My Turf

Volksraad: A Dying Breed

2012-01-02T01:04:00.000-08:00

The passing of Windsor Park stalwart Volksraad last week may have closed a chapter in New Zealand thoroughbred breeding. Prior to the arrival here of the unheralded son of Green Desert in 1993, our studmasters still had something of a reputation in the breeding world for their ability to find highly successful stallions from humble backgrounds, but in more recent times the art seems to have been lost, or just not pursued, as the realities of the modern world seem to have woven their way into thoroughbred breeding.

It was a balmy windy Waikato day in late August 1993 when I first laid eyes on Volksraad. He was been paraded at his new home at Mapperley Stud as part of a stallion tour organised by the local branch of the NZTBA. Although it was his first public parade - he had only been in the country a month I recall -most of the seventy or so breeders in attendance seemed far more interested in Stylish Century, who was about to embark on his second breeding season.

Ignoring the wind which had clearly unsettled his three barn-mates, and showing no real interest in the crowd of breeders, the strongly made bay walked with a looseness and a sense of purpose and confidence that almost bordered on arrogance. My admiration for the stallion increased even further when the Mapperley studmaster, Irishman Patrick Connell, who was compering his quartet, explained to us how through an association he had with the horses Newmarket stable, he was aware how highly the yard rated the horse before he succumbed to the leg injury which bought about his sale at auction.

The Timeform Racehorses of 1992 annual had this to say about Volksraad:

Stocky, powerful colt: type to carry condition: very good mover: half-brother to

1m winner In Unison (by Bellypha): dam 10.6f winner out of Welsh Garden, top
2-y-o filly in Ireland in 1975: operated on for knee injury in spring 1991: odds
on, won minor event at Ascot in September later that year in workmanlike fashion by 1½ lengths
from Fairy Flax, leading over 2f out: second favourite, 3½ lengths third of 7 to
Mystiko in Challenge Stakes at Newmarket 3 weeks later, soon under pressure but
keeping on really well: should be better suited by 1m: sold 23,000 gns
Newmarket December (1992) Sales.

Armed with some inside knowledge and more than a little bit of Irish gumption one imagines, Connell and his new employers purchased Volksraad, however despite the relatively cheap price, a budget is always a budget and there were a few anxious moments at the auction, as Windsor Park's Steve Till recounted to me last year. As the story goes, the auction took place in the middle of the night our time and Connell, who was ringside and bidding, rang Till, who sleepily sat on the end of the phone as the bidding crept up in 500 guinea increments almost from the start. Apparently on at least one occasion the anglo Irish/New Zealand partnership thought they had missed out on the young entire, only for fresh bidders to disappear as quickly as they had entered the bidding.

And so spawned from humble beginnings, a wonderful stallion career that has delivered to date, eight New Zealand Stallion Premierships and 14 individual group one winners, including two in Australia at 1200 and 1400m - a rare achievement for a New Zealand stallion. While he never truly commanded the same commercial appeal as the likes of Zabeel, O'Reilly, Pins, Montjeu, or even Pentire and Stravinsky, he became a favourite cohort for the fledgling mares of a lot of astute breeders, who recognised the stallion's ability to consistently sire winners and stakes performers - often at an early age - a great fillip for the profile of a young broodmare.

Standing the likes of a Volksraad at stud these days in New Zealand where the stallion is going to get a level and type of mare that at least gives him a starters chance is getting more and more difficult. The larger commercial operations focus is rightly or wrongly on the sale ring, where the competition is intense and the marketing budgets of some are equivalent to a small pacific nations GDP. Yes a truly prepotent stallion should be able to make it next to anywhere, but the significantly reducing number of opportunities domestically will mean that almost all of the potential heir apparent's to the likes of Volksraad, Sir Tristram, Noble Bijou, War Hawk II, Pakistan II and many famous names before them will sadly never be in a position to contribute to our breeding industry.

Footnotes: 1.Shares in Volksraad were offered for sale at the stallion parade, for $10,000 if I recall correctly, and I spent most of my trip back to Auckland later that day trying to work out how I could coerce my father into "investing" in a share. Alas it was not to be as our broodmare pool numbered exactly zilch and after dads only previous dabble into thoroughbred breeding had concluded in less than salubrious circumstances at a Claudelands winter Sale post the sharemarket crash, it was an argument I was never destined to win.

2. In an irony many participants in the thoroughbred industry will be accustomed, Stylish Century's stud career and life ended courtesy of a spider bite suffered at Queensland's Valentine Park in 2002, the black stallions fourth home since departing Mapperley Stud in 1997. Stylish Century left just four stakeswinners in his ten seasons at stud.

Summer Six

2011-12-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

Three-year-old's feature in this years Summer Six. Our three-year-old male and female ranks look to have genuine depth this season and any number could have made the cut. Once again the focus is not necessarily on the established pattern horses but rather on those who have signalled they can take the step to better company. Here is the select field and for those of you who like your ante post betting, many of these selections are currently at attractive odds for some of the cups and classics.

Green Supreme: Looks to have recaptured the form he showed here in the spring of his three-year-old year when he ran a fast finishing third to Eileen Dubh in the Group One Levin Classic. In fact he was well in the Derby market but departed for Hong Kong where he failed to show any form in two light campaigns. Yet to race further than 1600m but his fast finishing style looks suited to at least 2000m and the son of Oasis Dream is a genuine lightweight chance for the big cups if he can run the trip. For a out and out sprinter himself and being a son of Green Desert, Oasis Dream has been something of a revelation with the number of high class middle distance performers he has left. With Rainbow Quest as his dam sire, Green Supreme's pedigree is unlikely to stop him running a strong middle distance.

Nashville: Another promising type from the first crop of Darci Brahma. Backed up a win on debut at Riccarton during Cup week with a second to the promising Jerico at Trentham on Captain Cook Stakes Day. His Trentham run was full of merit: he got back and pulled due to the lack of early pace, then mounted a wide run from the 600m and despite running greenly in the home straight, was still finding the line strongly at the end of the 1400m event. Stable has a good record of producing quality runners from limited representation and they have knocked back big overseas offers for Nashville to chase races like the Derby.

Lady Kipling: Always a good looking type and more strongly made than many of the stock of her sire, she has come back at four looking even more robust and raced accordingly. To her credit she looked extremely talented last season but often spoilt her chances by being very tardy from the gates. Stable has obviously worked hard to rectify that problem and this season she is getting away on terms. The field she beat to win the Cal Isuzu was of genuine group two standard and the form from it should hold-up strongly over the summer. Had genuine excuses for three failures at 2000m last season and with her style of racing and maturity, looks well capable of playing a leading role in the weight for age 2000m races throughout the summer months.

Ocean Park: Boxing Day's Group Two Great Northern Guineas looks set to be a cracking contest, featuring many of the pretenders to the mantle of our leading three-year male, and while the lightly raced Ocean Park will give away experience to many of his fellow runners, don't be surprised to see the son of Thorn Park extremely competitive against the likes of Burgandy and co. Connections have indicated he may leave for Hong Kong before the Derby but the odds of 21 to 1 are still tempting.

Pero: Well related four-year-old son of Storming Home whose patient handling is starting to pay dividends. 1.35 is rarely broken for 1600m at New Plymouth yet Pero did it easily earlier this month at his first start since a successful Christchurch trip for the Cup Carnival. Although he has won well in good times at 1400 and 1600m, he has always raced as if staying would be his forte, galloping with a real stayers stride and a low head carriage. From a stable that trained the high class stayers Mr Brooker and Aerosmith, Pero has the right credentials to make into a very exciting staying prospect.

Silent Achiever: Has a similar profile to another O'Reilly filly Annie Higgins, who last season only started racing just prior to Xmas in rating races but who became highly competitive in stakes company by Xmas with her strong finishing style. Silent Achiever hinted she was well above average, when she stormed home to run second on debut at Te Aroha. That performance saw her start a very warm favourite for her latest start, a 1600m maiden contest at Ellerslie last week which she won on her ear. Just a medium sized filly, typical of many of the better O'Reilly females, Silent Achiever's ability to really sprint when asked will hold her in good stead for her step to age group racing.

Best of luck.

Ellerslie 7 December: Talent on The Track Too

2011-12-12T01:44:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday evenings Ellerslie meeting looks to have unearthed yet more three-year-old talent.

These twilight meetings have a habit of proving difficult for punters, and with rain around and the running rail out 12m, upsets again looked the order of the night, especially after Redemption saluted in the first at odds of nearly 20 to 1.

However strong winning performances from two well supported three-year-old fillies reinvigorated punters confidence and saw that a small parcel of the $200,000 Pick Six was struck.

Following her strong last start finish for third over 1400m to subsequent group one placed Randall, the step to 1600m looked ideal for the Towkay filly Chicharita. Allowed to settle back from a wide draw on Wednesday evening, she made a sustained run through the field from the 600m, eventually striking the front with 150m to go, before holding off the fast finishing Poste Restante more comfortably than the long neck margin suggests.

Chicharita is not overly typical of her sires stock and looks to have thrown more to her dam sire Sir Tristram. Tall and strongly made with good bone, the filly reminds me on type somewhat of the Towkay filly Sahara Flight who ran third in the 2005 New Zealand Oaks. Interstingly', like a number of Towkay's better performers, she has Fair Trail blood in her distaff.

Although nearly a second slower than Chicharita's winning time for the same distance, Silent Achiever, having just her second start, was every bit as impressive. The feature of the O'Reilly filly's debut performance for third was her fast closing 200m, and once again she displayed rare acceleration, sitting a little bit closer in the running than Chicharita, before picking up the leaders in a matter of strides with 150m to go, then coasting to the line.

Chicharita runs to the line strongly and will be suited in pattern company at 2000m and further, while Silent Achiever also has the class to be competitive in races like the Eight Carat Classic.

Saturday's Eulogy Stakes underlined the current depth of our three-year-old fillies. The return of Planet Rock and Annabandana to join the emerging talent of Xanadu and Silent Achiever will ensure a fascinating conclusion to the Filly of the Year title.

Ellerslie 3 December: David and Miss Goliath

2011-12-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

I headed to Ellerslie primarily to see Xanadu as I had not seen her since she was a foal at Little Avondale. The maiden race also had a number of first starters, quite a few of them well bred and with trials form.

Watching Xanadu parade was like looking at a high school first XV run onto the field, and there suddenly in the middle of the teenagers is Brad Thorn or Andy Haden. She is some physical specimen; tall and long but very athletic with the most fantastic gaskin. She had just the right amount of mental alertness, on toe, and keen to get on with it, but observant and confident.

Craig Gryll's knew he was on the best horse in the race and rode her accordingly. The stakesplaced Vincent Street got away with cheap sectionals in front but despite Xanadu finding the home turn tricky, as many visiting Ellerslie for the first time do, she outsprinted the Darci Brahma gelding more comfortably than the margin suggests.

Knights Tour paraded acting colty and it will take a good training effort to get him through to the Derby with his manhood intact.

The Maiden 1200m presented a totally different challenge. Apart from the O'Reilly colt Miami Provocateur and the Falkirk filly Springtime, the field lacked types. But as the saying goes, beauty's only skin deep and my eye kept coming back to the little Keeper gelding St Yazin Chris McNab was walking around beneath the trees in the parade ring.

His best supporters will tell you that he has had some very good males in Hong Kong but Keeper is one of those stallions whose fillies are distinctly superior to his colts. Often he can leave a a big type of colt and they can tend to be a bit one-paced. Keeper's only stakeswinner in Hong Kong, Special Days, is not a big horse.

Lucky to be 15.1 hands, St Yazin may have thrown to his damsire Montjeu - making a promising start as a broodmare stallion - for he was still a neat and well balanced type. But is was more his eye that I took a liking to, it looked at you and reeked of honesty and courage. Could he gallop?

He sure could. The Savabeel three-year-old gelding Have No Mercy - a good type for a Savabeel -showed high gate speed to get across early from a wide gate and then sprinted clear early in the straight. Little St Yazin had got back in the early rush and was having difficulty extracting himself from traffic with 300m to run, but once he did he really knuckled down and picked-up Have No Mercy, right on the line.

Xanadu will go onto better things than anything else on yesterdays card but between St Yazin and Have No Mercy, I think one of them will win a nice race one day.

Ocean Park: Derby Prospects

2011-12-02T00:13:00.000-08:00

Outside Rock n Pop the first legitimate New Zealand Derby contender may have emerged in the form of Saturday's impressive Ellerslie winner Ocean Park. And the Gary Hennessy trained colt has the pedigree to suggest the Derby distance should hold no fears.

Following a dead heat debut win at Gisborne over 1400m earlier in the month, the Thorn Park colt was allowed to start at 16 to 1 for Saturday's 1500m contest but won like an odds on shot, sprinting impressively from last in the nine horse field of three-year-olds, picking up the hot favourite Joy's World with 100m to go, before drawing away from the Redoute's Choice filly to record a length and a half win.

Sayidda the dam of Ocean Park looked a filly of untapped potential in the early summer of 2003, although the fact she was by Zabeel, a smashing physical type and trained by Roger James, probably had more to do with her starting favourite for that seasons Avondale Guineas, than two consecutive wins in lower grade events leading into the group two contest. Sadly she badly fractured a cannon bone during the Guineas and initially there were grave fears for her survival let alone a broodmare career.

Nursed back to health by her breeders and owners Trelawney Stud, Sayidda's first mating was to the stud's own shuttle stallion Van Nistelrooy. The resulting filly foal was retained by her breeders and as Ruqqaya, she showed distinct promise in her first campaign as a summer three-year-old, beating Harris Tweed and The Phantom Storm over 2000m at Te Rapa in 2.02, and at one stage held nominations for the New Zealand Derby and Oaks.

Ruqqaya struggled to recapture the same form in two subsequent campaigns and has not started since running unplaced over ground at Rotorua last December. A generously proportioned but most attractive mare, she looks an outstanding broodmare prospect.

Ocean Park, Sayidda's next live foal after her filly the year earlier by Volksraad died, was part of Trelawney's 2010 Karaka Select Sale draft. Why he sold in the second-tier sale is strange, for while Thorn Park was not the force then as he has become, and Sayidda herself is without black-type, he was an outstanding type, fetching $150,000 - the second equal highest price of 29 Thorn Park progeny sold through the top two sessions that year.

Presumably there are tactics at play on behalf of the vendor in selling Sayidda's yearlings, as the mares next foal, a filly by Iffraaj, also found herself in the Select Sale at Karaka this year, selling to clients of her mothers former trainer for $290,000 ,the top price of that session.

The authors yearling catalogue notes on Hip no 675 at the Karaka last year read " lovely mid-sized colt, not heavy with a great head and barrel." My observations on seeing him at Ellerslie on Saturday were that he has developed in proportion but remained very athletic, is still at best medium sized, with the most notable difference being that he has grown a flowing gaskin that allows him marked elasticity with his hind leg stride.

Veyron capped a very good day for his sire Thorn Park when he won the feature race at Ellerslie on Saturday, the Group Three Eagle Technology Stakes at 1600m. The group one successes last season of his daughter The Party Stand at 2000m and his son Jimmy Choux in the New Zealand Derby, lifted the son of Spinning World into the top bracket of our stallion ranks, but significantly also reiterated the ability of an Australian bred sprinting profiled stallion to leave high class middle distance runners when crossed with the stouter local broodmare gene pool.

Sayidda's distaff was responsible for a number of high class performers throughout thr 1980's and 1990's, headed by the likes of Courtza, O'Reilly, Critic and Our Pompeii, however the years since have been rather lean for this old Waikato Stud family. Not for the first time, Zabeel looks to have re invigorated a branch of a once distinguished family.

Given the manner of Saturday's victory, and coming at just his second career start, the future looks very bright for Ocean Park. This author will not be writing a tongue in cheek article again about a son of Thorn Park needing a horse float to run the Derby distance.

Xanadu: Going Places Quickly

2011-11-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

It sounds like the Kelso stable did a pretty decent job of keeping the potential of their three-year-old filly Xanadu to themselves before she debuted on her home track on 28 October. Allowed to start third favourite in the field of nine, the Elusive City filly could hardly have been more visually impressive, picking up the pacemaking Pellegrini well into the short Matamata straight, yet still posting a one and a half length winning margin over the promising Baker trained colt.

Helped no doubt by a New Zealand Herald article this morning that talked up the chances of the Savabeel filly Showing Off in todays Rating 65 1400m at Te Aroha, Xanadu was allowed to open at a $4.50 Fixed Odds quote, before firming to start slight favourite at a touch under $4 for her clash with the unbeaten Savabeel filly and a field of predominantly older horses.

Away slowly after reeling slightly from a bump to her head as the starting gates opened, Craig Gryll's quickly used the fillys high cruising speed to recover and take a position close to the pace, before unleashing her on the leaders shortly into the straight, then clearing out under a hands and heals ride for an authorative three and a half length victory that could conceivably have been four and a half to five lengths if Gryll's had felt the urge.

The ability to sprint twice in a race is rare in a thoroughbred, yet the Little Avondale Stud bred filly seems to do it quite effortlessly.

It is a huge class rise from a midweek Rating 65 to tackle Annabandana, Planet Rock and co but Xanadu looks the type of filly that can often come out from seemingly nowhere at this time of the season; the one that has missed the tough age group racing and really measures up in the Filly of The Year events throughout the summer.

Melbourne Cup 101

2011-11-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

So the Cup is over for another year and the punting post mortem's have begun.

The Cup was a kind race to me in the late 90's and early this millennium, but I had gone off the boil lately, largely due to the increasing competitiveness of the overseas horses and the myriad of different formlines they were bringing downunder. My luck turned this year, yet ironically European horses finished in the first six placings. Maybe the experience had made me wiser...

Excuse me for sounding a little bit like John Mitchell, but in success one should still analyse the accomplishment, as there is still much to learn.......so here it goes:

Dunaden: Watch, watch, watch and watch again. On my first look at the Geelong Cup replay I wasn't overly impressed. Sure he let down well to hit the front 200m out, but then he just seemed to flatten out. I didn't think for a moment it was in the same league as the Cup trials of Media Puzzle, She's Archie or Americain.

But the more times I watched the replay the wiser I became; Williams had deliberately dropped his hands when he hit the front, wanting the horse to have a softer run as possible.

Tanby's consistent form through the spring and his subsequent win in the Bendigo Cup were important pointers, however the clincher was probably Dunadens weight - the records show that 53.5kgs is such a winnable Cup weight.

Red Cadeaux: I liked the way he fought right to the line for a close third in the Irish St Leger. He was off the bit a long way out, and although the time was 7 seconds off standard, he kept closing on the dead heating winners. He carried over 60kgs at the Curragh that day and the race has been a good guide to Melbourne down the years with the likes of Vinnie Roe, Vintage Crop and Profound Beauty performing well in both races.

The clincher came with the Trackside preview show on Monday night. There was a shot of him being hotwalked at Werribee and despite an exercise blanket I could still see that he looked in excellent condition, especially in his coat, which was a rich dark red chestnut colour. Obviously he was warming to Melbourne like his rugby team had to Queenstown. Also his trainer Ed Dunlop knows how to travel a horse - he has done so fantastically well with the marvellous mare Snow Fairy - so despite not having had a run in Australia, he was looked well enough to risk.

Lucas Cranache: You knew the moment he started drifting alarmingly in the market for the Caulfield Cup that the stable knew they didn't have him fit enough and so it proved; he mounted a big run from the 600m and looked a real chance with 200m to go, then peaked. The Freedman's have an ideal property down on the Mornington Peninsula for getting a horse fit off the racetrack, plus they had always signalled their intention to go straight from Caulfield into the Cup, so I wasn't concerned when he didn't run again.

I was also taken with a replay of one of his German wins where he stormed home over the last 200m of a 2400m race, showing rare speed for European stayer. Then when I saw he had only finished five lengths from the authoritative Arc winner Danedream in another of his German runs, I couldn't leave him out. Finally and while it wasn't a deal breaker, but his rider Corey Brown has a good record in the Cup, and seem to gets stayers to relax well, and I could see him spending little petrol on the paint from his draw.

Americain: In hindsight the weight probably beats him, although Mosse believes it was the firm track. Still, if he had been closer to them at the turn I still think he may have won. But we will never know.

The Beaten Brigade: Manighar ran slightly better than I thought he would. As a rule horses don't improve between five and six years to win the Cup now and he had his chances last year. The blinkers that went on for the Cup probably sharpened him up sufficiently to run fifth instead of seventh/eighth.

I had Fox Hunt in my multiples but maybe he just lacks the class and speed that you need to win now. He seemed to fit the profile of a Jardines Lookout type of horse, tough and always finding the line. Or maybe the Mark Johnston recalcitrance which I took for a smokescreen was in fact no mirage and he genuinely thought the race was too bigger step. I must go back and look at his form again, possibly I missed something.

If the track had been dry last year I still maintain Holberg would have gone close to winning, instead of running sixth. Godolphin are going to win this race shortly, however this years pair didn't excite me as much as Holberg who had a racing profile that suggested he was comfortable racing close to the pace and could quicken or slow without coming off the bridle.

Of Godolphin's duo, Lost In The Moment appealed more. He finished strongly at Goodwood in a race that featured a number of his English rivals in the Cup. I only sighted a replay of one of Modun's six career starts and it was on the dirt and right handed. It was a reasonably competitive pattern race and he won it well enough, drawing away over the closing stages, but he did race a fraction boldly, which may only be down to his lack of experience. But I had little hesitation to relegate him when I read a report from Werribee that he looked overly bold in his work, which is contrary to the relaxed types I favour for these type of races.

Niwot: Franked the form that comes out of the Lexus now, with a strong performance to finish eighth. While his Lexus win was very comprehensive, I hadn't rated the field overly and when two moderates Macedonian and Raffaello filled the minor placings it tended to confirm my suspicions. He has an excellent Flemington record, including a two-mile win in the Andrew Ramsden, but it's been a long while since form from those sorts of races has bought any reward in the Cup - the St Leger winner Dolphin Jo finished fifth or thereabouts on a rain affected track three or so years ago. Niwot ran to form.

Glass Harmonium: Something told me that he may do a Jeune, being a big bold six-year-old stallion and all, so I had a few tickets on him just in case. Sure once he missed the kick his race was as good as over but he seemed to settle okay at the back of the field, but just didn't run on. Somehow I don't think that theory was ever going to work.

At First Sight: At first I wasn't overly concerned about him not wining the Bendigo Cup, as it was acknowledged he had missed vital work going into the Caulfield Cup and was still likely to be short of fitness. He went up to win at Bendigo then bottomed out. As a friend so rightly reminded me on Cup eve, you need absolutely everything to go right going into these type of races. Maybe he just isn't quite good enough? I would still like to see this horse with another Australian preparation.

Tullamore: Racing well in his leadups although I was concerned that he has always tended to race up on the bit and may not get 2 miles. A lot of Savabeel's have the same tendency and maybe the are sharp mile and a quarter to mile and a half horses. Also Brisbane Cup form hasn't translated into Cup form for many years.

The Cup is a fascinating race for punters. Chances are I suspect a number of my theories will go out the back door next year. Oh well, the analysis sure beats an investment property.

Hastings, Saturday 27 August

2011-09-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

The first day of the Hastings Spring Carnival invariably generates a lot of enthusiasm amongst the racing fraternity and with it been a few seasons since the days feature had included as many horses with genuine Australian Spring Carnival aspirations, this years raceday carried a little extra significance.

But not sufficient to warrant the decision of the Hawkes Bay Racing Club to charge racegoers $20 at the gate. Sadly the extent of the cost reeked of desperation in times of falling turnovers, and I understand, resulted in tens of people turning around at the gates and going home. It's hard to argue that New Zealand racing clubs cannot now afford to charge for feature days, but the price must reflect the product - which includes the standard of the facility, and be advertised appropriately.

The crowd looked down on recent years although they seemed to come out of rabbit holes for the Makfi Challenge Stakes, generating real atmosphere around the parade ring. The undercard featured some promising performances and history shows that many of them will frank that form on the final two days.

Race 1: As a friend so wisely pointed out pre race, any Volksraad who can win it's debut on a soft track must have some ability, and so it proved with Ginner Hart sustaining a wide searching run from the 600m to win narrowly but meritoriously and remain undefeated.

I thought the runner-up Micken was the horse to take out of the race. Like his highly promising half sister Guiseppina, he is a light type, quite narrow and all legs, but a really nice mover in full stride. Kevin Myers looks to have made another astute purchase, picking the Darci Brahma gelding up for just $25,000 at last years Ready To Run Sale. The Darci Brahma's look to me like they'll stay and be that much stronger as autumn three-year-olds.

Race 2: Manny Pacuiao failed to deliver the knockout blow on this occasion but he's one to follow when going beyond 1200m. He also seemed to get lost around the tight Hastings turn and took a long time to get balanced, so may need a bigger track such as Trentham or Te Rapa.

Race 5: Anywhere near her best form, November Rain would have won this weakish affair easily, but sadly for most of last season and again this prep, she looks but a shadow of the fine three-year from two seasons ago. Sterling Prince looks in good fettle and battled on after getting little peace in front from the 1000m. At eight he is unlikely to return to the form that won him a group two race in Melbourne earlier in his career, but as he creeps down the ratings can pickup a nice handicap between 2000 and 2400m.

Race 6: I'm not sure what to make of Baldovino's effort? To be fair to the horse, he carried almost as much hype into the day as many of the better Makfi contenders and it's hard to be critical of a winning effort, but maybe he has had enough for a first preparation. I hadn't seen him before in the flesh but had visions of seeing a bigger, more robust individual, and perhaps he has just lightened off. It would pay to be careful when taking short odds on the Mossman four-year-old again at the Carnival.

No Excuse Maggie produced the run of the day and can be backed with confidence again at the Carnival, however she would need to get her own way in front if she is to run out 2000m.

Race 7: Smoulder's run was typically game and she deserves to pick-up a nice race this campaign - a race like the Couplands Mile would be a good target. Back In Black didn't have a lot of luck late and with form at the Carnival previously, he is worth consideration if he makes the trip down again from his Te Aroha base.

