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NZ Election Special: NZ First Policy on Racing

Winston Peters www.nzfirst.org.nz "The New Zealand Racing Industry is not getting a fair go and is in desperate need of an internationally competitive policy," New Zealand First Leader and Tauranga MP Winston Peters said today [2 July]. "This is an industry that exports well in excess of $100 million each year, contributes hundreds of millions to the New Zealand economy, and employs tens of thousands of New Zealanders. However, by international comparison, this industry has fallen dramaticall...

NZTBA backs report's call for fundamental reform

Peter Hutt, President of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association says, "I am pleased that the PricewaterhouseCoopers report [on the New Zealand Racing and Bloodstock Industry] is so comprehensive and focussed despite the short time frame available for its completion." "The report sends a clear signal to the present industry administrators that retaining the status quo is simply not an option if the racing industry is to reverse its long-term decline and prosper in the future." "It ...

New President & Executive for the NZTBA

The NZTBA Council today elected Peter Hutt as the Association's 12th President. Mr Hutt, a private breeder and solicitor from Timaru, succeeds John Aubrey, Hamilton who served as President of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association since 2001. Peter Francis, Auckland is the Council's new Vice President and retains his previous role of Treasurer. Rick Williams, Cambridge is the third member of the Council's new Executive. Nelson Schick elected to stand down from the Executive, but re...

NZTBA Life Membership awarded to Arthur Ormond

Last night's Annual General Meeting of the NZTBA, held at Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, awarded Honorary Life Memberships to two past presidents, Arthur Ormond, Hastings and Sir Patrick Hogan, Cambridge. Arthur Ormond of Byerley Thoroughbreds, Hastings, was a foundation member of the NZTBA Wellington branch and then of the Hawke's Bay branch. He was elected to the NZTBA Council in 1991 and was its President from 1996 until 2001. Arthur was the NZTBA's nominee to the Board of New Zealand Thor...

NZTBA Life Membership for Sir Patrick Hogan

Last night's Annual General Meeting of the NZTBA, held at Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, awarded Honorary Life Memberships to two past presidents, Sir Patrick Hogan, Cambridge and Arthur Ormond, Hastings. For more than 25 years Sir Patrick Hogan and his wife Justine, Lady Hogan have owned and operated Cambridge Stud, home of Sir Tristram and now of Zabeel. Sir Patrick's work with the NZTBA spans 36 years, beginning in 1966 when he became the first secretary of the Waikato branch. He was elec...

Wendy Pye's Address to the NZTBA AGM

Locally based, internationally successful, Wendy Pye is one of New Zealand's leading business people. She founded Sunshine Books in 1986 and is a major publisher and exporter of books and educational materials. Her several government appointments include membership of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). Wendy and her husband Don are enthusiastic thoroughbred breeders and owners and have enjoyed notable success this season with Wellington Cup G1 winner Cyclades. The following is the text ...

Why Traditionally isn't in the new Stallion Register

Trelawney studmaster Brent Taylor has explained on Race Cafe why Traditionally doesn't appear in the new Stallion Register, despite being listed in the indices: "Trelawney along with some partners tried to secure Traditionally for stud duties this season and took the risk of entering him into the Stallion Register but had to pull it at the last minute as negotiations broke down." The NZTBA's printers were able to withdraw the full pedigree and photo pages for Traditionally, but it was too late ...

New Era Dawns in Victoria

The following article is reproduced from the June/July 2002 edition of Racebreed Australia with the kind permission of publisher Statewide Racing Promotions, Western Australia. It's an interview with the Chief Executive of Victorian Racing's new Independent Board of Governance, and offers a fresh and exciting vision of racing's future that deserves serious attention in New Zealand. THERE has been a changing of the guard in Victoria and the new sentinels of racing are beginning to flex their m...

Crafty Dancer thrills his Te Aroha breeders

"A lovely result all round" was how Te Aroha breeder Gray Swney described Crafty Dancer's Australian Steeple win on Saturday. Gray, who bred the horse with his wife Merle, added "It's nice to see people getting a lot of enjoyment out of him." The Swneys are long-time clients of Windsor Park Stud and were original shareholders in Silver Dream and Star Way, both of whom figure in Crafty Dancer's pedigree. Gray and Merle raced his dam Craft who was "no great shakes as a racemare but she's also le...

