Entries Tagged 'News' ↓
June 30th, 2023 — News, Uncategorized
As some of you will be aware, I have two lives. One is as a breeder and thoroughbred consultant; the other is as a secondary-school teacher of English. In this latter role I’ve spent the last 48 years at Feilding High School. It’s been an absolute blast, but the body is telling me that enough is enough.
Anyway, I won’t be able to afford to keep all my horses when I exit FAHS in early December, so I’ll leave it up to the market to pick through the following animals.
Racehorses for Sale or Lease.
Nortolose (4g Highly Recommended – Flirtation). Slow developing stayer, similar to most of his recent relatives. Has been patiently handled by Danny Frye and is currently spelling. Dam is a ¾ sister to our homebred SW La Nouvelle Vague, the St Reims gelding who holds the Australasian record for 2600 metres Other close relatives are Bodie (G1 Auckland Cup), SP The Jungle Boy and SP Rising Tide.
Unnamed 2f by El Doute – Kool Connection (Iffraaj). The dam is a winning daughter of G3 winner Sokool. Recently broken in by Ilone Kelly, this filly has been spelling for six weeks and is ready to go into full work.
Weanling filly by Echoes of Heaven – Misty Trella (Thorn Park). I deliberately purchased the two-win dam of this filly to go to EoH, a stallion I’ve been fortunate enough to have a fair amount of success with. I can forward you some photos of this filly; they show that she is powerfully built and correct. She’s currently being agisted at Norwegian Park at Karapiro. Peter Westend reports that she has an outstanding attitude.
Mares for Sale or Lease
Desiree (Savabeel), Jenna (O’Reilly), Manhattan Melody (Manhattan Rain), Make Your Move (Rip van Winkle), Flirtation (Colombia), Kool Connection (Iffraaj), Chambon (Jimmy Choux) and Zayzay (Fast n Famous) are all available. The latter two mares are domiciled in the South Island.
Contact details: jeffreys@inspire.net.nz or 0210455855.
July 21st, 2022 — Choosing A Stallion, News
Aaron Tapper’s decision to stand the well-performed Echoes of Heaven at his Timaru property Clearview Park is easy to understand.
The brother to Manhattan Rain and half-brother to the remarkable Redoute’s Choice is steadily working his way upwards in both our stallion performance statistics and the esteem of breeders.
The deeds of his gelded son Countofmontecristo are well documented but if you’ve never heard of Siam Blue Vanda, just google his Stewards Cup victory – a truly amazing performance.
Here in New Zealand, the 2021-2022 season saw the emergence of two very promising progeny of the son of Encosta de Lago. The very quick Amberecho won three times from just eight starts to graduate to open class and the slower-maturing Our Echo scored three impressive victories culminating in a tough win in the first race of the Wellington Cup carnival. Both gallopers are scheduled to resume their careers in the late Spring.
There’s no doubt that Echoes of Heaven can throw both speed and class but his overall statistics are also impressive. To date he’s had 49 winners who have amassed a total of 149 wins over a variety of distances. Any stallion whose winners average three victories – a figure which is steadily rising – is a horse whose progeny are notable for soundness and racing temperament.
Some other impressive statistics can also be found on www.arion.co.nz
August 30th, 2020 — Breeding Theory, Choosing A Stallion, News
“He strikes us as a real classic stallion. He gets a very good type and is a total outcross with his pedigree free of the major European forces like Sadler’s Wells, Galileo, Montjeu, Danehill, Green Desert, Invincible Spirit, Danehill Dancer, and Dubawi.
“We are thrilled that he is coming to Coolmore and are very excited about what he might achieve when paired with our Galileo mares,” stated Coolmore spokesman David O’Loughlin.
The above quote explains succinctly why Coolmore have outlaid a no doubt eye-watering sum to purchase upwardly mobile French stallion, Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj).
The breeding powerhouse have no shortage of Sadler’s Wells and Danehill bloodlines at their disposal and their brains trust must have been mulling over for quite some time the age-old question, “Where do we go next?”
Clearly they’ve seen Wootton Bassett as the answer to that question and their conclusion is not exactly surprising given that the son of Iffraaj has shown a remarkable ability in the last year or so to throw class and to throw that desirable quality consistently. To date he’s produced 106 winners, including 15 SWs and another 12 stakes-placed performers.
