements of local breeders. The event, run in conjunction with the annual general meeting, was held at the QT Museum Hotel and saw breeders of six stakes winners honoured with Breeding Excellence Awards. Bagalollies, dam of Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) winner Toffee Tongue, was named as Broodmare of the Year while the coveted Horse of the Year Award was won by Two Illicit and presented to her ...

The grandfathers who controlled the relatives of Phar Lap

by Brian de LoreFirst published 31st July 2020 The grandfathers of both Nick Wigley and Victoria Woodley between them made two purchases between 80 and 90 years ago that determined the destiny of the family of Phar Lap and set the scene for the future success of Inglewood Stud in North Canterbury. Nick Wigley and Victoria Woodley are both long-time members of the Canterbury Jockey Club and, for many years, knew one another by sight only, but had never had a formal introduction. Both were oblivio...

Group One placing for Hello Youmzain

Dual Group One winner Hello Youmzain just came up short of adding a third elite-level victory to his burgeoning CV when finishing runner-up to Space Blues in Gr.1 Prix Maurice de Gheest (1300m) at Deauville over the weekend. Owned by Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay in partnership with Haras d’Etreham, the son of Kodiac is destined join the Waikato farm’s stallion roster. Trainer Kevin Ryan has been impressed by the horse from day dot and he said he is hoping to secure more G...

NZTR regional roadshows

NZ Thoroughbred Racing will be conducting regional roadshows around the country as the industry adapts to the changes brought about by the Racing Industry Act 2020. The first of the roadshows will be held in the South Island this week, commencing at the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill at 10am on Thursday, 13 August.  Later that evening, between 4 and 6pm it will be the turn of Otago industry participants and stakeholders to engage with NZTR Board chairman Dr Alan Jackson, chief executive ...

New sponsor for new National Breeding Awards

The inaugural National Breeding Awards to be held in Cambridge later this month will be sponsored by Hamilton based Ebbett Volkswagen as part of a new partnership agreement with the NZTBA.To be known as the Ebbett VW NZTBA National Breeding Awards, the event will honour the Sir Patrick and Justine, Lady Hogan Breeder of the Year, the Eight Carat Broodmare of the Year sponsored by Arion Pedigrees and the three Champion stallion trophies being the Dewar (Australasian earnings), Centaine (Worldwide...

Ladd was such a driving force for breeders

Next Monday will mark the farewell to one of the unsung promoters of the New Zealand racing and breeding industry with the funeral of Ronald Walter Ladd, QSM. Ladd, who died peacefully at the Cascades Rest Home in Hamilton last Monday at the age of 93, made a huge impression through his services to racing and breeding, an input which resulted in him becoming a Life Member of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and the Te Aroha Jockey Club. Ladd also served on the NZTBA council a...

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...