Gingernuts wins the Avondale Guineas (Image: Trish Dunell)
With graduates like Gingernuts (Iffraaj[GB]-Double Elle) a hot prospect in the Vodafone New Zealand Derby, and Nicoletta (Savabeel[AUS]-Celtic Crown[USA]) second favourite in the Wellfield New Zealand Oaks, the team at Goodwood Stud are looking forward to the month of March.
Gingernuts bounced into Derby contention after a smart win in the Group Two Avondale Guineas, scoring by an impressive one and a quarter lengths after missing the start in the 2100 metre event. Whereas Nicoletta set a determined pace in the Group Two Sir Tristram Classic over 2000 metres, only to be beaten a head by the Oaks favourite and stablemate Bonneval. Prior to that Nicoletta had won the Group Three Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham.
"I remember Gingernuts as a young horse, he was always a nice horse, and it certainly makes this business seem worthwhile when you see them win like that," said Goodwood Stud's William Fell.
Gingernuts who is raced by the Te Akau Gingernuts Syndicate has only had six lifetime starts. He was second in his first start at two and backed that up with a win at Hastings in May. He was spelled and returned to the racetrack at the end of December 2016 where he finished fourth. A miss followed that run and then a form reversal with a win at Te Teko over 1600 metres before the guineas triumph.
Goodwood Stud was established by William with his late father Rex in 2007. Prior to going into business with his son Rex had enjoyed a 45 year partnership with his brother Gerald in the famous nursey Fairdale Stud. And like his late father William is a very personable young man with a passion for breeding horses.
Double Elle the dam of Gingernuts was originally bred at Fairdale Stud she is by Generous(GB) out of the Oregon(USA) mare Timberland Lass. Timberland Lass was by Sir Tristram from Windrift an unraced Sir Tristram(IRE) mare out of Bob Steads fabulous Oaks winning mare Devante (Sobig-Skylit). Windrift is a three-quarter sister to the Oaks winner Trappings (by Grosvenor) and a half-sister to Record Breaker (Taipan II[USA]). Devante is a half-sister to the dams of the Group One winners Leggings, She's Fun and Sound Horizon.
"It wasn't the strongest pedigree in the world but she was a city winner in Australia, said Fell.
"Dad and Uncle Gerald raced her from Chris Waller's stable when he first went to Sydney. When we split the farms we got her in the wash up, but unfortunately she was one of the mares we decided to sell at a dispersal a couple of years ago.
"She was in foal to a full relation to Gingernuts as well, Griffin, which is now also owned by Te Akau. It always seems to happen but we made a decision and we are delighted that she has done the job.
"She has left a couple of winners in Runway(Pins[AUS]) and Rideitlikeustoleit(Alamosa) and we have access to the half-sister as she is owned by some good clients of ours."
Double Elle was purchased by Taranaki/Whanganui NZTBA branch member Chris Thompson for $3,000, from the 2014 Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale. Thompson has a Jakkalberry (IRE) foal out of the mare and she is in foal again to that stallion.
"We had a few mares who were in that K2 bracket that we decided to move on, and Double Elle was one of them," said Fell.
"Going forward we want to focus on targeting the top end of the Premier market and we will be hitting the May sale with some nice commercial weanlings that we are prepared to meet the market with, and that allows us to focus on the better quality foals to take to the Premier sale".
"We sold three yearlings at Premier this year, after selling 10 or more weanlings in the last May sale that were more your Select type horses".
"We are running around 25 mares at the moment and we still stand Howbaddoyouwantit but he is getting on a bit. We prefer now to take shares in stallions from the major studs and Iffraaj is one of those stallions we have had quite a bit of luck with, we bred the dual Group Two winner Serena Miss(Iffraaj[GB]-Gifted Lass) from our share in him. And we bred Nicoletta with our share in Savabeel(AUS)".
"We are also starting to retain one or two well-bred fillies to race and keep as broodmares as we aim to have a top end boutique operation, so we might have to keep Nicoletta's half-sister by Tavistock."
Nicoletta is the third foal of the Doneraile Court(USA) mare Celtic Crown(USA) a Listed winner in America who was purchased by Goodwood Stud direct from America.
"She is a good little mare for us," according to Goodwood Stud's William Fell.
"She left a winner in ZImmzee to Chinese Dragon(USA) and Nicoletta was a $90,000 yearling. She came from a good pedigree and now Nicoletta has enhanced that. At the moment she has a really nice Tavistock filly at foot, and is in foal to Per Incanto(ARG), another we are a shareholder in".