So what does this all mean for the kiwi breeder? Well, Almanzor now looks a much safer bet than he did when he arrived and full marks to Cambridge Stud for what was then a courageous decision to stand him.
Turn Me Loose has his first juveniles out and about this season. As his dam is bred on the Danehill – Sadler’s Wells cross, it will be very interesting to see how his youngsters perform.
Ribchester, the winner of four Group 1s in Europe, begins his third SH season at Haunui next week. At $15,000 he will no doubt attract many of our most commercial mares. Inbred to Nureyev, and featuring the highly successful Nureyev – Last Tycoon cross he must be a very strong chance to make a significant impact down here.
Jon Snow’s first foals are arriving about now and Wyndspelle is about to begin his first season at stud. Both Group 1 winning sons of Iffraaj are at bargain fees. Wyndspelle stands at $5000; ATC Derby winner Jon Snow is at $3750.
Wyndspelle features the Iffraaj – Sadler’s Wells cross which Coolmore are hoping to build on; Jon Snow has a similar pedigree to Ribchester. Inbred to Nureyev, he has the Nureyev – Last Tycoon nick as well.
Interesting times.
June 10th, 2020 — News
At yesterday’s South Island sale, I’d identified a couple of yearlings whose pedigrees really struck a chord.
One was Lot 28, the Echoes of Heaven – Sita (Bertolini) filly, a half-sister to the well-performed Sitarist, winner of this year’s renewal of the time-honoured Dunedin Cup (LR). The latter is a tough racemare who could well add to her record next season.
I’ve been a fan of Echoes of Heaven for quite a while now and did the mating for the brilliant Singaporean galloper, Siam Blue Vanda, the likely favourite for the Singapore Derby (S$1,000,000), due to be run in the next few months. Echoes of Heaven is a sire who has been starved of opportunity and, given the overall quality of his past mares, has done exceptionally well to produce the results he has accumulated to date.
What I like about the Sita filly’s pedigree page is that she descends from Eulogy, that foundation mare who is the ancestress of so many top thoroughbreds. This particular branch specializes in producing quality stayers. The filly boasts inbreeding to Northern Dancer, Special, Lalun, Bold Reason, Sir Ivor and Relic. She also has the Alydar x Mr Prospector cross, which has worked very well internationally for several decades.
The filly was passed in at $5000 and subsequently purchased by the Parsons stable. Prior to the sale I had talked to Karen about likely types which were in the catalogue. Last evening, I received a call from her asking if I was interested in buying a 10% share. I certainly was, I replied, and volunteered to write this article in order to find another four shareholders.
I don’t expect this filly to make a competitive 2YO but, if she does have the family ability, she should be able to mature into a competitive 3YO, especially in South Island company. On pedigree, I would anticipate that she will be able to stay at least 2000 metres.
Anyway, if you are interested, do give me a call. (0210455855)
March 21st, 2020 — Horse Racing, News
We live in trying times. If there’s an upside, it occurs when something special occurs.
Siam Blue Vanda’s brilliant win in Friday night’s Stewards Cup (Sgp Group2) was just such an event. When the well-performed and red-hot favourite Top Knight hit the front with 150 to go, the result appeared to be a formality; however, SBV found an extra gear and edged in front on the line.
As we all know, it’s the ability to accelerate when it really matters that distinguishes top-class thoroughbreds and the son of Echoes of Heaven and the Lahib (Riverman) mare I’m A Wag has acceleration aplenty. The close relative of iron horse Istidaad, whose dam is I’m A Wag’s grand-dam, is reportedly being aimed at the Singapore Derby (15 April) and must now be well-favoured for this prestigious event.
From a pedigree point of view, Siam Blue Vanda features inbreeding to Northern Dancer, Lalun and Best In Show (5×5). I can see no reason why repeating this pedigree pattern should not work well as this is not the first time this genetic combination has produced a superior racehorse.
Echoes of Heaven now has a winners to starters ratio of around 57%. Given that many of his early crops were from mares with little to recommend them, he has done very well indeed.
