Dido delivered us the farms first foal for the new season, courtesy of a Zed filly early on Saturday morning.
The new arrival has a yearling full sister who LA will race next season in partnership with Bruce Perry Bloodstock.
The Zed yearlings are continuing to impress good judges with Sam recently purchasing the mare Maria's Story, a Woodborough half sister to the very smart sprinter Richard Bremyer, for LA client John Gilbert expressly to visit the stallion.
The better tracks throughout Australasia last weekend certainly assisted the Towkay's. His only two runners at Otaki, Sharkay (Towkay-Lady of the Lake) and Irish Lassie (Towkay-Mary Robinson) were second and third respectively while in Australia Bringelly (Towkay-Stranami) ran second in a $45,000 race.
Both stallions are in superb physical condition with Zed joining Towkay on the walker last week, having done a little too well on the lush spring grass.
Bookings are still available to both stallions. Remember that a mating this year will be a yearling at the sales in 2012 and if you managed to get along to the NZTB seminar in Hamilton last Sunday you will see the advantages in breeding this season based solely on the diminishing Australasian foal crop versus the increasing demand from Asia particularly on the back of expanding Singaporean markets.
LA's racing team are starting to get through their paces in readiness for a return to the tracks throughout Australasia. Rampant (Towkay-On Honeymoon) will have derived plenty of benefit from his fresh up run for third at Taupo last week while last seasons impressive two-year-old debutant winner Aspinal (Pins-Clermont Rose) is due to barrier trial at Te Teko on 1 September with the Listed Soliloquy Stakes her initial target.
In Australia, Cat's Diamond (Zabeel - The World is Mine) has been back in work a week at Kris Lees stable while down in Melbourne Bellabachi (Zabeel-Sound Lover) is due back in Danny O'Brien's yard shortly.
The Lorraine Jameson bred Panis Angelicus (Danasinga-Cantante) who won over 1600m in Australia on Monday is a half brother to last season's smart NZ three-year-old Tsonga (Towkay-Cantante) who is now up in Hong Kong where he has just been renamed Great Renown.