Race 8: Apparently Twilight Savings has had her share of problems since the 1000 Guineas, so much so that she was nearly heading for a broodmare career this spring, before some of that reknown Murray Baker horsemanship began to turn her world around just a couple of weeks ago. She won well against a strong line-up with that destructive turn of foot she hadn't shown since before Christchurch, and there still looks some improvement in her - especially her coat.

Race 9: Featuring four horses who had won group one races in Australia last season and three other group winners including a previous Horse of the Year, this years Makfi field had depth like probably no previous edition.

Wall Street epitomises everything there is to love about the thoroughbred physique; tall but well proportioned, strong without being bulky, masculine with an intelligent head and an eye of courage. If anything he looked in better physical condition than early last season.

The ten days Scarlett Lady had in the Queensland sunshine after the Oaks looked to have done her the world of good. She paraded with a shinning oily coat and bright in the eye. There was some softness to her girth and she will improve a lot with the run.

The two four-year-old stallions Jimmy Choux and Lion Tamer also looked well, if a tad pretty.

Mufhasa, bucking and squealing like a stallion in the stabling area was obviously well. The one horse who looks like she will take a little time is Kiwi Lady - her coat was back and she carried some condition.

Apart from Wall Street's effort, the race probably ran to script. As he had done in most of his previous five group one wins, Mufhasa sat on the speed before dropping the opposition on the turn, utilising his strength and turn of foot to establish a winning break.

It's almost as if Sam Spratt and Mufhasa were made for each other; both good looking, feisty, free spirited and tough, they are a double act that have consistently provided some of the domestic racings most exciting moments, since claiming their first major race together in the 2008 Couplands Bakeries Mile.

In saying that I'm not sure that Mufhasa, despite five group one wins and a Horse of the Year title heading into Hastings, has quite got all the accolades he deserves. Maybe it's got something to do with him going winless in a couple of Australian campaigns.

That deserves to change after his Makfi win. It's always a tough race to win and a genuine group one contest, which is more than one can say for some other races in our domestic calendar with an equivalent grading.

Round two in three weeks time promises to be another fiercely competitive contest.

Race 10: Affirmation was an outstanding winner of the last; hooked at least four horses wide at the 200m by James McDonald, she balanced quickly and must have gone close to running the fastest last 200m of the day. Like most of the best stock of Cape Cross she isn't overly big. A study of her form showed she was a few lengths below our best three-year-old fillies last season, and while she has undoubtedly improved, it's more evidence of the talent that crop possessed.

Horses to Follow: Micken, No Excuse Maggie, Twilight Savings, Scarlett Lady and Jimmy Choux.

Super Easy: A Sign of Things to Come Methinks

2011-08-10T02:22:00.000-07:00

It may only have been a Class Four event in Singapore but the many high profile New Zealand breeders who have invested so heavily in the stallion career of the five-time group one winning Danehill entire Darci Brahma should sleep a little easier tonight, following the emphatic victory earlier this evening by his well named three-year-old son Super Easy.

The colt who had looked so promising in his three previous starts - all in New Zealand last season - was making his Singapore debut and despite the opposition, could hardly have been more impressive, drawing away to win by five lengths without any apparent effort from horse and rider.

It was difficult to assess Darci Brahma's first crop to the races last season. A listed winning colt and a stakesplaced colt in Australia from a handful of starters, and three individual winners of three races and two stakesplaced horses from eleven starters in New Zealand would normally be considered a most satisfactory start, but Darci Brahma is no normal stallion.

Bred in the purple and a most attractive and talked about foal, Darci Brahma may have been a colt burdened with enormous expectations from the day he was born yet he never once showed it, fashioning a racing career the like of which you would expect to see in a Hollywood movie, winning on debut as a two-year-old on the opening day of the Karaka Yearling Sales a year to the day after he had sold there for a record $1.1 million, and culminating in two consecutive group one sprint victories as a four-year-old.

A group one winner at two ( in Australia), three and four years of age between 1200m and 1600m, rarely is our industry blessed with such a well credentialed stallion prospect. Serving books of mares that would have done George Best proud, buyers from throughout Australasia liked what they saw when his first crop yearlings hit the sales in the summer of 2010, paying accordingly for a line-up that were on the whole strikingly similar in type to dad - medium sized, athletic, strongly girthed horses with attractive and intelligent heads.

Although Darci Brahma was a group one winner at two, it was over 1600m in June of his juvenile season and it could be that his progeny throw more to his distaff line, which while full of black-type, does lack two-year-old form - extending to his dam, an Oaks winner by Zabeel. Also, while it is easy to be wise in hindsight, but if one could select one trait from his yearlings that may have suggested his stock would need to be handled patiently, it was that some lacked a touch of maturity, especially through the neck and head.

Super Easy, who was selected from the Karaka Premier Yearling Sale for his Singaporean owners by Michael Wallace Bloodstock and Michael Freeman for $140,000, was always an eyecatcher in the yard here last season but he looks to have matured considerably from his first preparation, especially through the girth, shoulder and neck. This result, all of eight days into the new season should give confidence to Darci Brahma's fans, of which there are many, both financial and non.

Horses To Follow 2011/12

2011-07-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

Incredibly its less than 60 sleeps till the first day of the Hawkes Bay Spring Carnival so its time we took a look at some horses who showed enough to be backed with confidence for 2011/12.

Kekova: Kekova was very consistent throughout her inaugural six start campaign, culminating in a competitive Te Rapa maiden win at her final start for the season. Typical of the progeny of her sire Elusive City, she handles most types of tracks and looks best suited between 1200 and 1400m. An attractive looking three-year-old filly with some length, if she has one confirmation fault it is a lack of length in her front cannons. With her ability to race on the speed and find plenty in a finish she should easily win a couple more races but has yet to show the turn of foot to win in Pattern company.

Aldebaran Star: Tall and rangy son of No Excuse Needed who despite his physical immaturity made good progress this season at three. Aldebaran Star is a half brother to Telegraph Handicap runner-up Tootsie but is physically a different type all together to his Pins sister, and judging by the way he finished off his 1400m assignments this season he looks ideally suited to a mile and with some furnishing, possibly further with time.Well placed by his connections - who include part owner, jockey Jonathan Riddell - the gutsy chestnut looks capable of taking a higher rating in the seasons ahead.

Beejay Belle: For such a natural two-year-old himself, some will question the progress Perfectly Ready's youngsters have made this season however the promise shown by this filly and the fact that a number of his 21 starters looked capable of physical improvement entitle him to some grace from breeders and yearling buyers.
The manner of Beejay Belle's win on debut, when under a ride 600m from home, initially cast a slight doubt on her genuineness but in hindsight it may well have deserved quite a contrary response and she was probably just lacking race fitness and racing on heart. Her next two starts produced fast finishing seconds, the later in the Matamata Breeders where she lost little in comparison to the winner Anabandana, while her final start for the season in the Sires at Awapuni is best ignored after getting back on a day when nothing made ground from off the speed and then striking interference in the straight. A filly who always hit the line hard indicating that 1600m should hold no fears next season.

Hold It Harvey: Tough and versatile southerner who seems to get better with time. Chased our best all over the country between a mile and 2000m from spring till autumn and although most of the usual suspects had gone to the paddock, his wins at his final two starts for the season in the Thompson and Awapuni Gold Cup were so comprehensive and accomplished with a tremendous turn of foot over the closing stages that the likes of Wall Street and Keep The Peace would had to have been at their peak to hold him out. This season's wfa ranks were not strong and with many of our outstanding crop of three-year-old fillies targeting Australia, the situation next season should not be any different, giving the King Cugat seven-year every chance to secure that elusive group one success.

Planet Rock: A $295,000 Karaka yearling, Planet Rock debuted at Trentham over 1000m in December, narrowly going under to another first starter in Super Easy, after laying out slightly in the closing stages. She then came north to chase a start in the Karaka Million and burst into clear favouritism for the rich race with an outstanding winning performance at Ellerslie in mid January, coming from well off the pace at the 300m to score effortlessly. She ran third in the Million itself, finishing just in front of Super Easy who had a much tougher run. Given that she was stepping up significantly in class and taking a line through Super Easy's finish, her run could on face value be seen as true to form but it's also highly conceivable that she had improved significantly with raceday experience from Trentham and that in fact the Ellerslie track on Million night, made shifty from afternoon showers, blunted her big finish. While extremely athletic, the tall daughter of Fastnet Rock still looked the type to improve a great deal physically from two to three and she looks the testing material for Anabandana next season between 1400 and 1600m.

Alvesta: An 800m scurry often conducted on a heavy track hardly sounds like much of a form guide, yet the two-year-old race on the Wanganui Guineas card has produced it's share of talent. Who will forget the 1994 edition when Our Maizcay beat a game Ballroom Babe with eight lengths to the third horse. Whether this years victor Alvesta is in their league is unlikely but his six length stroll to beat subsequent stakeswinner and group one placed Antonio Lombardo and Karaka Million winner Fort Lincoln, makes him a fair sort of horse. A season ending injury suffered two weeks later in Sydney when preparing for a stakes race meant he was not sighted again and although by a sire whose stock can have a tendency to not train on, he has a bit of length and leg about him to suggest he should at least measure up at three, although the distances of the Guineas races are likely to find him out.

Rockburn: Tall and slow maturing son of Thorn Park who debuted this season at four and immediately showed his class with a win on debut at Taupo, running the quickest time of the day of four 1200m events, including a R80 contest, before another success two starts later on a Premier Day at Awapuni. Takes a long slightly extravagant stride and understandably was not suited by the shifty Ellerslie track at his final start for the season after been galloped on at his penultimate start. Fits the profile of another patiently handled son of Thorn Park in Veyron, and conceivably he too could end up a chance in a group race at a mile.

So Divine: A fast finishing fourth on debut followed by an easy win over 1600m had the dogs barking but the company in hindsight was not strong. She then ran third to Starcheeka at Trentham over 1600m however her next start effort for third to the same horse in the Oaks Stud Classic was a significant upgrade in performance, with the increase to 2000m the key. Her effort to make-up considerable ground from the rear was arguably the standout performance on a high class card. She then travelled to Christchurch where she ran a close and luckless third in the Warstep, before going to the paddock. Missing the Oaks may have been a blessing as she was not overly furnished for such a tough assignment. Hunterville breeder Brian Lamp already has one of the sale ring bargains, stealing the sister to dual group one winner Monaco Consul for just $9000 and there should be plenty more upside to come.

Fleur De Lune: Another member of a vintage three-year-old filly crop; she quickly went through the classes with sharp acceleration late in the stretch a trademark of the three wins from her first four starts. An unlucky second to Veyron, beaten a head with four lengths to Gendarme, preceded a start in the Group One Breeders Stakes. Belying her 30-1 odds, the filly ran the gamest of thirds at Te Aroha, beaten a head and neck, with fellow three-year-old Smoulder second. She backed up a month later in a listed event over 1400m at Rotorua on a heavy track, only to be nabbed close to home by Dowager Queen who was in receipt of 9kg. Typical of the better Stravinsky's she is of medium height and length, but strongly made. While she ran the 1600m right out at Te Aroha it would not surprise to see her dropping back in distance and tackling races like the Railway and Telegraph next season.

Safari: A compact five-year-old sprinting son of the disappointing Jungle Pocket, whose local stock have tended to have more of a predisposition towards the middle distances. Still prone to a bout or two of greenness, which cost him at least a race this season, he still managed this season to take his record to three wins from seven starts and showed his ringcraft maybe improving by navigating through some tight quarters on his final start for the season to beat a very strong R70 field on Hawkes Bay Cup day.Will start the season on a low 68 rating but with his sharp turn of foot, you would expect him to move just as swiftly through the grades.

Booming: Its rare to see a staying horse, even a placegetter in an Auckland Cup, win over 1200m and on reflection the performance of Booming to win freshup over a handy field of R90 sprinters at Awapuni should have signalled that the big son of Don Eduardo was in for a somewhat extraordinary season. But even a win two starts later in the 2000m Zabeel Classic at 13-1 couldn't have prepared even his most ardent supporters for what was to occur next in the Thorndon Mile, when with 57kgs he quickened like a leading sprinter to charge through on the rails and take the group one handicap. Connections are apparently eyeing the Melbourne Cup and if he can continue with the level of improvement shown this season, they should do so with some optimism.

Pussy O'Reilly: The beautifully bred Pussy O'Reilly was limited to just two starts at two, finishing second on debut at Pukekohe in December, before returning in April to win a competitive contest at Te Rapa. A feature of both her starts was her last 200m, especially at Te Rapa where she seemed to have learnt from the race and trials experience and stretched out with a lovely pendulum like action over the closing stages. There were some promising types in the later event and it should prove a strong form race - one of the few to start again, the well beaten fourth place getter Under The Sun came out and won impressively at his next start. Typical of many O'Reilly's she did not look and race like a natural two-year-old. Octapussy, the mother of Pussy O'Reilly did not start as a two-year-old and finally achieved black type as a six-year-old, while her sire has only left one stakeswinning two-year-old filly - Shamrocker, successful in the 2010 Group Two VRC Sires Produce.

Narrowly missing the cut were, Letmeby, Cap Eden Roc, Phar Cry, Super Easy, Nuits St George, On The Level (again) and Kiwi Lady (how many three-year-old fillies can one have).

Te Rapa: No Winter Wasteland

2011-05-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

Surely one of the best initiatives in local racing since the millennium has been the renovation and sand slitting of the Te Rapa track.

Before the refurbishment it was a photo finish between Te Rapa and Trentham for the rights to the saying "the punters graveyard", but any claim to that tag has long since passed as now year round it provides punters and horses with arguably the fairest and most consistent surface in the country.

As a consequence the autumn, and even some of the winter form on the track can measure up anywhere and the form from last Saturday's meeting should prove no exception.

The No Excuse Needed colt Under The Sun won a competitive juvenile contest nicely enough and has the physical scope to improve further at three. He also joins a couple of other raceday winners with trials placings behind Pussy O'Reilly, further enhancing the reputation of that filly.

Under The Sun's sire tends to be a little underrated with his stakeswinners to runners a more than respectable 8%. Interestingly the Roger James trained colt is bred on a similar cross to Carlton House the favourite for next weekends English Derby - both are by sons of Machiavellian (Street Cry in Carlton House's case), with Carlton House being out of a Bustino mare and Under The Sun being from a Maroof mare, who himself was a son of a Bustino mare.

So Pristine may not have beaten an overly strong field but she never looked comfortable on the soft track at any stage - she was zero placings from three starts on soft prior to Saturday. She's had her quirk's in the past but with maturity the rising six-year-old mare can land a much stronger race than the Dunstan Stayers Final next season.

At no stage in the home straight bar the finishing line did Kekova look a winning hope in the Special Conditions Maiden 1400m. Subsequently it was reported that her jockey had dropped his whip 200m from the finish but in fairness to Mark Sweeney the three-year-old filly didn't look at home in the testing conditions but still showed a ton of courage over the closing stages to win narrowly. A long barrelled strongly made filly, not dissimilar in appearance and pluck to another Elusive City female in Hinemoa, connections have good reason to feel she may show similar improvement between three and four years.

It was a shame Safari and Captain Kirk were late scratchings at the barrier but the Rating 80 1400m should still prove to be one of the strongest form races for some months. While Geographer, who looks set to do his future racing in Hong Kong, won well, I felt the next three home lost little in comparison.

Pure Cruising was second-up after a long lay-off recovering from serious leg injuries so you could forgive a horse who won his last start before the break at 1600m (over Veyron and So Pristine to boot) to be a little dour second-up over 1400m. And that he was, although the soft track may have inconvenienced him, especially when getting balanced to make his final run at the 200m.

Pure Theatre the sire of Pure Cruising has an interesting background. Conceived in Kentucky, foaled at The Oaks in Cambridge and sold at Karaka for $850,000, a winner on debut defeating Distinctly Secret at Hastings before an Australian campaign that saw him win the Group Three Caulfield Guineas Prelude quite brilliantly followed by a third place finish to Lohnro and Ustinov in the Guineas itself.

I can clearly recall Pure Theatre at Karaka. He was the most magnificent of yearlings, not big but very athletic with a most attractive masculine head and a small white star. $850,000 was a lot of money at Karaka in those days and predictably all the good judges liked him with the early bidding action resembling the opening minutes on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Sadly the son of Nureyev never recaptured that race form and his record as a stallion, albeit that he would not have served a great quality of mare in Queensland, has been decidedly average and not befitting a horse of his type, pedigree and ability. Sound familiar?

It's hard to get too optimistic over day to day racing propositions but Pure Cruising looks capable of being competitive in pattern company at 1600m next season and handicap races such as the Coupland and Richhill Miles may not be completely out of the question.

Third-place-getter Phar Cry may have been inconvenienced by being in the worst of the chopped-up ground on the rail on Saturday. The finishing kick which highlighted her brief initial campaign last season has deserted her this time in and although she is up in class and has been ridden closer to the pace in her new campaign, she could just be getting slightly dour as some horses are prone to do as they mature.

Art Beat, who finished nicely for fourth was giving weight to all her conquerors and with her proven ability to handle wet tracks looks in for a profitable winter.

Horses to Follow: So Pristine and Phar Cry

Thorn Park: Recasting the Mould

2011-04-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

After his first two crops supplied consecutive winners of the Matamata Breeders Stakes and a seperate Wellesley Stakes winner, Thorn Park's start at stud was promising enough, but the fact that all three of those Pattern wins came on surfaces between slow and heavy would have weighed heavily on breeders and yearling buyers especially when that trio could only manage one subsequent win - a rating 75 - between them.

Things looked up briefly last summer when La Etoile and Glamorous Girl took competitive group two contests on firm surfaces in the Rich Hill Mile and Desert Gold Stakes respectively and while both mares have failed to win again since, the Windsor Park stallion should have silenced many of his critics with an outstanding 2010/11 domestic season.

Significantly for those fairly questioning the stallions ability to leave horses who are just as competitive on top of the ground and can train on, all three of Thorn Park's group one winners this season have shown this capability and in bucketloads.

Jimmy Choux emerged from a competitive and even crop of two-year-olds last season to completely dominate his contemporaries on all surfaces this season; four-year-old mare The Party Stand worked her way through the middle distance staying ranks culminating in success in the Zabeel Classic on a good three track and although Veyron's group one win came on a heavy track, the five-year-old (Thorn Park's oldest crop) showed during his unbeaten seven win sequence that he was every bit as classy on fast surfaces - running some impressive overall times and sectionals.

Despite Jimmy Choux's form, Thorn Park was one of the more serious casualties of the extremely disappointing local market at this years Karaka Sale, however the son of Spinning World -obviously taking that snub personally - has since come out and shown he is far from a 'one trick' stallion, with new group one winners The Party Stand and Veyron complemented by the likes of the very promising listed winner Magic Briar. And Jimmy Choux's outstanding win in the Group One Rosehill Guineas, supported by Centennial Park's group one WFA form in Sydney this autumn should see his progeny under closer scrutiny from Australian buyers in future.

Thorn Park was reputed to have cost Windsor Park close to a million dollars when purchased just prior to his final racing campaign at the 2004 Brisbane Winter Carnival. Sure he didn't at that stage have the elusive group one victory on his record - that came with success in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap at his last career start - but it still seemed a very realistic price at the time for a multiple set weight group two winning Australian sprinter tracing to the Blue Hen mare Denise's Joy, and an excellent physical specimen to boot.

There's little doubt that being a son of stallion Spinning World would have discounted his purchase price. While the Champion son of Nureyev has been far from a failure at stud and has had fertility issues throughout his stallion career, he hasn't been the siring success his racetrack performance and pedigree suggested and notably his temperament quirks are well known and a number of his stock, especially the fillies, have reputations for being difficult to handle.

Plenty of kiwi breeders obviously didn't see these quirks of temperament as inherent, supporting the stallion with nearly 300 mares during his first two seasons at stud. And his mares didn't lack for quality either - the
stallion having a healthy 18 Karaka Premier Sale entries as a first-season sire in 2007.

When a prospective yearling buyer at this years Karaka Sales mentioned to me that he would not be inspecting any yearlings by Haradasun simply because he was a son of Fusiachi Pegasus, it struck me as rather short sighted. History has shown that a number of comparatively moderately performed stallions have left sons considerably superior to themselves in the breeding barn, locally Star Way (Star Appeal) and Pompeii Court (Tell) immediately come to mind, and the tremendous season being experienced by the Spinning World stallion Thorn Park is another example of how it pays to have few pre conceived ideas in this game.

Savabeel: Finding his Calling

2011-03-17T01:08:00.000-07:00

There were high expectations for Savabeel when he retired to Waikato Stud in 2005. A Cox Plate winner and group one placed at two, the son of Zabeel was seen in many quarters as the much awaited heir apparent to his champion sire.

While the emergence of Lohnro over the last two years has spared Savabeel the pressure of carrying the mantle of the Zabeel lineage, Savabeel's own results make for an interesting analysis, particularly when considering where they now position him in our stallion market and how they evaluate alongside the careers of two other Zabeel sire sons in Reset and Don Eduardo.

Given his pedigree breeders were always going to be slightly more forgiving than usual, however with his oldest progeny about to turn four at the conclusion of the 2009/10 season and just a solitary group winner on his resume in the form of the filly My Emotion, Savabeel's future was under intense scrutiny from breeders faced with any number of alternative options. The 2010 Karaka Sale rather told the story, when on the back of a booming market buyers deserted his progeny, with only passings halting a more significant average drop from the 2009 Sale.

Things begun looking up in November last year when his three-year-old fillies Lady Kipling and Placement ran third in group one races on either side of the Tasman respectively, and his son Digital Fortress ran a close fourth in the VRC Derby. Since then the winners haven't stopped and interestingly they haven't been confined to his oldest four-year-old progeny either with more Pattern performances from his three-year-olds highlighted by Do Ri Ma's victory in a strong rendition of the Group Two Kewney, and locally via a most promising two-year-old Savabill who capped some good form with a win in the Listed Fairview Ford Slipper at Matamata.

However it's two three-year-olds who have had their share of problems, one mental, the other physical, who could be well take Savabeel's profile to a new level over the next couple of months - more than likely at the Queensland Winter Carnival. Kudakulari, a horse rated highly by the Bart Cummings stable from day one, returned from a spell after been gelded, to win the Listed Canberra Guineas last week and Scarlett Lady, who had an operation for a bone chip after running fourth in the Royal Stakes, showed her class and staying potential with a storming finish to beat a strong field fresh-up at Ellerslie on Saturday.

To date there doesn't look to be any discernible affinity to particular broodmare bloodlines bringing success Savabeel's way but what is becoming apparent is the tendency for the physical makeup of his better progeny to be stronger and more robust than is the norm for his stock. Throwing more to his dam sire Success Express than Zabeel, Savabeel has largely stamped his progeny, leaving an athletic but lighter boned type - particularly beneath the knee - and without the strength, particularly through the girth, gaskin and crop of many of the better Zabeel's.

The clues lie in the dam sires of five of his six stakes winners: My Emotion (Rory's Jester); Do Ra Mi (Snippets); Kudakulari (O'Reilly); Savabill (Desert Sun) and Warrentherooster (Pompei Court). On type these five all exhibit considerably more of their dam sire and although in O'Reilly's case, he can leave a range of types, from personal inspection Kudakulari throws to the rangier and stronger group.

Don Eduardo who was the first of the Zabeel trio to retire to stud in 2003 has a stakeswinner to named foals (233) ratio of 3.4%; Reset, to stud a year later, just 2.5% from named foals and Savabeel to stud in 2005, also 3.4% from 179 named foals. While it's hardly a percentage in the league of his own sire (9.1%) or Redoutes Choice (7.9%), it's a figure which has the potential to appreciate over the next 12 months through the likes of Scarlett Lady, Placement, Digital Fortress, Dowager Queen, Mother's Milk and co.

With one of the strongest shareholding registers seen in a NZ stallion and the support of Waikato Stud, Savabeel has always had a level of support most studmasters only dream of. Testimony to that support was last season where for the first time Sababeel served less than 120 mares but still posted a more than respectable 85 services at a time when the knives were well and truly being sharpened.

Assessment: As a son of Zabeel, early expectations at stud were probably ill founded despite his Pattern form as a juvenile, although interestingly his improving record at stud is not necessarily supported by the form of his four-year-olds - Savabeel's oldest crop. Has served far superior quality books of mares to contemporary Don Eduardo and even allowing for his recent results, it's extremely hard to see how he can be warrant triple the service fee of the Haunui stallion. Somewhat of a cliche but the next six months will tell the story. Best results require careful broodmare selection especially as to type.

Breeder's Great Run

2011-03-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

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.

Karaka Observations

2011-03-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

While the overall results can't disguise the sorry state of our domestic racing industry, at least Karaka 2011 showed that one's desire to find the next champion of the turf still burns as brightly as ever in Australia and some nations further afield despite the worldwide affliction of the largest global financial crisis since the Great Depression. Whichever way you look at it, racing horses is as bigger luxury item as you will find anywhere, yet Karaka held up remarkably well.

Some other thoughts:

- Maybe it's about time we reviewed our liking for jokes and jibes about our neighbours. At times Karaka resembled the mounting yard at Caulfield and about the only Australian's seemingly missing in the bar were Shane Warne and Paul Hogan, but just as they ve been a saviour in Christchurch, many local breeders will have felt the same way about their Karaka presence.

- How well would the High Chaparral's have sold if he had served a better quality of mare in 2008. Without the HC factor, a number of his yearlings were of Select Sale quality based on the mare, and some marginal at that, but he still finished fifth in the Premier averages.

- The only real offering of Sadlers Wells blood, outside of HC, came from five Gallant Guru yearlings who averaged a more than respectable $30,000. Especially if Montjeu's sire sons Authorised and Motivator can kick on from their promising starts at stud in the U.K, the debut next year by Nom Du Jeu could be very fruitful for those breeders who patronised the Fairdale stallion at his $6,000 service fee.

- The handful of yearlings by Dylan Thomas impressed with their lovely balance and good walks. Despite the stallion's staying profile he has met with pretty good acceptance worldwide to date and it will be fascinating to see how his progeny develop over the next couple of years. Can the son of Danehill follow Danehill Dancer and Invincible Spirit as successful sires from the Danzig/Sharpen Up cross.

