News & Events

The win of Lideem ( Nadeem -Lissande) over 1100m at Geelong last Friday gave Nadeem his fourth Australian winner in the last 11 days. His impressive sprinting son Sterling City ( Nadeem – So Gorgeous by Brief Truce ) almost made it a fifth success, going down narrowly in a Class 2 event in Hong Kong on Saturday. Two-year-old filly II Mio Destino ( Nadeem -Floribunda by Brief Truce), a game third to the Darley filly Moderate over 1300m at Warwick Farm in Sydney yesterday is also from a Brief...

Coming off a three and a half length maiden win at Kilmore, 3YO filly Keyarna Blue (O’Reilly – Oh Blue Angel), pictured left, announced herself as a...

The LA bred and raced Kekova (Elusive City-Racing Waters) bought more joy to her great bunch of owners and further enhanced her broodmare value with a typically gritty performance to land the Listed D.Reynolds Electrical Great Easter Stakes at Riccarton on Saturday. Never really comfortable in the heavy track conditions, the five-year old mare called on all her class to record her seventh career victory and her second stakes success – her first came on a firm track in the Wairarapa...

On Saturday afternoon after Usainity ( Zed – Day Tripper) had won the Group 3 Frank Packer Plate at Randwick and trainer Murray Baker had given his sire a wrap on Sky Channel we were almost pinching ourselves and thinking how much better can this get. Then an hour latter Ambitious Champion ( Zed – Simply Sally) comes out and wins the NZ Bloodstock Insurance Premier 3 Year Old over 2000m at Te Rapa with an astonishing performance. Congratulations to Mark and John Carter, Brian Broom and their...

It was always going to be difficult to match Gr.1 wins over consecutive weekends, and while we may not have bred this one, the win of Sacred Falls (O’Reilly-Iguazu’s Girl) in the Gr.1 Doncaster Handicap on Saturday at Randwick still had real significance for the farm. LA bred the dam of Iguazu’s Girl, the former top racemare Iguazu and are breeding from a number of the family. In fact only a fortnight ago we sold a Pins colt out of Kurabeel a half sister to Iguazu at the Sydney Easter Sale to...

With the empty champagne bottles still in the recycling bin following Xanadu’s (Elusive City – Forest Dream)win in the Gr.1 Fiber Fresh NZ Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes, Viadana (Towkay – Yeah Nah) registered the second Gr.1 victory by a farm bred in a week with her win in the $200,000 Gr.1 Manco Easter Handicap at Ellerslie on Saturday. Patiently ridden by Mark Du Plessis, the Lance Noble trained 5YO mare was able to use her trademark turn of foot at just the right moment to land the time...

Even those who backed other runners in the Gr.1 Fiber Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha on Saturday would have found it difficult to begrudge the win of the LA bred Xanadu (Elusive City- Forest Dream ). Five times Gr.1 placed including behind the likes of Ocean Park and Final Touch, the Ken Kelso trained mare fittingly chose the always competitive and only set weight Gr.1 race for fillies and mares in the country to land her inaugural win at racings elite...

With his dam residing on the farm and selling his half sister at Karaka last year we have always taken a keen interest in the fortunes of Nashville (Darci Brahma- Royal Kiss ).It was immensely satisfying to see him claim a well deserved maiden Gr.1 win and in such emphatic fashion when successful in the Haunui Farm WFA Classic over 1600m at Otaki on Saturday. Royal Kiss is safely back in foal to Darci Brahma, we look forward to offering a full sibling at Karaka in 2015. Mendoza ( Towkay -Dusky...

From the same family as her part owner Don Gordon’s fine gallopers Mun Lee, Secrecy and Dancing Daze, 3YO filly Pit A Pat (Towkay-Secret Step) showed some of the family ability with a four length maiden win over 1100m at Wairoa on Sunday. Those of you with good memories who attended our annual mid winter stallion parade and weanling walk in 2010 may remember a strongly made Zed weanling colt in one of the open yards next to the new yearling barn. Well fast forward two years and that horse...

What a week for the farm! The fun started on Waitangi Day when with the friends whom we race the LA bred Kekova (Elusive City- Racing Waters )...

Solid without any spectacular results - in rugby analogy a Crusader type performance - would be an apt description of our Karaka Sale. It was pleasing to see so many good judges, many of them previous purchasers of our yearlings, buying our horses. Cameron Cooke Bloodstock from Victoria paid $200,000 for the full brother to Larry’s Never Late, which made the Pentire colt our highest priced yearling at Karaka this year. The week culminated with our two lots in the Festival Sale realising in...

It has taken another high class performer to defeat the LA bred Xanadu (Elusive City- Forest Dream ); this time in the Gr.1 Telegraph Handicap at...