The grit, determination and will to win demonstrated by Culminate (Elnadim-Solstice) in the Group Two NRM Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes, illustrates the phenomenal legacy of the mighty matriarch Soliloquy.
It was the 10th win for this game six year old mare, who has now won just shy of $700,000, and last season was victorious at Group One level in the First Sovereign Otaki-Maori WFA Stakes before going down to Typhoon Tracy in the Group One AJC Coolmore Classic. Like her grandmother Soliloquy, she races in the famous Hunting tartan and yellow colours of Richard Moore and following her race career will head to the broodmare paddock to extend the dynasty at the Moore's Karaka property Soliloquy Lodge.
It was the first time the Moore's had won the Counties event sponsored by the Auckland branch in association with NRM, having had a number of runners try over the years. Tantamount (Last Tycoon- Soltanto) was second in the event in 2001 and Culminate was third last year. Counties is their local racing club, and as well as David Moore – Richard's son - being the current President of the Auckland NZTBA, Richard is a previous winner of the Auckland Branch's Outstanding Contribution Award.
"I was thrilled with the win, in fact I am very pleased each time we win a race, but this race is one that as a local and a breeder you like to win," according to Richard Moore.
"I'm very pleased with the way she has come up this season. Her win last season in the Rich Hill Mile was her most exciting for me as it was her first stakes win following a whole lot of stakes placings. She performed well in Australia in the autumn - you have to be really good to compete over there and depending on how she goes over the summer we may head to Brisbane next winter.
During the 1970's Richard Moore raced Soliloquy (Sobig-Princess Patine) with his late father Dick, to win 13 races including the Group One Waikato RC Lion Brown Sprint, before commencing her amazing stud career.
He had bred her mother Princess Patine (Pakistan II – Gabardine) and sold her as a weanling when he drew a marble for compulsory military training in the mid 60's. As a young lad working at Ra Ora Stud he had had a bit of luck selling a yearling from a mare he had been given by Sir Woolf Fisher, so he purchased a Gabador mare Gabardine (ex Green Gables) in foal to Pakistan II.
He sent the mare to Alcimedes and produced the WATC Tatt's Cup winner Acropolis, then to Sovereign Edition to produce the listed placed winner Welcome Edition and to Hermes where she produced Gaberton, a winner of four and the dam of the Group One Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes winner and successful sire Prince of Praise.
After her successful race career, he contacted Princess Patine's owners and used the mare to produce Soliloquy. Princess Patine also went on to produce the stakes winners Kubla Khan and Count Ajax in Australia.
Soliloquy went on to produce 12 foals, 11 to race and nine winners, including the stakes winners Solveig(Imposing), the 1985 Wrightson Filly of the Year, and a winner of 14 races, Soltanto (Tights), Quibble(Ruling) who both won seven, Reasoning (Grosvenor) and the stakes placed Solstice(Marceau), the dam of Culminate. In fact, to date among her descendents there are over 90 winners and 28 stakes performers including the Group One winners, Cross Swords, Gallic, and Captivate.
"Solvieg's Avondale Cup stands out as the most thrilling for me, I have been very lucky to have a mare like Soliloquy and for her progeny to go on as they have." Richard added.
When asked if it was all luck or a well thought out mating programme, Richard chuckled and suggested it was mostly luck.
"I don't look for proven crosses back in the pedigree or line breed back to horses or anything like that. I mainly look at type and temperament.
"It's a great interest of mine, and I spend a fair bit of time working on it. I start out with a list of mares, and beside each one I put a list of possible stallions, then I list all the prices and that's my base and I work from there.
"Some mares only have one or two stallions beside their names and others can have half a dozen or more. I work out how much I want to spend on each mare, as some of them don't warrant as much as others, then at the end of the day it comes back to type and temperament. I do like pre-potent stallions and I hope the mares will do the rest, I guess I must be doing something right.
"This year we are breeding from about 18 mares and about half our mares are descendants of Soliloquy's We are breeding less mares this year, for various reasons, and we are selling our yearlings through Haunui Farm's draft," he concluded.