- Not unexpectedly Darci Brahma suffered a little from the traditional second-season sire blues. The stallion himself only made his racetrack debut on the opening day of the 2004 Sale and from a Zabeel mare who never raced at two, the market may have expected a little too much of his progeny, however the post Sale performances of Chateauneuf Dupape and Rescue Mission will have heartened many breeders who have invested so heavily in the son of Danehill.

- While the spend by the HKJC was up considerably on last year, the expected Asian influence, especially from Hong Kong and Singapore didn't eventuate. I suspect that it may have something to do with the record of NZ breds this season in both jurisdictions, particularly the former where we haven't been as dominant as recent seasons on account of better performances from high profile Australian stallions such as Encosta De Lago and Fastnet Rock and a European influence which is becoming much more noticeable especially in the more tightly assessed races.

- The Select Sale is now a very strong sale in it's own right and should continue to be promoted strongly however the Festival Sale is no longer viable "tacked onto" the other two sales and a better fit now would seem to be around Auckland Cup time or even slightly later in the autumn.

- With father time conspiring against Zabeel and to a lesser degree Pentire, our industry needs to ensure that the momentum generated by the increased Australian demand for staying bred yearlings can continue to be capitalised on and this can only be achieved by upgrading our stallion ranks with the types of horses that our industry has become re-known for. The debuts next year by Nom Du Jeu and Sir Percy will sustain some of that appetite but continual replenishment is needed as the market place is a very harsh marker even for slower maturing staying types and some of our current crop of younger staying profiled stallions have all but exhausted their appeal to the Australian market.

- Courtesy of a spectacular run of winners leading up to Xmas and then over the New Year period, Savabeel emerged from the Select Sale as the only stallion to improve his average from 2010 ( $30,000 compared to $27,923).

I didn't spend a lot of time at Karaka this year so my viewing of horses on the sale complex was limited however I was lucky enough to get to a trainers and agents parade of the Central District studs over Xmas. Although severley handicapped by a stone bruise at that stage, Wellfield's Zabeel - Cold Shoulder filly could still just about out walk Robert Korzeniowski, reminding me a lot of her three-quarter brother Efficient.

Avondale Guineas: Jimmy to Sleep Well

2011-02-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

The difficult 2100m start at Ellerslie combined with the rail being out 10 metres and a number of the higher rated runners drawing wide barriers had led me to suspect that yesterdays Group 2 Avondale Guineas wouldn't be the guide it so often is to the New Zealand Derby in a fortnights time.

Even allowing for those vagaries to be used as excuses, what transpired will have left a number of punters with more questions than answers as they mull over the Derby form.

By rights the genuine tempo set by Starcheeka - who dropped out to run a long last - should have assisted those who settled back in the race however the nature of the running rail out so far in a fifteen horse field meant that those who choose to come through the inside or even the centre of the track were going to need the best of navigation and more than a little bit of luck. Favourites Banchee and He's Remarkable chose the shorter route home and suffered interference although it s arguable that the later was doing enough before his line was taken with about 1500m to go.

However the win of Icepin was thoroughly deserving as he did plenty of work early in the race to get handy and kicked very strongly when they straigthened, in stark contrast to his fellow on pace colleagues who were going back through the field faster than a Helen Clarke motorcade.

Second place-getter On The Level settled much more kindly than he did at Te Rapa - which was his first time beyond 1600m - and lost little in comparison to the winner with his late finishing effort down the outside. Of the rest third place-getter Sierra Nevada and fifth placed O'Reilly's Prize, at his first run right handed, ran on solidly.

If you thought that trainers have it easy preparing a horse for a Derby in March now instead of Boxing Day then you needed to have been taking an interest in the parades of the lead up races. Some horses who looked like catwalk models around Xmas time had that slightly washed out coat look yesterday highlighting how much of a tightrope trainers often have to walk targeting a major race with a young horse.

It's a shame when we have got to a stage where a race with as much history as the Avondale Guineas is dictated by the need to preserve a racetrack for a major carnival. In saying that the turn up in form from yesterdays final Derby lead up probably owes as much to the wonderful uncertainty of a horses physical and mental maturity as it does to the nature of the race conditions although it's doubtful Jimmy Choux will be having any sleepless nights before Saturday March 6.

Milo: Good for Young Bones & Old Memories

2011-01-20T00:03:00.000-08:00

I had hardly been on course at Ellerslie on Boxing Day five minutes when I bumped into a work colleague who gave me a stable tip for Milo, a first starter down to race at Wingatui later that afternoon. My experience with stable tips lately had been as successful as buyouts of ailing finance companies so I stayed away from the tote but watched the race on the intertrack service with more than just a passing interest.

In a previous life, Milo was a game little Pakistan 2 mare who despite having the misfortune to be born around the same time as Silver Liner, Grey Way, Copper Belt, Kiwi Can, Orchidra, La Mer and co, fashioned a handy record as a open class sprinter/miler in the mid 1970's throughout the Central Districts. With my love of the chocolate and malt drink, and an enquiring and developing interest in the racing game, I was a keen follower of the mares fortunes, usually on my fathers transistor in the garden on a Saturday afternoon.

The modern day Milo kicked off his career most promisingly; a tallish, good barrelled, almost gangly type, he finished strongly into third despite some greenness in the home straight. Easy wins at his next two starts have the Coats Choice gelding a likely favourite for the Gore Guineas this weekend.

A $20,000 buy from the 2009 South Island Sale, Milo, still largely unfurnished apart from a lovely deep shoulder, should make a nice horse next season when fully developed.

Milo's emergence is timely for his sire, a lightly raced son of Redoutes Choice with oldest progeny just three-years of age and very limited raceday representation. Milo is not unlike others I have seen by the sire; they tend to exhibit physical characteristics which suggest time will be their best ally.

Coats Choice has eight yearlings entered in next months Karaka Festival Sale with seven hailing from his home Berkley Stud in Christchurch. Two appeal on pedigree and their purchase price probably won't require complete disclosure with the wife or girlfriend - lots 1246 and 1577.

My Summer Six

2010-12-15T00:33:00.000-08:00

We didn't do too badly last year selecting six to follow over the summer months so let s go again. Our older staying and sprinting ranks are devoid of any real depth this season so I can see our neighbours from across the ditch taking home the thick end of the Railway and Telegraph purses however Booming and rising talent Innocent Lady should test any comers in the Cups.

Nippin: caught the eye as a stayer of some promise with the way he attacked the line when breaking his maiden over 1400m in late October at New Plymouth - at just his second start. The son of Pins from a high class female middle distance family was unlucky at his next start, also over 1400m; just failing to run down the highly promising Kiwi Lady, after struggling to find clear galloping room until well into the Trentham straight. Holds a nomination for the New Zealand Derby and has the racing profile and pedigree to make the start line at Ellerslie on the first Saturday in March.

Innocent Lady: one of those mares who sometimes grow another leg during spring and early summer as the combination of sunshine and natural strengthening with age lift their form many lengths. It takes a good horse to break 2.16 for 2200m at Ellerslie these days but Innocent Lady accomplished that easily when dealing to a decent enough rating 80 field in mid November before coming out at Te Rapa on Saturday and scoring a facile win in a rating 90 2400m with 58kgs. When her usually conservative trainer labels her a significantly better staying prospect than his dual Auckland Cup winning mare Prized Lady, it pays to sit up and take note. A major player in races such as the City of Auckland and Wellington Cups during January.

Keenly: may have slipped under the radar of a few when quietly fashioning a decent record away from stakes company in October and November but the form around those performances and the way the daughter of Keeninsky from a Zabeel mare has been finding the line over those 1400m - 1600m assignments suggest the Robert Priscott trained filly should be ultra-competitive in races such as the Eight Carat and Royal Stakes over New Year even allowing for the real depth in our three-year-old filly crop this season.

Kings Rose: If the interference suffered by We Can Say It Now and the fallout from the Magic Briar interference seemed to overshadow Kings Rose's tough performance to win in the 1000 Guineas then her emphatic win in last Saturdays Eulogy Stakes after sitting three wide for a greater part of the 1600m contest should have silenced any doubting her true class. With WCSIN seemingly set to target WFA racing at home before a possible Australian campaign, Kings Rose looks to have a mortgage on the remaining Filly Of The Year races and this weeks announcement that she may target the New Zealand Derby should have put a shiver down the spine of connections of the leading Derby contenders. At $12 currently in the Derby market the temptation will be too great for a number of Futures players who will know all too well that should she line-up her odds will conceivably one-third of the current quote.

Leica Scotch: With justification some of you maybe feeling that this chap is becoming one of those sucker horses who roar home early in their campaigns over seemingly unsuitable distances going by the horses pedigree and racing pattern; doing enough for you to withdraw your superannuation and re mortgage your mother-in-laws home, only for you to find that those late finishing bursts fail to translate into success in supposedly more suitable races. In other words he is what is commonly referred to in racing circles as a "gunna". But in fairness to Leica Scotch he has had his share of problems throughout his abbreviated 12 race career, although at five years of age and well down the handicappers ratings the Zabeel gelding is never going to get a better chance to live up to the high opinion the stable has had for him from an early three-year-old. He needs to land a nice PQ race and do it convincingly over the next couple of weeks to have any chance of landing a start in races such as the City of Auckland and Wellington Cups but if he does he can be a legitimate lightweight danger to the likes of Red Ruler, Booming and Innocent Lady.

Planet Rock: The well hyped colt Super Easy was all out to beat Planet Rock when they both made their debuts at Trentham earlier this month. With four and a half lengths to the third horse and a track record to boot it should be a top form guide to two-year racing over the next few months at least. The Fastnet Rock filly also didn't help herself by wanting to lay out for a greater part of the straight while the winner went as straight as a pool-cue. Befitting a $280,000 yearling buy the filly is an athletic sort with plenty of physical scope to improve, which when married with the experience gained from more racing should make the Christchurch trained filly very competitive against the best juvenile company.

Near misses for the six-pack were On The Level and Fireside.

Away from town-hall company but a few with their foot firmly on the till at the moment are Billy Bingo, Punt Hill (particularly if we get some rain), Platinum Princess, Diamonds In Time and Elite Street.

Just to finish I got along to Ellerslie last Sunday mainly to see if there were any horses in the Championship Stakes who could be legitimate contenders for the Derby in March. While the winner won well I feel he beat very little and he needs to find another 2 lengths to be competitive. If there was a horse on the card that took my eye it was the Keeninsky gelding Rimsky - he really picked-up in the straight and looks a lovely genuine type with maybe a touch of something.

2000 Guineas: A Lot at Stake

2010-11-05T18:58:00.001-07:00

These days a decent stallion prospect from the NH fetches more than a developing nations GDP, so more than ever it's to within their own ranks that local studmasters are looking for that next special colt. While potential suspects for the mantle of the next Darci Brahma or Alamosa need good form at two, it's Classic success at three and below 2000m that really gets the calculators out.

The increased significance of the breeding consideration has seen the Group One NZ 2000 Guineas grow in statue as a race and it's little co-incidence that four of the leading chances for this afternoon's 1600m Classic have been spared the cruelest cut of all. A win later today by either of Jimmy Choux, Cellarmaster, Maradona or He's Remarkable will be worth considerably more to connections than the $600,000 first prize-money.

Jimmy Choux is easily the best male product to date of Thorn Park, a group one winning son of Spinning World, from an unraced daughter of Champion Broodmare Stallion Centaine - sire in that capacity of 20 group one winners including budding stallion Alamosa.

The Centaine factor is probably going to be the most important selling point of the colt s female line with the 1998 Avondale Guineas and Wellington Stakes winner Mr Danamite - from a half sister to Jimmy Choux's second dam - easily the best representative of a family somewhat light on black-type.

Line-breeding purists will enjoy the presence of four crosses of Star Kingdom within Jimmy Choux's pedigree.

Not necessarily the type to bowl you over with his looks in the birdcage, Jimmy Choux is nonetheless an extremely well balanced colt, of medium size with a game, genuine head and eye. And while his breeding does not suggest as much, he may well get over 2000m and further, such is his relaxed disposition.

Cellarmaster has a comparatively similar pedigree profile to Jimmy Choux although his sire Dubawi has made a superior start to his stud career than Thorn Park, largely on the back of his NH stock which have left him in the highly enviable position for a sire with only three crops of racing age in Europe of sitting in sixth-place on stakemoney won and 2nd to Oasis Dream in the number of Pattern winners.

Withdrawn from the 2009 Karaka Premier Sale and retained by his breeder, Cellarmaster is the 7th foal of the unraced Sound Reason mare Oneology, dam also of the useful Australian performer Our Bahare, a winner of nearly $250,000 and third in the VRC Derby of his year to Elvstroem. Further back it's a family responsible for the high class stayer Second Coming and the Breeders Cup Turf winner and leading sire In The Wings.

Like his two-year-old sparring partner, Cellarmaster is not an overly tall or long horse but he's well balanced and very strongly made - especially through the girth and shoulder.

Maradona's immediate pedigree has been detailed in a 14 September posting. While the presence of disappointing stallions Anziyan and St Hilarion as sires of his first two dams is not going to do wonders for the Mr Nancho colts stud appeal, both mares have shown a real affinity to out perform their pedigrees and Cashcade in particular looks capable of taking her branch of a solid old family to a another level.

A taller and longer horse than Cellarmaster and Jimmy Choux, Maradona is a heavier, slightly showier version of his half sister Ekstreme, rangy and workman like rather than necessarily attractive.

He's Remarkable's pedigree has been detailed in a 13 September posting. By a well and truly proven stallion in Pentire and from a Zabeel mare whose dam is a Centaine full sister to the 2007 NZ Broodmare of the Year, He s Remarkable has the most fashionable pedigree of the four colts.

Given the tough examination that is a stallions pedigree, Jimmy Choux, Cellarmaster and Maradona regardless of todays result are probably going to have to win another group one contest, and preferably this autumn in Australia in a race like the Randwick, Rosehill or Australian Guineas - never an easy ask against the local foe - whereas a win by He's Remarkable this afternoon may well tempt a profile farm to at least take a majority position in the Roger James trained colt.

With the current almost unprecedented demand for staying types not expected to abate anytime soon and being by a proven middle distance sire in his twilight years and without a son at stud, plus having the presence of two of the most significant names in post war NZ breeding in his female line, all lends itself to He's Remarkable having the most at stake today.

Hastings Observations

2010-10-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

I got to Hawkes Bay for the last day.

I couldn't have backed Tridane in a month of Sundays but his win does show how certain horses can come right at the same time each year.

Four years ago almost to the day the Danelove gelding ran in the Guineas and while ninth of 13 to Alamosa he was beaten less than four lengths and beat home Run Like Al and Go Danny. They ran 1.20.86 that day so Tridane has run around 1.22 and nothing that he met Saturday fortnight ago would get within three lengths of him if he ran to that form.

A few horses who I thought looked well but could improve with another run under their belts were Manonamission, Platinum Princess and Cellarmaster.

Interestingly the first two are both in the Lisa Latta stable and in general all her horses looked well. She invariably does well at Christchurch and I'm picking she'll have another good carnival.

Manonamission has always struck me as a miler on type and race pattern, but most of his runs since been stepped up in distance last season have been full of merit, including his latest effort at the Bay. He holds a nom for the NZ Cup and at $10 is worth considering.

The first six home in the Guineas with luck should all win a good race. More unsettled (ask Andre Neil) than on the second day, Maradona is still a big kid. He looked like he would drop out once they turned for home but picked himself up like a good horse. I suspect Christchurch maybe just a tad soon for him but the Telegraph could be more his go given his speed, especially from the gates.

Cellarmaster is my pick to win the 2000 Guineas. He looked a shade pretty and ran to them at the 200m like he d win at Hastings but peaked on his effort. I couldn't get over the way he had developed in six months. While a natural enough athlete to be competitive at two, he was on the light side with a slight baby like face but now he s much more mature, in fact he s quite imposing, with an exceptional girth.

The Starcraft filly did well for such an inexperienced type and as a long and almost rangy type she should be a stunning individual come the autumn.

I dropped into Taupo on the way home. A few reputations were dented, not the least Maccavity and Rockandready. Maybe Maccavity's an autumn horse for she didn't look the same filly I saw back in April. If the Bakers get Rockandready to Riccarton next month, they are even better trainers than I give them credit for. She s a very leggy type and doesn't carry much condition yet.

Finally, while he s no So You Think, Wall Street is a seriously good galloper. He showed at Hastings how he can still be competitive racing to another pattern, and given his distance versatility - the Telegraph finish would have been interesting if he d stayed on his feet - and an affinity for most track conditions, he s arguably the most complete male WFA horse we ve had for a few seasons. He's actually developed into a very attractive horse now too, in fact I'd almost argue he s more athletic than the other good Montjeu's I've seen.

Written Tycoon: Auspicious Start

2010-09-22T01:36:00.000-07:00

About this time last year at Little Avondale Stud in Masterton a couple of friends and I watched half a dozen yearlings career around a large paddock. One yearling stood out; while the Written Tycoon filly was often slow to get underway, it didn't take her long to get into her long floating stride and run past her paddock mates with deceptive ease.

The first two-year-old trials of the new season in Australia were held this week and the
stallion on every ones lips is Written Tycoon with trial winners at Randwick and Cranbourne on Monday and another at Newcastle on Wednesday. Buoyed by this and with three of his progeny breezing up under the 11 second mark at the Gold Coast earlier this week in readiness for the upcoming Ready To Run Sale, Magic Millions took the unusual step for a stallion without a runner to the races, in naming Written Tycoon as their Stallion of the Week.

Written Tycoon is a rare thoroughbred. He ran up to his looks. As attractive a horse as you could wish to see, he moved like an athlete, effortlessly, with a lovely fluid action.

Described by trainer John O Shea as the fastest horse he had trained to that point, the highlights of Written Tycoon's career came in his first preparation culminating in victory in the Group Two Todman Slipper Trial with Domesday (now a promising sire) second. Interestingly the Slipper Trial is proving to be a very good pointer to stallion potential with it's winners including Luskin Star, Maruding, Octagonal, General Nediym and Exceed and Excel.

While not possessing a "fashionable" pedigree, Written Tycoon's bloodlines are proven in Australian conditions: by a successful homebred speed stallion (Iglesia) from the prolific Last Tycoon sireline, from a daughter of leading broodmare stallion Kenmare and containing male and female lines of Star Kingdom and Vain respectively. And with only one line of Northern Dancer (through Last Tycoon), he offers options for owners of Northern Dancer/Danehill mares.

Iglesia was a significant loss to the Queensland breeding industry when he died prematurely in 2006 after just five seasons at stud. The one time Australian record holder for 1200m still became a prolific sire of winners whose stock are re known for their speed and durability. Nova Star who won the Group One Winter Stakes in Brisbane has been his best performer to date.

Last Tycoon's influence down-under needs little extrapolation. While in these parts it s been as a broodmare sire that his impact has been most pro nounced, his male-line influence, despite the premature deaths of Iglesia and Just Awesome, looks set to prosper for some considerable time thanks to O'Reilly and to a lesser degree Towkay.

The filly described in the introduction to this piece was eventually sold at this years Karaka Select Yearling sale to Timothy Kemp Bloodstock for $56,000 - the highest price Written Tycoon filly yet sold at auction. A decent sized filly with a fair bit of leg she is currently spelling after being broken in by Joe Yorke. Ironically there is still a small share available in the filly - Tim can be contacted on 021 243 3045.

While about the only thing that can be read into this start is that Written Tycoon's progeny have an early aptitude and natural speed, it s still a promising beginning by a stallion, many of whose progeny showed enough physical scope at the sales to suggest they would be far from just early season flashes in the pan. Time will tell.

Zennista: Oaks Fit

2010-09-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm finding that the fillies and mares events are providing more and more of our best racing. With so many of our better colts and geldings exported now and the well bred colts that stay home more sparingly raced with stud careers in mind, it s a man drought - at least in the quality department.

Take a look at the recent record of four-year-old mares in the Hawkes Bay Triple Crown. Five years ago the young girls weren't getting a look in - how times have changed.

The three-year-old Filly of the Year events are the nursery for this change, full of mouth watering pedigrees and physiques to match. A front-row birdcage posse is essential viewing.

Despite the freakish late winter and spring weather hindering so many preparations, a quality field lined up in yesterdays Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings.

While all honours were with the winner - the seasoned Rememba Howe - the runner-up Zennista struck me as a filly to follow.

From the first NZ crop of former Japan Cup winner Zenno Rob Roy (ZRR), the Lisa Latta trained charge is a gorgeous moving type who relaxes well in her races, factors that will stand her in good stead when stepped up over more ground.

It s very early days for ZRR in NZ but he's made an encouraging start to his stallion career in Japan siring first and third in the Japanese Oaks back in May. With the stallions Sir Tristram and Touching Wood featuring in Zennista's female pedigree she has the staying bloodlines to support a racing style which suggest a race like the New Zealand Oaks in March would suit.

Lisa Latta has been steadily compiling a good record from her Awapuni base and one feature race she s shown an uncanny knack in targeting with success has been the NZ Oaks. From six starters she's had the 2004 winner Wharite Princess: the 2009 runner-up Can't Keeperdown; a third with Lady Annaliesse in 2003; the fourth place-getter Princess Annaliese and the desperately unlucky Fiaba - sixth in 2002 and still looking for a gap.

Zennista still has to prove herself on-top of the ground but if she can, she looks an ideal type to give Lisa Latta her second NZ Oaks.

Paydirt for Breeder

2010-09-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hawkes Bay's Alan Jackson fashioned a successful business career from backing his hunches, so when he went on last year's Manawatu Stallion Parade and liked what he saw in a stable box at John O'Brien's Newmarket Lodge property, he didn't muck around.

Jackson had taken an instant fancy to a weanling colt by Mr Nancho from the Anziyan mare Cashcade. A keen follower of the races again since selling up his business interests about 12 months previous, he had been impressed with the potential of the filly Ekstreme whose resume at that stage included a win the Group Three Lowland Stakes win and a group two placing from a just concluded Brisbane winter campaign.

Recognising that Cashcade was the dam of Ekstreme, and after establishing that Newmarket Lodge in fact owned Cashcade, Jackson negotiated a package to acquire the mare and her weanling colt. Once Jackson had the seal of approval on confirmation from his bloodstock advisor Cambridge agent Michael Wallace, the deal was done and the fun started.

About the time Ekstreme returned to the racetrack for her new season campaign, Jackson was getting wind that Opaki trainer Andrew Campbell had quite an opinion of unraced two-year-old colt in his stable. The link for Jackson was that the colt happened to be Cashcade's second foal, by Mr Nancho and a full brother to the younger brother he had acquired a few months earlier.

By this stage Jackson was keen to track down the whereabouts of Cashcade's second foal - an unraced year younger full sister to Ekstreme - and his hunt resulted in a call to Matamata trainer Paul Jenkins who had the Ekraar filly and a pretty fair opinion of her too. Lining up for her racecourse debut in mid November last year at Rotorua, the well backed filly, by then named De Colletage, unfortunately injured herself in the running and wasn't a factor in the race, however Jackson's disappointment was quickly tempered when just a few weeks later Ekstreme confirmed the potential he had seen in her all along and then some, by taking the Group One Captain Cook Stakes at Trentham.

Boarding his mares at Masterton's Little Avondale Stud, Jackson gets down regularly to see his flock so started making a point of stopping in at the Opaki track to keep up with the progress of the Andrew Campbell charge. After a number of growing pains the colt -by then named Maradona - finally debuted in a two-year-old race at Foxton in July this year and despite the wet track, which he detested according to jockey Jonathan Riddell, battled on very gamely for second.

The three-year-old open event on the first day of this years Hawkes Bay Spring Carnival was Maradona's next start and despite another wet track, connections persevered with a start knowing that any chance of making the Hawkes Bay Guineas rested on a good performance. Producing one of the better efforts of the day, from a wide draw Maradona had to do a fair bit of work to get a position on the outer, challenged the leader wide on the home turn before surrendering second late in the race.

Meanwhile De Colletage was back in training after her long injury induced layoff and a trials win at Cambridge in July preceded a very much under wraps second place finish at the Te Teko trials on 12 August. De Colletage is down to make her second career start at Counties this Sunday in a maiden 1300m and while she doesn't have the same wet track inclination as her full sister her class should still have her in the finish.

So what s happened to Maradona's full brother that Jackson bought in the package deal? Recently turned two and still unnamed, he s just about to commence a second preparation with Hastings trainer Patrick Campbell and has done everything asked of him to date although it s too early to say if he s inherited the family genes.

Two weeks ago the jewel in the crown Cashcade delivered her owner the Pentire filly shown in the top photo of this blog and the mare is currently at Darley Stud in Victoria where she ll be served by Domesday anyday. With her genes the Pentire filly is one very valuable girl but one imagines her insurable value and that of her mum, can only get bigger and it may start that climb as soon as this weekend.

Taupo: Talent Unearthed

2010-09-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

It maybe not quite Tattenham Corner but the home-turn at Taupo has bought many an inexperienced horse undone; it falls away into quite a dip on the point of the turn before an abrupt rise, leaving only about 150m for a horse to get balanced and find the line.

Therefore there was a lot to like about the wins on debut of He's Remarkable (Pentire-Axiom)and Rockandready (More Than Ready-Bumps) at the lakeside circuit last week, coming as they both did from well off the pace and wide on the home-turn.

It seems almost impossible to fathom now but only four or five years ago John Thompson was seriously considering not continuing to bring Pentire down on his southern hemisphere shuttle so significant a shun was he receiving from local breeders. Serving less than 100 mares between the seasons 2002-2004 and leaving only 44 live foals, the former high-class European stayer was being heavily penalised for a slow start to his breeding career.

Pentire's standing with local breeders changed significantly after the 2004/2005 racing season during which the career of the near champion Xcellent commenced with group one victories in the NZ Derby and Zabeel Classic and his Australian trained daughter Recurring took the Group One Railway Handicap after earlier placing second in the Group One Sallinger Stakes at Flemington. The floodgates had suddenly opened for Pentire - he had gone from a stallion acknowledged by breeders as capable of leaving slower maturing middle distance-staying types to one who could throw serious WFA and sprinting horses.

