Our Karaka Premier draft of 19 yearlings has an overall physical quality and evenness that we feel is unsurpassed in our 17 years of taking horses to Karaka. There's also great variety with ten sires represented in our Premier draft alone including Lohnro, Flying Spur, Hussonett, O'Reilly, Testa Rosa, Darci Brahma, Towkay and Pins.
The breeding season finished on a high last week when Laebeel (2nd in the Caulfield Cup and dam of Larry's Never Late) delivered a Pins colt, our last foaling for the year.
Aspinal performed with credit for the small LA racing team in the 1000 Guineas and in Australia Bellabaci (Zabeel-Sound Lover) put together two impressive wins signalling her readiness for a career determining assignment at Flemington on New Years Day.
Towkay
Ace Aliado became Towkay's eighteenth stakes performer when he won the Group Two EW Barker Trophy over 1400m in Singapore. Unbeaten now in seven career starts the four-year-old gelding earned generous praise from his regular pilot, Champion Singaporean jockey Saimee Jumaat.
"The sky is the limit for this horse. He doesn't win by much but he clearly knows how to win. He is such a fighter and the way he is racing he can only go onto bigger and better things." said Saimee
Highlighting the excellent standard of Singporean racing and prizemoney Ace Aliado ran the 1400m on grass in 1.20.8 taking a full second off the course record and took his stake earnings to NZ $428,000.
Other winners for Towkay over the last month have been:
Towcutter (Towkay-Eva's Belle) winner freshup in Victoria over 1000m in 57.4 Happee Gift (Towkay-Make Up) registered his third Hong Kong win with a 1000m success on 18/11 Noble One (Towkay-Cinzano) scored over 1400m win in Singapore.
Karaka Yearling Sales
Our Premier draft comprises yearlings by Lohnro, O'Reilly, Flying Spur, Pins, Testa Rosa, Darci Brahma, Hussonett, Savabeel, Elusive City and Towkay.
Getting a helping hand was lot 387 in the Premier Sale our Pins colt from Eloa courtesy of his two-year-old half sister by Stratum who won at the Wanganui trials today. And read on below for the pedigree upgrade for our Darci Brahma-Sound Lover colt who is lot 178 in the Premier Sale.
The seven Towkay colts in our Select draft are a great advertisement for the improved quality of mare the stallion has served over the last three seasons. There's the well balanced Heureka colt who looks like he'll just sleep, eat and run to the Jabeske colt that many good judges to the farm haven't stopped talking about through to the La Grandezza colt who has a touch more leg than a lot of the stallions stock.
This year's yearling parade at LA will be on Sunday the 10th of January - For more details keep an eye on the websitewww.lastud.co.nz .
Other News
At 19 years of age, Sound Lover is Sam's favourite broodmare. There was always a fair chance LA would retain Sound Lover's 2005 filly by Zabeel. Only the second filly left by the multiple stakes producing mare, LA's decision was made even easier because she was such a looker and going to take a bit of time.
Time indeed has been a great friend to the rangy mare now racing as Bellabaci showed taking a 2000m contest by six and half lengths on 11 November and then backing up with another easy win at Sandown over 2100m last week. The Group Three Bagot Handicap on New Years Day is now the target for the Danny O'Brien trained mare.
LA has previously sold a winner of Hong Kong's prestigious Most Improved Horse award in More Bountiful who took out the title last season and in Appreciation (Danasinga-Kincia) we look to have another candidate for this season's award particularly if his early season form continues. Actually LA has an association with another previous winner of the award: Armada, the winner of the title in the 06/07 season was of course sired by our very own Towkay
The Lorraine Jameson bred Appreciations's latest success came at Sha Tin last Sunday evening in his Class 1 debut, making it three wins from five starts this campaign.
Interestingly both More Bountiful and Appreciation were purchased by John Foote Bloodstock - More Bountiful from the South Island Sale, Appreciation at the Karaka 2006 Premier Sale.
Marquardt (Shamardal-Centrefold Angel) gained a well deserved stakes success with her win in the Listed 1400m Snowhite Stakes at Sandown on Sandown Classic Day.
So another year draws to a close. Things got off to an "interesting" start with the Karaka Sale but as other markets subsequently showed, the fallout could have been a lot worse. The Sydney autumn carnival was a real highlight for the farm with Marquardt running such a game race for sixth in the Golden Slipper then Roman Emperor coming out and taking the AJC Derby.
We braced ourselves for a reduced demand for services to both stallions but Towkay and Zed ended up serving more mares than the previous season. The Ready to Run Sale showed that people are still very keen to race horses. Look at the Riccarton Carnival. Records broken across the board and how big is Cup day going to be in the next couple of years! Who wouldn't want a horse racing in this sort of atmosphere?
On behalf of the LA team we wish you all a safe and very merry Xmas and look forward to seeing you at the yearling parade on 10th January here at LA or at Karaka 1-5th January 2010.
