Towkay's influence extended to America during May with the Hollywood Park success of Towzee (Towkay-Classic Realm). LA prepared the top price weanling at the National Weanling Sale for Don Gordon and in conjunction with some new clients, purchased two mares at the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale. The highlight on the racing front was the double by LA reared horses at Flemington on 17 May - including a stakes race success for a budding Melbourne Cup contender.
Broodmare Purchases
If you needed further proof that the breeding industry was strong at the moment then one had to look no further than results from last months Australian Broodmare and New Zealand Weanling and Broodmare Sales. Despite the bullish market though we were able to secure unraced maiden mares by Carnegie and Stravinsky in Sydney.
Bought in conjunction with three new Wellington clients, the Petro's, Wilkins and Taylor's, the Carnegie mare Generous Nature - in foal to Testa Rosa - stays in Australia to visit General Nediym at Widden Park this spring.
Moonstrummer, who was purchased in partnership with Xcellent's breeder Graeme Gimblett, returns home shortly in foal to Fastnet Rock and a spring booking to O Reilly.
Generous Nature's dam is the stakeswinning Danehill mare La Lagune whilst Moonstrummer's a half sister to the stakeswinning mare Andrella, which is the family of Planet Ruler (Kaoru Star) and St Therese.
Flemington Double Flemington is the holy grail of racetracks in this part of the world so it was pretty special to have two winners on a Saturday card there last month.
Gorky Park's breeder Ricky Savory's a pretty positive sort of person but when she purchased Steluta for $195,000 as a broodmare prospect in 2002, even Ricky couldn't have anticipated the highs that awaited her. The three foals delivered while in Ricky's ownership have returned her over $800,000 NZ with the prospect of a great deal more to come: Steluta's 2007 Pins colt is another outstanding type.
Electronic Million (Towkay-Gaysutina) who took his earnings to nearly $150,000 with his second consecutive Flemington win, this time in the Open Handicap at 2000m, is proving a wonderful investment costing connections only $25,000 as a yearling.
Towkay
The words to the advert "I've been everywhere man" applied to our resident stallion last month as his stock featured all round the Asia Pacific region. Wairarapa breeder and LA client John Worley featured significantly amongst these results breeding two individual winners from his mare Classic Realm.
Towzee (Towkay-Classic Realm), a full brother to the Guy Williams bred dual American stakeswinner Starkay, showed the families propensity for things Stateside with a win at Hollywood Park last month.
After a string of placed efforts Towkay Flyer (Towkay-Classic Realm) broke his maiden in Hong Kong last week.
The LA bred Inca Princess (Towkay-Follow The Sun) bought up her second win when scoring over 1100 in New South Wales.
King Towkay (Towkay - Cause For Applause) a winner in Singapore last month is a full brother to the Group Three Stewards Handicap winner Opiki.
The highlight locally last month was Towzan's third in the Listed James Bull Rangitikei Gold Cup at 1600m. Towzan was Towkay's 16thindividual stakes performer and that's from five racing crops. An outstanding effort from a stallion who produced all his racing stock from a service fee between $3,000 and $5,000.
Armada (Towkay - Dance In Time) arrived in Japan last Friday to prepare for this weekends Group One Yasuda Kinen over 1600m at Tokyo Racecourse where he'll clash with some of the worlds best milers.
Zed
Once again Zed (Zabeel-Emerald Dream) is proving extremely popular with breeders keen to continue the ride after the blueblood served 133 mares (119 in foal) in his inaugural season last year. Zed stands for a booking fee of $1,000 plus GST with a $750 refund if your mare fails to get in foal.
Hong Kong Success
The John Worley bred Fat Dragon (O Reilly - Our Big Bird) added to John's wonderful month when he scored in a class 3 event at Happy Valley last week.
Fat Dragon was a $100,000 purchase by Stuart Hale from the LA draft at 2002 Karaka Select Sale
Weanlings
This year we've selected the Catbird - Monashees weanling colt as the farms horse to follow through to next years Karaka Yearling Sale.
The chestnut colt was foaled at LA last August after we'd bought his mother earlier in the year from the Australian Broodmare Sale. Monashees is a young Woodman mare from the stakeswinning Sir Tristram mare Altrista. The third dam is Group One Railway winner Alynda who in turn is the grand dam of Waikato Stud's new stallion Fast ‘N' Famous.
In Sam's words "He's a tough intelligent colt with quality without being pretty. He has great bone, plenty of scope and a lovely hindquarter".
The weanlings are running in the paddocks at present, in groups of 4-6 and separated between colts and fillies.
Already a couple of the weanlings are standing out. The Pins colt from Foxtrot - a half brother to this season's stakesplaced Australian two-year-old Pachanga - is an extremely imposing fella. At a whopping 372kg's and already in a four foot six rug, he has a lot of his mum's sire Rory's Jester about him.
One Cool Cat, who has made such a great start to his stallion career in the Northern Hemisphere, has a lovely colt from Millie Munroewhile LA client Alan Jackson's great start in the industry looks set to continue judging by his outstanding Fastnet Rock - Oh Blue Angel filly.
National Weanling and Broodmare Sale
Business was brisk, particularly for weanlings at last months Karaka sale. On behalf of Don Gordon LA sold the top priced lot amongst the foals when Marcus Corban Bloodstock signed for the Stravinsky - Full Noise filly at $130,000.
Don's stakeswinning mare Full Noise was the top priced mare from our draft, realising $102,000 to Australian interests.
Other sale highlights included LA head groom Helen Phinney receiving $38,000 for a Mossman colt from her Testa Rosa mare Eutrophy and the Towkay - Shahiid colt fetching $26,000. Helen purchased Eutrophy for $45,000 at last years Magic Millions Broodmare Sale and with the mare currently in foal to Towkay, Helen has certainly shopped wisely.
Those of you looking for some breeding inspiration during the long winter nights should pickup a copy of the May edition of New Zealand Thoroughbred which came out last week and read the article on LA client Alan Jackson. Alan purchased the Danehill mare Jeanetta Cochrane from last Sundays Magic Millions Broodmare Sale.
Till July keep warm and enjoy your winter racing. Remember it's less than 90 sleeps to the Mudgway Partsworld Stakes day at Hastings and about 70 till we see the first of Zed's foals!