New Zealand-Bred Group One Winners in Australia, 2001-02

Thirteen Kiwi-bred horses won eighteen (27% of the total) Group One races in Australia this season. Go here for the complete list of horses, wins and breeders. Interesting aspects of our best performers and performances across the Tasman this year are: *Two winners each for Carnegie (Amalfi & Carnegie Express), Desert Sun (La Bella Dama & Sunline) and Zabeel (Don Eduardo & Dress Circle). *Nine winners by seven stallions that have shuttled to New Zealand: Amalfi & Carnegie Expr...

Morton family triumphs in Brisbane Cup with Prized Gem

The last day of the Ellerslie Summer Carnival is often the best, at least in my humble opinion. After the Derby and Cup Days the crowd is smaller and friendlier, and the focus shifts from fashion and frills back to horses and racing people. People like Glenn and Lisa Morton. I met them in the Polo Bar at Ellerslie, one of my favourite places on any racecourse, perhaps tied with the committee room at Winton, where they serve a very mean gin in the middle of the day. Their trainer Murray Baker ...

Sunline celebrated at NZTBA Tribute Dinner

"Why don't we do this more often?" was the general verdict at the end of the Sunline Tribute Dinner at Sky City, Auckland on Saturday evening. Traditional Kiwi reticence about celebration was firmly set aside for a night as three hundred people gathered to toast New Zealand's queen of the turf. The evening was presented by the innovative and hard-working Auckland branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association. Branch president Michelle Saba, says "It was an absolutely fantastic n...

A Middle-Aged Mare's View of the Ellerslie Hill

I usually start my run at the top of the straight, with a deep breath and a fervent hope that no-one is watching. Once, a gang of builders working on the public stand startled me by cheering when I got to the winning post. I had to apologise for not being Sunline. Or even a maiden winner at Dargaville. I've watched the track staff rolling, mowing, spraying and fertilising the track over the past seven or eight months and it now has a good, thick sole of grass that makes even the flat sections...

Mercedes Great Northern Carnival launched

Our crew of racing media, sponsor representatives and Auckland Racing Club staff and committee members set off from Ellerslie Racecourse yesterday morning on the serious task of launching the 2002 Mercedes Great Northern Carnival. It's difficult work, requiring the inducements of a handsome vest and bag courtesy of Mercedes and TV Guide, a free bus trip to a mystery destination, with complimentary Mercedes television ads in several languages, and immediate infusions of Montana wine upon arriva...

New Zealand-bred The A Train wins Adelaide Cup

The New Zealand breeding industry had more to celebrate today at Morphettville when five-year-old gelding The A Train (Blues Traveller-Lady Acumen by Sound Reason) prevailed in the $A400,000 SAJC Adelaide Cup 3200m G1. It was the 17th Group One victory by Kiwi-breds in Australia this season. He was bred by a high-profile quartet: New Zealand's Chief Justice Sian Elias, her husband, former Fletcher Challenge chief executive Hugh Fletcher, Alan Galbraith Q.C., a director of Rich Hill Stud, Matama...

Victory Dance's triumph of performance over fashion

Victory Dance's four winners at Te Rapa on Saturday have reminded us yet again what a valuable and versatile sire he is. Victor Argosy and Real Tonic took out the Listed Waikato Hurdles/Steeplechase double, while Kensington Flyer and Mohini Surprise won over 1200m and 1600m respectively. Their efforts have pushed their sire into second place behind Volksraad on the 2001-02 New Zealand Sires list with 22 winners of 33 races from 49 runners and $676,045 in progeny earnings. Victory Dance (Sadl...

New Zealand breeders don't apologise for winning!

With sixteen Group One wins in Australia this season New Zealand breeders have every right to be unapologetic about breeding classic stayers. Twelve of those 16 wins, including Pantani's South Australian Derby last Saturday, have been at 2000 metres or beyond. And they've been worth a cool $A8.7 million to the winning owners, trainers and jockeys. Horses that take time to mature and distance to show their best are a challenge for breeders and for owners. Breeders must face the reality of a ma...