Needless to say the Soliloquy dynasty is well and truly established now and looks set to keep producing tough gritty racehorses just like herself.
- Michelle Saba
It was the 10th win for this game six year old mare, who has now won just shy of $700,000, and last season was victorious at Group One level in the First Sovereign Otaki-Maori WFA Stakes before going down to Typhoon Tracy in the Group One AJC Coolmore Classic. Like her grandmother Soliloquy, she races in the famous Hunting tartan and yellow colours of Richard Moore and following her race career will head to the broodmare paddock to extend the dynasty at the Moore's Karaka property Soliloquy Lodge.
It was the first time the Moore's had won the Counties event sponsored by the Auckland branch in association with NRM, having had a number of runners try over the years. Tantamount (Last Tycoon- Soltanto) was second in the event in 2001 and Culminate was third last year. Counties is their local racing club, and as well as David Moore – Richard's son - being the current President of the Auckland NZTBA, Richard is a previous winner of the Auckland Branch's Outstanding Contribution Award.
"I was thrilled with the win, in fact I am very pleased each time we win a race, but this race is one that as a local and a breeder you like to win," according to Richard Moore.
"I'm very pleased with the way she has come up this season. Her win last season in the Rich Hill Mile was her most exciting for me as it was her first stakes win following a whole lot of stakes placings. She performed well in Australia in the autumn - you have to be really good to compete over there and depending on how she goes over the summer we may head to Brisbane next winter.
During the 1970's Richard Moore raced Soliloquy (Sobig-Princess Patine) with his late father Dick, to win 13 races including the Group One Waikato RC Lion Brown Sprint, before commencing her amazing stud career.
He had bred her mother Princess Patine (Pakistan II – Gabardine) and sold her as a weanling when he drew a marble for compulsory military training in the mid 60's. As a young lad working at Ra Ora Stud he had had a bit of luck selling a yearling from a mare he had been given by Sir Woolf Fisher, so he purchased a Gabador mare Gabardine (ex Green Gables) in foal to Pakistan II.
He sent the mare to Alcimedes and produced the WATC Tatt's Cup winner Acropolis, then to Sovereign Edition to produce the listed placed winner Welcome Edition and to Hermes where she produced Gaberton, a winner of four and the dam of the Group One Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes winner and successful sire Prince of Praise.
After her successful race career, he contacted Princess Patine's owners and used the mare to produce Soliloquy. Princess Patine also went on to produce the stakes winners Kubla Khan and Count Ajax in Australia.
Soliloquy went on to produce 12 foals, 11 to race and nine winners, including the stakes winners Solveig(Imposing), the 1985 Wrightson Filly of the Year, and a winner of 14 races, Soltanto (Tights), Quibble(Ruling) who both won seven, Reasoning (Grosvenor) and the stakes placed Solstice(Marceau), the dam of Culminate. In fact, to date among her descendents there are over 90 winners and 28 stakes performers including the Group One winners, Cross Swords, Gallic, and Captivate.
"Solvieg's Avondale Cup stands out as the most thrilling for me, I have been very lucky to have a mare like Soliloquy and for her progeny to go on as they have." Richard added.
When asked if it was all luck or a well thought out mating programme, Richard chuckled and suggested it was mostly luck.
"I don't look for proven crosses back in the pedigree or line breed back to horses or anything like that. I mainly look at type and temperament.
"It's a great interest of mine, and I spend a fair bit of time working on it. I start out with a list of mares, and beside each one I put a list of possible stallions, then I list all the prices and that's my base and I work from there.
"Some mares only have one or two stallions beside their names and others can have half a dozen or more. I work out how much I want to spend on each mare, as some of them don't warrant as much as others, then at the end of the day it comes back to type and temperament. I do like pre-potent stallions and I hope the mares will do the rest, I guess I must be doing something right.
"This year we are breeding from about 18 mares and about half our mares are descendants of Soliloquy's We are breeding less mares this year, for various reasons, and we are selling our yearlings through Haunui Farm's draft," he concluded.
Needless to say the Soliloquy dynasty is well and truly established now and looks set to keep producing tough gritty racehorses just like herself.
- Michelle Saba
