News & Events

While the pre sale signs were largely positive it's doubtful even the most optimistic could have predicted the results of this year's Karaka Premier Sale. LA enjoyed a healthy 18 % increase in average price on last year's Premier Sale results selling 10 yearlings this week for an average price of $177,000. The Darci Brahma- Rivertaine and the Elusive City-Shahiid colts both realised $250,000 making them the equal highest priced lots in our draft. It's great to see Bart Cummings, DGR...

A couple of wins in Hong Kong last week and recent back to back listed wins in Australia could not have come at a more opportune time for three LA colts in next month's Karaka Sales. Rivertaine has been a great mare for us on the racetrack and in the matrons paddock Last week's Sha Tin winner High Return (by Dubai Destination) gave the mare her third individual winner in Hong Kong joining group one placed Regency Horse and five times winner O'Reilly Rally. Consequently Rivertaine's yearlings...

It was good to see so many familiar and whole bunch of new faces at our yearling parade on Sunday. Most of the horses behaved perfectly; remembering...

January 2010 2009 was full of highlights for LA . Stakeswinners throughout the year, bred, reared or sold by the farm included Roman Emperor (Group 1 AJC Derby), More Bountiful and Marquardt . Some of the listed and group placegetters in 2009 to have come off the farm include Pachanga, Blonde Bombshell, Aspinal, Special Day's, La Collina and the Classic placed Larry's Never Late and Can't Keeper Down. Looking forward it's just under a month until our next batch of stars are auctioned at the...

Towkay Filly Captures Group Two Placing Trying for an all the way win in her stakes debut the three-year-old Towkay filly Blonde Bombshell produced a brave effort for third in Boxing Day's Group Two Eight Carat Classic at Ellerslie. Her fast early sectional's enabled the winner, the exceptional filly Katie Lee to post a time of 1.33.69, a clocking rarely bettered by New Zealand three-year-olds. Part of our 2008 Karaka Premier draft for her breeders Herb Renall, B. Payn and Mark Oulaghan,...

High Octane ( Towkay- Trendy and True) showed the inherent Towkay toughness in spades with an outstanding win in Saturday's Group Three L.J Hooker Manawatu Cup at Awapuni. The Cup was the gelding's ninth career win and took his stake earnings to $230,000. She may have just gone under but there was a lot to admire about the debut second of Kallisan (Stratum- Eloa ) at Awapuni on Manawatu Cup day. A $220,000 purchase from our 2009 Karaka Premier draft by Stephen Gray. Two fillies offered by LA...

THE GR.3 LJ HOOKER MANAWATU CUP (2300M)(courtesy of NZTM) High Octane adds 2nd Gr.3 The game Towkay gelding High Octane (NZ) added a second Gr.3 accolade to the resume on Saturday. Previously successful in the 2007 Gr.3 Tauranga Stakes (1600m), High Octane (NZ) made his welcome return to the stakes spotlight in Awapuni's Gr.3 LJ Hooker Manawatu Cup (2300m). Pressed forward by Lisa Allpress after a tardy start, High Octane (NZ) sat parked outside the leader for much of the race and when set...

LAXON CLAIMS 6TH CONSECUTIVE PREMIERSHIP TITLE (courtesy of NZTM) NZ-bred galloper Pacino (NZ) takes Laxon's tally to 95 for 2009. Champion trainer Laurie Laxon lifted his sixth consecutive Singapore Trainers' Premiership title on Sunday, with a 2009 season tally of 95 wins. Appropriately it was the NZ-bred galloper Pacino (NZ) (Shinko King) who brought Laxon's prolific season to an end, with the former Melbourne Cup trainer having saddled the Class 4 winner in Big Minako (NZ) (Black...

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...

Marquardt (Shamardal-Centrefold Angel) (pictured here as a yearling) was rewarded for her consistency in stakes and group company with success in...

Ace Aliado ( Towkay -Waikawa) became Towkay's tenth individual stakeswinner taking Sunday's Group Two EW Barker Trophy in Singapore at 1400m. Unbeaten now in seven career starts the Christopher Grace bred four-year-old has once again earned generous praise from his regular pilot, Champion Singaporean jockey Saimee Jumaat. "The sky is the limit for this horse," Jumaat said. "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 go onto...

ACE ALIADO SHINES IN SINGAPORE Highlights for October have been Roman Emperor's brave second in the Caulfield Cup and Ace Aliado ( Towkay -Waikawa)...