January 19th, 2020 — Horse Racing, News
We can all trace our love for racing to a special event or set of circumstances. For me it was listening to the radio as a small boy some 60 years ago and being enchanted by the magic of words. Blonde Sprite, Quite Able, Melodic, Isfahan, Fountainhead, Cadiz, Commanding, Minglow.. are names which resonate over the years.
Just yesterday I thought of those radio commentaries as Minglow’s descendant Showbeel won the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham. I’ve been privileged to have been involved in the recent fortunes of the family, being asked to advise on the matings which produced both Showbeel and her dam, the Galileo mare Showileo.
And all this happened because of Minglow’s daughter, the immortal Show Gate, the most memorable thoroughbred I’ve ever seen. Her performances at the 1974 New Zealand Cup carnival are the stuff of legend. On day one she wins the Stewards Handicap beating top sprinter Soliloquy over 1200 whilst giving her 11.5kg. The following Wednesday it’s the time-honoured Canterbury Gold Cup over 2000, beating the good mare Sobeit after getting into a remarkable amount of trouble in the running. Three days later there’s the Churchill Stakes over 1600. She carries 56.5 kg and comfortably beats top sprinter-miler Auditor who’s in receipt of 5.5kg.
Fast forward to 1997. I’d been having some success recommending matings to clients and decided that the time was right to publish an analysis of the yearling sale catalogues, the aim being to identify youngsters with the pedigrees to win good races. 1997 was a trial. My top selection was a chestnut filly by Lord Ballina out of the Balmerino mare, Show Queen, herself a daughter of Show Gate. When the sale results were posted I contacted Frank Ritchie who had signed for the filly and he passed on the contact details of Terry Archer, her purchaser.
The filly was named Showella. She didn’t look much like Show Gate but was good enough to win two Group 1 events and over $500,000. She’s also turned out to be an outstanding broodmare, leaving three SWs from five foals.
One of her non-winners is the Galileo mare Showileo. Not short on ability, she was seriously field-shy and soon retired to stud. After beginning her career with some promising offspring, she’s now made a significant contribution to her illustrious family.
Nowadays I yell at the TV set rather than listen to the radio, but the thill is just the same.
November 16th, 2019 — Horse Racing, News
That was quite a day. It’s always memorable to win a race on a Premier Day, but to win two, including a marquee event, at what I’ve always considered to be New Zealand’s leading racecourse, is more than a little special.
Our homebred Riviera Rock (5g Road to Rock – Sheezashotseye by Cicerao) prevailed in Race 3, a R85 2500 event, by an admittedly diminishing margin. Superbly ridden by Leah Hemi, he’s an on-pace runner who lumped 58.5kg to victory in the respectable time of 2:35.97. He’s not the easiest horse to train, having a more than impatient mindset, but Graham and Michael Eade have once again worked their magic with a Cloughmore horse, following in the hoofprints of La Nouvelle Vague, Comanche Gold, Tuscany Rose and the ill-fated Amigo.
The Dee and Gee saga has been thoroughly documented elsewhere on this site. Suffice it to say that our Cloughmore Racing Partnership still retains a minority share in the Darci Brahma mare, currently raced on lease by the Corbett-Charles partnership. Yes, there is a ROP clause in the lease agreement and yes, we are resigned to losing our interest in her for what now appears to be a paltry sum, but at least we can congratulate ourselves on selecting a very good stayer who just won the New Zealand Cup and… No. there aren’t too many more positives to add. Racing is nothing if not character-building.
It’s worth noting that Leah Hemi also piloted Dee and Gee to victory. She’s one under-rated rider.
Let’s hope that both horses continue on their winning way.
March 9th, 2019 — Horse Racing, News
Sometimes you feel that the fates spend most of their time concocting cunning plans with the sole aim of preventing your horses winning important races.
Such was the case at Ellerslie yesterday when the rains came and destroyed the chances of Dee and Gee and Rikki Tikki Tavi winning their respective events. Both mares need good ground to show their best form and I had no hope that they would finish as close as they did.
The upside of all this is that RTT will be easier to place in the future, especially as she won’t gain more than a couple of rating points for her efforts. As for Dee and Gee, she’s the sort of mare who, with an ounce of luck, will one day win one of our major staying events. (Fingers crossed everyone, please).