Using the expression career defining to describe the next couple of seasons for Pentire's progeny would be putting unwarranted expectations on a stallion who has already reached heights most studmasters can only dream about, but it will be fascinating to monitor their progress, coming as they do from far and away his biggest and best books of mares.

Unraced due to an eye injury, Axiom is a Zabeel daughter of the dual Australian group two winning Centaine mare Arletty, a leading three-year-old filly of her year in NZ before transferring to become an inaugural member of the O'Sullivan stables short-lived Sydney operation from where she tasted further group race success as a four and five-year-old. Arletty's best performer to date from her nine foals is the three win Zabeel gelding Maythehorsebemagic.

Arletty is a half sister to the 2007 NZ Broodmare Of The Year winner River Century the dam of group one winners Legs and Guyno while she's a three-quarter sister to group one winner Sixty Seconds and group three winner Spottswoode. Adding further credence to a most prolific family is Arlettys full sister Rivertaine, the dam of three individual winners in Hong Kong including multiple group placed performer Regency Horse and the five times winning O'Reilly Rally.

Axiom's first foal is the promising Melbourne trained mare Fashion Black, a winner twice including a city victory, and two placings from just five starts. Her next foal was the $360,000 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale graduate He's Remarkable, followed by a full brother who sold to Fashion Black's trainer Danny O'Brien for $160,000 at this years Karaka Sale. She is due to foal again to Pentire this spring after failing to get back in foal to him the previous season.

Another stallion on an ever increasing upward surge in popularity over recent seasons has been the Australian based More Than Ready who just a matter of days after his daughters Taupo success registered his 73rd stakeswinner worldwide when a two-year-old son won a group three event in North America. Like Pentire, most of More Than Ready's sire success has been generated off his down-under shuttle service where he demands a service fee of $121,000 Aus (down from last years pre recession $148,500), a jump from $40,000 in 2007 largely courtesy of consecutive Champion Australian Two-Year -Old Premierships in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, and a significantly higher fee than the $30,000 US he currently commands Stateside.

Rockandready is bred on a very similar cross to More Than Ready's second Golden Slipper winner Phelan Ready whose dam is a daughter of the Scenic stallion Blevic.

Bumps an unraced daughter of Scenic from the Christmas Tree mare Final Claus has fashioned a most respectable record at stud with Rockandready her sixth individual winner from the eight of her nine foals to make it to the racetrack. Two of her earlier progeny - both by Rory's Jester - were stakesplaced while her 2006 son by Fastnet Rock named Therock already has a fourth to his credit in a listed event after only 6 lifetime starts.

Final Claus's hails from an imported family which has crossed successfully with Australian speed influences. Her dam the imported Northfields mare Life At Last left a VRC St Leger winner in Full At Last and a daughter Imposing Life is the grand dam of Group One Blue Diamond Stakes winner Reward For Effort while Betty Box, a full sister to Life At Last, is the dam of Aynda who in turn is the grand dam of Waikato Stud stallion Fast N Famous.

Rockandready was sold as a yearling at the 2009 Karaka Premier Sale to Grant Searle for $190,000 before being re sold in the yearling section of the 2009 National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Sale for $75,000 and again in the two-year-old section of the same sale this year for what could well turn out to be a bargain price of $90,000. While the financial plight of her co-breeders is likely to have had something to do with the unusual ownership changes the filly doesn't seem to have taken the passing around personally judging by her Taupo win.

Conclusions:

He's Remarkable - from a stable not reknown for having their charges wound up to win first time out, the colt looks just the type to make up in a Derby horse in the autumn and further enhance the reputation of his sire for leaving middle-distance Classic performers.

Rockandready - big long legged type who never looked suited to debut venue at any stage but overcame that with raw natural ability to win easily and while the 1000 Guineas may come around a little too soon for her, she may just be good enough to give the race a huge shake.

Waikato Stallion Parade 28 & 29 August

2010-08-29T00:56:00.000-07:00

I was well overdue a Waikato Stallion Parade. After our long winters you do yearn for some quality live racing and Mudgway Day has won out in recent times. Not this year; with the number of new stallions a weekend getting reacquainted with the picturesque farms of our breeding heartland won out.

For a townie like me those maps in the Stallion register are gold when you re trying to find the likes of Scott Eagleton's property in the hills west of Matamata. After a few roadside stops I managed to find the farm literally as new stallion Tiger Prawn was been led from his box. A medium sized athletic type with a generous barrel and girth he should be popular particularly with those looking to bred to race or trial.

Next stop was Ancroft where we viewed the un-raced full brother to El Segundo in El Hermando. If ever there was a case for seeing a stallion in the flesh rather than in a photo then it's this son of Pins; clearly a more athletic and strongly coloured bay than in his photos, it s not hard to see why he fetched $500,000 as a yearling. Steve Till from Windsor must be acknowledged for showing catching skills worthy of the Black Caps.

It hardly seemed worth moving the car for our next appointment but I'm glad I did; the driveway to the stallion facilities at the old Fieldhouse and Java property next door to Ancroft is a decent stretch. The farm and it's ample facilities are back in good shape and if they are any indication, Stoneybridge Waikato will be around for a while yet.

Ekraar surprised me with his quality - once again he s probably let down by average photography in his promotional material- although I gather not shuttling to the NH this year helped. Not as rangy or coarse as I expected, he s another fine physical example of the emerging Red Ransom sire-line. Mr Nancho is a bull of a horse with some quality in front of the saddle but a little limited behind. Of the rest of the Stoneybridge roster, father time has been kind to Ustinov; the son of Seeking The Gold reminding me why I once rated him one of the more attractive stallions I'd seen.

Waikato Stud around the corner was our next stop and as a farm it s quality never ceases to amaze me - and if it were possible, it just seems to get better. At 1200 acres and with some of the best pasture anywhere in the country, it s value must be enormous.

I was kind of hoping Rios may have suddenly shot up in the height stakes since I last saw him as a three-year-old. Sadly he hadn't, but it still shouldn't deter breeders with the right type of mare; his head and eye and a well developed crop feature in an otherwise excellent physical package.

Across to the other side of town to Rich Hill for the last stop on the day. I covered the Waharoa farms stallion line-up in some detail in a posting this time last year so won't repeat myself. In a nice touch to finish, we were shown half a dozen Any Suggestion yearlings; peas to a pod with nice walks and well developed hindquarters - the pick was a colt from a Pentire full sister to Railway winner Recurring.

In contrast to Saturdays balmy weather, Sunday dawned dark and threatening. Full of saturated fats and tannins from a Saturday night stopover with my mum in Tauranga, I managed to navigate my way down the Kaimai's and across the Matamata plains to Brighthill for the early start.

Eagle Mountain was a pleasant surprise. Taller, with more bone and quality than I had assumed from his racing photos, he s also a nice walking animal. There maybe slightly more Darshan about him than Rock of Gibraltar; something breeders will probably warm to, given that he's the dam sire of High Chaparral.

I hadn't seen Perfectly Ready in the flesh since his third-place finish in the Blue Diamond as a two-year-old. The muscular bodybuilder I saw then has morphed into a less defined individual with the girth and shoulder now of a retired All Black tight forward but he s still a very imposing individual and clearly a superior walker than the other Southern Halo stallion Mr Nancho.

Completing the line-up was Patapan and it wasn't hard to see why Brighthill have had little trouble attracting big books of mares so far to the speedy and durable son of Stravinsky. He s medium sized but stands over a bit of ground for a sprinter. Like his Brighthill barnmates he looks to have a wonderful temperament.

The hallowed manicured surrounds of Cambridge Stud were next. Tavistock paraded first - a very different type to Nom Du Jeu and Guillotine - one can see where he generated his sustained closing speed when you see the elasticity in his walk particularly through the hind legs. I ve seen Zabeel a couple of times in recent years and thought him almost ageless but on Sunday I thought he was looking his 24 years. Hopefully his heated stall and blankets can see him safely through his restricted book of 65 mares this spring.

Chequers was a trip down memory lane - I recall seeing Vice Regal there as a pimply teenager. He s well down on his hocks now and a bit tucked up but stalwart Deputy Governor still looked in pretty decent shape for 26. New boy Battle Paint would have wooed a few breeders. He s quite a big horse, generously barrelled but pretty athletic with an attractive head; built more in the mould of a Trusting than a Tell A Tale. He strikes you as more a three-year-old type than the Group 1 placed juvenile he was. If he leaves stock like himself they won't be hard to trade as youngsters.

It's hard not to share the enthusiasm The Oaks GM Rick Williams has for their latest arrival Roc De Cambes. Showing remarkable constitution for one fresh from the plane and quarantines in Japan and USA, on Sundays performance the son of Red Ransom deserved to have worked his way into the thoughts of breeders looking for a staying orientated sire. RDC looks every bit his listed 16.2 hands but he balances that nicely with good bone and width in his barrel. He s not overly rangy- I guess you could describe him as built like the modern fast stayer - with a very intelligent head and eye.

If there s pressure on Darci Brahma to be the future of our breeding industry it doesn't affect him. It s hard to reconcile but each time I see him there seems to be more quality about the son of Danehill. My pick of the weekend.

Mastercraftsman maybe fully booked for next season but Windsor will have taken bookings for next season based on his Sunday parade. Rarely do you see a big horse move as well as this guy. During his parade he spotted an opportunity to get his front leg over his lead after his handler momentary relaxed the slack and his leg moved quicker than a blink of your eye. Thewayyouare is also an impressive type, shorter coupled and lighter boned than his fellow shuttler, he s thrown quite a bit to his dam sire Sadlers Wells.

It s good for our industry to have three well credentialed sons of Montjeu at stud and all different types. Grey s can put some breeders looking to the sale-ring off but Guillotine has a lot going for him to overcome such a prejudice. He has good bone but retains plenty of athleticism. There s a fair bit of Defensive Play in his physical make-up which makes it all the more surprising he was so well backed for the Golden Slipper of his year.

Last stop for me before heading back up SH1 was Paxton Park. Shinko King was a smaller type than I d envisaged but nicely in proportion with the pronounced wither and arched neck so typical of the Fairy King line however the lasting impression as I drove off into the threatening northern sky was his honest eye.

The crowd which built to a peak of around 120 at The Oaks should have left with plenty of options for their mares. Some trends I thought the weekend may have highlighted: it s hardly new but a continuing move towards more outcross blood - a swing back towards the Mr Prospector sireline through his grandsons and the sourcing of stallions from racing and breeding markets we are not as familiar with, such as Hong Kong, South Africa and Italy.

Thanks to the Waikato branch of the NZTBA for putting on the weekend and a big bouquet for the timeliness of the schedule and the food options at The Oaks were an inventive touch. It doesn't reflect on the organisation but more farms would benefit from a solid surface to walk their stallions. With the inevitable rain around at this time it s odds on that a stallion won't walk for his handler on grass and seeing a stallion walk is important.

Makaraka: Saved By Old Age

2010-08-10T02:18:00.000-07:00

In an ironic twist the aging but character rich racecourse at Makaraka on the outskirts of Gisborne, has been saved by a retirement village.

My inaugural road trip to the Gisborne races was in the late 1990's and since then it's always been one of my most looked forward to racing experiences each season. You don't miss the racecourse; on the flat alluvial plains that stretch from the towns limits to the Urewera's, it's tall main grandstand stands out like an NBA player on the streets of Tokyo.

While it's as far removed from the hospitality suites at Flemington as the Topp Twins are from Heff's mansion, the Poverty Bay Turf Club's home has a charm all of it s own. The exteriors of the two stands and brick totalisator building seem untouched from when they were built some 100 years ago, and the setting is complemented by a copse of old willow trees behind these buildings.

Over the years I recall seeing the debuts of Chieron, Marook and one-time Melbourne Cup favourite Native Jazz at Makaraka. It's easy sometimes to underrate the value of provincial racing carnivals in developing our horses. Gisborne for one is a long way from anywhere and a road trip plus a 3-4 day stay in unfamiliar surroundings can do wonders for the minds of young thoroughbreds.

Hopefully it's still a few years away but I think I might just have to put my name down for this village and in particular the unit at the 400m mark. And who knows, if I take my medication, maybe I'll see Kindergarten come out of the fog on the plough one morning.

Avondale: End of The Line

2010-07-18T01:01:00.000-07:00

I had wanted to get to Avondale to pay my respects but had a family commitment out of town. Sadly I think they'll struggle to get racing back. The dates that have gone to other clubs will be harder to prize back than a politicians credit card reimbursement.

I hope they come up with constructive ways to keep the assets - particularly the land- productive. Selling our assets to fund stakemoney and keep other facets of our industry going is too short term thinking. Maybe it can be developed as a training and trials centre like Cambridge.

Avondale holds special memories for me; first venturing there in the early 80's and including my first taste of raceday ownership. Three of my favourite performances are:

1986 Avondale Cup: The quality of Avondale Cup fields has lessened markedly in recent years but from the mid 70's to the end of the 90's it was undeniably the toughest middle distance handicap in the land. Solveig was a wonderful little mare, particularly potent when the summer tracks were at their hardest and she could roll along on a fast tempo. This day she took a sit behind the leader before sprinting to the front 500m from home, running her last 1200m in 1.11 and giving none of those behind her any chance.

1989 Concorde: Maybe not a classic Concorde but for me the most memorable because my dad was co breeder of the winner Testament. Injury plagued throughout his career he had returned from almost a year out on this occasion to beat the 'useful' Mr Tiz, Festal and Zephyr Magic amongst others.

2005 Concorde: With it's uncambered bends Avondale tendered to favour front runners and the courses history is littered with stellar performances from some of our more re known tear aways such as Jans Beau, Oranmore and Greene Street however it will always be hard to trump this performance. An immensely talented and teak tough gelding who was cruelly cut down just days after this breathtaking performance when preparing for the Railway, the aptly named Run Like The Wind burst from a wide gate this day and found the rail after less than 200m before burning off many off the country's best sprinters with a sustained display of strength and speed that was so pronounced that I'm sure he could have carried the success even easier out to 1400m so strongly did he find the line.

Roc De Cambes: Inside Information

2010-06-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

While NZ Bloodstock would have wished for more of a financial return from the larger than usual Japanese turnout at this years Karaka Premier Yearling Sale, a conversation with the team at The Oaks Stud will clarify the reason for their numbers; something clearly not lost on the farms GM Rick Williams when he received word earlier this year that their home bred Roc De Cambes was on the market as a stallion prospect.

As one of the more form savvy studmasters around these parts, Williams for one would have appreciated the true value of the colts race record in Japan, however even he was allegedly moved by the steady stream of visitors from the land of the rising sun - many of them here to see geysers and glowworms rather than thoroughbred yearlings - who trod a path to Barn D at Karaka earlier this year to see RDC's half brother by Darci Brahma. The colt - a cracking type - could have been three legged for all the tourists cared; their motivation solely to see the close relation to a horse, that despite a career cut short by injury, had obviouly still managed to capture the imagination of the Japanese racing public.

Even allowing for their first class international record including the quinella in the 2006 Melbourne Cup at then and still their only genuine major race campaign down under, Japanese form still probably doesn't get the same kudos here as say American and European does so the marketing staff at The Oaks have a challenge to convince local breeders about the legitimacy of RDC's race record, made more the harder by the fact that his winning runs are only classed internationally as listed events.

Staying races in Japan are no place for the faint hearted with many of their feature events producing sectionals that would make the resumes of many of our leading milers and overall times that would saturate the record books in Australasia. When RDC ran fourth- coming from well off the pace - in Japan's biggest race the NZ 4 million Group One Arma Kinen at 2500m, the overall time was 2.31.3 with the last 600 off the front run in 33.7 - the NZ record for the distance is 2.32.41 held by Frequent.

The Red Ransom factor should appeal to local breeders who will have watched of late the demand for his sire sons in Australia which has come on the back of very encouraging starts by Charge Forward and Doomsday. And in Ekraar - his only sire son with progeny of racing age here - he has a staying performed son doing the job; with his oldest still only four and already represented by group one winner Ekstreme, recent VRC St Leger winner Exceptionally, 2000 Guineas third-place-getter Clapton and the promising but ultimately ill fated Revoke.

RDC's looks a particularly well timed acquisition by The Oaks coming as it does on the back of a resurgent demand for staying bred yearlings and an emerging sire-line.

Fireside Favourites

2010-06-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

What with the weather and falling stakemoney our racing scene at the moment looks about as bleak as a Shane Jones credit card statement so it's a good time to sit back and remind ones self that we have plenty of promising horses taking a break before the spring. Here are ten that caught my eye; no real criteria just horses that I feel can go onto a better rating next season - without focusing on some of the more obvious suspects.

Single Currency: It's been a while between drinks for trainer Chris Wood but this Bachelor Duke three-year-old looks the type to get the Cambridge conditioner back in the spotlight. Following facile wins at Taupo -on debut - and Hastings, the gelding stepped up to stakes company in a very strong edition of the Arnie Sarten Memorial on Labour Day. Outside the winner Katie Lee I thought Single Currency's effort was the next best in the race; posted three-wide throughout on a good pace and only fading late to be beaten 4.5 lengths into ninth position. It would have been interesting to see where the three start veteran ended up rated amongst the three-year-olds had he stayed in work post Te Rapa.

Lion Tamer: Early season two-year-old form can often be dubious however this seasons early maturing juveniles were a high class bunch as evidenced by their form right through the season and Lion Tamer - winner on debut of the Listed Murdoch Newel in October - although failing in the Manawatu Sires, signed off his season in style with another storming finish to take the Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie in April. Somewhat of a pity the long striding colt wasn't then taken to Sydney for their Champagne Stakes, as the 1600m journey on spacious Randwick and against a less than vintage field would have given the Murray Baker colt every opportunity. The Storming Home colts physical make-up and style of racing suggests he'll only get better at three. A most exciting prospect.

MacCavity: Our two-year-olds rarely match their Australian counterparts for size and strength so imagine my surprise when I found two juveniles who would have stood out in a Golden Slipper lineup making their debuts in a two-year-old maiden at Ellerslie in late March. One of the afore mentioned duo turned out to be the eventual winner The Diamond Duke who post race was singled out for very high praise by his trainer Sean Ritchie, all of which makes the narrowly beaten runner-up and second part of the handsome pair, MacCavity, clearly an interesting prospect for next season. By reputation Roger James rarely has his horses ready to win first-up and judging by MacCavity's appearance in the Ellerslie parade ring he hadn't over taxed the Keeper filly in the build-up to her debut. It's difficult to get a line from one start on what distance MacCavity will excel at and although a half sister to the Australian group-one winning filly Velocitea (by Volksraad) and built like a sprinter, the filly may relish the 1600m of the 1000 Guineas.

Mr Charlie: The Dunstan Stayers Final has been quite some revelation as a form race since it's inception and the narrowest of runner-ups in this years contest Mr Charlie looks set to continue the trend judging by the comprehensive nature of his win just two starts later in the NZ St Leger; although down in quality on recent renewals the Golan gelding won with such ridiculous ease and in one of the quicker times in recent history to suggest he can take the step to major cup handicaps next season.

Blonde Bombshell: thoroughly genuine filly who showed her speed and class when stepping up to stakes company and setting a hectic pace in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic yet still boxing on for third to Katie Lee and Adaline. Although by a noted sire of sprinter-milers, with a bit more maturity and strengthening of her lengthy barrel she's more than capable of running 2000m in group company.

Cellarmaster: should be recognised as the nations leading two-year-old when the awards get handed out in August and deservedly so. A busy customer lining-up on nine occasions between September and finishing with a second placing in the Manawatu Sires in April, the Dubawi colt performed consistently well against the best juveniles on right and left handed tracks and on firm and soft surfaces. While he looked more of a natural two-year-old than most of his contemporaries his sires stock are training on in the NH and close relatives on the female side of his family get better with age notably Second Coming and Our Bahare so he should have scope for further improvement. His natural speed and ability to race on the pace make him an ideal candidate for the early guineas races.

Dullingham: Good horses invariably move like Alberto Junatorena and it was the stride and economy of movement that first attracted me to the son of Pins in a maiden 1600m on the middle day of the Auckland Xmas Carnival; despite finishing down the track in that contest behind the winner Green Supreme, there was sufficient merit in way the four-year-old stretched out between spates of greenness to suggest he wouldnt last long in that class. He next walloped an average maiden field at Hastings by seven lengths before venturing to Wairoa to score an easier than it looked success over the handy Hawkes Bay Cat and Cat Woman. Not seen since, look for the Jim Collett trained gelding to go quickly through to open class if he's not sold to Hong Kong in the meantime.

So Pristine: Slow maturing Zabeel mare who looks set to capitalise from typically patient handling by trainer Richard Collett. Inclined to over race when tried over ground this season and quite claustrophobic when racing in a field the mare has therefore done well to already record three wins especially bred the way she is. With more maturity look for the mare to come into her own next season at five and ultimately get 2000m and further.

Gaston: Strongly made son of Charge Forward who first came to notice when, despite an average beginning - something to which we would become accustomed - he comprehensively won his NZ debut over 1100m, beating the well regarded pair of Thundermore and Rampant in the process. Put aside after failing at his next start in the Guineas at Wanganui on a wet track the gelding returned in late summer for two starts - running third then second at Te Rapa, both in very strong company over 1200m. Possessing a big finishing kick it's likely Gaston will be even better suited by further next season.

Leica Scotch: The subject of quite a bit of spruking by his stable for the 2009 NZ Derby before going badly amiss, the Zabeel gelding resumed this season after a years convalescence and showed enough potential over distances ultimately shorter than his optimum to inspire potential as a cups contender next season.

Others to narrowly miss the cut were Our Ella Belle, Eileen Dubh, On The Level, Ishka Baha, Mr Spock and Veronica Franco.

Ekstreme: Latest Win a Turning Point

2010-05-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Taranaki trained four-year-old mare Ekstreme had already displayed rare ability to transition from three-year-old filly to WFA racing with wins earlier this season in the Group Two Cal Isuzu Stakes and Group One Captain Cook stakes, both at 1600m, but last Saturday weeks facile win in the Group Two Travis Stakes at 2000m could well turn out to be a more significant success as far as the rest of this season and beyond is concerned.

While I wasn't as confident as trainer Bryce Revell who answered äfter 200m" when asked post race at what stage did he feel she had Saturday's feature won, I can't recall the last time I saw a horse travelling so well in a major race.

Wet track form even in stakes races can often be dubious but despite her long odds there was a rare ease about Ekstreme's win in last seasons Lowland Stakes at 2100m on a heavy track that showed her to be well above average and certainly most adept on wet ground.

While her subsequent form has been a little patchy she has never struck the same race conditions until her latest Te Rapa performance. One though must be careful not to define her as a wet tracker, in fact nothing could be more inappropriate for she has also shown rare ability on top of the ground and at distances arguably short of her optimum trip, winning the Captain Cook and the Travis at Te Rapa breaking 1.34 for 1600m.

Stepping up to somewhere near her best trip and striking a decent wet track saw her start a very warm favourite for the Travis Stakes but for the initiated there were still question marks about her ability to relax in the slower tempo of distance racing, a trait that had raised itself in last years Queensland Oaks and was again noticeable in the Zabeel Classic this season. Apparently a notorious puller in trackwork, Ekstreme had a habit that needed breaking if she was to be competitive with the very best at 2000m plus and while she needs to be able to demonstrate this consistently her latest Te Rapa performance is clearly encouraging.

Judging by the noise on course each time Ekstreme wins her owners The Waimea Racing Syndicate sound like they are getting an immense thrill out of racing the high class mare but another very interested party is Hawkes Bay breeder Alan Jackson who purchased Ekstreme's yearling half brother by Mr Nancho and their dam Cashcade privately just before last year's Captain Cook Stakes; Jackson's astute transaction has potential to be even more sweeter if the private reputation of Ekstreme's yet unraced two-year-old half brother Maradona can come to fruition - owned by the same syndicate which raced Tavistock, his trainer Andrew Campbell makes no secret how highly he rates the Mr Nancho colt.

I saw Maradona's yearling full brother (Cashcades third foal) and the second part of Alan Jackson's package purchase at Greg and Jo Griffin's operation on the old Okawa Stud property just before Xmas and while a little plain in appearance -not unlike his half sister - there s a rawboned masculinity about the tough natured gelding who Hastings trainer Patrick Campbell will be entrusted to fine tune when he enters his stable shortly.

As her Captain Cook victory showed Ekstreme is one of the country's leading milers however she indicates from the glimpses we have had of her on a wet track and in the right frame of mind that she is capable of taking an even more significant prize at 2000m with conditions to suit.

Volksraad: Fine Season Continues

2010-05-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday's Goodwood Handicap win by Velocitea gave the stallion Volksraad the unique record of having sired group one winners in Australia at 1100, 1200 and 1400m. Dantelah from Volksraad's first crop took the Oakleigh Plate in 1999 and Orange County the Sir Rupert Stakes in 2008.

Volksraad has been taken for granted a little throughout most of his career. At last count he had 54 individual stakewinners and Sunday's success was his 13th individual group one winner.

On track for his eighth NZ Sires Premiership there's a school of opinion that Volksraad's inferior record in Australia stops him from being ranked with the great NZ stallions of his generation but how inferior is that record when you consider it alongside his contemporaries most of whom sire middle distance performers. Volksraad's bread and butter are his sprinter/milers and to compete against their Australian counterparts means taking on arguably the best speed horses in the world in their own backyard.

Granted all three group ones are handicaps but it's still a significant achievement in it's own right and I imagine one would have to go back to the days of Sovereign Edition or possibly even Pakistan 11 to find it's equal.

Pentire: Success as a Broodmare Sire

2010-05-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Both two-year-old events at the two Saturday meetings in NZ were taken out by horses from Pentire mares.

The Bachelor Duke colt Gamble who took the race at Te Rapa is the second foal of the two win mare Penny Hill while the Trentham winner L'Armour is a Towkay filly from the one win mare Penthouse Blue- that mares first foal.

