This week on Dunstan Horsefeeds’ Meet the Breeder, we spoke with Gerald Shand, the proud breeder of First Five, who claimed the Gr.3 J Swap Sprint at Te Rapa last weekend. The victory adds to a strong run of results for Shand, further highlighting his current success as a proud New Zealand breeder.
Tell us the story of First Five
First Five is a son of Payette, a Volksraad mare that I bred and raced. She won six races and ran fourth in the Listed Newmarket Handicap at Ellerslie.
I purchased Payette’s grandam, Straight Show, with my brother Bruce. She also won six races, and I have bred from that family over the years.
I had a half-share in Almanzor and used that service to produce First Five and his year-younger full brother, Rambling On, who has also been a winner this season at Te Aroha.
First Five was sent to David Greene, and he has always been a lovely-looking big horse. He has just required a bit of managing and time to fully mature, but now that he has matured, and focused on sprint and 1400-metre races, he is thriving.
How did you get into thoroughbred breeding?
I got into breeding when my daughter Jackie (Jackie Rogers) and I had some nice race fillies and we ended up breeding from them. That was generally what you did back then, and we have gone on from there.
The first filly we bred from was a Five Arrows filly who became Ukiah, the dam of Jurango and Megabucks, and the fourth dam of Stolen Dance.
How many mares do you breed from?
The only mare I now breed from is Stolen Dance, so not a bad one to breed from.
What else do you have in your bloodstock portfolio (foals, racehorses, stallion shares, etc.)?
Dance The Night is a promising3-year-old filly trained by Roger James and Robert Wellwood. She is by Almanzor out of Stolen Dance, won her last start at Pukekohe, and heads to the Group 2 Eight Carat Classic next.
I also have a Savabeel 2-year-old filly out of Stolen Dance in training with David Greene. Stolen Dance has a lovely Paddington filly at foot and is in foal to Chaldean.
Mary Shan has been a great purchase and is building a very good record for Andrew Forsman. I purchased her from Karaka, having previously raced her grandam Shanzero, who won the Group 3 Wellington Stakes and ran second in the Group 1 Thoroughbred Breeders’ at Te Aroha before she was injured and later sold as a broodmare.
Other racehorses that I currently have, or have shares in, include the winners Rambling On, Bethany Dee and Freebird.
In terms of stallions, I have a share in Tarzino and a half-share in Almanzor, and I have held shares in many Cambridge Stud stallions in the past.
Do you seek advice on your breeding decisions?
Over the years, I have had many good friends who have given advice and shared valuable discussions, including Sir Patrick Hogan, Bob Emery and Peter Walker.
In more recent years, my granddaughter Jenna McLeod and her husband Dane McLeod have handled all of my matings and look after that side of things, as well as managing all of my horses.
I have had a lot of success breeding horses using stallions that I have held shares in, particularly with Sir Patrick and Cambridge Stud. Tavistock has been very influential in upgrading our family’s horses, and I have had a great run with Almanzor. In recent weeks alone, he has produced First Five, Mary Shan, Dance The Night and Rambling On as winners, including two Group 3 races.
Best breeding advice you have received?
Sir Patrick used to give a lot of advice, and I always took it on board. He knew as much as anyone and helped me greatly over the years.
What do you love about the thoroughbred breeding industry?
I was bred into it. When I was a young boy, we always had horses — we rode ponies and then graduated to racehorses. That’s how I got into racing.
From a breeding perspective, you have to wait a long time. Ukiah was one of the first mares with whom we had success. She was injured on the track, but we still achieved success with her as a broodmare.
What advice would you give someone entering the industry as a breeder?
I was fortunate to know good people and had plenty of knowledgeable advice around me. Find people who know what they are doing and listen to their advice.
Proudest moment as a breeder so far?
Megabucks and Jurango were two very good horses that I bred.
My daughter Jackie and my granddaughter Jenna (Jenna McLeod) have had a lot of success breeding horses tracing back to Ukiah, including Group winners Kainui Belle, The Fuzz, Stolen Dance and Magic Carpet.
I take just as much enjoyment from their success as I do when the horses are bred solely in my own name.