To cheer myself up, I thought I’d do a little addition. To date our racing partnership has contained pretty much the same membership, with just the occasional variation. To date we have owned 12 thoroughbreds of racing age; eight have been retired and four are still in action. Seven of the twelve have been winners, accumulating 36 victories between them.
There are a couple of statistics which do provide a warm glow when the fates do their worst. Firstly, of the seven winners, six have gained black type. Secondly, the twelve horses have accumulated $996,533.38 in stakemoney. Just $3466.62 to go.
Getting back to RTT for a moment, I’m really looking forward to breeding from her. Although Tavistock has gone off the boil in a reasonably spectacular way, she’s got an awful lot of her damsire Volksraad in her, so I’m not too worried. Furthermore, several aspects of her pedigree cross really well with Danehill, so she won’t be difficult to mate.
The lessees of Dee and Gee have a right of purchase on her; I can’t imagine them not exercising it. For the sad, sad story of the circumstances leading to the lease have a look elsewhere on this site. The search facility usually works quite well.
January 20th, 2019 — News
Racing is many things to many people but most of us involved would agree that it’s character building. I really did believe that Dee and Gee (Darci Brahma – Gabana by Jungle Pocket) could win yesterday’s Wellington Cup and she certainly tried her heart out before coming up two inches short. The Russians have a proverb which states that when God shuts a door, he opens a window and, whilst not being a religious bloke, I’ve come to admire the philosophy behind the idea.
A couple of posts ago I referenced the success of horses raced by our partnership. Since then Rikki Tikki Tavi (Tavistock – Macinally by Volksraad)) has gained a meritorious second in an Ellerslie open class sprint and Super Gee (Super Easy – Arctic Heights by Johar) has impressed winning a special conditions event at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. Amidst the ashes of yesterday’s defeat I was able to console myself with the thought that Dee and Gee’s placing had taken stakes won by Cloughmore Racing Partnership horses to over $500,000 ($521,152 to be exact). Not bad for an outlay of $93,000.
As you’ll imagine, I’ve spent much of the last three weeks perusing The Karaka Sales catalogues. It’s blindingly obvious that with each year that goes by conformation increasingly weighs more heavily than pedigree in the criteria which determine which horse gets into which part of the sale. To me, this is an opportunity to identify horses in the lower two sales which have pedigrees to create decent race records in spite of what they look like in late January/early February. Dee and Gee was a December foal and out of a Jungle Pocket mare. Many buyers would have been suspicious of Jungle Pocket, whereas I was in the fortunate position of knowing enough about him to form a different opinion.
Anyway, let’s hope our partnership can find another contestant for one or more of our major races. And let’s hope that this time we don’t have to console ourselves with Russian proverbs
January 1st, 2019 — Horse Racing, News, Winners
Yesterday’s win by the son of Super Easy was one of my biggest thrills in racing. As many readers will know, when you are convinced that you’ve got a really good horse the anxiety levels go through the roof. You worry about his inexperience, his ability to handle the Ellerslie noise and the sheer bad luck that can defeat any animal. You think about his previous start when he bumped the smart Spring Bouquet just short of the line and got himself relegated. Would he find another way to lose a race he really should win?
Thank goodness all went well. After being tightened for room at the 1200 and losing his position, he was steadied by Cameron Lammas and encouraged to relax and keep rolling along. In the straight he had to move sideways to take advantage of a gap – and looked more than a little awkward in doing so – but when through the gap off he went to the winning post in the style of a horse who is clearly looking for more ground.
Chris Gibbs, Michelle Bradley and their staff have done an outstanding job educating Ed. In his early days he showed a marked preference for doing things his way and he’s still very much a work in progress. However, their patience and persistence has paid off and I’m sure all my fellow owners are equally grateful.
Super Gee’s win was Cloughmore’s eighth success from just twenty starters over the last eighteen days. Also noteworthy was All In Mana’s explosive victory at Awapuni. The son of Rip Van Winkle and All In Black showed too much class for his R65 rivals and appears to have a bright future. Our homebred Riviera Rock also showed improvement with a four-length win over 2000 at Gore. Trained by Graham and Michael Eade, he cruised away from his opponents over the concluding stages and gave the impression that going over more ground was not going to concern him.
Best wishes to all readers for a happy and successful New Year
