Things are gearing up nicely for the start of the breeding season; the first mares have been relocated to the foaling paddocks close to the house and teasing of the mares started in earnest on Monday.
Cat's training for the New York Marathon has intensified with her latest training effort a 33 kms mission around the local roads in two hours and thirty eight minutes. And yes for all the Doubting Thomas's, Sam has been joining her €˜once or twice' on his bike!
Bookings for both stallions remain steady and should be on par with last seasons numbers.
Towkay and Zed
Itsabuzz (Towkay-Te Awahou) won during July over 1400m at Foxton and Surf Patrol (Towkay-Out On Bail) bought up win number 15 for Towkay progeny from Sue Hartys mare Out On Bail when she took the three-year-old event at Awapuni on Saturday 10 July.
Zed is getting a number of repeat bookings from broodmare owners impressed with the quality of their foals to date. While you wouldn't expect a son of Zabeel to leave too many two-year-old runners a number of his progeny have natural muscle at a young age- probably the Danehill factor- so you never know and the reports from breakers so far are positive with prominent comments being they move well, are tough but receptive to their education.
We have incorporated a new pedigree matching service which you can access through the homepage of our website. The G1 Goldmine Stallion Match tool allows breeders to see how compatible their mares are with either ZED or TOWKAY.
The value of a well balanced pedigree and incorporating nicks in a pedigree shouldn't be underestimated. We've highlighted before the incredible affinity Towkay has with mares carrying the blood of Fair Trial and a nick that has been developing successfully overseas that breeders can capitalise on with Towkay is the duplication of the broodmare Best In Show who features in the fifth line of Towkaysmale line family. Mares by stallions Masterclass and Thorn Park, who are both descendants of Best In Show, would replicate this nick with Towkay.
South Island Sale
We didn't get the money we were after for two of our three LOTS so they come home and will be prepared for the Horses In Training Sale in November. The Dankse-Her Hidden Talent colt sold to A & K Tyler of Invercargill for $11,000.
Interestingly we've passed some yearlings in recent years that have turned out to be pretty decent racehorses and these include the group one place getters Rapid Kay and Can't Keeperdown and the recent addition to Gai Waterhouses stable in last seasons promising three-year-old stayer Tullamore; bidders on the Towkay and Fastnet Rock colts at Christchurch take note €¦
Other News
A cold and damp morning failed to deter an enthusiastic group of clients and public from coming out to the farm for our open day. Congratulations to our former head groom Helen Phinney who won a $1,000 discount off a service to Towkay and Tania Skinner the recipient of a 50% saving on a Zed service.
Helen will use the prize to send her Testa Rosa mare Eutrophy to Towkay while Tania intends to send her 5 race winner and stakes placed mare Tuscany to Zed. Eutrophy commenced her broodmare career in style when the first foal Happy Man (Mossman-Eutrophy) scored on debut at Rotorua during July.
Happy Man was purchased from our 2008 National Weanling Sale draft by Craig Lees for $38,000 and is now trained by Tony Pike in Cambridge.
The LA and J Duncan bred National Treasure (Pins-Trigon Lass) made it four wins from just eight starts and undefeated in his last three outings with his latest Hong Kong success on 14 July. The three-year-old gelding was another astute buy by John Foote Bloodstock who purchased him for $180,000 from the Anzac Lodge draft at the 2008 Karaka Ready To Run Sale.
Monashees a Woodman mare we purchased from the Sydney Broodmare Sale a couple of years ago left a recent dual winner in Western Australia in the form of Eagle Peak by Catbird. Her fist foal for LA was another Catbird colt who we had intended to offer at the sales but a few niggly problems meant we kept him and he's now showing a lot of promise for trainer Roydon Bergeson. The mare then left a Pins filly that we have retained and is in foal to Darci Brahma.
Well hard to imagine it's just over a fortnight till Mudgway Stakes Day at the Bay. While some of you will no doubt be wining and dining trackside Catriona, Sam and Buzz (true!) will be hard at it on the 28th of August competing in the Wairapathon, a triathlon with a difference in Masterton. Those of you not heading north for the races come along and support the team.
Our son Billy has produced another leading litter of chocolate and black Labrador puppies. They truly are the ultimate hunting, family and cycling buddy so contact us here at LA if you'd like to purchase a new BEST FRIEND!