Penny Hill's whose two wins were at 1600m and 2175m ran in the Warstep and Wellington Stakes of her three-year-old season. Penthouse Blue's only success in her 16 start career came over 2100m at Otaki.

The dam of Penthouse Blue is the Shirley Heights mare Juliette Heights - represented by a cracking Don Eduardo colt at Karaka earlier this year - giving L'Armour 3 strains of Mill Reef. I've noticed increasing numbers of Mill Reef duplications in local pedigrees of late.

Pentire's only representation at this weeks National Broodmare Sale at Karaka looks sure to be of interest to pedigree buffs. Placed at 3 this season in Australia the filly Stars is from the famed Mrs Moss family and has a duplication of Mill Reef with her dam by Shirley Heights son Darshaan.

Te Aroha: Possibly Not The Usual From Guide

2010-04-13T01:41:00.000-07:00

Breeders Stakes Day at Te Aroha is one of the best days on the calendar and this year's edition was no exception although it would pay to be wary of form particularly out of the supporting card as many of the fields lacked their usual depth and a track bias towards the inside rail played into the hands of on pace runners.

Despite it's long straight Te Aroha has always had a propensity to favour horses racing handy but Saturday was even more pronounced.

Nancho Bella despite laying in, made ground stylishly for third in the juvenile race - she had beaten Macavity in a trial. The few Mr Nancho stock that I've seen all look like they'll be better at three and this filly strikes me as no exception. Of the remainder, Murray Baker debuted a tall weakish son of Australian shuttle stallion Rakti in Arakti who may have some potential if he furnishes while Chris Wood's Scardee Cat filly Party Cat is a nice enough type, with more length and rein than a lot of her sires progeny.

Sam's Town has never been a horse I've particularly warmed too. Apparently he's a bit of a clown and often it shows on race day with performances in the birdcage that would make Fred Astaire proud. He was up to his usual tricks on Saturday but his winning performance showed a touch of class and a fair bit of heart, overcoming a significant check in the home straight yet still powering home to win the R90 sprint despite racing well out of his grade. Rarely without a top class sprinter the Otto stable may have found a capable replacement for the aging Atapi although I'm inclined to think Attackum, who co incidentally won the corresponding race last season, is that heir apparent.

Surely it's only a matter of time before we have another fillies and mares race elevated to group one status. The Breeders is currently our only such race yet year in year out it's depth makes for an exciting contest and a great betting race, which is in stark contrast to some of our group one WFA races. Australia has steadily increased such events and races such as the Coolmore Classic and the Mile on Derby Day a Flemington are always ultra competitive contests drawing the best of the fairer sex.

Keeper is having a great season spearheaded by Keep The Peace and in My Keepsake he looks to have another promising type, joining a burgeoning club that includes Finderskeepers, Tanalised, St Germaine and last weeks Ellerslie debutant Macavity. My Keepsake was the only horse all afternoon to make significant ground in the home straight greater than three horse widths off the inside rail and what was especially pleasing was that her run never faltered, sustained as it was from before the turn, right to the post. You could be in clover if you have a nice Keeper yearling come Karaka Sale time next year should Keep The Peace come up at four and some of his promising progeny take the next step.

Racing is littered with good two and three -year-old's who never recapture that form and many, myself included, were probably consigning Juice to that category before Saturdays performance. Expertly placed by John Wheeler, the daughter of Bertolini arrived at the start line fighting fit from three middle distance lead up runs and aided by a nice draw and a typically heady ride by Hayden Tinsley, she was too good for a very brave Culminate.

The runs of the three-year-olds Obsession and Lady Chaparral were excellent lending more weight that this seasons filly crop are the best for some time.

I won't be getting too carried away with the wins by Tinseltown and The Hombre. The former beat very little and ran three seconds slower than the corresponding event last season while The Hombre - given he was more impressive - still didn't look physically as well as he did last spring and there must still be some doubt about him settling well enough to run the distances of the Rough Habit and the Queensland Derby.

Oriental Lad and Better On Top should be in for lucrative autumn campaigns judging by their encouraging fresh up runs on ground firmer than they refer.

If you've yet to visit the track under the mountain I can thoroughly recommend an excursion for the Breeders and take your togs for a dip at the near by hot pools afterwards.

Ellerslie Prospecting

2010-04-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

They may have run a second and a half slower than the other two-year-old race at Ellerslie today but don't be surprised if the race won by The Diamond Duke turns out to be a significantly better guide to three-year-old form next season.

As a race the Legends Fellowship for maiden juveniles was an ordinary affair with the last 600m time of 34.86 hardly noteworthy given the hack tempo of the first half of the contest but one got the impression that the first two horses across the line were far from wound up for their debuts and both certainly possess the breeding and physical makeup to develop into nice prospects for next season.

While Sean Ritchie has deservedly received good press for his emergence as a trainer of real quality this season, his exceptional eye for a yearling has been underplayed slightly by the media with The Diamond Duke another example of this skill. As a $90,000 Karaka Premier yearling, today's winner was considerably more expensive than Military Move, Keep The Peace and My Scotsgrey who all came from the Select Catalogue, but given Ritchie's success it's not hard to predict him having a significantly larger budget when he shops at Karaka next summer.

It's not difficult to understand why The Diamond Duke fetched the equal top price for progeny of his sire Bachelor Duke at last year's Karaka Sales. He's imposing to say the least with a good deal of his dam sire Seattle Slew about him,; probably already 16.1 hands going on 16.2, but well put together and balanced like so many of the good Bachelor Dukes.

As a type he's a typical Ritchie purchase, good sized but athletic with plenty of rein.

The gelding has plenty going for him on pedigree too with his dam the unraced Volksraad mare Doneze Girl a half sister to the highly talented but injury plagued Diamond Deck, who in turn is a three quarter sister to the champion racehorse and now emerging sire Lohnro.

Macavity, the runner-up to The Diamond Duke is also a most striking individual. She's a very well built filly particularly through the neck , shoulder and hindquarter, physical traits more in common with her maternal grand sire than her sire Keeper.

Cat Shmea the dam of Macavity looks an exciting broodmare prospect. Her first foal Velocitea by Volksraad has really found form as a four-year-old mare in Melbourne this season winning twice at group 3 level before a last start second in group one company in Adelaide.

A daughter of the disappointing Storm Cat stallion Felix the Cat, Cat Shmea was a handy three-year-old filly in the South Island winning three times and running third on a wet track in a listed Filly of the Year event at Wingatui. While Cat Shmea's female family would be considered only Festival Sale quality it is a nice blend of stamina and soundness through the presence of successive dam sires Beaufort Sea, Super Gray and Bellborough; the later a particularly underrated presence, featuring as he does in the pedigrees of the likes of Starcraft, Zeditave, Jet Spur and Taras Bulba.

From stables not known for producing two-year-old's and as types certain to improve at three in line with their sires typical get, The Diamond Duke and Macavity are two interesting prospects for next season.

Castelli: Rosehill Guineas win spotlights cheap sire

2010-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

The phone of Levin studmaster Paul Hobbs deserves to ring more frequently this breeding season. Paul stands Rosehill Guineas winner Zabrasive's lightly raced half brother Castelli and last season the son of Galileo served just 13 mares, most belonging to the stallions majority owner, Hawkes Bay's Lawrence Redshaw.

For those of you with good memories the Murray Baker trained Castelli created enough of an impression in three starts here in the early spring of 2006 to at one stage hold a single figure quote for that seasons VRC Derby.

Unfortunately the colt never made it the Derby after chips in a knee were discovered following a second placing to Old Belvedere over 1600m at Hastings on Mudgeway Stakes day. Ultimately the injury saw the stallion never return to the racetrack, going to stud in 2008 after failing to stand two further training preparations.

Retiring with a sole maiden win (at 1400m) on a slow track from three starts and being a son of Galileo is not a recipe for attracting mares, particularly in this part of the world after Galileo's very disappointing shuttle service to Australia, but the stallion looks good value at his $1,000 service fee.

Castelli is the first foal of his Danehill stakeswinning and group one placed dam Danasia - Zabrasive is the mares fourth foal. As a son of Galileo and with staying influences further back in his female family such as Persian Bold, Exbury (Zammazan's sire), and the former Fairdale stallion Kings Island, Castelli won't sire Karaka Million runners however he showed enough tactical speed in his short racing career to that suggest that with the right type of mare getting an early three-year-old to the races won't be out of the question.

The odds of Castelli making it as a stallion are extremely slim but with his pedigree, the glimpse we got of his ability on the racetrack and a reinvigorated market for staying types, he's a better gamble than a number of his colleagues out there pitched in a similar price bracket.

I gather Windsor Park may agist some Castelli weanlings for a client; if that is the case I shall make a point of dropping in when I'm next down in Cambridge. Even at $1,000 you need to do your homework thoroughly and I recall seeing a couple of Castelli's immediate family as yearlings and they were not impressive types. For instance Zabrasive at Karaka was quite light and a poor walker.

Karaka: After The Gold Rush

2010-02-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

What an extraordinary week. Even Tony Robbins or Telecom's PR department would have struggled to predict what took place.

There's been a lot written about why there was so much moolah around at Karaka and I don't disagree that any of it failed to contribute in some shape or form; from our group race performances in Oz last season to the strength of the Ozzie dollar and the catalogues depth, it all played it's part.

I thought a couple of under rated influences were the group one win in Hong Kong by Winning Fellowship the night before the Sale commenced and the release of Bart Cummings book. The later, publicity not even America's Cup syndicates could buy, would have had an immeasurable impact on the demand for staying types.

Some observations:

It's hardly a new trend but just how important a totally clean set of x rays are. I know of a couple of outstanding types that had very minor x ray issues and were crucified in the ring.

I would liked to have seen a bit more leg under the Fast N Famous yearlings. The best of his in this department, the Oh Blue Angel colt in Select, fetched his top price.

I thought the Perfectly Ready's would sell a bit better than they did. They walked well, were on the whole athletic and looked o have good temperaments. I thought they may have been a bit heavier bu I didn't mind that. A comment I heard second hand pre Sale from an Ozzie agent may well have summed up his appeal over the ditch; words to the effect that he was only an eastern state group 3 sprinter and they had many more options in young sires at the next level. Hard to dispute that but I thought they were good buying.

The lack of genuine staying types. Sure what was available sold well but as types I thought buyers were limited to a few Golans, the odd Jungle Pocket and Don Eduardo. I didn't see too many Master O Reillys or Gallopins amongst the plethora of O'Reillys and Pins. Imagine the sale results if High Chaparral had stood the 2007 season here.

It's getting off the subject slightly but I imagine Rich Hill will be feeling quite good about Sir Percy and so will some other studs with newish staying orientated stallions who could do with greater patronage. St Reims and Metre En Jeu come to mind.

The week s results should give breeders the encouragement to invest in stallions after quite some hiatus. I predict the Nom Du Jeu announcement will be the first of a number especially of those with some sort of staying resume. There should be any number of nice staying options on the market. I would love to be a bloodstock agent sourcing them.

How buyers deserted Savabeel. Someone mentioned to me just the other day that his record compares more than favourably with O'Reilly and Pins at the same stage of heir careers. I haven't had the time to check this out. There s still enough trainers saying good words about progeny of his they have but buyers have dropped him quicker than a used match.

If you like sires who leave a line then the Darci's would obviously have featured on your shopping list. They are like peas to a pod, lovely heads, deep girths, medium sized and athletic. I was taken with Michael Wallace's purchase in the Premier Sale, the colt from First of May and Little Avondale had a sweet filly from Tycoon Lover.

I saw some quality types from Pentire mares and he's going to be a significant broodmare influence with the right type of mare.

I know Elusive City had a good run in Hong Kong in the weeks leading up to Karaka but I still though his colts exceeded expectations even allowing for some quality types. His record to date is good without been outstanding but it's his fillies who lead the way in terms of stakes performers so I can only conclude that he has some very promising un raced colts out there.

The Lucky Unicorns are going to take time. I didn't mind some of his types although I can't see too many getting nominated for the Karaka Million.

A lot of pinhookers got hurt. Esker bucked the trend, their overall return helped by the Montjeu colt but their median was strong. Goodwood did well with their two also. Holy Roman Emperor was out of favour at the Magic Millions and the trend continued at Karaka. Sadly a number of pin hookers invested in his weanlings who looked good the handful I saw last year, but came unstuck. His yearlings disappointed me on the whole and maybe they just don't develop. Savabeel left some outstanding foals many of whom didn't quite go the right way through to yearlings. The pinhookers results just go to show how hard it is to get right even in a good market.

I only got to see a couple of hundred horses this year and then only in the outside rings and the auditorium but here s a handful I singled out for their X factor.

Lot 79 - Zabeel- Oh So Precious colt. Wonderfully balanced sort, athletic and not too heavy - a great blend of his sire and Sadlers Wells.

Lot 441 - Fastnet Rock - Haibah colt. More attractive around the head and eye than a lot of his sire s progeny; this mare has left another fine type.

Lot 528 - Volksraad - Mardi Gras colt. In the vein of his best colts Orange County, Vinaka and this colts three quarter brother Military Move, a sweet walking strong bodied handsome individual.

So a number of breeders have cash in their pockets again. Will this encourage a buy up at the Australian weanling sales. It will be fascinating to see the catalogue for our weanling sale. Will breeders hang on or still divest here in May. Good decisions to mull over I guess.

Trentham 30 January

2010-01-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

Fazza's my each way tip for the Cup.

Adaline: good buying

2010-01-23T21:05:00.000-08:00

Adaline's win in the Group Two Royal Stakes may not have conclusively determined her ability to be competitive past 2000m but she showed her minute defeat by Katie Lee in the Eight Carat Classic was no flash in the pan and that Trevor McKee has once again found a quality horse cheaply at the sales.

Maybe it has something to do with it being the first time most three-year-old fillies have gone further than 1600m and connections therefore preferring a cautious approach but this years renewal of the Royal Stakes was once again plagued by a lack of pace making it an inconclusive guide to upcoming oaks races.

Inspecting Adaline for the first time in the parade ring at Ellerslie over Xmas it was hard to see how type could have been a factor in McKee only having to pay $28,000 for the Court of Jewels filly at the 2008 Karaka Select Sale.

A medium sized strongly girthed filly with good balance and an attractive feminine head she exhibits a number of the better characteristics of her very good female family.

The excellent but short lived publication Raceform 1988/89 described Adaline's grand dam the dual groupwinner Soleil Rouge as "short-coupled, big barelled poweful type; good shoulder..." . Another member of the family Silky Red Boxer, whose dam Soleil Etoile is a half sister to Soleil Rouge, was a very similar type.

Although it is back in the second generation, there is a good deal of black type in Adaline's female family with a number of half sisters to Soleil Rouge regularly represented by siblings in the Karaka Premier and Sydney Easter Sales. Soleil Rouge has herself been a good producer leaving a listed winner and her daughters beside Red Covet (dam of Adaline), have left Hong Kong Group One winner All Thrills Too and the group winning NZ two-year-old Crossyourheart.

The taproot mare responsible for the family is the english bred mare Polly Soleil who was imported to NZ in 1976 by Waikato breeder Ron Denby. There is little known about the mare before she came to these shores other than she was a half sister to Denby's good stallion Avon Valley.

Red Covet by St Covet looks to have shown connections some ability on the racetrack given that her six lifetime starts were all on Melbourne's city tracks and she was jumped to a stakes race at just her third start coming off a Flemington win at 1400m.

I have discussed St Covet briefly in an earlier posting but his record at stud before his death after just two seasons is quite astonishing, posting nearly 80% winners to runners and 15% stakes performers to runners. From I'm guessing around 40 live mares, St Covet has also managed to leave his mark as a broodmare stallion with Mimi Lebrock, the sensational filly Amelia's Dream and now Adaline.

Adaline has older half siblings by General Monash, Danehill Dancer and Fasliyev who amounted to very little on the racetrack while a year older full sister named Regally Red has been a useful performer on the Victorian provincial circuit with stake earnings of $50,000. A two-year-old unraced half brother by Bianconi called The Admiral Returns is Red Covet's latest foal of racing age.

Which leads us to Adaline's sire Court of Jewels and notwithstanding the luke warm start by Red Covet to her broodmare career, probably the significant factor in Trevor McKee acquiring her so cheaply.

Court of Jewels retired to stud in Victoria in 2004 with a record of 4 wins and 5 placings from 17 starts including a group three 1300m success in Adelaide and stakes placings at Rosehill, Caulfield and Doomben. A useful enough record but hardly one to get breeders rushing the farm gate down.

It gets better though on the pedigree side and significantly too, for Court of Jewels as a son of Danehill from a Sir Tristram grand daughter of Eight Carat is very closely related to leading stallions Commands and Danewin.

To Be Continued

Sound Reason: around for a while yet

2010-01-22T23:47:00.000-08:00

I've always liked Sound Reason in a pedigree.

Like dad, his stock always tended to be strongly made, tough and durable racehorses. A strong wither, deep girth and a decent hindquarter were the most obvious physical traits of his best stock.

Maybe Sound Reason whose own racing career was characterised by consistency and durability inherited those attributes from his grandsire Hail To Reason who had eighteen starts as a two year old in the US.

He may have been dead seventeen years but Sound Reason's influence on the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry in these parts is still being felt as results today at Trentham show.

Vonusti who took the Telegraph is by Ustinov from the Sound Reason mare Reasonably while Group Two Wakefield Challenge Stakes runner up Cellarmaster, already a group three winner this year, is by Dubawi from the Sound Reason mare Oneology.

Although his record of six individual group one winners will never rank him as an outstanding sire, Sound Reason still carved out an enviable record as a sire from Ollie Goodwin's Riddlesworth Stud on the outskirts of Masterton, where he stood from 1980 until his death in 1993. The 16.2 and a half hand son of Bold Reason left everything from stakeswinning juveniles Validity and Eurudite; Oaks winners Candide, Sounds Like Fun, Sound Gold and Cologne; classy WFA performers Sound Horizon and Lacka Reason through to tough handicappers such as Tour Blade, Soundoration and the mercurial St James.

Remarkably though it's been as a broodmare sire where Sound Reason will be better remembered with Vonusti today becoming his twelfth individual group one winner.

Comparing his record as a broodmare sire with some other great influences from the same era makes interesting reading. Centaine has sixteen group one winners from his daughters and a few more to come yet, Pompeii Court, Star Way and Crested Wave 9 each and Grosvenor, steadily increasing his tally, on 7.

I don't know if such statistics exist but the sires of grand dams of group one winners would make fascinating reading. Sound Reason seems to have had a affinity down the years to figure significantly in this role particularly in conjunction with Centaine mares, many from Waikato Stud families, and not forgetting his daughter Sellou is the dam of the current NZ Broodmare of the Year Gussy Godiva.

Sadly there are no direct male line son's of Sound Reason to carry the line on and although the bred lost a wonderful opportunity to carry the female tail line on when St Covet, who had got off to such a promising start at stud, met with an early demise, maybe it's a mantle that the young group one winning Redoutes Choice stallion Nadeem can inherit, being a son of group one winning mare (It's) Candide.

While it's starting to get a little further back these days, the presence of Sound Reason blood in any pedigree is a big positive.

Karaka: predicting this years trends

2010-01-17T00:15:00.000-08:00

I was looking at the Gold Coast averages today. They make interesting reading, probably slightly disturbing for some breeders, particularly those that have foals on the ground by Stratum, Exceed and Excel and Hussonet.

The Stratum reaction has been swift - we are not yet half way through the season. I recall an agent telling me in August last year how all the talk in Sydney and Melbourne was how impressive the Stratum youngsters were in their early education and gallops. How quickly things change in this game.

Even Redoutes, averaging just under $350k. This seasons foals are from a $330k odd service fee I think, so a nervous 12 months awaits breeders who used him that year.

Interested to see the Starcraft's selling well. He already has a nice two-year city winner along with two individual place getters from just four runners in Australia. I was impressed with a two-year-old by him at last weeks Paeroa trials. I wouldn't have picked him to sire early types.

So what are we in for at Karaka. Obviously the reaction to the Darci Brahmas will be very interesting. I wonder what the aussie buyers will make of them. Will they discount his progeny on account of Apache Cat out toughing him in the Guineas or will their love affair with sons of Danehill continue?

I'm interested in how the Savabeels sell. Things were looking up for the stallion after that stakeswiining two-year-old Australian filly won so well first up at 3 and that Rogerson filly took a competitive Breeders Stakes at Ruakaka but it's been hard work since. Things aren't helped when you lose your best colt in Warrentherooster. Tullamore and No Emotion finding there feet a bit earlier too would have helped.

Will buyers discount O'Reilly and Pin's on account of weight of numbers? I'm picking they will. It will be a good sale to pick up an O'Reilly filly for the broodmare paddock.

I haven't seen enough of the Fast n Famous and Perfectly Ready yearlings to be able to judge how they'll sell but I'm picking both will be popular but more so with the locals. When I saw PR run third in the Blue Diamond I thought him to be the most mature two-year-old I'd seen in the flesh so I'm interested in seeing how his stock have progressed from weanlings to yearlings. The son of More Than Ready Bennico seems to have been popular in Australia so I'm picking PR will be well received generally.

The first day of the Premier Sale could be a good time to strike as maybe a lot of buyers will want to sit back and evaluate the market. The Select catalogue seems stronger than recent years so it should be another interesting week.

The Derby Path

2010-01-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's three-year-old 1600m race at Ellerslie hasn't changed my thoughts on the Derby greatly.

Thé winner doesn't strike me as a Derby horse. Physically he's come on in leaps and bounds in the last two months but he tends to get on the bit and overrace a little to get a distance at present. A nice family this, one that I've recommended a friend consider buying into at Karaka - although No Fear and his half sister Dutch Strikers form won't have helped us much in terms of her value.

Any horse that fetches 1 million plus as a yearling is obviously no Danny De Vito but Maciano is still going to some animal in 12 months time. He's a chance in the Derby - he'll get the trip on his ear - but he's just a tad immature for mine. Take a look at him around the face and body. The only thing he doesn't have is acne.

Corporal Jones stays near the top of my list. Gee he's a well bodied horse. Not as long as Excellent but he still has a lot of physical resemblence to great stayer. He's relaxed bugger, just what you need to work with going through to a Derby. While he didn't necessarily show the lick he had in his two wins, I still liked the way he got home yesterday, largely under his own steam. Remember the miles would have been going into those legs the last month.

Keyora looked like his trainer after a month on the Gold Coast so I wouldn't read too much into his performance. In saying that I would have liked him to settle better yesterday.

Our Heir Apparent will have benefitted from the run too. He is pretty one-paced though and unless he can find some speed from somewhere I struggle to see him competing with Corporal Jones and Zarzuela. They had the blinkers on yesterday so they must have been expecting something.

I was taken with the run of Roger James filly. She may have finished closer with a clearer passage and didn't lose a lot in comparison with Corporal Jones up the straight. Roger does a great job with staying types at this time of year and isn't afraid to go the Derby way with fillies - Sixty Seconds ran second or third I recall - so I'll be keeping an eye on her progress.

No Emotion would have finished closer with a clearer run too. He's a nice type, in fact the best bodied Savabeel I've yet seen.

I had a peek at the two-year-olds too. Remember this race has been the superior guide to the Million and while I didn't necessarily see any Corsage runs this year, a couple will be competitive on the big night. The winner is strengthening up all the time and will continue to improve. Mark Walker's other runner, the Spartacus gelding, was also a nice run. They tend to go very hard in the Million and some winners have come from well back on the turn - think Vincent Mangano and last year, if Corsage had got one final gap, she probably would have got up.

The Bachelor Duke was another nice run, a pity about the ride. I had a look at his pedigree last night. It's that wonderful speed family of Clever Zoe etc that Waikato Stud have developed so well. I don't think he'll make the field for the Million but he should win a nice race somewhere.

A Smokey

2010-01-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

I've been going over a lot of race replays the last few days for an article I'm doing on the NZ Derby.

He's no Derby horse, actually I don't even think he's eligible, but I may have found a horse capable of winning his way out of maidens pretty quickly.

Dullingham is his name. At his most recent start, which was just his second career run, he ran midfield to Green Supreme at Ellerslie on 28 December.

You may laught at this but I just liked the way he got round the corner into the straight. He took it at speed and it's never easy to do, particularly for an inexperienced horse.

Once he got balanced into the straight he was running on again at the finish despite looking like he wanted to hang in a bit. He'seems to have a nice stride on him.

Paste him away.

New Year's Day at Ellerslie

2010-01-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

Track a good 2 and rail out 2.5 from Boxing Day

Race 2: F & F R90 1400. Tidy enough win by the Lohnro filly Tampiko fresh to the carnival coming off a R70 win at Tauranga where so showed good acceleration to beat the promising Shigeru. Looked a useful enough filly at three running 10 of 16 in the Eight Carat and was only having her 2nd run in a new campaign whereas some of the others had done some racing including She Rules who ran up to win but died on her run. She Rules has been up since the autumn and may have had enough. The Lohnro stock seem to be improving with age which is a good sign for the stallions career. Gee Scarlet Vanhara is another fine e.g of the good quality of mare Van Nistelrooy can leave. She is racing now like she s looking for 2000m.

Race 3: Eclipse Stakes 1200m. . Cellarmaster has his dad's great head and still has some growing to do so given what he's doing at two he should make a lovely three-year-old. Banchee is so much like her half sister in demeanour and type. In fact she maybe even more relaxed. While the two Walker runners by General Nediym don't look to me to have the scope to go on beyond this season I wouldn't discount them in the Karaka Million. Do the C.D babies have the wood on their Northern counterparts ? While I'm not convinced about the form from this race, Cellarmaster and Banchee are clearly 2 to follow and I would be checking to see what odds I could get for Banchee come Karaka Million time. Condescender - 4th - is getting better with experience but the fact that he was coming off a soft third on Boxing Day, gives more me reason to treat the form from this race wearily.

Race 4: R70 1600. Jena The Guru's win further franks the form from Corporal Jones win here at the twilight meeting; Tahana Strike has also since won. Monzieur Bond may have felt the ground. Apparently he is not the soundest of animals and was bandaged in front. He looked to run in slightly in the home straight. I thought the blinkers would work the oracle for So Pristine but she still seemed reluctant to strect out in traffic. She strikes me as one of those Zabeel's that needs space from other horses to let down so I have not put a line through her yet.

