STALLIONS
Towkay’s has had another brilliant season. Last month the International Federation of Horseracing Authority published their World Top 50 Thoroughbred Racehorses and Invasor at 129 topped the ratings. Armada’s (Towkay – Dance In Time) 120 rating put him on par with recent British and Irish 2000 Guineas winner Cockney Rebel. This puts him above the highest rated Australian bred horse, Takeover Target on 119 followed by the likes of Desert War, El Segundo and Pompeii Ruler on 118.
Towkay also had a great start to this month at the Hong Kong Jockey Club 2006/2007 Champion Awards. On Monday night, Armada bred by Tom Jamison in conjunction with Greg James and Joan Fleming, was voted Champion Miler. The Champion Griffin award which went to Joy and Fun (Cullen – Gin Player), reinforced the prepotency of Towkay’s female family, with Cullen being his half-brother.
With Towkay’s reputation cemented, it has to be expected that a number of his young stock will get sold up to Asia, and Hong Kong in particular, but locally he has had some very talented horses perform as well.
Kay’s Awake, third to Darci Brahma twice in Group One’s; High Octane, winner of five from eight starts this season including the Duoro Cup; the stakesplaced Lady Cavalier and the early season find, in Taiko.This week we saw a two-year-old filly of Mark Walker’s, Special Mission (Towkay – Te Akau Trek) win on debut by seven and a half lengths!
Towkay has always been considered the type of sire you’d want to breed to if you were going to race the progeny but this seasons yearling sales returns prove to breeders just how commercial a proposition he’s become at sales time. At Karaka Premier he averaged $163,000 and Karaka Select he was the LEADING on Average at $82,000. He had thirteen of his progeny sell across all four Karaka summer yearling sales for an average price of $69,000. And this off a $5,000 service fee!
Racetrack performances of his stock have translated into sales returns time and time again but it’s always satisfying to see the results that loyal supporters such as Sharn Little and Andrew Lockyer have had who have supported him from the start.
A little bit like Buzz, Towkay’s done extremely well in the off season, so he’s started back on the horse walker this week to shed some kilos before he starts serving his first mares on 1 September. Towkay has taken Zed’s arrival on the farm with aplomb; it’s as if he knows he’s still numero uno.
Allowing for the attractive service fee we have still been pleasantly surprised at the 117 bookings received to date for Zed. Numbers aside, what has been very encouraging are the number of mares he’s enticed out of back paddocks and virtual retirement. The way bookings presently stand, approximately 40 percent of his mares have not had a foal in two or more seasons and overall, approximately 80 percent of his cohorts will be dry mares. Mares are even coming from as far a field as Northland and the South Island.
Little Avondale Stud
Invite YOU to the 2007 parade of
TOWKAY and ZED
along with a LA farm walk
on July 29th
If you are planning on coming please call the office on 06 377 5098 for catering purposes.
LA will offer three broodmares at the National Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka on 22 July. Some perceive broodmare sales as on the whole only offering stock that’s not commercial or mares with poor service histories. LA’s three offerings certainly fall into neither of these categories. In fact a feature of all three mares is the currency of successful performers from their relative families.
Lot 109 - Colouring Up
This young unraced Carolingian mare is sold in foal to Towkay.
From the family of our outstanding matron Sound Lover, Colouring Up is a half sister to six individual winners, three of them this season. Her yearling half brother by Towkay sold for $270,000 at the Karaka Premier Sale earlier this year.
Colouring Up’s grand dam is Country Flower the mother of New Zealand Oaks winner It’s Candide, in turn the dam of last seasons Group One Blue Diamond Stakes winner Nadeem by Redoubtes Choice.
Adding to Colouring Up’s appeal to buyers is Carolingian this season featuring as the dam sire of Group One Manawatu Sires winner Nightlign as well as Australian Group Three winner and Group One placed performer Splashing Out.
Lot 123 - Faberge
Placed at three, Faberge is a young Towkay mare with just two foals to date, both by No Excuse Needed.
Unfortunately not in foal after missing to Zabeel on a late service last season, Faberge’s dispersal is simply because we already own three mares by her dam Logical Miss.
A half sister to Cent From Heaven – dam of Group winner Eloa and the highly promising Hong Kong performer Winning Fellowship – and Lodore Mystic – dam of 2007 Group One Diamond Stakes winner Alamosa, Faberge presents a great opportunity to buy into a highly commercial family of early running types.
Lot 247 – Security
Placed at three, this Grosvenor mare is being sold on behalf of our clients Don Gordon and Fayette Park, with a positive test to emerging sire success Postponed.
Security has already left two individual winners including Somewhere Safer by Postponed, considered good enough by connections to run in last months Group Three Grand Prix Stakes in Brisbane.
From Don Gordon’s very successful family of Mun Lee and Dancing Daze, it’s very much a family back in the news recently through the late season deeds of Sands of Time. Security’s stakesplaced mother Secrecy is a half sister to the dam of Cold War, the mother of Sands of Time in addition to recent two-year-old placegetter Coolross.
Charlie
For those of you who may have missed our last two monthly updates (we have weekly web updates every Thursday so click on www.lastud.co.nz to see those) we are featuring a weanling colt by No Excuse Needed from Soneri and nick named Charlie, to follow through to next years yearling sales series at Karaka.
Charlie is making good progress. He was back in doors last week getting drenched and his feet trimmed; both which he handled like a true male! Sam’s had to let his cover out another two notches as he continues, even at this early stage, to develop muscle structure.
Charlie’s back outside now, rugged up against the elements but enjoying the playful antics of his 5 paddock buddies. Starting next month all of the yearlings will get a one acre paddock to themselves but knowing Charlie he’ll find plenty to amuse himself.
Staff
Well it’s true that they say you can take the girl away from the horses but you can t take the horses from the girl. Our head groom Helen Phinney just happened to find herself holidaying on the Gold Coast last month and coinciding with the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale! Funny that. Yes you guessed it, Helen bought herself another mare. In foal to Mossman, she was lot 1460, a young Testa Rossa mare called Eutrophy. She’s due at LA next week where after foaling down, she’ll visit Towkay.
In next months update we’ll bring you details of some of the other mares visiting Towkay this year including those of the Hong Kong Breeders Association.
Don’t forget to pop the LA Stallion Parade on 29th July in your diary and to confirm your bookings to Towkay or Zed, both still have spaces available, or for more information on either please ring Sam on 0274853400.
Remember every Thursday there is a weekly update on the LA website and every Saturday Sam is on Radio Trackside @ 11.30am – see you next month for the LA August e-newsletter.
