News & Events

LA UPDATE 14 APRIL 2008 
Service Fees Announcement 

On the back of Towkay's most successful domestic season to date - over $850,000 in prizemoney and group one winning filly Special Mission - the Towkay partnership and Little Avondale have this week confirmed that Towkay's service fee for the upcoming breeding season will remain at last years figure of $10,000 plus GST. Comparatively with other stallions fee's and Towkay's stocks run of success on the racetrack and at the yearling sales, there was justification to increase his fee. By remaining at $10,000, it enforces confidence into the industry with him being an excellent commercial proposition for all breeders. 

The breeder's response to our new stallion Zed (Zabeel - Emerald Dream) last year was quite overwhelming. His excellent fertility resulted in 119 mares in foal after covering 133. Zed'sbooking fee this season will go to $1,000 plus GST with a refund of $750 should the mare fail to get in foal. 

Sam's already taking bookings for both stallions with an unusually high rate of enquiry from breeders for this time of the year. 

The last ten days for the team at LA has just been amazing with the group one victory of Special Mission (Towkay-Te Akau Theme) and Armada's (Towkay-Dance In Time) emphatic return to form in Hong Kong in taking the Group Two Chairmans Trophy. Pleasingly it hasn't stopped there with Pasta Post's Group One Easter Handicap victory on Saturday also having significance for LA; three years ago Sam and the team prepared and then sold the Postponed - Blue Heaven colt at Karaka for breeders and owners Fayette Park Stud. 

Towkay had another winner locally when Classic Tycoon (Towkay-Classic Call) registered his seventh career victory scoring over 1200m at Riccarton on Saturday.

Saturday evening in Hong Kong saw Cash Money (Towkay-Also) score over 1400m and Lotztow(Towkay - Maretto) flashing home for third in the Hong Kong Lions Cup over 1650m after drawing the horror outside barrier. 

Sam left yesterday with our three yearlings bound for the Australian Yearling Sales in Sydney, which start on 20 April. The family of lot 397 - Savabeel/ Steluta colt - almost unearthed more black type with Pinnacles (Fuji Kiseki-Galroof) fourth in the Group One Goodwood Handicap in Adelaide on Saturday - Galroof being a half sister to Steluta. Two Zabeel yearlings complete our draft, lot 59 the filly from group two winning mare Dancing Daze and lot 338 the three quarter brother to stakeswinners Men at Work and Philosophe. Sam believes Lot 338 is possibly the BEST Zabeel that LA have bred...not bad considering LA have bred 4 G1 performers by Zabeel. 

Finally we couldn't go without reminding you of the National Weanling and Broodmare Sale at Karaka on 11-13 May. Featuring weanlings by Stravinsky, O'Reilly, Stratum, Towkay and Mossman, LA's draft is easily our strongest yet. Those who saw Pentathon's run at Rosehill on Saturday would want to be on nothing else come the Sydney Cup on 3 May. In conjunction with Masterton's Richard and Sarah Greaves, LA sell an outstanding Towkay weanling colt from a full sister to Pentathon.