Race 5: Dunstan Stayers Final 2200. Drawing wide over 2200m is not the death sentence that it is at 2100 or certainly 2000m, at Ellerslie and Seaflyte had the form in R80 and 90 grades. He's one of those horses who races like he looks - rangy and tough, probably the Grosvenor factor. Heza Karma Karzi got found out by the strong tempo I suspect. Montetra was a great ride and needs moisture. The winner and runner up are clearly the two to follow but Montgomery is a lightly raced type worth keeping an eye on.

Race 6: Royal Stakes 2000m. A slow pace typical often of this race made it difficult for the staying type of fillies. Veronica Franco simply couldn't sprint with the other two. I thought Via Vento was in the same boat and by Cape Cross from a Sadlers Wells mare and a big type she has some scope and could be competitive at the Oaks distances. Is there a more successful purchaser of cheap horses than Trevor McKee? She's a nice cut of a filly too, typical of the family, not too long but with a good depth girth. First season sire Court of Jewels must have put a lot of people off but he was a handy Danehill sprinter from a Sir Tristram daughter of Eight Carat. La Collina is another attractive type of filly by Van Nisttlerooy. A bit finer than some of the Van fillies, her mother by O'Reilly - who is not the most attractive of mares herself - maybe responsible for passing on that lighter bone. Overall a race that panned out as most suspected, a slow tempo suited the class fillies with the stakes form at the shorter trips and the fillies stepping up from maidens and R70 could not use their staying potential to their advantage.

Race 7: Rich Hill Mile. Watch this replay more than once. A lot of form will come from it. I had been waiting for La Etoile to strike a firm track at a mile. The wide draw almost put me off but I'm glad I stuck with her. Sure she was always going to need luck but there was enough pace in the race. Huge run from Irish Opera who seems to save his best races for Ellerslie and he paraded probably superior to anything else on the whole card. Capacia, Dancing Jess and Casabella Lane were other particularly good runs but there were others. Even Santangelo went a nice race although her preliminary was poor and I didn't think she looked as well as she did in Christchurch. Maybe she s an autumn mare.

Race 8: Railway. Race was gifted to A Gold Trail which must rub salt into the wounds of the conections of Atapi. He's quite a typical Hussonet, strong and carries a lot of condition, although he maybe more short coupled than some of his stock. John Sargent had done a great job with Kiloton and his preliminary was most impressive. Snipza Gold got home nicely and looks a horse to follow at Trentham. I was a little surprised at the tactic s of Richard Beymer to be ridden off the speed as I couldn't see he had the finishing speed to win the race. Beautiful Girl had every chance and probably just lacked the class. She's a nice strong mare particularly through the girth and hindquarters. It's good to see that Round the World family throw up another nice horse because it has been quiet for quite some time.

Race 9: City of Auckland Cup. Another bouquet to John Sargent for getting Red Ruler back into winning form. I still recall that day he won the Championship Stakes at Ellerslie in the summer of his 3 year-old-year. The turn of foot he showed that day marked him down as a rare thoroughbred and while he still has to recapture quite that form it was good to see him back in the winners stall. Sterling Prince paraded fresh and raced accordingly. That's the tightrope trainers walk with horses I guess. He'd come back from Oz after 3 hard runs on successive weekends and all good horse husbandry tells you to freshen the horse up. The CD form held up in this race again with Fazza and Manonamission running 2/3. In a compressed handicap none of the lightweights were able to make the class jump which was compounded by the hard track and genuine pace. Calatrava gave me the impression in the parade ring that she did not back up from Boxing Day where shed looked magnificent. Fazza is an interesting type. He's almost a throwback I imagine to the stayers of the 50's and 60's, rangy, tough, plain looking and a tad ribby. Jeff Lynds horses often don't carry a lot of condition but it doesn't seem to do them any harm. I love the way Fazza just drops the bit in his races and switches off. He may have been more at home if the Wellington Cup was still at 3200 so I'm not sure the $8 is value at Tretham but I think he is the horse to start looking at for a big race up here on the 10 March.

Race 10: Spec Conditions Maiden 1400m. A comfortable win for a horse I've always liked(take a look at my Summer Six posting back a couple). She's lightened off a little so Richard Collet may have to take things easy with her this season but he's got great patience and is her perfect mentor. From that wonderful Georgetti family, the second horse Palatine will end up a nice horse also. He's a good type of Shinko King, not as long as some but typically still a bit weak. He went up as if he'd win at the 200m but just died on his run. Again he's another in just the right yard to let him find his potential. Not sure what to make of Affirmation. His coat looked a little dull although it's never easy to tell with greys. Being a stallion I wonder if he switched off when caught on the inside of horses. I've taken notes.

Probably now the best day for the racing pursit on our calendar.

Ellerslie Twilight

2009-12-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

If we get a night like tonight tomorrow, Ellerslie will go off.

The quaddie looks gettable, but take note that the rail is out 12.5m.

Zambezi looks a good way to start the night.

Here's my thoughts on the quaddie.

First Leg Race 5: Our Dream Catcher and Blonde Bombshell bring the best formlines and are must includes. Glendoveer who was second at her only start wanted to lay out at Te Rapa and should appreciate going the opposite way round tomorrow. November Rain is a nice filly but gets back and could struggle to make ground with the rail out. You should be ok with 1, 2 and 4.

2nd Leg Race 6: The aristocratic Maciano was running on nicely enough for third on debut and the first two home are classy sorts who would win this. He has drawn well and should get a soft run so is a must include. Mangaroa Molly is a promising type who has been crying out for 1600m but gets back. Neptune could get away with a soft lead and be hard to run down. The hardest leg if Maciano is not what we all hope he is. 4, 8, 9, and 12.

3rd Leg Race 7: You can get away with only two here, Nadege and Gallant. Nadege has struck me as a Cups horse and 1600m is ideal at this stage of her preparation. She goes up 3kgs on her last start but is a big strong mare who should cope. Gallant made ground strongly from off the pace last start and should run handier from the draw. Like Nadege he's always looked like a horse capable of reaching a much higher mark. 5 and 11.

4th Leg Race 8: So Pristine gets in well here for a two win horse and has the draw to sit handy. Tanha Strike may have won his only start at Dargaville but he ran time and had looked smart at the trials previously. He also has drawn well and should be hard to run down. 5 and 7 in the last leg.

Should be an excellent nights racing

My Summer Six

2009-12-06T23:34:00.000-08:00

I always try and slip out to Avondale for their Guineas. It's no longer the great Derby guide but it s still capable of throwing up a good horse.

On paper this year's field looked a bit down in quality, certainly compared to last year, and I thought the race panned out that way. Only four lengths covered the field across the line, bar one horse.

I would be following Celtic Fantasy out of the race. I like his style of racing; he goes forward, relaxes and scraps. It would be interesting to see him get some cover in a race; he maybe able to really let down. Remember he's doing this after just three starts. There's upside with this guy and he's bred and races like he'll get over more ground.

Celtic Fantasy is an interesting horse on type. I'd expected to see either a big tall Giant's Causeway or some resemblence to Pentire Celbre his damsire, in other words lightly boned. Instead he looks to have thrown to the Mill Reef line through his grand dams sire Doyuon. He's generously barelled and proportioned through the shoulder, of medium size and quite athletic.

He didn't get hot in the yard but he had two handlers with him, just more of an indication he's very much learning his trade.

Here's six horses worth following over the summer.

Wealth Princess: A mark of a good horse is an ability to win regardless of race pattern, and that's something this four-year-old mare has already exhibited in her unbeaten three-start career. Blessed with rare aceleration she is able to get out of tight spots as she showed with her win at Te Rapa on Labour Monday. The 41's quote for the Railway is way overs.

Attackum: Running on nicely freshup behind Richard Breymer at Counties. Still lacking some ringcraft but very gifted sprinter as his domestic efforts last autumn, showed running fast sectionals and carrying weight. Subsequently ventured to Australia where his best performance was a third behind rising star Battlefield. Adds intrigue to an even lot of sprinters set to tackle the Railway and Telegraph.

Our Heir Apparent: Never a hope in the VRC Derby after getting back in a slowly run contest. By Zabeel there's good reason to believe he'll be further improved this preparation. Doesn't have the tactical speed of Monaco Consul but if it's a genuinely run NZ Derby he's a legitimate danger to the likely favourite.

Leica Scotch: I must confess to just having a "gut feel"about this Zabeel entire. First up after a year away he ran home strongly for second over 1400m to promising mare Dasoudi. Should improve with the run and more distance but don't get too carried away second up as I'm picking the fresh up run will have taken the sharpness from his legs. Will probably target a race like the Dunstan Final but I pick we can pour rather a tall one after a race such as the Hawkes Bay Cup.

O'Cartier: Showed at the recent Cup Carnival that he had recaptured the form he displayed up north last summer when fourth in a very strong Couplands Mile then backing up to win over 1400m in fast time on Cup day with 58.5kgs. Not a pretty horse particularly when at full gallop but blessed with plenty of heart and class. Remember he gave Wall Street 4.5kgs in the Couplands.

November Rain: This seasons three year-old fillies crop looks to have depth and although currently a maiden this filly won't be out of her depth aginst the better types once the distances get past 1600m. Her sire Stravinsky while better known for his sprinter/milers has left Oaks winners such as Serenade Rose who like November Rain features the stamina influence Sadlers Wells in her female remove.

You ve got to love summer.

Ellerslie Observations 28 November 2009

2009-12-01T00:38:00.000-08:00

Ventured out. Amazing sometimes what you find when you least expect it..

There was a good vibe on course which came about on the back of the day been a NZ Racing Xmas at the Races initiative. An encouraging start for the concept.

The rail out 10m gave on pace horses a distinct advantage. Unlike Wanganui the club dodged a bullet with ominous dark clouds all afternoon, which in a stroke of fortune, only displayed their venom as the last race left the gates.

You'll have read about the performances of Desoudi and Run Like Al so I'll leave them alone. Here are some others that caught my eye.

Leica Scotch: An interesting prospect this guy. 1400m fresh up for a year, no trial or blinkers; not exactly characteristics to inspire you to back a Zabeel are they?

He maybe small in stature but he makes up for it. His eye reeks of courage and when he walks, his hindquarters literally touch his ears. Reminds me on type of Hades and Vengeance of Rain.

Got home nicely for second to Desoudi. I don't know what Roger James has in mind but it wouldn't surprise me if he went via the Dunstan to something later on like the HB Cup.

Showcause: Probably still 12 months away physically. Never a winning hope on Saturday but as is his pattern, his best work was his last 100m. Strikes me as a genuine two miler who given his liking for Ellerslie could end up back here in 15 months for an important assignment.

Martial Art: When the moneys goes on a horse from a big stable like it did on this guy on Saturday, it's usually not miss directed.

Was going to win the moment he entered the parade ring. A strongly made individual he looked months ahead of the rest on maturity and he knew it. I've been looking for an NZ Derby horse to follow through to the race and I think I've found him.

Charlotte Russe: More attractive than a lot of Red Ransoms, particularly around the head, which she probably gets from her grand dam who could leave a stunning yearling.

Winding into the race when denied racing room on at least two occasions in the straight, this four-year-old mare will end up a live chance in a good staying handicap before seasons end.

He's Glovin It: I got caught talking to someone and missed seeing him in the yard but looked a lovely big scopey type in his preliminary. Actually could see some resemblance to the Towkay-Millie Munroe filly now racing as The Blonde Bombshell, who hails from the same family. Nice family this and moving again after a hiatius.

I like staying horses lwho get home under their steam and hit the line, and this guys has some of these traits.

I left in the pouring rain thinking one of these horses is going to win a big race, one day, somewhere. Maybe the next month or 6 weeks will tell me which one. It could well be the little guy with small horses syndrome.

Van Nistelrooy: Finding His Mark

2009-11-21T23:25:00.000-08:00

Synchronicity is pretty neat.

I was doing a bit of thinking this week about the impact here of Van Nistelrooy, fuelled of course by his daughters 'almost' group 2 double at Pukekohe last weekend.

You know how sometimes you see a horse for the first time and it stops you in your tracks? I found one of those today, a filly, hiding beneath the trees in the back parade ring at Ellerslie before the sixth, a maiden race over 1400m.

This girl didn't need a spray tan or cosmetic surgery; a lovely rich chestnut, she had the mid section of a Swedish Pilate's instructor; the shoulder of an Olympic butterfly swimmer, and floated - even at a walk, like an angel.

A rye smile came over me when I opened my race book to find she was a filly by Van Nistelrooy. I had to come home and write something.

I don't recall a hue and cry from breeders when Van Nistelrooy stopped shuttling to NZ after the 2006 season.

Sure there was some promising types around but for a two-year-old group two winning son of Storm Cat, breeders had expected, rightly or wrongly , fast early maturing horses. Pit Lane, from the Marauding mare Disco Girl, won three successive races at 2 in Victoria, and then ran midfield in the Hustlers's Caulfield Guineas, but on the whole you'd have been kind saying it was a 'promising' start.

After his daughter Boundless triumphed at long odds in the 2008 New Zealand Oaks, I like many I suspect thought that here was simply another Philco or Regal Empress.

Okay her unlucky second in the AJC Oaks two months later showed that Boundless was actually a high class staying filly. Still, it was very much a one swallow team at that stage.

Unfortunately Boundless couldn't carry on the VN momentum last season for after a close fourth in the Kelt on an interrupted preparation, she failed to fire in Australia and went to the paddock.

But almost on cue the last twelve months has seen the emergence of some high class female sprinter/miler types by the stallion headed by Telegraph place getter Ruud Van Slaats, Anniversary Handicap winner Striker and the stakeswinning Bella Renza.

And another mare who looks capable of joining those stakeswinning ranks is the lightly tried Scarlett Vanhara. A fast finishing and slightly unlucky third in the Breeders Stakes at Pukekohe, the beautifully athletic four-year old, expertly handled by trainer Ross Elliot, should be very competitive in summer races like the Rich Hill and Thorndon Mile's.

I can already hear some of you saying but what about his colts. Fair enough he seems a bit under represented there but if you understand Hong Kong form you'll appreciate just how good a horse More Bountiful is. Voted their Most Improved Horse for the 2007/08 season, the Helen Phinney bred gelding converted that promise to a group one win last season and once again he'll be competitive with HK's best this season between 1400 and 2000m.

Another horse capable of adding to the VN momentum is the three-year filly La Collina who ran just back of midfield in Friday's Levin Classic.

Which leads me to the question as to how are we likely to mark VN. I think sometimes we forget how few stallions actually 'make it'. But what is making it ? I think sometimes we can be too narrow with that definition. Does it always have to mean just stakeswinning progeny?

Some stallions can contribute to the evolution of our breed in other ways, be it as broodmare sires or just simply as propagators of phenotypes. I can already hear some saying but if you can't pass on class what good are you doing the gene pool. Now my school science marks were only marginally better than my french grades but I do believe you are good servant to your breed by simply passing on desirable physical attributes. For it's when these genes are united with the right class factor genes, and sometimes it takes a generation or too, that a high class horse is the result.

So what's the VN's legacy going to be in these parts? Having left a number of high class female performers re known for their toughness and athleticism, these mares will become welcome additions to our broodmare gene pool in the years ahead. And that's where I feel his presence will be most felt.

Despite his improving statistic's I suspect VN won't be rushed back to our shores any time soon but in his own way he's left a mark on our industry.

By the way that sweet looking filly's name is Denali Dancer. She'll keep.

Still A Way To Go

2009-11-21T15:27:00.000-08:00

There's little doubt our racing industry has come a long way in regards professional standards over the last 5 or so years. The Australian born Chief Steward whose name just escapes me played a significant part in this, particularly with creating some accountability notably amongst the jockey ranks.

I still saw a couple of things this week that disturbed me, particularly as someone who enjoys a bet.

At Rotorua a well backed first starter hit the running rail that hard - she may have even tried to jump the running rail - she came back to scale with blood pouring from a leg injury.

Yet you read the stewards report and all it states is that " she over raced during the middle stages".

There is a big difference between over racing and hitting the fence that hard. The later has more seriously impacted her ability to finish off the race.

Secondly and yes I talk through my pocket with this one. Yesterday at Hawkes Bay Volgus, who has run on the speed or near enough to it in his three prior starts is dropped out of the gates a distant last. They hack at best up front and the jockey makes no effort to improve until the leaders put the pace on from the 600m at which stage he is four wide in a five horse field. You just don't run sub 33 second 600ms at Hastings unless you are an Excellent.

There is no way in my mind that Volgus was given every chance to win that race. Okay I appreciate that connections have him on a Derby campaign and are probably trying to get him to settle but if he was ridden to instructions yesterday where was the announcement to punters prior to the start that these tactics would attempt to be employed.

As a punter there's still things with NZ racing sometimes that would make you place a bet on a Sicilian Maiden before you d touch a Kiwi race.

So What Do You Think Now?

2009-10-26T01:46:00.000-07:00

Just like any sport, horse racing has it's share of anti climaxes.

It would be great but there are not Cox Plate moments like Saturday every week.

I got the impression a lot of fans thought the Caulfield Guineas - do you remember that race - was a bit of a let down.

Before the race the media and other industry players, some respected enough to make lofty assessments , were in awe of the Australian three-year-old crop. Some were calling it equal to the class of 99 or even more dramatically, on par with Ochy and co from 96.

And then thanks to an unhearlded colt in Starspangledbanner and a group of jockeys who pannicked, more reputations came crashing down in one minute and 36 seconds than in the Roosters pre season.

But three weeks can be a long time in horse racing and now suddenly there is a little redemption for the crop of 2009.

So You Think has grabbed Denman's mantle and some with his dramatic Cox Plate victory and Manhatten Rain ran right up to Gai's assessment of him with his tough second to Cumming's latest star.

It doesn't stop there; even the often maligned VRC Derby looks like shaping up as one of the more even contests in many years. Shamoline Warrior who looked to have the race at his mercy a fortnight ago may still be able to salvage Mark Kavanagh's spring but he will have a battle on his hands with the likes of the rangy Hanks, the professional Extra Zero and the kiwi pair of Monaco Consul and Our Heir Apparent.

History will show that 2009 was a pretty good vintage.

Bachelor Duke: Maybe It's The Heir Down Under?

2009-10-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

I've never really figured out why some stallions do well in the NH but are not nearly as dominant down under or vice versa. The most obvious recent example is Gallileo.

There was a theory put forward going back before Montjeu and Scenic 'took off ' that the Sadlers Wells line wouldn't succeed in the SH because the breeds stock were too light boned to cope with the firmer tracks and were more suited to the softer European going.

I'm sure differences between racing environments do dictate performance just as you'd be odds on to win a debate arguing that Langfuhr, Thunder Gulch and Distorted Humour failed down under because their stock showed a strong pre disposition to the dirt tracks that we don't have. But turn it around and why has More Than Ready, predominantly a sire of dirt performers
in the USA, been so much more successful in Australia.

The Oaks Stud's Bachelor Duke could be about to become the newest member of stallion's suffering from location based performance anxiety club.

In the NH Bachelor Duke's performance is decidedly average. After a relatively promising start with his two-year-olds, including a group three winner, his three-year-olds have failed to live up to that early promise.

It's early days for the shuttle stallion down under but the signs look a lot more encouraging.

In Keyora, Single Currency and Prince of Wales, the second-season sire has three distinct chances for the 2000 Guineas and the Levin Classic both at group one level. That's a pretty useful statistic made even more significant when you consider that's from 51 live foals in his first SH season.

Don't be put off by the 40 to 1 winning dividend and that some form analysts have rated this years Hawkes Bay Guineas a 'swoopers' race following the fast early sectionals. Keyora beat a Guineas field with some depth and had to come down the outside section of track which was significantly inferior in condition to the inside section on Kelt day.

The unbeaten Single Currency may only have won a maiden at Taupo and a midweek R70 at Hastings but it was the ease of both victories which left the impression that his future lies in a much stronger grade.

Some may have thought Prince of Wales a tad over-rated after he could only manage third as favourite in his final juvenile assignment the Listed Castletown Stakes at Foxton back in June.

On closer examination the Paul Moroney trained colt was probably entitled to be cut a little slack.

While Prince of Wales had won his previous start on a slow track at Tauranga, young horses often get away with such performances against their own age group on tracks they don't prefer and a slow surface at Foxton has beeen the undoing of many a more highly rated horse. Add to that his running on a left handed track for the first time and getting trapped three wide for a good part of the race and the good looking colt still deserved to go to his winter quarters as one of the more likely candidate's for group honours at three - oh and don't forget Aspinal, who finished behind him in the Castletown has since run third in the Hawkes Bay Guineas.

His fillies are a bit thinner on the ground so far this season but Bewitch who was twice stakes placed at two and Obsession who also looked a likely sort are both down to resume shortly.

Before you start thinking that Bachelor Duke is only a sire of males, think again because his best runner to date in the NH is the filly Luminous Eyes, a group three winner at two and group three placed this term.

Horse breeders have longer memories than Laurie Mains and the deeds - or lack of more to the point - of Miswaki's most celebrated sire sons in this country in the form of Le Belvedere and Rossini would have made Bachelor Duke's early promotion difficult despite his resume containing success in the Group One Irish 2000 Guineas.

The fact that he was from a Seattle Slew mare would have made The Oaks Marketing and Nominations manager's job even more difficult - but he s got broad shoulders - for despite 'Slews' legendary status as a sire of sires in the USA, the mostly dirt propagator has had much less success outside his home land.

As types the Bachelor Duke's tend to be medium sized with attractive heads and well balanced athletic bodies. It's far from a criticism such is their quality in front, but often they are better from the wither forward than behind the saddle.

Already the influence of the Oak's GM Rick Williams has come through in the pedigree's of Bachelor Duke's better runners. Williams who had great success when he presided over Waikato Stud with targeted line breeding to influential matrons, particularly with their Pompeii Court, seems to have cottoned onto the genetic horse power of duplicating the taproot mare Special through her full sister Lisadell - the great grand dam of Bachelor Duke - with significant impact.

In the sorts of results that make all line breeding theorists run to the top of the nearest hill, Prince of Wales, Obsession and Keyora all feature the duplication.

But theories aside at the end of the day it probably pays to not get too over analytical about the variation of performance between hemispheres and put it down to just another quirk of horse racing and breeding that keeps us enthusiast's on our toes and driven to breed the next champion.

And for the longterm good of our industry in particular it's refreshing to have unearthed a mould breaking bloodline for incorporation into a genetic pool saturated with so much close-up Northern Dancer, Danzig and Danehill blood.

Arise the Duke.

Kelt Observations

2009-10-11T01:40:00.000-07:00

I walked the track about 11am on Friday morning. The rail was back in it's true position after been out 4m for Windsor Park day and 2m on the first day.

The difference in the quality of going between the inside say about 2 horsewidths and that next section of track was like night and day.

As a consequence if you were making your runs further out than 2 horse widths on Kelt day you were severely disadvantaged.

There were two races on the Kelt card both with different end results which supported this theory. They were the Guineas and the last.

In the Guineas the went like cut cats up front after the Hombre and others drawn wide were keen to find the rail. Sure the runs of Keyora and St Germaine were impressive coming down the outside in the worst part of the track but they didn't distance the leading pack when conceivably they should have.

I wouldn't drop The Hombre on that run. Apparently John Barry had felt he hadn't come through his middle day run as well as he could. He sweated up markedly on the day, the horse that is not John, which sometimes indicates all is not 100%. I will be interested to see if they give him a break now.

The two up front went quickly in the last too but there wasn't quite the pressure of the Guineas and the jockeys rated Mamasan and Pinnafero expertly. They kicked off the corner and the race was over.

This rail bias, rather than on pace bias has played a relevant part now on two out of the last four Kelt days and on both occasions - Legs in 2006 the other - it has come on the back of a wet second day.

Logic says you reserve the best ground for your feature day but maybe it's worth looking at racing in the true position on the first day, before going out 4m on the second day. That way the rail won't be true virgin turf on Kelt day.

It may encourage more of the serious punting fraternity to open their wallets on the final day. I note turnover on Kelt day was down as much as 19% which is probably mostly to do with the times but worth considering all the same.

Ánd I won't be dropping Thundermore on his Guineas run. He'd gone on tremendously physically from his first day win and I'm a sucker for the good looks. I just wished when I stood in the tote que that I had reminded myself he had only two lifetime starts. The Guineas was a pressure cooker race. Maybe it's more symptomatic with colts but inexperienced horses can often switch off when they get crowded. Like Denman he'll keep.

Some Light On The Caulfield Cup

2009-09-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

So the Godolphin and Cumani charges have landed in Melbourne. I can hear the cynics already.

I shouldn't be amongst them - Jardines Lookout helped me to a decent share of a big Melbourne Cup trifecta one year.

Sure the list of casualties is long but when the NH visitors turn up with their A game, they are a multiple players delight. Taufan's Melody the winner of the demolition derby which doubled as the 98 Caulfield Cup was friendless down under at 66/1 and last years winner on the Heath, All The Good, returned almost 50/1.

Before you run to your computers to study race records, here's a tip - if these sorts of prices didn't already tell you - the Vinnie Roe's and Vintage Crop's aside, there's little in the way of a form pattern to the performances of the NH horses downunder.

But as with most things, try something enough times and those with the perseverance and resources will eventually find a formula that works as best it can opposed by the nuances that are staying handicaps in a different timezone and climate.

It's a formula that is starting to pass the experiment stage and two key ingredients are the Godolphin and Cumani stables.

So am I in the camp of the foreigners? I have been impressed with what I've seen of Kirklees's races. He has good tactical speed enabling him to race on the pace, where he settles well, and kick for home. It''s difficult to win Caulfield Cups with 56kgs but the other fundamentals are there for him to be in the first three.

Cima De Triomphe looked to me to be a different kettle of fish. He seems to switch on and off and looks to need to be held up. I just got the impression - rightly or wrongly - that he may not be the toughest. Who am I to question Luca Cumani and Damien Oliver but I'm going to lay him in this race.