"This year has been good to us, with Nicoletta and Gingernuts," he concluded, "so I would like to think we are doing something right." - Michelle Saba
Gingernuts bounced into Derby contention after a smart win in the Group Two Avondale Guineas, scoring by an impressive one and a quarter lengths after missing the start in the 2100 metre event. Whereas Nicoletta set a determined pace in the Group Two Sir Tristram Classic over 2000 metres, only to be beaten a head by the Oaks favourite and stablemate Bonneval. Prior to that Nicoletta had won the Group Three Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham.
"I remember Gingernuts as a young horse, he was always a nice horse, and it certainly makes this business seem worthwhile when you see them win like that," said Goodwood Stud's William Fell.
Gingernuts who is raced by the Te Akau Gingernuts Syndicate has only had six lifetime starts. He was second in his first start at two and backed that up with a win at Hastings in May. He was spelled and returned to the racetrack at the end of December 2016 where he finished fourth. A miss followed that run and then a form reversal with a win at Te Teko over 1600 metres before the guineas triumph.
Goodwood Stud was established by William with his late father Rex in 2007. Prior to going into business with his son Rex had enjoyed a 45 year partnership with his brother Gerald in the famous nursey Fairdale Stud. And like his late father William is a very personable young man with a passion for breeding horses.
Double Elle the dam of Gingernuts was originally bred at Fairdale Stud she is by Generous(GB) out of the Oregon(USA) mare Timberland Lass. Timberland Lass was by Sir Tristram from Windrift an unraced Sir Tristram(IRE) mare out of Bob Steads fabulous Oaks winning mare Devante (Sobig-Skylit). Windrift is a three-quarter sister to the Oaks winner Trappings (by Grosvenor) and a half-sister to Record Breaker (Taipan II[USA]). Devante is a half-sister to the dams of the Group One winners Leggings, She's Fun and Sound Horizon.
"It wasn't the strongest pedigree in the world but she was a city winner in Australia, said Fell.
"Dad and Uncle Gerald raced her from Chris Waller's stable when he first went to Sydney. When we split the farms we got her in the wash up, but unfortunately she was one of the mares we decided to sell at a dispersal a couple of years ago.
"She was in foal to a full relation to Gingernuts as well, Griffin, which is now also owned by Te Akau. It always seems to happen but we made a decision and we are delighted that she has done the job.
"She has left a couple of winners in Runway(Pins[AUS]) and Rideitlikeustoleit(Alamosa) and we have access to the half-sister as she is owned by some good clients of ours."
Double Elle was purchased by Taranaki/Whanganui NZTBA branch member Chris Thompson for $3,000, from the 2014 Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale. Thompson has a Jakkalberry (IRE) foal out of the mare and she is in foal again to that stallion.
"We had a few mares who were in that K2 bracket that we decided to move on, and Double Elle was one of them," said Fell.
"Going forward we want to focus on targeting the top end of the Premier market and we will be hitting the May sale with some nice commercial weanlings that we are prepared to meet the market with, and that allows us to focus on the better quality foals to take to the Premier sale".
"We sold three yearlings at Premier this year, after selling 10 or more weanlings in the last May sale that were more your Select type horses".
"We are running around 25 mares at the moment and we still stand Howbaddoyouwantit but he is getting on a bit. We prefer now to take shares in stallions from the major studs and Iffraaj is one of those stallions we have had quite a bit of luck with, we bred the dual Group Two winner Serena Miss(Iffraaj[GB]-Gifted Lass) from our share in him. And we bred Nicoletta with our share in Savabeel(AUS)".
"We are also starting to retain one or two well-bred fillies to race and keep as broodmares as we aim to have a top end boutique operation, so we might have to keep Nicoletta's half-sister by Tavistock."
Nicoletta is the third foal of the Doneraile Court(USA) mare Celtic Crown(USA) a Listed winner in America who was purchased by Goodwood Stud direct from America.
"She is a good little mare for us," according to Goodwood Stud's William Fell.
"She left a winner in ZImmzee to Chinese Dragon(USA) and Nicoletta was a $90,000 yearling. She came from a good pedigree and now Nicoletta has enhanced that. At the moment she has a really nice Tavistock filly at foot, and is in foal to Per Incanto(ARG), another we are a shareholder in".
"This year has been good to us, with Nicoletta and Gingernuts," he concluded, "so I would like to think we are doing something right." - Michelle Saba
