Scouring Gavelhouse for tried racehorses with a view to finding improvement is not for the faint-hearted. As on-line sales grow in popularity, the number of bargain buys will naturally increase, the most recent Thebudgiesmugla (Redwood) who realised just $3000 when he was sold as an untried 3YO gelding.
Foxton trainer Suzy Gordon is proving that change is as good as a rest, providing such for her August 2024 Gavelhouse purchase of Prioress (Proisir) for $7250. At that time the mare had just turned six with a record of four wins, two of which took place at Trentham but her last win was more than a year prior to the sale. Many would look at that record and come to the conclusion that Prioress’s level had been reached. Next stop: the breeding barn.
“I have had a lot of luck out of these second-hand horses off Gavelhouse,” claims Gordon, referring to similar purchases. However, taking Prioress from winner to Listed winner is surely no accident. Gordon’s record is apparent. Prioress is not her first experiment but by far her most successful.
Gordon tried the mare nine times as a 6YO for five placings. Even without winning, the experiment was a success as Prioress banked a smidge less than $32,000. A further ten starts this season has brought three wins and additional $122,000 in earnings, the mare’s grand total reaching $300,000.
“She only ever does what she has to,” says Gordon. “It quite often looks like she has just fallen in, but that is her, she hits the front and pulls up.”
Perhaps those words were ringing in the ears of rider Masa Hashizume because in Saturday’s Cup he waited until the last possible moment to grab the precious win. Prioress shared third last at the 800m before Hashizume set her alight from the 600m. She was widest into the straight but her chances looked forlorn. Inside the 200m she gained but still had many lengths to make up. Over the final 100m she ground away and caught the leaders very late to win by a neck. “On the corner I thought I was going to run in the top three and every time I asked her she gave more and more”, said Hashizume.
For Gordon, Prioress is her first stakes winner, made all the more special as she also saddled up second placed Turn The Ace (Turn Me Loose), another Gavelhouse purchase. “I’m a bit speechless as that is my first stakes winner. They were both really well and I knew Prioress loves racing on the back-up, so I was happy with both of them”, said Gordon.
The win put an exclamation mark against a second New Zealand Sire Premiership for Rich Hill Stud’s Proisir (Choisir) who has now sired 25 individual stakes winners. That number is bound to increase as the quality of mares he attracts has similarly improved.
On the other side of the Tasman, Le Troisir (Proisir), a 4YO trained by Chris Waller, won a Benchmark 78 at Rosehill on Saturday. Underlining the stallion’s versatility, Le Troisir’s third career win from 15 starts was over 2400m.
Prioress may have done enough to warrant retirement now. Landing a Listed win would certainly be a nice way to go out. Her foals will be in demand and she represents a sound family. Her dam, Listed placed Shahbab (Bertolini), was successful on six occasions. The sires of her grandam, third dam and fourth dam were all champions, namely Zabeel (Sir Tristram), Imposing (Todman) and Summertime (Precipitation). All the right blood is there.
She is a direct descendant of Desert Gold Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) winner Ruelle (Summertime) who was discussed here after another relative, Sterling Express (Shamexpress), took out the Foxbridge Plate (Gr 2, 1200m) last August. Sterling Express’s fourth dam is a half-sister to Prioress’s third dam. The most accomplished descendant is Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) St Covet (Covetous). A further generation removed reveals that Ruelle’s dam Ruve (Oman) and the dam of dual Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner Think Big (Sobig), namely Sarcelle (Oman), are sisters.
What about Foxbridge?
A week ago, Kiwi Chronicles called Proisir (Choisir) New Zealand Champion Sire for 2025-26. Not exactly a bold call. His earnings lead over the late, great Savabeel (Zabeel) was insurmountable.
A week later and Proisir affirmed his position, to claim a second Grosvenor Award after a gritty win from Prioress (Proisir) in Saturday’s Opukake Cup (Listed, 1400m). Bagging a second New Zealand title is proof that the stallion is no one hit wonder. Between Proisir and Savabeel, they have been one and two the last four seasons.
