It’s a timely reminder with the up-coming NZB National Yearling Sales at Karaka and Christchurch, that winners can come from anywhere.
There are a number of clear examples where top horses have been sold relatively cheaply through the sales arena, with NZ Cup winners Mainland Banner and Copy That immediately coming to mind after being sold for less than $10k as yearlings.
And just in the last week or so Chocolate Crunch won on debut at Rangiora after being passed in at the 2023 Christchurch Yearling Sales.
When prominent Canterbury owner/breeder Hazel van Opzeeland didn’t get a bid on her Captain Crunch – Bettor’s Blaze filly (Lot 228) she approached West Melton trainer Grant Payne to see if he might be interested in taking her filly on.
Payne had seen the black filly go through the ring and was very familiar with the family, having broken in her fourth dam Lady Alba when working for Cambridge trainer Charlie Hunter back in the 1980s.
Lady Alba was, herself, a half sister to eight winners including the unraced dam of millionaire pacer The Falcon Strike (41 wins) so there was some deep breeding behind her pedigree.
“I broke Lady Alba in and as her regular pilot, drove her in three of her 10 wins,” Payne explained,
Her career was highlighted by an eight win 2YO season resulting in her being awarded 2YO Filly of the Year in the 1983 season.
Lady Alba would breed on to leave five winners including Classiealba (dam of smart pacer Cranbourne (17 wins + $336k + 1:52), the latter being arguably the best horse sired by colonial sire Sir Lincoln.
Another daughter, Lady’s Day was bought by the Master Musician ownership group of McDonald and Storck and won 7 races from the Robert Dunn stable including a placing at Group 1 level in the NZ Breeders Stakes (Lakelsa won the 2025 version last week).
Lady’s Day wasn’t a great producer at stud (3 minor winners from 8 foals) but her big claim to fame was leaving the unraced Cullen mare Baptism Of Fire who just happened to leave millionaire pacer Highview Tommy as her first foal.
Enter Hazel van Opzeeland.
Tommy was sold at the 2007 yearling sales to Michael House who was then in the business of buying yearlings to take through to the ‘Ready To Run’ sale six months later.
Time trials were held at Ashburton in conjunction with that sale.
Van Opzeeland just happened to work for House at the time in an administrative capacity and just like that she had acquired her first horse along with good friends Glenys and Philip Kennard.
After winning 17 races and being placed twice in NZ Cups, its not hard to understand the love the owner had for the Bettor’s Delight entire who now stands at stud in Australia.
The deeds of her little black colt have enabled van Opzeeland to go ‘back to the well’ on numerous occasions and a half-sister to Tommy in Highview Chartom is the grand dam of her latest winner Chocolate Crunch.
The latter’s dam, Bettor’s Blaze, was unraced but already looks like a good broodmare in the making. Apart from her first foal winning at Amberley on Waitangi Day, her second foal and full sister BB Crunch debuted in the first 2025 2YO pace at Addington and ran a creditable fourth for van Opzeeland and trainer Ken Barron. Following on in behind, there is a yearling Vincent colt from the mare waiting to be a racehorse.
As for Chocolate Crunch Payne is confident she can improve further again.
“She reminds me a lot of Lady Alba in that they were/are poor track workers but come alive on race day. Chocolate Crunch is still very green but we will press on and see if she can carry that debut run onto the all weather surface at Addington next week before having a spell.”
The NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sales will be held at Auckland (Karaka) on Saturday, February 15 and Christchurch on Tuesday, February 18.