NZTBA Scholarship winner reports from Coolmore Ireland

Grant Bennett, 25, of Cambridge is the inaugural winner of the NZTBA Auckland-sponsored International Management Scholarship. He is currently more than half-way through his six-month study tour, which began at Vinery in Kentucky and will conclude at Haras de Mezeray in France in August. Grant has kept us very well-informed about his progress with a series of enthusiastic emails. Here is his latest report, dated 13 May, from Ireland's world-famous Cooolmore Stud: I've all but finished my time...

Pantani's Derby win delights Cambridge breeders

For his proud breeders Saturday's South Australian Derby G1 winner Pantani (Pentire-Dewamar by Marscay) is an affirmation of what New Zealand is best at: producing classic stayers. The grey gelding was bred by Wayne & Vicki Pike of Longlands Stud, Cambridge in partnership with Wayne's brother & sister-in-law Gavin and Sharon Pike. They bought Dewamar in foal to Vettori, for about $70,000 from well-known Australian owner-breeders Geoff & Beryl White. Vicki Pike describes the mare as...

Progeny pay tribute to Honor Grades

It's a truism that when a stallion dies his progeny immediately lift their game and sharpen the loss felt by the stud that stands him. That's certainly true of Honor Grades (Danzig-Weekend Surprise by Secretariat) who died suddenly at Darby Dan Farm, Kentucky on 31 March. His southern hemisphere progeny, led by Group One winners Honor Bound and Honor Lap, improved his record considerably in the weeks following his demise. John Phillips, managing partner of Darby Dan, said "He was a kind horse,...

NZTBA website editor wins international award

Susan Archer, NZTBA website editor, has won the 2002 Most Valuable Online Person Award at the Wilburtins Southern Hemisphere Internet Awards, announced in Sydney last night. The awards, which recognise excellence achieved by thoroughbred industry websites and internet journalists, are organised by the leading US portal website LetItRide.com and its innovative chief executive, David Bernsen. Thoroughbred News, the very popular New Zealand-owned racing news site, won the Best Entrepreneurial S...

Great month for New Zealand-breds in Australia

Thirteen New Zealand-breds won sixteen Group & Listed Races in Australia during March 2002. Remarkably, seven of these have been Group One races, giving a total of 12 Australian Group One victories for the Kiwi team so far this season. Three Group 2 races came the Kiwi way in March, along with two Group 3 victories and four Listed Race wins. These figures are all the more impressive when it is remembered that less that 8% of all Australian starters are bred in New Zealand. The full list ...

Henderson Bay upsets in Chairman's Handicap

With eleven Kiwi-breds in the 19-strong field, the $A500,000 AJC Chairman's Handicap 2400m G2 gave New Zealand its best numerical chance of victory on Australia's richest raceday, at Randwick last Saturday. Hail was the favourite with punters on this side of the Tasman, but it was one of the lesser-fancied, Australian-trained Kiwis that prevailed. Henderson Bay (6g Guns of Navarone-Misty Lore by Rolle), paying almost $60 to win on the New Zealand TAB, defeated fellow Kiwi-bred Homewrecker and ...

Don Eduardo becomes Zabeel's 20th Group One winner

Don Eduardo (Zabeel-Diamond Lover by Sticks & Stones) met the pressure of his $3.6 million price-tag with a last-stride victory in the $A2 million San Miguel AJC Australian Derby 2400m G1 at Randwick yesterday. Fellow Kiwi-bred Carnegie Express (Carnegie) was a courageous second, almost taking the race after jockey Jim Cassidy sent him to the front 900 metres from home. This gave Don Eduardo what he needed - something to chase and a long straight to do it in - but he only made it by a head...

Honor Bound brings Group One glory to the Pascoes

If you want to meet some heartland New Zealand horse breeders, visit Club Med Lodge near Hamilton. That's the agistment property of breeders Terry and Vicki Pascoe, breeders and part-owners with their trainer Terry Wenn, of today's splendid ARC Jaguar Easter Handicap G1 winner Honor Bound (4m Honor Grades-Amrica by Amalgam). It was the mare's sixth win in 19 starts and took her earnings to around $250,000 - an amount still some way short of the money her owners have at various times turned d...