Month: June 2023

Multiple stakes performer Windermere was the highlight lot of the broodmare session at Friday’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling & Broodmare Sale at Karaka and fetched $120,000 to the bid of Little Avondale Stud’s Sam Williams.   The six-year-old daughter of All Too Hard was a four-time winner in Australia and placed in the Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) and Listed Tatt’s Gold Crown (2137m). Presented by Kilmore Farm as part of the dispersal of prominent Australian breeder Rob Ferguson’s New Zealand-based mares, Windermere is in foal to Cambridge Stud’s exciting…

Gordon Cunningham is a man that knows a good Ocean Park. The Curraghmore principal has sold two of the stallion’s Group One winners Tofane and Kovalica and he was delighted to secure a colt by Ocean Park from the High Chaparral mare Rolling in Thedeep at Friday’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling & Broodmare Sale at Karaka. Presented by Windsor Park Stud as Lot 132, Cunningham went to $120,000 for the well-related colt and said he had similarities to recent Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) winner Kovalica. “He was a very…

Riversley Park’s Sam Beatson was active at Friday’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling and Broodmare Sale with three purchases, including a sale-topping weanling colt by Per Incanto. Beatson extended to $150,000 to secure the Brighthill Farm presented colt, who is out of a Redoute’s Choice mare that stems from the Dowager Duchess of Bedford’s famed Mrs Moss family which features the late stallion Tavistock. “He is a lovely physical colt, a good moving colt. He just had a lot of quality about him and he had a good attitude every…

Hong Kong buyer Nancy Wong made her presence felt at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Weanling & Broodmare Sale on Friday with seven purchases. Under her Dungowan Racing banner, she signed for four fillies and three colts at Karaka along with Bryce Tankard’s Waikato Bloodstock. Wong’s most expensive buy at $115,000 was a daughter of young Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan from the draft of Wentwood Grange, who had several under-bidders.   Catalogued as Lot 172, the Ardrossan filly is out of the Group Three winner Ticket To Ride, and was the…

Waikato thoroughbred nursery Kaha Nui Farm were the leading buyers at Friday’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling and Broodmare Sale with four purchases, headed by Lot 67, a filly by leading sire Proisir. Nicky White went to $140,000 to secure the strongly made filly who is out of the winning Azamour mare Jazamour, who was presented by Cam and Eva Heron’s Highline Thoroughbreds. “She’s just a really good filly with a massive backend on her,” White said. “I think she’ll get up and run fairly early. She was my pick…

Another bold run from Johny Johny at Te Rapa this weekend will give Cambridge trainers Tim and Margaret Carter assurance that they can press on towards the Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) with confidence. The Charm Spirit five-year-old will look to make it three wins from four starts this preparation when he tackles Saturday’s Mike Stent Decorators Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa. Stable apprentice Jim Chung, currently on loan to Awapuni trainer Mike Breslin, will head north to take the plum ride on a horse Tim Carter describes as…

Group One performer Benaud will look to build on his stakes-level performances in Saturday’s Listed W J Mckell Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday. After recording his maiden win on debut in the country, a lack of progressive middle-distance races early in Benaud’s career meant trainer John O’Shea quickly stepped the gelding up to metropolitan stakes level, of which his next 17 starts have come without victory. However, the connections of Benaud have been rewarded with impressive Group placings in the Gr.3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) and Kingston Town Stakes (2000m),…