I''ve liked Light Vision for a while now. He's just that slow maturing, patiently handled staying horse who gets in these type of races with little or no fuss and weight. And a particularly good attribute he has for Caulfield is his ability to race on the pace. Although initially disappointed with his wide barrier there is not a great deal of speed in the race and he should be able to possie up in the first 4 or 5 by the 1800m. I feel he's a similar type of horse to the likes of Duoro Valley and Barbaricus who have placed in this race at long odds the last two years.

My other banker today is Roman Emperor trained by the master whose eyelashes can be seen from outer space. 'Bart has given him a slow build up and the last two starts he has looked to come into the race but just lacked a finishing kick. The blinkers go on today for the first time since his AJC Derby triumph and that should be the touch that can see him sprint more keenly off what should be a handy in running spot from barrier 4.

Horses that run well in this race tend to be either the class horses dropping back in weight from WFA racing who can position reasonably handy to the pace, the less classier handicappers which I described above or the real improving types who have literally jumped through the briddle during the spring and beaten the handicapper. In the later category horses like Ethereal and Railings come to mind from recent times. Further back and you come across the likes of Arctic Scent.

Viewed and more significantly Predatory Pricer because of the greater weight drop, fit into the first category. Viewed was a touch unlucky in this contest last year and I don't believe the weight rise this year needs to be a consideration - he s good enough and physically more mature enough to cope. It's his pattern of racing to get back and a lot of the time - not all the time - those horses don't win this race. He's good enough to be in the money though.

I predict Predatory Pricer will be ridden agressively to get handy this afternoon. I see there is likely to be a dead at best track which won't help him. If he had drawn better and the Melbourne weather was more settled he would have been clearly my top selection.

Allez Wonder fits into the final category and can resurrect the very good record 4 year-old mares had in this race in the 90s and early this century.

Although asked to carry 1.5kgs more than Allez Wonder, another four-year-old mare the kiwi Daffodil is in form and her final 100m of the Kelt was strong. She has shown she can travel and the rain around Melbourne is going to help her.

The best of the longer priced runners I feel is Red Lord who carries no weight and should be ridden more patiently today than he has recently.

In summary I feel Roman Emperor and Light Vision can be in the money at good odds and you could look to take them in multiples around Kirklees,Predatory Pricer, Daffodil and Allez Wonder, with Viewed, Master O'Reilly and Red Lord to run third.

It's traditionally a difficult race for punters and this years contest is no different with an $8.50 favourite.

Ratings

2009-09-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

I see Timeform earlier this week gave See The Stars a provisional rating of 140 stating " He is a once in a lifetime horse".

Timeforms top ratings over the years they ve existed, which is about 50 I think, are;

Brigader Gerard 144

Mill Reef 141

Sea The Stars 140

Dubai Millennium 140

Dancing Brave 140

Shergar 140

I was in the UK in 2002 and saw Rock of Gibralter who I think ended with a Timeform rating of "only" 135. I still consider him the best horse I ve seen in the flesh. How good must the Brigader or little Mill Reef have been.

Despite the best analysis, ratings are still subjective and given the variables, particularly track conditions, it must be difficult to line up horses from generation to generation, let alone from race to race.

Still over the years Timeform have developed a reputation for their objectivity and accuracy.

I ve seen a couple of new rating systems spring up over the last year or two which attempt to take a more global look at performance.

It would be an extremely useful tool for breeders and bloodstock buyers if a thoroughly global ratings system existed. Of course it would be too much to ask that it was as comprehensive a job as Timeform do of the UK form but even if it concentrated on stakes racing it would be decidely beneficial.

It would need to be less clynical than the NZ Free Handicap which I've often struggled with. Can someone explain to me how a horse who wins a four horse Listed two-year-old race on a wet track at Wingatui can be rated above a place getter in a competitive Matamata Breeders Stakes? Believe me it happens.

The English seem to do impartiality well - remember Chamberlain - so my vote would go to Timeform to manage a global system.

Just looking at those ratings, what a year 1971 must have been in the UK for racing fans.

The three year old crop featured Brigader Gerrad, Mill Reef, My Swallow ( who rated 138 I recall) and the french colt Caro.

Not too many would argue Timeform got those ratings right.

Speaking of three-year-old crops, this seasons in NZ is shaping up nicely. The HB Guineas could be the highlight of Kelt Day.

But how good is the Australian crop? I wondered if I d see a better vintage than the 99/00 season which contained the likes of Redoutes Choice, Testa Rosa, Commands, Align, Pins and Diatribe.

Denman, Trusting, More Than Great, Black Caviar, Shoot Out, Manhatten Rain and So You Think are a pretty good starting point, but time will tell. It maybe a good opportunity for a pro active studmaster to strike.

Pity Real Saga was retired. I wonder how Timeform would assess Denman?

Mudgeway

2009-08-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Organic whitebait?? And I thought some studs were pretty creative with their marketing.

Fair dinkum, I saw this sign on the way down to Hawkes Bay on the side of the road, south of Cambridge I think it was.

Speaking of things creative, I got told a good story at the races on Saturday about a guy who asks for extra gluten with his cake at cafes.

I like that one. I 'm going to order that, along with one I ve been wanting to ask for for a while, the double shot decaf. I guess as long as it's chic, some cafe in Auckland will serve it to me.

There's something pretty theraputic about coming over that rise on the Naiper Taupo Rd and seeing the splendour of the Hawkes Bay before you. And does it ever rain down there?

Well that should guarantee Graham Avery's allowance for a couple more months at least. I could do with it as you ll see.

Beautiful spring day, firm track, good horses, it was time to blow the cobwebs off the wallet.

I 'm not superstitious but I kind of knew I was in trouble when I ignored the winners of the first two races despite getting tipped into both.

And it got progressively worse. As you do, you then start to search for odds instead of sticking to your hunches - which shallow person said punting on the horses isn't a reflection of life.

Just to rub salt into the wounds my surething multi - The Pooka/Mufhasa/Wall Street went Waipukurau courtesy of Tavistocks head.

Anyway I'll stop playing the violin and here are some observations from the day.

Hastings must be one of the more picturesque courses in the country. You never tire of looking at the Kawekas especially this time of year when dappled in snow and the parade ring is sited perfectly to view the horses. I 'd love to grab an architect for the other facilities though. Put a second story with balcony on the Cheval Lounge and a sweeping carriageway on the back of the Members. The Lowry Public stand has probably the best views of any Public stand in the land and you wouldn'y have to do too much externally. Internally, it's a different matter. I 'll see if the Cloak Room is interested.

So Royal missed the jump in the first and was no hope afterwards but got home nicely. She paraded looking bright and is one to follow through the spring.

Thundermore - doesn't that name have a great ring to it - is clearly the horse to follow out of the 2nd and the blinkers should improve him further although he still needs to find a couple of lengths to match the Heckler, Flying Fulton, Kings Ransom and co in the Hawkes Bay Guineas.

Don't write off Benny the Ball on that run. He got a nasty check with 600 to run. He's a nice mover and there is a good word around for him.

One thing that did occur to me is that that horse of Rogersons, Gaston who beat Thundermore at Taupo must go okay. The third horse that day Rampant is highly regarded and remember Rampant pushed The Hombre on debut last season. I see he's nominated for the Wanganui Guineas this Saturday.

The Hombre was probably the most impressive winner on the day - he was over half a second quicker for his last 400m than Thundermore and Morelle - although I fancy some of those behind him will improve significantly. Corsage in partcular was very big in condition and she's likely to still be a run short going into the Gold Trail.

Blessed with the most magnificent of strides The Hombre is a sight in full flight. A big framed type he still has a bit more filling out to do and I trust they don't over race him in the spring because in 6 to 12 months time I feel he could be very exciting.

What odds Lucky Owners to top our second season sires list? With the Heckler still to step out this season, would Widden consider a shuttle?

It was good to see The Pooka return to form but I question what he beat. While he looked better physically on Saturday than he did the couple of times I saw him last season, he still doesnt carry the muscular definition he did when he was a two-year-old colt. Will he return to the form he displayed in the 2000 Guineas beating Alamosa and Rios?

I made a point of trying to watching as many of the Kelt contenders post race and All In Black certainly had the biggest blow. I though her run held merit. Not many could sustain runs around the outside all day and she came to the end of it 100 out. She may still have maturing to do physically and I think her best form could be in the autumn.

Racing horses is all about emotion and it was great to see some well sized groups of owners in the likes of Thundermore, The Hombre and Tavistock really enjoying the moment.

I've been to a few Mudgeways in recent years and I can't recall seeing so many of the main race looking so forward. Usually there's a few behind in their coat or sporting a partial winter girth but not last Saturday. I wonder if connections of some who won't contest one or both of the remaining legs thought here was their opportunity to take a Group One particularly with likes of Mufhasa going in fresh and drawing wide.

Mufhasa looks to have grown and thickened. To me last season he had a slight boyish look about him but on Saturday he looked liked he grown out of the jeans and tees into the three piece suit. I'd love to see him go to Aussie at the top of his form.

The aptly named Tavistock retains a lot of the classical looks of the English thoroughbred. Whilst not as appealing to the eye as say Nom De Jeu, particularly through the body, he has a lovely head and eye which befits his kind temprament.

Can he win the Kelt?

Not for me. I think the three tough races in 5 weeks may just find his constitution out. I would love to be proven wrong because the post race party would be huge and secondly he becomes a legitimate stallion prospect for our industry.

For mine the Kelt winner wasn't at the Bay on Saturday. He was getting home nicely enough in a much more sedate 1200m contest 4 hours north of there. And his hardest foe was standing in her box at Awapuni.

Beats a Berocca

2009-08-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Where is a good cup of coffee when you need it? Certainly not in Tahuna at 9am on a Sunday morning.

Devoid of sleep (blame the AB's and Mr Cuervo) I was beginning to question the trip in favour of a lie in and a cooked breakfast in the Village.

Thankfully a sense of direction is one of my few virtues, for although it must have been close on 20 years - it was known as Evergreen Lodge then - I managed to find Rich Hill in the early morning mist and drizzle.

Maybe it's the setting in the rolling hills that makes the very aptly named Rich Hill a little different. Most NZ studs I ve visited are pretty flat but contours have meant this place is set out a little differently and it works; from the paddock overlooking the farm gates with mares and their days old foals, to the grassy pitched stallion yards.

I was particularly looking forward to seeing the farms latest recruit, the English Derby winning three-year-old Sir Percy. I guess it had something to do with a friend having booked a mare into his court and taking criticism from a few people including yours truly, plus despite the malignment of winners of Derbies these days, you still rarely get to see the winners of such prestigious races in these parts and from good "old" English stock to boot, rather than that "common" line our friends across the ditch are so enamoured with.

He did not disappoint.

I remember reading an article once on a leading agent, an English chap I think he was. Starting out in the business he had recommended a mating to a client based on a stallion he had only seen in photos. The stallion was in fact very different in the flesh and did not suit the mare on physical compatibility and the result was not pretty. From then on, despite the horrendous gas and motel bills, he made a point of getting to some far flung posts around GB to physically inspect every new commercial stallion.

The photos I had seen of Sir Percy where of a washy bay, almost a little coarse and weak.

Actually he's a rather elegant horse of a rather rich bay clouring. A typical miler on type, he's of medium size and bone with good balance and a deep strong symetrical shoulder (a physical trait of his father Mark of Esteem) which is probably where he would have got that muscular wind up acceleration he displayed in most of his victories.

Probably the clincher for me was a lovely intelligent head and eye. Stood up in front of me for a time, I 'm sure he was looking me over, thinking, serves you right you silly old b...... for thinking you still a teenager and staying up half the night.

Slightly bigger than I had imagined, Pentire is your typical classic English thoroughbred and while some of those refined features, particularly around the girth (sounds all too familiar) after 12 odd years of Matamata grass are a little harder to disseminate, I don't imagine Pentire would have carried a lot of condition as a racehorse rather living on the nervous energy he displayed while paraded today.

A little short in front Pentire is possessed of a longish barrel which is offset by a good gaskin and hind quarters.

I was lucky enough to see Lion Hunter one day early in his racing career and had thought to myself then what a gorgeously made horse. Sure there was the dapled grey coat which is enough to make any horse lover weak at the knees but he had esquisite balance coupled with a beautiful way of moving.

Any Suggestion didnt take my breath away like dad but it's easy to see why breeders rushed to him last season with over 130 mares. It's no Banjo Paterson or even Tony Morris but "big" is the first word that comes to my mind after seeing him.

But he's not coarse at all, there's good balance, a big overstride, a pronounced wither and a lot of athleticisim. It's going to be fascinating to see what size yearling he leaves.

Before today I wasn't so sure about Sir Percy, the pedigree worried me slightly and despite been impressed with his race performances on DVD his photos were hardly inspiring.

Revigorated by my morning (and some Warehouse Songs and Stories) the question I kept asking myself as I headed home was is he going to be another English Derby winner to flop as a sire joining the ranks of Oath, High Rise, Benny the Dip, Erhaab and Shammit just some winners since 1990 who have been major disappointments in the breeding shed.

The critical difference is that Sir Percy had the speed to win a Grp 1 as a two-year-old. And no it wasn't a 1600m 4 runner slog in the Curragh mud but consistently the most competitive two-year-old race in Europe, the Dewhurst at 1400, where he beat the high class and subsequently ill fated Horatio Nelson.

And when you look at some of the more recent Derby winners who have gone onto become leading sires it is that 2 year-old speed that differentiates them from their contemparies.

Galileo, High Chaperal and Generous spring to mind from more recent times. Yes I can already hear someone demand of me to mention Dr Devious or Dr Who as I once saw him described. He didn't set the Ganges let alone the Thames on fire as a stallion. And Michael Phelps brother drowned in the bath...

Which got me thinking about pedigree. Did he outrun his? I'll save this for a rainy day for I have chores to do before the working week. Suffice I think it's a better pedigree than it looks on paper which is probably symptomatic of how insulated we have become down under over a couple of sire lines but thats a whole topic in itself.

Regardless of how he fares, hats off to John Thompson and the team for having the nous and kahunas to bring Sir Percy to our shores. We need more English Classic horses to revigorate our breed especially those blessed with his mile speed and type. Remember most were put off Pentire 12 odd years ago for reasons of his pedigree.

All Roads Lead To Te Teko

2009-08-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

It had been a few years since I'd ventured to these trials - the days of Distinctly Secret I think.

To any budding Marco Polo's I'm pleased to report they ve now signposted the racecourse. Last time I ended up horendously lost - thank you AA.

The weather was fine throughout and the surface which was officially rated dead, did cut out on the inside gradually during the programme so I would ignore the slower times later in the day as they were scouting 4 and 5 horse widths off the rail from the turn by then.

I won't bother you with the obvious - the dailys are paid to do that tomorrow. I saw a few performances and a horse or 2 on type which you may like to paste away in your black book.

As far as the two-year-olds heats went I thought I was at Doremello Stud not Te Teko for a while, for there were Duelled's everywhere. For all I know Roggie may even have had the Clerks of the Course on one. As a type they did not strike me as two-year-olds, a rather unfurnished group, although the filly out of Tittletaat looked a runner.

The General Nediym - Zolius colt from Mark Walkers barn looked the most forward of all the babies out today. A typical well muscled example of his fathers get, it would surprise me if he is winless by Xmas.

Quiet trialists with scope for improvment were a couple from Peter McKays yard: the General Nediym colt from Little Deuce Coupe - a brute of a horse - along with a Commands colt from Apart.

Russianov (Keeninsky-Amy Cee) got home very nicely and out of a Yamanin Vital mare you d fancy him a bit later on and further than 600m! The Oaks crew should be happy enough with that start.

Finally from the babies heats, Savannah Prince was doing handstands and won have won by a gap if he had been let down.

Very little was asked of Prince of Wales, Six O Clock News and Tell a Tale with the later getting home very nicely the last 50m, a feakishly similar effort to his hitout at these corresponding trials last season.

St Germiane, after botching the start, found the line well under minimal urging. She look's to have developed during her break.

Il Quello Veloce who was hard held in second, paraded looking like she had thickened appreciably.

The easiest winner on the programme was La Bella Encosta. He d won another trail recently and I gather the agents have been circling.

The unraced Our Heir Apparent (Zabeel - La Quinta Gold by Encosta De Lago), who holds a VRC Derby nom, didn't really look to be handling the track but was doing some nice work late. A gorgeously balanced medium sized athlete - as befitting a 900k yearling - he looks an early winner once he strikes 1600m.

The John Sargent team who looked strong throughout, produced another nice trialist in Mr Thorpedo. The Thorn Park three-year-old who had run 2 solid races last season got home strongly.

Noel Harris only had a ride or 2 yesterday but his reason for attending became clear when he lead all the way for an easy win on Sandblaster, indicating the 5 year-old entire is well forward for a return to racing.

The terribly named Warrentherooster won nicely enough despite carrying a bit of condition. He had the most physical scope of the Savabeels I saw out at 2 so it will be interesting to see how he progressesd. This heat could have some form come out of it as the unraced One Cool Cat - Glenview Lass gelding who ran second, had won a trial at Rotorua last month and is well regarded by the Moroney stable.

It was getting chilly but I m glad I stayed on to see Penrickson take the 1200m Open Catchweight heat. A 6 year-old now, I had last seen him as a 2 year-old and he has furnished into a lovely lengthy horse. A roll forward horse he is going to pick up a nice race back in NZ this season.

Man I love the spring. Roll on Mudgway day.

Manawatu Stallion Parade 26 July

2009-07-27T03:01:00.000-07:00

Palmerston North is a way from Auckland but there was an air of anticipation as I headed south.

I guess a lot of that feeling had to do with visiting farms I hadn't been too before, in particular the history ladden Fairdale establishment and the new kid in town Wellfield Lodge. Oh and of course, the chance to see Fully Fledged and Alamosa, two of the more interesting colonial bred stallions to go to stud in a while.

First stop Fairdale has seen much quieter times since the halycion days of Pakistan 2, but Fully Fledged gives them cause for optimism. First out though we saw Howbaddowantit. Looking taller than his advertised 16.1 hands he does'nt carry a lot of condition - maybe that's the nervous Nijinsky disposition coming through - he nevertheless looked in good condition for his 14 years.

Deep rich chestnut horses with white socks grab anyones attention but the next thing that struck me about Fully Fledged was his lovely kind honest eye. Having Bjorn Baker, on hand to extoile his former charges virtues was a nice touch and he certainly emphasised "Freddies" personality and nature.

Preconceptions are horid things and if you were like me, you were asking yourself whether Freddies tussle with the running rail at Trentham and some chicane manouveres at Ellerslie one day were a sign of some waywardness and dare I say it that word that no studmaster wants to hear -ungenuineness. His campaign in Sydney this autumn had shown me he was far from 'soft' and Sunday confirmed that these early indiscretions were simply maturity pains.

Not yet four years of age and only a little over two months out of training, Fully Fledged was un derstandibly not carrying a great deal of condition. This time next year I expect you'll see a different model.

A little light on pedigree but if you are looking for a good looking, sweet moving racehorse with a great temprament, Fully Fledged warrants consideration in todays stallion market.

Chinese Dragon and Goodwood Park were next. A more typical built sprinting type than the Fairdale pair, quite low slung with good strength in front of the saddle and a wide masculine head, the deep bay was not as tall as I had expected from the photos I had seen.

I like to play a little game when I see stallions and work out what ancestors they've thrown too. Chinese Dragon seemed to have picked up charcateristics of a number of his forbears significantly the Mill Reef head and the Stravinsky jowl.

At Newmarket Lodge we saw Columbia, Danger Looms and resident stallion Gold Circle. Despite his advancing years its not hard to see why Columbia was a one million plus yearling and Danger Looms is a strongly made short coupled type.

As a full brother to Elvstroem and half to Haradasun, Gold Circle has a fair bit going for him, however he's also an attractive looking horse, only medium sized at best but in proprtion with a good over reach and strong quarters.

Lucky enough to see "Elvis" when he was racing in Melbourne their are definite similarities between the two brothers in physical makeup, particularly behind the saddle.

Viewing a collection of Gold Centre's weanlings in their boxes he certainly stamps them with strong quarters and they are a bit longer in the body than dad.

Talking to a breeder on the day there are a few Gold Centre's going well in their early prepartions and it would not be a surprise to see a few out early. Apparently Laurie Christansen has a speedy type he is quite taken with.

The crowd had swelled to about 150 by the time the parade reached Wellfield, no doubt eager to see the public debut of Alamosa as a stallion.

Firstly we saw Hansome Ransom who was a tad shorter than I had imagined from photo's. Blessed with a strong middle you could see the engine room that contributed to his early speed on the racetrack.

I had last seen Alamosa live at Ellerslie in his two-year-old season and the charcateristics ( character being the operative word) that struck me then came flooding back; the lovely intelligent O'Reilly head and an air of confidence or more explicity, charcater.

Alamosa won't ever be a bulky stallion and I thought there was a lot more Centaine coming through on physical type than O'Reilly.

Most of the crowd stayed around to see the LA stallions that had come up from Masterton.

The regally bred Zed who was first away, has let down significantly since starting stud duties in 2007. LA studmaster Sam Williams was on the money when he described him as a mesh of Zabeel and Danehill. He reminds me of a smaller version of his father Zabeel with some of the more refined Danehill charcteristics including markings, merged in.

With my work for LA I have seen a great deal of Towkay over the last two years but I haven't seen him looking any better than he was on Sunday. He's a well balanced and bodied individual who captures all the best attributes of the very successful Last Tycoon sireline.

Judging by John Cleese's frame, he doesn't eat a lot of pies but he would have been contemplating eating one of the humble variety should he have been on Sunday's annual event in an area much maligned by the British comedian. Conducted in glorious winter weather, the crowd were an enthusiastic and appreciative bunch. Talking to a few studmasters and nominations staff at the end of the day there was a good level of enquiry.

My only brickbat for the day was the absence of food to go with the refreshments at Wellfield. It had been a long day and some snacks would have facilitated more activity and ultimately business for the studs, instead of people having to rush off to the cheesecake shop in Woodville..

Thanks to the Manawatu branch and Hugh Taylor for putting on the event.

Saturday 27 June

2009-06-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

True winter racing at Avondale tomorrow.

Where are you Oranmore?

The dogs are barking Sorbello in the last.

It's never an easy assignment for a 3 yr old filly against the older horses and in the mud so follow your money.

I was impressed with Harvest the Gold's hurdles win over QB weekend and took note of his pace on the flat scampering awy from the likes of Bennyosler between jumps. The better track at HB should enable him to use this pace to his advantage.

Miss Sivavatu has good form over distance in Ireland and should appreciate the step to 2000m at HB. I liked the way she kept making ground last start over 1600m.

2009 Kelt Nominations

2009-06-24T02:29:00.000-07:00

Well it's less than 90 sleeps to the Kelt, time for Thad and his team to contravene the Fair Trading Act with their first odds set for this years contest.

I poke the borax at the odds but no doubt I'll couple a few into a few in the Melbourne Cup. Hey it's more fun than that Big Wednesday robbery and better odds too.

There s a good deal of Gimblett Gravels Syrah to be drunk yet, but this years contest shapes as one of the more even in a while.

A number of questions jump out at you. Will Mufhasa and Shanzero get the tough 2000m? Can Nom Du Jeu and Pasta Post overcome their unsoundness issues? Is Daffodil capable of doing a Legs and Princess Coup? And will the Aussie s travel or are they just there to get the kiwi punter?

Mufhasa tops the ratings and takes early favouritism at 7s. If you like him you are probably best to get on early as he should run well in the first two legs at his pet distances.

I don't begrudge his rating but I don't like the price given his risk at the trip. Already I can hear you saying what risk, he's a Pentire, ran a record in the Couplands Mile etc etc. I'll save my breeding treatise for another day but just add that I always have my doubts about a free running sprinter-miler type getting the tough 2000m at Hastings. Some pretty good milers such as Hello Dolly, Starcraft and Seachange tried and failed.

Nom Du Jeu and Pasta Post are recovering from injury and there must be a query about them standing up to the rigours of a Kelt campaign. I m also a believer than an Xcellent or Princess Coup aside, these sorts of contests are won by so little that litterally everything must fall into place: I thought Nom Du Jeu had all the cards fall his way last year - right age, preparation, track conditions, luck in running - but found 2 better on the day. I rest my case.

Prince Kaapstaad raced well in the first two legs last season but failed in the Kelt and based on his record seems to race best in a fresh state. I also have some doubts with him at 2000m. Sure he ran second in the Derby but three-year-olds can get away with that some year s because so many of their contemporaries don't. No doubt the stable will endeavour to get the mileage into him on the training track this year and go in a bit fresher. They don't loitter in the Kelt and I can see Prince Kaapstaad getting a tougher run near the lead than he had for instance in this seasons Easter.

Gallions Reach's form may have tappered off towards the end of the summer but he had a long spring and summer campaign during which he showed himself to be our leading middle distance handicapper before making the rare successful transition to WFA. I just have my doubts that his WFA form will stack up.

Fritzy Boy is another whose form tailed off this season after an auspicious start winning the Mudgeway. You would think that Alby McGregor has learnt a great deal from last years Kelt campaign and a wet spring would play into his hands. To the naked eye he had shown that the distance held no fears for him with his courgaeous third in the Derby behind Cest La Guere but the same case applies as with Prince Kaapstad. I tend to think Fritzy Boy has a tad too much brillance (excuse the pun) to be a genuine 2000m WFA horse.

Red Ruler is a bit of an enigma horse. At his best he is very good. His win in the Championship Stakes at 3 was close to the best performance I witnessed in NZ that season. I also thought his run for second in the Kelt last year was outstanding, been widder than Princess Coup around the home turn, taking a while to get balanced and not losing ground to her over the last 150m. One facet I've admired with John Sargent is his ability to keep his older horses in form and if he's out thought Red Ruler, this could be his race.

