LA MONTHLY NEWSLETTER APRIL 2008
It's been back to the grindstone on the farm. Sam and Buzz have been busy around the place putting in some new races and finishing building a quarantine area on the Morris Road frontage. The three Sydney bound yearlings have continued to do well and weaning of the foals has finished.
Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale 20-23 April
Tradition is strong in thoroughbred racing and breeding. Where else would you find a sport in this day and age having an event one month after Easter but still calling it an Easter event? But then again the Australian Easter Yearling Sale is no ordinary event and over the 100 plus years the Sale has been going, some of the greats of the Australasian turf have been sold under the fig tree in the old Newmarket Salegrounds, just a $10 cab fare from downtown Sydney. LA have been selling at Sydney since 1968. We had a great year one particular year actually topping thesale and more recently sold stakeswinner Men at Work as a yearling.
Here's an update of our Sydney draft;
The pedigree of our Savabeel-Steluta colt, lot 397, received an upgrade during the month of March courtesy of Pinnacles (Fuji Kiseki-Galroof) winning at Flemington. Steluta and Galroof are young half sisters both doing the job at stud. Steluta's third foal is last seasons VRC Derby runnerup Gorky Park while Galroof's only other live foal is the promising Lee Freedman trained three-year-old Hussonic, a runner in this seasons VRC Derby. And just for good measure Savabeel's yearlings sold well at the Premier Session of the Magic Millions Yearling Sale last week, averaging $132,000 with some astute buyers signing the dockets.
On pedigree lot 338 the Zabeel-Rites Of Spring colt was always going to attract a lot of attention; he's a three quarter brother to the LA bred stakewinning brothers Men at Work and Philosophe. But things got even better three weeks ago when Rites of Springs first foal a two-year-old filly by Pins, trialed exceptionally well at Otaki. Missing the start she got home for a neck second in the fastest heat of the day over 1000m with six lengths to the third horse. Unnamed at this stage she's down to make her debut in a stakes race at Riccarton next Saturday.
Lot 59 is also by Zabeel but a filly and from Don Gordon's group two winning three year old Dancing Daze. This is the family of Don's NZ three-year-old filly of the year Mun Lee and a number of other stakeswinners including Group One Epsom Handicap winner Allez Suez. Unfortunately last seasons Group 3 Rough Habit Plate runner-up Sands of Time, whose dam is a half sister to Dancing Daze, incurred his share of health problems following that Brisbane campaign and has not yet returned to the racetrack. The Paul Duncan trained gelding has untapped potential and some of his local scalps last year included Needuask, Ginga Dude, Kalashnikov, Electrostatic and Power Cut. A filly from a hard running family, she's certain to appeal to buyers looking for a staying type.
After a great run with his fairer sex over the summer it's been the Towkay males who have stepped up to the plate during March. The long striding grey five-year-old Jowka (Towkay-Jovita) owned and bred by BM Duffy, put a Premier double together at Trentham and Awapuni. One imagines connections are eyeing up the rich Listed James Bull Rangitikei Gold Cup on Anzac Day.
The LA bred The Georgian (Towkay-Aglow) became another black type performer for Towkay with his third in the Listed Fairdale Stud Howbaddouwantit Handicap at 1400m on Manawatu Sires Produce Day.
Ballistic Ruler (Towkay-Ballistic) had his third win for the season in Victoria during the month. Last month LA sold a full brother to Ballistic Ruler at the Karaka Select Sale for $51,000 to Magus Equine.
Vanilla Rose (Towkay-Revelstone) broke her maiden with success at Wanganui over 1200m. One could not help but be impressed by the debut of Tsonga (Towkay-Cantante) in the two-year-old race at Otaki last Thursday. Second over the line only to be rather controversially (in the wise words of Luke Radich) relegated back to fourth, the colt pulled up quite shin sore and has gone to the paddock. The Lorraine Jameson bred and LA owned colt is one to watch out for next season.
Australian Success
The win on debut in Victoria last Sunday of the interestingly named Larry's Never Late (Pentire-Labeel) bought a big smile to everyone around the farm. Not many Pentire's win at two so better things look in store for the Jonathan Munz owned and Rodney Douglas trained gelding. He was sold by Te Parae Trust to Robert Roulston Bloodstock for $77,500 at the Karaka Premier Sale last year. A former Caulfield Cup runner-up, Laebeel has quite an outstanding Pin's weanling filly which we've already leased to a syndicate headed by Barbara Duff in Melbourne. To be trained by Leon Corstens the syndicate's likely to comprise a number of members (including Barbara) who raced Laebeel on lease from LA and Te Parae.
Zarita (Pentire-Gin Player) who gained overdue group one success in Adelaide last weekend is from the same family as LA broodmare Foxtrot. Foxtrot, dam of this season's stakesplaced Melbourne two-year-old Pachanga, has an outstanding August weanling colt by Pins. Her yearling colt by Savabeel has been retained by LA and will race in the studs green and yellow colours. Foxtrot is in foal to Fast'n'Famous.
National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Sale at Karaka on 11-13 May 2008
The weanling and broodmare market has been strong Australasian wide in recent years and Sam has been well satisfied with LA's returns at this sale over the last two years. This year's consignment will be our largest ever as we look to raise the quality of our weanling offering to meet the demand and reduce our broodmare band numbers to more manageable levels and concentrate on the top end Karaka Premier market.
We have 14 weanlings entered by such leading stallions as O'Reilly, Stravinsky, Mossman and Towkay not to mention one lot by Stratum the 2005 Golden Slipper winner whose oldest progeny are weanlings.
Long time LA client Don Gordon has decided to scale down his breeding interests significantly. As a result we will be offering a number of mares and weanlings from successful families Don has developed over a number of years. Included amongst the mares are;
Dancing Daze - group two winning mare by Dance Floor in foal to Pins
Full Noise - stakeswinning Kaapstad mare in foal to O Reilly
Amongst LA's own broodmare offering will be 4 mares by champion broodmare sire Centaine. Centaine has been a spectacular broodmare sire with performers such as Alamosa, Young Centaur, Legs, Glamour Puss, Scardee Cat, Cent Home - the list goes on and on. Interestingly a number of his best broodmare daughters have been either unraced or lightly tried and all 4 LA's mares fall into this category. Two of these are young maiden mares and represent a great opportunity for first time breeders or those looking to get into a nicely pedigreed Karaka Select family;
Cent to Win - a three quarter sister to former top Hong Kong galloper Super Fit and Centafit the dam of this years Wellington Cup winner Young Centaur.
Gloworm - a grand daughter of group one winner India's Dream from the family of last season's top Singaporean three-year-old Lim's Objective.
LA is currently putting syndicates together to purchase broodmares at this Sale and the two major broodmare sales in Australia during May and June. Anyone interested in discussing the various packages are encouraged to give Sam a call on his mobile 0274 853400 or email him on
Hopefully you can tune into the Group One NZ Bloodstock Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha this Saturday where Special Mission (Towkay-Te Akau Theme) and Lady Cavalier (Towkay-Malahide) do battle with the countries best fillies and mares at 1600m. Special Mission is going to be one of the best backed runners particularly with rain around in the Waikato this week but put a gold coin each-way on Lady Cavalier if the rains go away. She's been set for this race and if the pace is on she'll be getting home strongly.
