Breeder's Great Run

This time two year ago Angela Williams was hoping for two scratchings in the New Zealand Derby so Carchelo (No Excuse Needed - Bellesinga), a horse she bred with her father Tom, could get a start. They didn't eventuate but this year Angela will be represented in the classic with Nippin ( Pins - Wait a Minute), a horse she bred in partnership with Waikato Stud, capping a wonderful month for the Auckland based breeder - who only breeds from 3 or 4 mares each season - that started with Goodview Successor ( O'Reilly - Zalass) winning in Hong Kong on 15 February.

A winner over 1600m from just six career starts, the Zabeel mare Zalass's second dam is the former high class racemare and increasingly influential taproot mare Sanderae who has foundered something of a dynasty in recent years with the likes of Roman Emperor, Black Mamba and Rios all descendants of the Oncidium mare. Zalass is a half sister to Switch Hitter, dam of the promising Melbourne three-year-old Absolutelyawesome.

Goodview Successor who was Zalass's first foal, has a year younger unraced three-year -old No Excuse Needed half brother in work with the Saunders at Te Awamutu, a retained two-year-old O'Reilly full brother in training at Awapuni and a weanling Towkay half brother who Williams intends to have prepared for next years Ready to Run Sale. Zalass is in foal to Nom Du Jeu.

Racecaller Dave McDonald summed up the finish of the Listed Southland Guineas on 19 February perfectly when he implied that the winners name Champagne Needed (No Excuse Needed - Bellesinga) would be needed in rather large quantities, and quite quickly by connections of the 52 to 1 winner. As the colts breeder and well capable of joining in a good party, Williams may not have been trackside to share in the celebrations but she had a toast or two at home to just the second stakeswinner she has bred - the first was Larry's Never Late (Pentire-Labeel) who she bred with her father Tom.

A most attractive mare by Danasinga, Bellesinga, who was a winner over 1600m and 2000m in 15 starts, came from a family extremely light on black type and it was only her ability to transmit her looks into her progeny that saw her second foal - Champagne Needed's full brother Carchelo - accepted into the 2007 Karaka Select catalogue, where he sold purely on type for $95,000. More workman like than his prettier older brother, but still a very nice type, Champagne Needed only made the Festival Sale in 2009 where he sold to his present trainer Shane Kennedy and Michael Wallace Bloodstock for $27,000.

Unfortunately Bellesinga died last year when in foal to No Excuse Needed. Williams has retained her first foal, an O'Reilly mare who she will send to the court of the new Little Avondale Stud stallion Per Incanto later this year, and Bellesinga's last foal an unbroken Scardee Cat two-year-old filly is currently on the market for private sale.

The jewel in William's broodmare band is clearly the dual race winning Centaine mare Wait A Minute whom Angela bred and raced. A full sister to the group one winning filly Sixty Seconds and group winner Spottswoode, this is the family of the 2007 NZ Broodmare of the year River Century and her sister Arletty - grand dam of this weekends New Zealand Derby second favourite He's Remarkable.

Nippin, Wait A Minute's first live foal, was a $210,000 purchase by Alan Sharrock from the Waikato Stud draft at the 2009 Karaka Premier Sale. His year younger half sister by Savabeel, bred in partnership with Little Avondale Stud and passed in at last years Karaka Premier Sale is likely to be leased for a racing campaign before a broodmare career for Williams and her cousin Sam Williams (owner and studmaster at LA). Wait A Minute has a weanling Pins colt and is in foal to O'Reilly.

The fourth member of Williams broodmare band the O'Reilly mare Maggie O'Reilly was purchased from the Waikato Stud draft at the 2009 Karaka Broodmare Sale for $6,000 in foal to No Excuse Needed. Unraced at that stage, Maggie O'Reilly's first foal a filly by No Excuse Needed has since made a promising start to her racing career from John Bary's stable as No Excuse Maggie, registering a win and two seconds, one of which was to Derby contestant On The Level, from just 4 starts.

Canterbury's Berkley Stud may well have got somewhat of a bargain when they bought No Excuse Maggie's full brother from Williams at last years National Weanling Sale for $2,000 with a view to re-offering him at this years South Island Sale. Maggie O'Reilly, who is empty and did not have a foal last year, is due to visit Per Incanto this year.

While it maybe expecting too much from Nippin to win this weekends New Zealand Derby, Williams has savoured the last month, coming as she does from a family stepped in breeding tradition and well versed in the ups and downs of breeding thoroughbreds. Regardless of Saturdays result Williams small band of broodmares look well capable of bringing her a lot more enjoyment over the next few years.