September 2011
Brhhhhhhhh..... that was a cold spell in mid August. Thankfully the refurbished Trentham barn meant we could foal the mares indoors.
Everybody was full of expectation for the first of September €“ Per Incanto would get to serve his first ever mare. What a pro! That fabulous temperament and attitude he has shown us from the day he arrived at the farm simply transposed itself into the breeding barn.
Champion jockey James McDonald has booked a Redoutes Choice mare from Might and Power's family into Per Incanto and Stephen McKee confirmed a booking for a daughter of Sunline when we caught up with him at the first day at Hastings.
Talking of Hastings, congratulations to Alexander Fieldes and his family for their success with Ginner Hart in the Per Incanto @ LA Stud Three-Year-Old. The days racing and in particular the feature, was a great advertisement for the quality of the domestic product, and we look forward the Rush Munro Spring Carnival continuing in the same successful vein for the Hawkes Bay Club.
To date we have had 20 foals born on the farm. One of the more satisfying results has been Kalamanda's long awaited first foal, a lovely Mastercraftsman filly. Other highlights include a cracking Zabeel half brother to the dual Australian stakeswinner Marquardt and the first foal of Savamour, a Savabeel daughter of former leading racemare and producer Sound Lover, who delivered this muscular Stratum colt.
Per Incanto, Towkay and Zed
The quality of mare going to Per Incanto is very exciting. The first few mares served by the son of Street Cry were the group winner and group winning producer Sound Lover, along with Our Aspirations, a stakes winner, Arche, daughter of a Gr 1 winner and dam of a Gr 3 winner and Grable the 1/2 sister to stakes winner Marquardt.
Owners John Bary and Brian Collins have sold Shuffln (Towkay-Maximite) to connections of the leading Victorian stable of Mick Kent. A most impressive debut winner at Hastings in late July, the three-year-old is expected to target some nice age group races in Victoria over the spring.
Winners for Towkay over the last month have included:
Acquit (Towkay-Out on Bail) won her fifth race when scoring over 1600m at Timaru
Yelracm (Towkay-Our Secret) won his sixth race when successful over 1200m at Wanganui last Saturday
Michael (Towkay-La Grandezza) the three-year-old gelding won over 1400m in Singapore last Sunday
Michael's performance drew high praise from his trainer Laurie Laxon who said, "This is a very good horse in the making. He's got a good style and a nice physique about him. I think he has a good future here and should go up to a mile easily."
From the Flying Spur mare La Grandezza, Michael was bred by Mark, John and John Carter and sold from our 2010 Karaka Select draft for $57,500.
Interestingly the busiest stallion bookings wise the last couple of weeks has been Zed. As we had anticipated, his early three-year-olds are starting to hit their straps on the training tracks, at jumpouts and trials.
The Zed-Maranello Miss gelding who was sold to Singapore after running second to the highly promising Pussy O'Reilly in a trial last season, won at the trials there a fortnight ago, while it's pleasing to see the form around Shezazed's (Zed-Shezdabomb) second placing on debut last season to Sangster read very strongly when he came out and won a debut a fortnight ago in Sydney, then backed up last weekend with a second in stakes company.
Other News
LA's small racing team almost pulled off some Australian black-type with Aspinal's (Pins-Clermont Rose) brave run for fourth in last Friday's Listed Mona Lisa Stakes. Unfortunately Bellabachi (Zabeel-Sound Lover) didn't pull up 100% sound after her latest run in Melbourne so she will head off to the court of Starspangledbanner, while Shuswap (Pins-Monashees) is down to start in this weekend's Group Two Tea Rose Stakes in Sydney.
The Logan stable has been telling us of their high opinion of the LA bred Sir Lovesalot (Darci Brahma-Sound Lover) for a while so it was very pleasing for everyone involved in the stylish looking three-year-old to see him win the way he did over 1200m at Ruakaka on 24 August, at just his second raceday start.
Another LA bred son of Darci Brahma in The Deep South (Darci Brahma-Southern Cry), almost made a winning debut in Victoria last week, finishing a close second over 1300m. Bred in partnership with John and Don Gordon, the three-year-old was an $80,000 purchase from our Sydney 2010 Easter Sale draft by Paul Moroney Bloodstock.
The LA, Brian Hutchinson and Don Gordon bred Jervois (Pentire-Nikki's Bride) won over 3200m in Victoria on 30 August for the very much in-form Robert Smerdon stable.
What a spectacular start to the Rugby World Cup. It should make us all very proud kiwis! What with the foaling season cranking into gear and all this exciting rugby to watch, the coffee machine in the new office kitchen is never off! Go the AB's!
