Our Origins
PROUDLY NZ'S OLDEST FAMILY OWNED STUD
In The Beginning
The Little Avondale of today claims a proud history from the past, with the third generation of Williams carrying the thoroughbred legacy forward.
Over three decades from 1940, the famed Te Parae property of Alister and Nancy Williams provided the impetus for the modern operation. Watch BRED TO WIN for a bit of real thoroughbred history and to see Buzz Williams and father Alister a year or two ago.
Even before Mr and Mrs Williams senior married in 1939, the former Nancy Teschemaker had set the ground rules: without her horses and dogs, she would not be leaving the South Island.
Having gained approval, the young bride arrived on the 1200 acre Williams sheep and beef farm east of Masterton. And with just two mares, one a gift and the other bought for five pounds, she set about creating a dream.
Nancy Williams possessed a superb eye for stock and, in tandem with her husband's ability to read and assess a pedigree, the pair made a lasting impact on the New Zealand thoroughbred scene.
Sunbride
The English mare Sunbride, foaled in 1942 and purchased for 1250 guineas, and the all-time champion stallion Oncidium were their greatest coups.
Nancy Williams saw Sunbride's head poking over a box at Trentham after the mare arrived by ship and purchased her by tender, against advice. But as Alister Williams, a co-founder of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Assn, went on to tell the racing journalist Stan McEwen, she had the last word.
Sunbride had four filly foals to start with, none of whom had shown any distinction on the racecourse, and at the time was in foal to Faux Tirage.
I said to my wife, this mare Sunbride has not been much good. I think you should sell her. My wife replied: I refuse to entertain any thought of selling Sunbride. When I go broke and I am evicted from Te Parae, Sunbride and I will walk down the road together. The foal Sunbride was carrying was the 1957 Melbourne Cup winner Straight Draw and it is to my wife's everlasting credit that she never once said to me 'I told you so.'
Sunbride
As Sunbride provided the female line to follow, Alister and Nancy's first stallion was the prepotent Sabaean , imported from the UK in 1947, followed by the hugely successful duo of Agricola and Oncidium.
Oncidium was a peerless stallion. With six crops racing at the time of his tragically premature death, he won the Dewer three times topping the Australian and New Zealand Prizemoney Won Combined and produced a legendary roll of honour including Leilani (Caulfield Cup), Taras Bulba (AJC Derby), Dayana (VRC Derby), Gold Brick (AJC Derby), Young Ida (NZ Oaks), Sandarae (VRC Oaks), Grand Cidium (Caulfield Guineas) and Oncidon (Metropolitan Handicap).
Clearly, the Williams' sons Tom and Richard (Buzz) had the opportunity to learn from the best.
"The greatest lesson from my mother was her attention to detail: she was meticulous about everything to do with the horses," says Buzz Williams. "The combination with Dad was unbeatable. The international experts said it couldn't be done but Nancy Williams did it: she produced the perfect yearling.
Their philosophy was buy the best, breed to the best and hope for the best. It paid off.
Buzz & Susie
Although the family ties would never be broken, twenty five years ago a decision was made to separate the business units. Buzz, Susie, Sam, Anna and George moved with the bulk of the horses to the property nearer town, Little Avondale, where the breeding operation has flourished.
I suppose what I take the most satisfaction from is that everyone has got involved including the kids and that's where I've had the biggest thrill: passing on the enthusiasm Mum and Dad gave me. I've been incredibly lucky.
Little Avondale
Initially, the Little Avondale partnership held shares in just two stallions – Cambridge Stud’s mighty Zabeel and Gary Chittick's Centaine.
However with their original female lines (so closely linked to the famed Te Parae heritage) still intact, taking the stud onwards and upwards was a challenge the Williams family have tackled with relish.
Little Avondale's first resident stallion was Carolingian, joined in 1999 by Towkay, the son of Last Tycoon and Princess Tracy. Zed joined the LA team in 2007. From the pre-potent Eight Carat family and by New Zealand's champion sire Zabeel out of the multiple Gr.1 winning Danehill mare Emerald Dream, Zed is now based with Mark Corcoran at Grangewilliam Stud, just north of Wanganui, and has established himself as one of NZ's foremost staying stallions through the likes of Gr.1 winners Verry Elleegant and Survived, Gr.3 winners Jimmy Mac, Irish Flame, Usainity and Jacksstar and the outstanding jumper Zed Em.
PER INCANTO has been a standout since arriving at LA in 2011. Leading first season sire at the 2014 Sydney Classic Sale, he backed up his sale ring popularity taking first season sire honours in the 2014/15 season and finishing runner-up on the 2YO sires premiership. That momentum has continued with more leading sire awards culminating with eleven stakes performers in 2018/19, including new Gr.1 winners Shadows Cast taking out NZs feature 1600m race, the Thorndon Mile and NZ’s premier sprint the Sistema Railway Hcp with Santa Monica.
PER INCANTO
NZ's leading stallion on the Australian Premiership
Runner to Winner 61.9%
With the accolades has come a deserved lift in the pedigree and profile of the broodmares Per Incanto has served. The Gr.3 winning sprinting son of Street Cry has had a phenomenal 2020-21 season with 16 stakes performers including the star 3YO’s
Bonham Gr.1 Levin Classic 1st
Miss Aotearoa Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes 1st
Charms Star G1 NZ Oaks 2nd & Gr.2 Lowland Stakes 2nd
Per Incanto is NZ's leading stallion on the Australian Premiership with a runner to winner ration of 61.9%
NADEEM, the only Gr.1 winning son of Redoutes Choice to stand in NZ, is an internationally PROVEN sire with the Meyden Dubai Golden Shaheen Gr.1 winner Sterling City strutting his stuff at the 2014 Dubai World Cup meet. Other quality stakes winners sired by the exceptionally bred Nadeem include Gr.2 winners Mujaarib, Happy Galaxy and Tajmeel, Gr.3 winners Sharnee Rose, Triple Asst, Crucial and Listed winners Sir Nate, Specter and Speedy Leo. He's quickly made his mark in NZ with three 3YO stakes performers alone in 2018/19 including dual Guineas winner Air Max and the stakes winning 2YO and Gr.1 placed Sir Nate. Nadeem now has 31 individual stakes performers and 19 stakes winners, an excellent winner to runner ratio of 67% and a defining stakes winners to runners ratio of 5.5%. Nadeem – Best Value Proven Black Type Sire in NZ!
NADEEM – Best Value Proven Black Type Sire in NZ
LA also stands the dual Gr.2 and Gr.3 winning TIME TEST (Dubawi-Passage of Time by Dansili) bringing the potent SUPERSIRE Dubawi bloodline to N.Z. With 39 individual Gr.1 winners and 166 stakes winners, Dubawi is the hottest ticket in the Northern Hemisphere, cementing his place amongst the great stallions. TIME TEST also stands at the English National Stud and has recently covered a full book of 160 mares in his fourth season.
WITH 3 black type winners and 5 stakes performers TIME TEST is perorming at 25% stakes perforers to runners in the NZ 2021 season.
TIME TEST is the only son by SUPERSIRE Dubawi standing in NZ
TIME TEST – YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BREED TO THE BEST
As a Gr.2 Newmarket mile winner and Ascot track record breaker (breaking the previous best by 1.25 seconds), Time Test’s appeal is further strengthened by his female family out of the Gr.1 winning 2YO mare, Passage Of Time, from one of Juddmonte’s greatest families.
Confidence in knowing that buying an LA product it has being raised properly and with their record of success in black-type racing you have a better than even chance of the horse competing at the pinnacle of Australasian racing