Another from the highly rated three-year-old class of 2007/08 is the slightly forgotten mare Boundless. I thought her run for fourth in last years Kelt had a lot of merit. It was well publicised that she had a light preparation after getting back from Oz late due to the EI protocols. Looking up my Kelt racebook notes from last year I had written " fractious and looks just underdone". Given a long spell after a brief and unsuccessful Oz campaign post the Kelt, the McKee charge has apparently come back a lot stronger. Mares have won five of the last 8 Kelts and at 15's the Van Nistlerooy mare is worth strong consideration.

The well named mare All In Black is indeed something of a dark horse. Her rise through the grades this autumn was dramatic and if she can improve again from 4 to 5 she could join Love Dance as the only winners of both the Kelt and Hawkes Bay Cup. John Wheeler sensibly put her away once the tracks deteriorated and she is in great hands to go one better than her half brother All In Fun who ran 2nd,3rd, 4th and 7th in the Kelt between 1994 and 1998.

Of the other older NZ horses I don't see Vosne Romanee up to WFA at 2000m, likewise Six O Clock News.

Just Call Me Sir aside, the Kelt for a while seemed a race for the older more seasoned horses. That was until the likes of the 4 yr olds Xcellent and the mares Legs and Princess Coup fresh from their NZ Oaks wins at 3, took the spoils.

So what chance the younger brigade continuing the momentum this year? A good chance I feel.

There s the most impressive 2000 Guineas winner Tell A Tale who showed his ability at 2000m with a gutsy second to Mac OReilly in the WFA International at Te Rapa before another game run for 3rd in the Derby as his season finale. Apparently the gelding had a few problems after Christchurch, nothing major I understand, but enough based on his performances to show that he had a strong constitution.

Impressive AJC Oaks winner Daffodil fits the mould of Legs and Princess Coup and is sure to have her admirers. As good as her Oaks win was I have my suspicions about the form out of that race plus and more convincingly, I feel she s best with the sting out of the ground.

Danzero mare Shanzero showed as much potential as any three year old in the country this season and her ability to unleash a powerful closing sprint should suit WFA racing. In the usual Collett fashion the rangy filly was not overtaxed and 1600m was as far as she went. In the same vein as Mufhassa I have some niggling doubts about her abilty to get a solid 2000m. She's from a Marauding mare which reeks speed and although her sire has left group one winners at 200m and further in Niconero and Fairway, they were out of Scenic and Cocky Golfer mares respectively, both staying orientated sires. The only way Danzero's group one females Danglissa and Dani Martine would have got 2000m was in a float.

Mill Duckie reminds me of one of those girls in the school choir with braces who you d see in the library at lunchtime but who you never paid much attention too; that was until you saw her at the school ball and your heart skipped a beat. Be it, wet or dry tracks, slow or well run contests, big imposts, the unfashionably bred big but plain filly just kept putting in. You never know if they are up to WFA until they try but she's so adaptable that the 41 to win is tempting.

I'd wait until first withdrawls later this month before getting too spruked on any of the aussies although you'd think the Freedman stable will have been buoyed in confidence by Dane Julia's performance at Te Aroha: they have a couple entered with the VRC Oaks place getter Miss Scarletti probably the pick of them on exposed form.

Instead of wandering down to the corner bottle shop tomorrow night and partaking in my current tipple, a Misiones De Rengo 2004 Carmenere I'll use the $ to take those multis through Boundless, Red Ruler and Tell a Tale.

Now I just have to sort out Melbourne..

Ruakaka Wednesday 17 June

2009-06-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Green Supreme is worth backing each way at odds in the two-year-old event.

I was quite taken with his debut run then you could forget his last effort in the mud.

The obvious two are Poetic Music with Kenny Rae's Thorn Park filly the danger.

Leica Diva should find a more comfortable lead in the third than she did last start and interestingly Sam jumps on rather than riding the McKee debutant.

The Gaffer has always had some ability but has been dogged by injury. He should almost be at peak fitness for his assignment in the 6th. Jamie Graham has a nice horse for next season in Reposado however he can go close here with a decent track.

More Than Just a Great Trainer

2009-06-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

I couldn't let the passing of Vincent O'Brien go by without a comment or three.

Probably the most poignant memory of any racing book I've read would have to be the piece in the 'Horsetrader' by Nick Robinson when one of the syndicate comprising Sangster, Magnier etc asks in the Keeneland bar where Vincent had disappeared too and the answer came back that he had gone back to look at the little Northern Dancer colt (The Ministrel). Further proded by the enquirer - whom must have had one too many Jamisons - if in fact that meant Vincent liked the colt, to which the comment came back "Like him, he bloody loves him".

O'Brien would leave no stone unturned in his search for thoroughbred perfection. A horrible cliche but someone light years ahead of their time.

Remarkedly O'Brien never had a string of more than 50 horses in work and often operated at around the 40 mark. Not for him the large satellite operations we see today. Vincent believed in care and attention and within reason this did not extend to delegation.

His Ballydoyle operation were the first to pad their boxes and lay straight gallops to take unnecssary pressure of a young horses legs.

But above all else O'Brien was a horse psychologist extraodinaire . Someone who got inside his 'flocks' minds and knew his horses better than they knew themselves. Some of the greats he trained such as Nijinsky and Alleged had more quirks than Michael Jackson yet he co erced them to become legends of the turf. I wonder though how he would have felt about trying to domesticate lions and tigers..?

About ten years ago I found myself at a wedding seated next to an elderly chap. Now having gone to a few weddings in my time as a single bloke I was well used to a bit of matchmaking. Looking around this particular wedding at a number of pretty single females, I begun to think pretty critically of my cousin whose wedding it was; that was before I discovered the elderly chap just happened to be Vincent O'Briens brother in law..

For the next three hours I got a wonderful insight into the life of one of the true greats, his love of nature, order and engineering.

Thank you Aunty Jill.

Push Record

2009-05-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

Tomorrows Castletown Stakes has become a very good late season guide to three year old form and I don't think this years contest will prove any different.

The two horses with the most potential in this years race are Prince of Wales and Aspinal.

While the likely heavy track will negate a little of their class advantage the Foxton track with it's sandy base usually plays pretty fair and as long as it doesn't get gluey these two should fight it out.

Castletowns are often won off the front when the track is reasonable but horses need to get to the outside when the rains come. Both POW and Aspinal have drawn to get off the fence and judging by the Pin's fillys wayward ways on debut this could prove a blessing.

It's a tough to call but I'll plump for POW. He has a little more street smarts than Aspinal at this stage and down the short Foxton straight there is no time for star gazing.

At the $6.50 quote for Aspinal I'm going to have something as a saver though.

My roughy is Spirit of Unicorn. He'll handle it if it gets deep and he's rock hard fit.

Remember to put a cassette in the VCR.

Another Pre emptive Strike By Waikato

2009-05-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

You could never accuse Gary or Mark Chittick of been slow out of the blocks.

In another bold move they have purchased a racing share in the four-year-old Rios.

The Chitticks have more form than Graham Burton when it comes to securing bloodstock on the rise and one imagine's they will have negotiated a buyer friendly provision to convert their shareholding into stallion shares and standing rights if the son of Hussonet fires in Melbourne this spring.

It's still an interesting move when you sit down and analyse it and given their track record you'd be a brave person to question it.

As far as genes go it's a no brainer. He offers wonderful outcross blood being totally free of Northern Dancer on his top line and through the hugely successful Last Tycoon as his dam sire he offers breeders access to the prized Mill Reef blood.

And as a son of Gussy Godiva - currently the hottest of favourites for the NZ Broodmare of the Year title - he's part of the pre eminent Sneetch/Sellou family that's been throwing up any amount of high class runners throughout Australasia and North America (Black Mamba) of late

In my opinion he's a hand short of been the ideal height for a sire but Hyperion and Northern Dancer were smaller and they weren't bad.

Interestingly in recent times Waikato have shown a trend for standing sires not considered big by modern standards. I'm thinking Savabeel, Fast N Famous and Scardee Cat.

Waikato have any amount of well bred mares by a cross section of stallions so finding compatability in terms of blood and physical makeup won't be difficult although it will be interesting to see if the double up of Last Tycoon through O'Reilly mares is pursued.

As a specimen he has the looks of an equine Hugh Jackman and I'm told by those close to the stable, the manners of Phillip Sherry. Blessed with a gorgeous head - a trait of the Sellou/Sneetch clan according to Sam Williams - if the expression black cats leave black kittens stands true he should sire some outstanding types.

Finally I come to his race record. Is it good enough ? It probably isn't as far as warranting an immediate spot in the Waikato line-up is concerned but it's better than it looks on paper.

Excuse the pun but last season he was a classic case of a horse getting extended in distance to chase the Classics and this season he didn't have much of a break from his Sydney autumn campaign before racing through the tough Hawkes Bay series culminating in the 2000m of the Kelt.

His best form has clearly been at 1400m to a mile and within that range he was able to beat the high class Alamosa in the Wellington Guineas and then run a close third with him second in the NZ 2000 Guineas.

A calculated gamble by the Chitticks or a bold move? Defintely the later with very little downside I'm guessing and a huge amount of upside.

Something tells me those Chitticks would play a pretty good hand of poker.

Affection is not part of the Equation

2009-05-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

I had another look at her when I arrived on the salesground, actually I pulled her out twice. Yep I was falling for her bigtime. A bit lacking in the gaskins but Towkay would smarten that up an experienced studmaster and friend explained to me. She had a such a kind eye and a lovely strong yet feminine head. It was like a highschool romance.

I didn't anticipate been so nervous. I only bid to $6,500 but it was $1,500 over budget. Alas I was the underbidder. She was bought for an Asian client I discovered afterwards- their pockets are a bit deeper than ours.

A friend said later I should have bid with my heart. I'm happy enough. As someone said to me once, horses are like trains, another one is always coming round the corner. I just hope I feel the same way I felt about lot 506.

The Breeding Bug

2009-05-05T00:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I've spent a really interesting couple of days following bloodstock agent Michael Wallace as he goes about his profession at the National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Sale.

You can read about my experience in next months NZ Thoroughbred.

And yes I did fall for a mare whom I m going to bid for on Wednesday. I've managed to persuade a couple of mates to come in with me and if we pick her up within budget she'll more than likely visit Towkay in the spring.

You wouldn't be able to buy a top of the range mountain bike with our budget but it's still ruddy exciting as the hours tick before she goes through the ring.

Masterton RC at Woodville

2009-05-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't got an eye on the weather down the Island but there's a few who go round at Woodville that I thought had next up about them at the Bay meeting a fortnight ago.

Master Nagol, Katipo, Finale and Lago Rider.

The Sun May Have Gone Down But Not The Memories

2009-05-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

The other night I stumbled across a piece about the great golfer Jack Nicklaus watching the 1973 Belmont Stakes. Jack had invited some friends around to his home to watch Secretariat's attempt to secure the triple crown. What transpired was probably the most complete performance by a racehorse, ever, anywhere.

Anyway, as the article went on, as the chestnut locomotive galloped towards the finishing line Jack dropped to his feet and started banging the floor, crying profusly while his startled guests looked on.

Asked years later by a sports commentator about this most un Nicklaus like behaviour, the 'Golden Bear' remarked "I don't know why I did that" to which the interviewer replyed "youve spent your entire life searching for perfection, and you finally saw it." Jack nodded.

Sunline's passing yesterday bought back memories of my Nicklaus like moment - in typical kiwi male style still my only one - on a public racecourse for petes sack, sober, in front of thousands.

It was the 1999 Cox Plate and the Valley was packed especially where we were on the lawn near the finish line.

It was a pretty handy cast that year. Tie the Knot, Intergaze,Sky Heights, Redoutes Choice and Testa Rosa amongst them. They could get along.

I started yelling when Sunline put the pressure on at about the 800m mark. By the time she had the field shot to pieces half way down the home straight, there were tears streaming down my face. I can still see remember my friends looking at me like what have you taken!

It may not have been quite the 73 Belmont Stakes -I was only 6 then and anyway Mohammed Ali held more of a fascination - but it was and still is my cataclystic moment following the racehorse.

You broke me down just like you did your oposition. Thanks for the wonderful memories girl. RIP

Weekend Racing

2009-05-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

Nice place money for Pinzee.

On Saturday I only like Dezigna in the Rotorua Cup, especially with the weather looking dodgy.

He meets All In Black 2.5kgs better off at the weights, handles wet tracks (one of the few Volksraads that do) and I liked the way he hit the line at Hastings.

I'll be having something on Larry's Never Late in the SA Derby. Bit of sentiment, bred by a friend but has always looked like he'd be better in the autumn and he stays like the mother in law.

There are a couple of outstanding bets at Woodville on Sunday - if the weather holds.

Te Rapa Wednesday 29 April

2009-04-28T02:56:00.000-07:00

Pinzee should win the third.

Has the gate speed to cross.

Last time given no peace in front but fought on for fourth behind a couple of nice horses.

Although unproven on wet ground she has a pedigree that suggests she may be ok. Her mum won a Marlborough Cup on a slow track.

No Teflon Don

2009-04-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

I've watched the emergence of Don Eduardo and Thorn Park as sires with interest over the last couple of months.

In the Don's case the good looker has been making headlines since the day he was born.

You see Don is the product of racing royalty. In human terms he'd be compared to the offspring of Michael Phelps and Elle McPherson.

Befitting his parentage, Don is built magnificently. He fills the eye like Madileine Stowe or George Clooney and if mares bat for the other side ( I don't know the answer to that, can anyone enlighten me?) they would conceivably turn for him.

Such was Don's lineage and looks that he became, when sold through the Karaka ring in 2000 - what a piece of theatre his sale was except if you were an Optus shareholder - the highest priced yearling sold at auction in Australasia at 3.6million NZ; a record that still stands.

And the buzz didn't stop for a while because remarkably the big fella could run. He seemed to take an eternity to wind up in his races - think his running down of Carneige Express to win the 2002 AJC Derby - but he had courage, in bucket loads.

I'd be the first to admit that when he retired to stud in 2004 I thought the Don train might finally have run out of steam. Sure he had the genes and the looks but in racing speak he was a bit of a grinder. The first thing that probably ran through a lot of breeders minds was are his progeny going to take 2000m just to warm up?

Well Don Eduardo's stallion career has been a little bit like his racing style, slow to start but building momentum that's hard to stop..

With his oldest crop four-year-olds, the son of Zabeel has been represented by six stakes performers - all four year-olds - since New Years day including three Group winners.

And no there was'nt a Von Dousa winner amongst them, but they are proving versatile. He has a Group One sprint performer in Dashing Donna, a smart three-year-old sprinter in Australia in Swift Alliance while at the other end of the scale you have the likes of Divine Rebel and Vickezzchardonnay proving themselves as true staying types.

A lot of successful stallions stamp their best progeny and the Don does just that.

Dashing Donna and All In Black are medium size with athleticism while the males tend to be real peas to a pod -bigger with tremendous girths.

Another characteristic, on the pedigree page, is the propensity for speed to show up on the dam side of his stock's better performers. Sensibly breeders seem to have focused on balancing the Don's staying prowress with speed as a number of these dams have won at between 1200m and 1400m.

Even the best mating plans come unstuck if connections fail to display the patience that the breed require but in Don's case the virtue doesn't look to have been ignored as his stock have really come into their own as autumn four-year-olds.

He is no heir apparent to the throne of his illustrious father and will probably never match the deeds of a Pentire, but in Don Eduardo breeders look to have another unearthed another quality staying option in a current breeding environment hardly endowed with variety in that aisle.

Dropping off the radar for a season or two while his stock matured, the Don is once again a name on thoroughbred followers lips. Thankfully we've been saved the stories of Mark Spitz's full brother and Snaffi Dancer.

Hawkes Bay

2009-04-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Another late season gem of a meeting to get too.

Volgus took the 2 year-old race in a workman like fashion. He's certainly developed since I remember him as a yearling. He's already looking for 1600m and could eventually get 2000m plus. Doesn't appeal as a early season Classic type. Gordon Roberts is the one to watch out of this race. Did a few things wrong but a nice type with scope. Monaco Consul looked to me like he needed a softer track.

Dawson Falls is putting together a nice record for talented horseman Paul Belsham. One of the few to make ground from the back all day. Seemed to peak 75 out but lifted again. A strongly made individual who looks like he'll carry weight, he'll win a few more.

I like these intermediate staying races and if our clubs continue to support them with good prizemoney then connections are encouraged to race stayers. At a time when our friends across the ditch are lamenting the decline in their staying races and staying talent (funny they go hand in hand), we need to continue to steal the march. The first two home will be interesting to watch next season. Bakup, from a daughter of that grand stayer Daria's Fun, made it a staying test and scored a tough win against the older horses. He d been held against his own age group in the Manawatu Classic but that could have been an abirition. Booming ground home like a 2 miler. From a Grosvenor mare I feel the best is still to be seen of this big boy. He's my horse to follow. Don't give up on Solid Billing, it supprised me they backed him up so quickly. He was ridden off the speed for a change too. He's one to keep an eye on next year down in the weights in a nice handicap.

La Etolie was the most impressive winner on the card. Boy aren't the sock of Thorn Park having a great trot. A big strong girl, they don't break 1.35 often at the Bay and she did it with a bit in hand. Don Julio, another big Don Eduardo horse just starting to develop, was game and can go on.

Onto the Cup, I worked out my first HB Cup was Secret Seals back in 87. Some of these had been up a while and it showed in the yard with few standouts - Spec Icon and All in Black were the pick. AIB has to take the credit despite the lightweight and easy trip. They simply don't come this far this quick without a lot of talent. She has a turn of foot though and could yet measure up in some of those summer and autumn 2000m WFA races next term. Stand Tall's run was enormous. He's a bit of enigma and at 7 going on 8 you can't get too carried away but he's just the type that could bob into your Kelt trifecta for third. John Wheeler has done a great job with him and I bet he d love to be taking him to Oakbank next Easter but one suspects the owners may have slighty different sights. Vosnee Romanee ran his usual honest race but has turned into a bit of a gunna for mine. To be fair he probably doesn't get 2200 and his best chance of a nice race is 1600 on the fresh side.

There are some good rating 90 gallopers up north at the moment and Vonusti franked this. Never easy to back up within a week and with a trip over the Kaweka's to boot but he won the last very easily. Hakuna Matata was game and the key to him seems to be a firm track but the winner was in a different league.

Didn't see much on intertrack apart from Takeover Targets win which sent a tingle up the spine. I saw him in Sydney last autumn and thought he was on the downward slide. Like the Pumper has shown us in recent months, champions never lie down.

I have seen the R90 race from Tauranga on replay. Follow anything out of this race as it will be a very strong form race into next season. The winner is pretty special and don't be suprised if they go to the well again this season to try and get his rating up for HB in the spring. Our Canavaro and Attackum will be worth watching next season.

Just An Excuse

2009-04-14T03:25:00.000-07:00

No I haven't started talking about my love of the harness horse. Another night perhaps.

But I was taken back by the bumbling comments in the Aussie media since Saturday, handing out excuses for a number of the beaten runners in the AJC Derby. Jockey s and trainers were wading in, I won't bore you with the details.

All I say to you is get a DVD of the race, put it in your machine and push play. The winner did more work in the first half mile than most of the rest of the field put together did in the entire race. He then hit the lead before the rise in the straight, defied them all the way up the rise and apart from Predatory Pricer was pulling away at the line.

Carpe Diem. Jimmy Cassidy used his iniative and that is a sight for sore eyes. Actually there is a harness analogy here. I used to nearly always enjoy backing pacers driven by Neil Brady because he put his horses into the races, ok sometimes it was a bit rough but as a punter I was satisfied whatever the result (most of the time) because I d had a run for my money. Which is a lot more than I got out of this years Auckland galloping Cup.

I dropped into Ellerslie on my way back on Monday. I can't remember much of my drive back from the Coromandel, I was still getting over the $4.40 offered on Attackum when the TAB opened the markets shortly after 8am.

He was probably even more impressive than at Te Aroha. I watched the race from the top of the Public and he lost his footing momentarily at about the 150m but such was his momentum he picked himself up and to the naked eye you wouldn't have noticed it. Eased down noticably over the last 50m he still broke 35 on an off track. He 's the horse Pins needed to kickstart things after a slowish 12 months. I d thought Run Like the Wind was potentially the best Pins male I'd seen El Segundo excluded, but this fellow has a more lethal sprint. Potentially the most exciting horse I've seen in NZ this season.

At Te Aroha tomorrow there s a filly Alapia (another Pins) who can win the third. Has been entered and scratched a couple of times lately. She 's a filly I ve followed since I saw her realise a lot of money at Karaka a couple of years ago. She s built into form nicely and Casey whom beat her last start then came out and ran 2nd in a very strong form race on Breeders Day at TA.

No I have no fiduciary interest in Pins or any other asset of Waikato Stud.

Easter Saturday

2009-04-12T03:02:00.000-07:00

Popped out to Ellerslie.

Put a few in the blackbook.

Walkonby's a promising sprinter and should become Strategic Image's second stakeswinner next season. He was game behind the tough Geeza after been posted 3 wide throughout. A nice physical type who throws to the good ones from the family such as Kosha and Crooked Stick.

Haya Riva can win at short notice. I had a few $ e/w at 70's and if he d got any run he should have been in the money. A big relaxed type who is just coming to it and should win a couple next season.

Horses don't get made any better than Align to Infinity. He's probably a miler rather than a 2000m horse. Connections will have some fun with him next year. In the same race Cape Le Paul was still a bit fat and can win midweek.

Showcause was a nice win against the older horses and was one of the few to make ground down the outside all afternoon. He's only a pony but apparently Frank Ritchie has a fair bit of time for him. An slightly extravagent high action he'll probably handle off tracks. A friend at the races mentioned the dam that very good mare Showella had died recently.

On the intertrack I thought Guthrum who won the second at Riverton will win again shortly and Hell Yeah's finishing burst at Trentham was indicative of her talent.

The 2 year-old at Wellington didn't beat much I thought.

At Caulfield, First Command looks a sprinter we'll see this spring in some nice races. Sectionals at the provincials had been out of top drawer and Lee Freedman has a smart one here by the under rated Commands. And the way Bellabachi stuck on in the 3 year old stayers race suggests the VRC St Leger distance will be right up her alley in a fortnight.

I can't go without dipping my hat to Bart Cummings. Genius is an oversubscribed word these days but the title struggles to do him justice. And what can you say about Jimmy Cassidy. He's had more ups and downs than the Fijian political system but he keeps getting up. Good on ya pumper, you and Bart are great for the game.

And the Bakers I thought didn't loose much in comparison. Harris Tweed should be twice the horse next season after 2 months in the paddock.

And what a season that Sneetch/Sellou family has had. Black Mamba in the States, Can't Keeper Down runs second in the Oaks and now Roman Emperor.

The fields for Ellerslie tomorrow are okay. I see Attackum is in. Apparently you d need a crowbar to get Jame's McDonald off him. Could be a litmus test tomorrow, few showers around here today and backing up quickly.

Where Have The Stayers Gone

2009-04-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

Looking at the AJC Derby field last night I thought where have we come to get such a weak field for today. I'm probably getting a tad carried away to call it that way; I guess I unfairly compare all AJC Derby fields with the 1996 edition. A bit like comparing your wife with your uni girlfriend.

The Sadlers Wells bred has been much maligned in these parts; not enough bone and don't get enough cut in the tracks to be competitive down under the experts have claimed.

Scenic has done a lot in recent seasons to get a foothold for SW but one swallow hardly makes a summer.

He's got a bit of support lately from Montjeu who has 5 in todays Derby.

Harris Tweed is the most fancied of these but it's the Cummings trained Roman Emperor whom I fancy to give Montjeu consecutive AJC Derbies.

I loved his second up run this campaign, then he was no chance on a wet track when back and they walked. Last start in the Rosehill Guineas he travelled more kindly than usual, went up to them on the point of the turn full of running and only tired late to finish 2.3 from Metal Bender. That was his stepping up from 1600m to 2000m and you fancy the Cummings polish will have been put on him for today.

For the multiples I like Metal Bender, Sousa, Rock Kingdom and Old Jock.

Sousa gets on the pace, bowls along and has courage. I have a doubt about him getting back on a decent track

Rock Kingdom who has been let go a little in the market should have won the Rosehill Guineas and is a versatile animal who has a tad more class than than the rest of these Metal Bender excepted.

I was taken with Old Jock when I saw him run 2nd to Shanzero at Ellerslie last month. He didn't get a lot of favours that day but showed me some toughness that will hold him in good stead the further they go.

Big Col has a Derby pedigree - by the sire of Rebel Raider from a half to Oaks winner Richfield Lady.

Harris Tweed did well to win last week but I m not convinced that Tulloch form measures up. He's been a bit light too when I ve seen him and he s had a lot of racing of late. Maybe that fitness will stand him in great stead. One thing it will seal for me if he wins, the Bakers reputation as master conditioners.

Under The Mountain

2009-04-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Te Aroha and Makaraka would be my favourite courses in the North Island to watch the ponies.

Breeders day at TA is a meeting I try and get down for. I think the first Breeders I witnessed was taken out by My Good Omen.

Didn't think this years edition was overly strong. It looked Shanzero's race but you were always guessing how the Melbourne form of Dane Julia would line up. The old punting adage reared itself once again, if in doubt, follow the money and apparently the TAB took a bit. She paraded magnificently, her coat wa spectacular, not a big mare but very well balanced and feminine.

But the lasting impression as I left the course for the drive back to Auckland was not of Dane Julia or the impressive 2 year old winner Donthassleme - usually a good form race that - but the performance of the Otto's Attackum. Arrogant in the parade ring, he took it onto the track and won easily. Longer in the body than a lot of the Pins but with strength to match he s a little extravagent in his action but time will sort that. I get the feeling he s top class, possibly WFA material.

The only bugger was I didn't back him after intending too in the morning. I met a local who is often in the know and he was shouting Salvatore like Taito Field in the acussed's box. Salvatore' s a lovely actioned galloper who didn't get much room until late but was never going to beat the winner. I hope for his connections that he fulfills his promise unlike his 3/4 brother Far Too Much. Salvatore hung a little on Saturday and maybe he wants to go left handed at this stage.

Great meeting to go to if your'e thinking racing is struggling a tad.