Auckland NZTBA branch member Terry Archer was rather pleased with the win by Showbeel (Savabeel[AUS]-Showileo(AUS) in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham last Saturday.
“I’m pretty happy with that” enthused the Northland based breeder who bred the filly in partnership with Waikato Stud.
“It’s very timely as we have a close relation going through the sales early on Monday afternoon. It’s a Choisir(AUS) filly out of Show And Tell another daughter of Showileo(AUS). So, it’s good for her to get black type it makes a hell of a difference to a broodmare.”
Showbeel was sold by Archer and Waikato Stud at the Karaka Sales in 2018, to clients of the Baker/Forsman stable for $215,000. From that stable she has won two races from just seven starts for her owners Geoff Candy and Bill Luff.
Following her maiden victory at her second start as a three-year-old she ran third in the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes before racing three wide and being hampered in the straight to finish unplaced in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic. Next up at Trentham she took out the Desert Gold and gave her sire Savabeel(AUS) his 96th stakes winner and 61st group winner.
It was quite fitting for Showbeel to win at Trentham as she descends from the Hall of Fame champion mare Showgate who achieved some of her greatest wins on the Trentham course.
Showbeel is the fifth foal of the Galileo(IRE) mare Showileo and her fourth winner, the other winners being Modern Fortune (Darci Brahma), Black Sav (Savabeel[AUS]) and Show And Tell(Exceed and Excel[AUS]) all of whom have won two races.
Showileo was only placed as a racehorse but she is a half-sister to the stakes winners Safwan, Showcause, Safwa and Lacada the dam of Zacada, being out of the stakes winning mare Showella.
Showcause (by Giant’s Causeway[Ire]) was the Champion New Zealand Stayer in 2010-11 winning the Gr.2 Avondale Cup, Gr.2 City of Auckland Cup and the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup as well as running second in the Gr.1 Auckland Cup. He was raced by Archer and a group of friends.
Safwan (by Encosta de Lago[AUS]) won four races including a group two in South Africa and Safwa (by Danehill[USA]) won five races three in succession and two at Listed level. Lacada a full sister to Showcause is the dam of the dual group winner Zacada who won the Gr.2 Avondale Cup and was second in the Gr.1 Sydney Cup.
Showella was the first filly that Archer bought, by Lord Ballina(AUS) she was out of Show Queen a Balmerino daughter of Show Gate (Gate Keeper[GB]-Minglow), the winner of 30 races nine of them a black type level including the Trentham Stakes, and in one memorable week she won the Stewards, Canterbury Gold Cup and Churchill Stakes.
The retired CEO started with an interest in having a punt, ventured into racehorse ownership and eventually decided to get into the breeding business with the T W Archer Trust, buying some nice race fillies with some residual value, of which Showella was one. The other was Star Affair (Star Way[GB]-The Grin), who won the Gr.2 Travis Stakes, and has left the stakes winners La Bella Diosa, Star Billing and Thy, and has a colt by El Roca(AUS) in Book One on Monday afternoon as well.
Getting back to Showileo she has a two-year-old full sister to Showbeel, and a Mongolian Khan(AUS) colt at foot.
“I bred the two-year-old filly in a foal share with Waikato Stud, and she has been broken in and is back at Waikato Stud,” said Archer.
“I will have a chat with Mark(ChIttick) at the sales next week to see what we are going to do with her now.
“I have leased Showileo to Westbury Stud and she is in foal to El Roca(AUS), so that will be pretty exciting as he is kicking goals right now.”
“Show And Tell is now a resident at Coolmore, and had a No Nay Never(USA) filly, and is back in foal to So You Think. We have shifted all the mares to Australia now, and the foals come home when they are weaned depending on what we are going to do.
“We have three options, sell in Australia, race in Australia or sell in New Zealand depending on the individual, for example we will probably keep the No Nay Never(USA) filly to race.
“There is no question about it, New Zealand is certainly the best place to grow young horses, but unfortunately it’s a bit of a challenge when they come to racing age. I appreciate that there are a lot of people trying to make changes, but even if the changes are made it’s not going to happen overnight. If the New Zealand industry does improve, we can adjust the business plan and bring them back, it’s not irreversible.”
In the meantime, Archer has a couple of smarts yearlings to sell and a smart filly heading towards the Oaks from an iconic New Zealand family that he has nurtured now for three generations, and no doubt more stakes winners to breed. - Michelle Saba
