Warmer days have seen the mares blossom with 111 foals now on the farm. With the World Cup hangover, sleep has certainly been at a premium but with the euphoria of the All Blacks victory and so many impressive foals about, the days are made easier.
Zabeel mare Kurabeel, whose highly promising racing career was nipped in the bud after just eight starts, delivered her first foal, a lovely Pins recently, while Generous Nature, whose first foal Sir Ferrari by Testa Rossa won on debut at Trentham last week, also foaled a Pins filly.
Unfortunately Collar (O'Reilly-Laebeel) and Rapidus (Darci Brahma-Rivertaine) could not annex the VRC Derby but we were still proud to have bred two runners that contested one of the great races on the Australian calendar. Collar in particular was not helped by the stop start nature of the race and remains an exciting staying prospect for the future.
Our focus this month will be on the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka which gets underway on 15 November. The LA draft, which is being prepared by Lyndhurst Farm this year, is one of outstanding quality, with the Pins half brother to Larry's Never Late and Collar likely to be one of the standout lots of the Sale judging by his impressive breeze up last month.
Per Incanto, Towkay and Zed
Per Incanto (Street Cry) will end up serving around 145 mares. The Kentucky Derby winning son of Street Cry, Street Sense, was represented by his first stakeswinner when his two-year-old son Motor City won a group three race at Churchill Downs in Kentucky last week.
Towkay had his tenth individual winner from his three-year-old crop when his son Natural Nice (Towkay-Aspects of Love) won over 1400m in Singapore on Sunday.
Other winners for Towkay over the last month have been:
Precision King (Towkay-Quasi Stellar) made it a winning double with his success over 1200m at Taupo on 13 October.
Xpectation (Towkay-Wooden Doll) picked up another American success, this time over 1400m at Keeneland in Kentucky on 14 October.
Cee Gee Jay (Towkay-Marjie Marjie) made it two wins and a third from her last three starts with a victory over 2000m.
Rampant (Towkay-On Honeymoon) won an open 1200m at Wanganui on 15 October.
Ballistic Ruler (Towkay-Ballistic) won over 2000m in Victoria, taking his stake earnings to the cusp of six figures.
Hey Toro (Towkay-Grand Vitesse) was successful over 1200m in Singapore.
Zed's (Zabeel-Emerald Dream) standing as one of the best bred stallions in New Zealand just gained further credence with his full brother Zabeene winning the Listed Metropolitan Trophy at Riccarton on Saturday.
Ready to Run Sale 15 & 16 November 2011
LA's draft of four two-year-olds are truly a representation of the present and future of the New Zealand breeding industry. There is a colt by champion stallion Zabeel, a colt by the current Champion NZ stallion Pins and colts by two of our most promising stallions, Savabeel and Darci Brahma.
In the same week that his half brother Collar was running second to Manawanui in the Group 2 Mitchelton Wines Vase on the Cox Plate under-card, the Pins-Laebeel two-year-old colt galloped impressively during the Breeze-Ups for New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready to Run Sale. A 30 November foal, the colt showed he had the families galloping ability, recording a promising 10.48 for his 200m hit out, which looks sure to cement his standing as one of the standout lots of the Sale. The quickest time for the 300 plus two-year-olds was 10.22.
The half brother to Collar and dual group winner Larry's Never Late sells as Hip 185 early on the second day of the Sale. LA's other Ready to Run entrants, who are all part of the highly regarded Lyndhurst Farm draft, sell as follows:
Lot 74 Darci Brahma/ Clermont Rose colt
Lot 198 Zabeel/Loose Lil colt
Lot 283 Savabeel/Rivertaine colt
Other News
It may only have been a midweek maiden but the win on debut of the LA bred Xanadu (Elusive City-Forest Dream) at Matamata on 28 October had a touch of class about it and confirmed the private reputation the three-year-old filly has had for some time. It was an especially pleasing result for the farm as our valued client John Gilbert had approached Sam when the filly was just a yearling and negotiated her purchase. The three-year-old fillies ranks in New Zealand are again strong this season but Xanadu can be competitive in the pattern company fillies races over the summer.
Forest Dream was represented by another winner last week when her four-year-old son Must Have (No Excuse Needed-Forest Dream) won over 2000m in Victoria. Must Have was purchased for $70,000 from our 2009 Karaka Select Sale draft by Johnston/Houlahan Bloodstock.
The legacy of one of the farms favourite mares Sound Lover looks set to continue for some time judging by recent results. My Quilter(Pins-Sound Lover), a $160,000 purchase from our 2009 Karaka Premier draft by John Foote Bloodstock, made it successive victories with his win over 1400m in Queensland on 30 October, while his half sister the LA owned Bellabachi (by Zabeel) was scanned in foal this week to leading stallion Stratum. Sound Lover, a group three winner on the track, has left nine winners including two stakeswinners from nine horses to the races.
Kekova (Elusive City-Racing Waters) clearly appreciated the firm Riccarton track on Saturday, taking a very competitive 1400m contest. Bred and raced by LA, the four-year-old mare had very good form last season and it was only wet tracks that her stopped her fulfilling that promise this season.
LA's proud record in the Group One Caulfield Cup continued when the Christopher Grace bred Tullamore (Savabeel-Trocair) finished third in the time honoured race. Tullamore who was prepared by LA for the 2008 Karaka Select Yearling Sale where he was passed in for $55,000, joins other Te Parae and LA bred or reared luminaries, Ilumquh, Straight Draw, Laebeel and Roman Emperor to run a dividend bearing position in the great staying handicap.
Sir Ferrari (Testa Rossa-Generous Nature), who won on debut at Trentham on Melbourne Cup day was an $80,000 purchase from our 2010 Karaka Premier Sale draft by Bruce Perry Bloodstock. Bruce also purchased Bella Carolina (O'Reilly-Kelly Flinn), who won the same Trentham card, for $40,000 from our 2009 Karaka Select Sale draft.
Darci's Money (Darci Brahma-Miss Moneytree), who won by almost three lengths over 1000m in New South Wales last week, was bought for $100,000 from our 2010 Karaka Select Sale draft by Bede Murray.
Happy racing from Team LA
