The highlight for the LA this week will undoubtedly be the sale of our LOT 110 Dubai Destination – Rivertaine two-year-old gelding, at this Fridays South Island Sale in Christchurch. Interest from Hong Kong in the horse has been very high on the back of the deeds of his half brothers O Reilly Rally and Regency Horse. Contact sam 0274 853400 for more information about this exciting 2YO.
We were looking to send Rivertaine to Darci Brahma this year but such were the performances of three-year-old O Reilly Rally (O Reilly – Rivertaine) in Hong Kong late last season, that she may now go back to O Reilly to conceive a full relation to one of Hong Kong’s most promising gallopers.
Both the Dubai Destination gelding and O Reilly Rally were late developing types. While O Reilly Rally went forward to Karaka, we passed him in at $45,000 and sent him to Tony and Wayne Pikes for his early education. He was later sold privately to Hong Kong
LA own Rivertaine’s unraced first foal, the Desert Prince mare Chatto Creek. Chatto Creek’s produced two gorgeous fillies by No Excuse Needed with the most recent likely to be sold at Karaka this summer and FChatto Creek is currently in foal to Savabeel.
Both Towkay and Zed looked in great order at our recent stallion parade and Sam has closed Zed’s book at 130 mares. There are spaces available for Towkay at $10,000 plus GST. Towkay’s proven himself the hard way and as a result has served a better quality of mare, the last two seasons in particular. With progeny from these mares scheduled to start hitting the racetracks next season, broodmare owners - especially those breeding to sell - will be aware of the advantages that lie ahead.
The big racing news for LA this last week was the win of Grand Dancer (No Excuse Needed – Clermont Rose) at Ruakaka on Saturday; this despite the LA bred and sold three-year-old been rated at just 80 percent fitness by connections for his seasonal re appearance. Trainer Bruce Wallace commented post race “He is a definite Group One horse.” Bruce has his sights on the Caulfield Guineas in
Since leaving Grand Dancer, the five-time winning Sound Reason mare Clermont Rose has produced fillies by Towkay - sold for $135,000 at Karaka Select earlier this year - and Pins. We plan to retain the Pins filly. Clermont Rose is in foal to No Excuse Needed and visits O'Reilly this spring.
The release of last weeks NZ Free Handicaps were more good news for LA. Towkays unbeaten filly Special Mission was rated equal sixth best two-year-old filly on 53 kilograms and the afore mentioned Grand Dancer was allocated the same weight and inferior to only seven other colts and geldings. Both were lightly tried and look sure to figure even more prominently this season.
