LA April 2011 Newsletter
We had two yearlings in Sydney for the Sale this year and it's been a busy last month following the LA connected horses around Australasia and in Asia. We've been putting the finishing touches to our draft for the Weanling Sale, selling an exciting member of LA'sracing team, setting Towkay's service fee for next season, finalising our Ready to Run Sale draft and making a couple of key mating decisions for members of our broodmare band, it's been a struggle to even get to watch the Hurricanes €“ which probably hasn't been a bad thing!
Towkay, Per Incanto and Zed
It seemed a bit of a strange time to be reducing Towkay's service fee given his results in Hong Kong over the last month, but in these economic times it's important clients can still return a profit, hence after consultation with the Towkay Partnership and the Hong Kong Breeders Association, Towkay's fee this season will be $5,000 plus GST.
Winners for Towkay over the last month include
Eternal Beauty (Towkay-Follow The Sun) twice a winner over 1000m in Hong Kong
Speedy (Towkay-Stella Suprema) a winner over 1400m in Hong Kong
Green Glory (Towkay-Gaysutina) won over 1800m in Hong Kong
Viadana (Towkay-Yeah Naa) the Lance Noble three-year-old filly won over 1400m at Te Teko
As well as the four Hong Kong victories Towkay had three individual second place-getters there.
Eternal Beauty, whose latest success in a rapid 55.8 for 1000m was a faster time than the Group 3 feature on the same card, is a good example of the type of Towkay progeny who have been lost to our domestic scene. A winner and twice placed performer from Lance Noble's stable in just a handful of starts, the gelding departed for Hong Kong as a late three-year-old.
The DVD and marketing material for our new stallion Per Incanto is almost finished so keep an eye on the website over the next fortnight.
Having already been represented by Shocking, Whobegotyou and Predatory Pricer in Australia we had some appreciation for the quality of horse Per Incanto's sire Street Cry can leave but some statistics we looked at the other day put that into perspective showing that over the last 12 months the only stallion to leave more worldwide individual group winners than Street Cry has been Galileo.
Keep an eye out for an as yet unnamed Zed-Ivory Storm gelding when he makes it to the races. An impressive jump-out win preceded a purely educational trial at Foxton a week ago and trainer David Haworth thinks a fair bit of the Storm Thoroughbreds bred two-year-old.
Sydney Easter Sale
We sold the Pins-Heureka filly for A$50,000 but decided to bring the O'Reilly-Moonstrummer colt (pictured right) home when bidding stalled at $90,000 €“ he will form part of a very strong LA contingent going to this Novembers Ready to Run Sale.
National Weanling and Broodmare Sale, Karaka 2, 3 and 4 May
Check out our draft for the upcoming Weanling Sale at Karaka by visiting our site or www.nzb.co.nz . Included in our consignment are some nice Towkay colts and fillies €“ remember he's had two stakesplaced three-year-old fillies this season €“ and a colt by N.Z's sire of the moment Thorn Park. A couple of the Towkay fillies in particular have female pedigrees full of black-type.
National Weanling and Broodmare Sale, Karaka 2, 3 and 4 May
Check out our draft for the upcoming Weanling Sale at Karaka by visiting our site or www.nzb.co.nz . Included in our consignment are some nice Towkay colts and fillies €“ remember he's had two stakesplaced three-year-old fillies this season €“ and a colt by N.Z's sire of the moment Thorn Park. A couple of the Towkay fillies in particular have female pedigrees full of black-type.
Other News
The LA bred Marquardt (Shamardal-Centrefold Angel) was a typically game third in the Group Two Sapphire Stakes at Randwick on 9 April.
Kudakulari (Savabeel-Oenotria) pictured left, who won the Listed Canberra Guineas in March was prepared and sold by the farm at the 2009 Karaka Premier Sale on behalf of his breeders Brown Thoroughbreds and JML Bloodstock.
There will be a distinctive LA flavour to leading Ready to Run vendor Lyndhurst Farms draft at this year's Sale as we look to have upwards of five horses prepared by Mark and Shelley Treweek's Cambridge operation. Joining the O'Reilly colt from Sydney look to be Darci Brahma colts from Rites of Springand Clermont Rose, a Zabeel €“ Loose Lil colt, a Savabeel €“ Rites of Spring colt and a Pins €“ Laebeel colt.
The three-year-old filly ranks in Australia this season have been exceptionally strong and just what ranking the unbeaten Lights of Heaven would have attained if connections had pushed on after her group one win in Adelaide is only speculation but considering that Absolutely, the well beaten runner-up in Adelaide, came out and annexed the AJC Oaks, entitles the Zabeel filly to a very high rating. LA will send group- winner Eloa - a full sister to Lights of Heavens dam - to Zabeel this spring, making the resulting progeny an extremely close relation to Lights of Heaven.
Continuing the farms policy of following proven pedigree patterns, in conjunction with client John Gilbert we also plan to send Maria's Story - a half sister to Mayluckydays dam - to Zabeel, which will produce a three-quarter sibling to last year's Melbourne Cup runner-up.
The tote told the story of the expectations for the debut of the LA bred and owned Eagle Pass (Catbird-Monashees) at Woodville on 17 March and the three-year old gelding delivered like a $1.50 shot, drawing away for a three and a half length win. Since that impressive debut Eagle Pass, who was not offered for sale as a yearling due to injury, has been sold to race in Singapore with LA keeping a share.
The long awaited return to the races for the LA bred Bare Bear (Zabeel-Rites of Spring) finally occurred on 17 March and the Patinack Farm owned four-year-old didn't disappoint winning nicely over 1500m at Newcastle, before backing that up with a strong second at Randwick two weeks later. To date Bare Bears dam Rites of Spring hasn't had a lot of luck as a mother but the farms always had confidence in the Stravinsky mare and that judgement is beginning to look justified.
A couple of LA Karaka graduates to win in Australia over the last month have been Laidley (O'Reilly-Foxtrot) and Instructor (Pins-Excelo).
We look forward to seeing some of you at the Racing For Christchurch Gala Dinner at Ellerslie on Sunday 1 May. Happy racing from Team LA €“ go Can't Keeper Down in the Hawkes Bay Cup!