As for making calls, it might not be wise to write off a Savabeel comeback for the 2027 season. If so, Savabeel would equal Foxbridge (Foxlaw) and his 11 titles, the only difference being that Foxbridge’s were in succession.
This segway to Foxbridge is not accidental. The writer notes that three stallion awards are up for grabs annually and are to be presented by the NZTBA this coming Saturday in Cambridge. The Grosvenor Award recognises the leading sire based on New Zealand earnings. The Dewar Award recognises the New Zealand-based stallion with the highest Australasian earnings while the Centaine Award extends to world-wide earnings.
If the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association is reading this, is it time to annually recognise the Champion Broodmare Sire? It might carry the name: The Foxbridge Award, after the stallion who headed the category on 11 occasions.
O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) is currently in control of that territory including this season and has been the Champion Broodmare Sire now for five successive seasons. Lurking is Savabeel who was runner-up to his former barn mate in 2025 as well as this season. What odds would the TAB offer re Savabeel topping both championships for 2027?
Going one better
After Proisir gains his second Grosvenor Award at this week’s awards, it will be Little Avondale Stud’s turn to reflect on deserved recognition for Per Incanto (Street Cry) who will snare both the Dewar and Centaine Awards. This will be his second Centaine title but in adding the Dewar Award has gone one better due to his outstanding big-time earners Jimmysstar and Gringotts. Per Incanto has broken the stranglehold that Savabeel has enjoyed as Dewar Award champion for nine of the past ten years.
As the leading New Zealand-based sire in Australia Per Incanto has amassed close to $15 million in earnings this term. It appears he will finish sixth against the best of the Australians and is far ahead of the next two New Zealand sires Savabeel (Zabeel) and Shamexpress (O’Reilly) who sit 29th and 30th respectively.
His position is all the more impressive when you consider that he had just 94 runners in Australia in the current season. The other nine of the top ten Australian sires averaged 278 runners. Saturday saw two metropolitan winners for Per Incanto.
Little Avondale will no doubt be very interested in Prima Bella who had to share her Flemington Benchmark 78 win, her career sixth in just 13 starts. The 5YO mare also won at Randwick this past May. Little Avondale Stud bred and sold Prima Bella from a family that has been a major part of the great Te Parae/Little Avondale story, going back to a yearling bred by Sam Williams’ grandmother, Nancy Williams, in 1941.
At Rosehill, Rolling Magic, from the same crop as Prima Bella, also scored his sixth win, at Benchmark 72 level. Saturday’s victory was Rolling Magic’s second at Rosehill and he has earned $357,000, a good return on the $100,000 outlayed for him at the 2022 Melbourne Wm Inglis Premier Sale. He is a grandson of 2018 NZ Broodmare of the Year Bagalollies (Zabeel), dam of brother and sister Group 1 winners Werther (Tavistock) and Toffee Tongue (Tavistock).
Winter tests
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. This old saying has never been truer than lately with the spate of winter staying tests taken out by some tough Kiwis including Asterix (Tavistock) and Thebudgiesmugla (Redwood). Add to them King Pedro (Eminent), who raced in New Zealand as Don Pedro before his sale to Australian interests.
In nabbing the Grafton Cup (Listed, 2350m), King Pedro certainly didn’t make it look easy. Turning for home he had one behind him, was pulled out into the centre of the track then made a sustained run to get up in the last stride. The win provided the first stakes winner for Brighthill Stud’s Eminent (Frankel) and as suggested in the 30th June edition of Kiwi Chronicles, Eminent’s stock prefer the longer journeys.
The best performer in his close up family is his grandam’s half-sister Miss Marielle (Encosta De Lago), a high class mare who bagged Rosehill’s Hill Stakes (Gr 2, 1900m) among six wins in total. Miss Marielle excelled in the breeding barn, producing Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m) winner Peeping (Redoute’s Choice) while Miss Marielle’s half-brother Eurozone (Northern Meteor) was successful at Group 2 level.
