Awards time
As we near the end of the season, the industry’s attention is soon to be diverted to the accolades as the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association prepares for their annual awards, set for July 27 in Cambridge.
A number of categories are recognised, headed by the prestigious Broodmare of the Year Award which has a history tracing to 1953. Breeder of the Year, Small Breeder of the Year and Horse of the Year awards are also finalised.
The Stallion Awards, decided on stake earnings, are the Grosvenor Award (Champion New Zealand Sire), Dewar Award (Champion NZ-based Sire New Zealand and Australian earnings) and Centaine Award (Champion NZ-based Sire International earnings).
For the season a total of 25 mares produced a Group 1 winner and three mares, But Beautiful (Pivotal), Cape South (Cape Cross) and Japonica (Encosta De Lago) produced multiple stakes winners. Hoping to join a magnificent list of wonderful Broodmares of the Year are a short list of eight nominees – But Beautiful, Cape South, Japonica, Lilahjay (Tavistock), Madonna Mia (Red Clubs), Make A Wish (Pins) Posy (No Excuse Needed) and Symphonic (O’Reilly).
Deliberations whittled the nominees to three finalists, namely Lilahjay, Madonna Mia and Symphonic, the winner to be announced at the awards dinner.
Lilahjay’s inclusion as a finalist is due to her 2017 foal Mr Brightside (Bullbars) who assembled four Group 1 victories – two in the spring and another two in the autumn. His Group 1 wins were the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), the Caulfield Futurity (1400m), the CF Orr Stakes (1400m) and the Memsie Stakes (1400m). His high-class placings included consecutive seconds in the King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) and the Champions’ Mile (Gr 1, 1600m).
Defending her Broodmare of the Year title, Madonna Mia was again represented by one of the world’s leading sprinters. Lucky Sweynesse (Sweynesse) was desperately unlucky in the 2022 Hong Kong Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) but made amends with a popular win in the 2023 version and also added two Group 2 sprints against the best speedsters in commission.
Symphonic is the dam of the high-class filly Orchestral (Savabeel) whose streak of five consecutive wins included the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (RL, 1600m), the Avondale Guineas (Gr 2, 2100m), the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) and the Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
Breeder of the Year
The three finalists for Breeder of the Year include Mr Brightside’s breeders, RI and the Estate of the late MAG Johnson. They are joined by Trelawney Stud as breeders of Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) who may well be named Australian Horse of the Year after her astounding front-running performances at the top level of Australian racing. Because Pride Of Jenni was bred in Australia, her dam is ineligible for Broodmare of the Year but her breeders are eligible as Breeder of the Year. Third of the finalists is Waikato Stud who was responsible for three individual Group 1 winners, namely I Wish I Win (Savabeel), Atishu (Savabeel) and Skew Wiff (Savabeel).
Small Breeder of the Year
A recently introduced award is the Small Breeder of the Year, recognising excellence from small operations. EM, NA Bourke & AR Piercy are one of three finalists having bred two Group 3 winners – Mary Louise (The Bold One) winner of the Wellington Cup (Gr 3, 3200), and Counties Cup (Gr 3, 2100m) winner One Bold Cat (The Bold One).
Mr Brightside’s breeders are also eligible for this award in addition to their being finalists for Breeder of the Year while CJ & PJ Lynsky, breeders of Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Puntura (Vespa) round out the three.
The last award is the Seton Otway Horse of the Year which will be one of the 25 Group 1 winners and announced on the night.
Mudders
Trentham’s Whyte Handicap (1600m), the chief mile of their winter programme, lost its stakes status in 2002. The winner that year was Miss Trust (Corrupt) and her winning time indicates the toughness needed to slog through the mud. At 1:55.6, the 2002 Whyte almost fits the “two-minute-mile” description. Broken down to 200-metre sectionals equals 14.57 per 200 metres.
A number of former winners were good enough to win two Whyte Handicaps including Cambridge Fair (Fair’s Fair), Greek Meer (Adios) and Maria Mitchell (El Mughar). However, Maria Mitchell was versatile enough to win the country’s top sprint, the Railway Handicap (Gr 1, 6f).
Another famous winner was Baghdad Note (Kurdistan) whose Whyte win was in 1970. Four months after that he ran a slick 3:19.7 when scoring the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 2m), proving that winning in the mud doesn’t always translate to being a permanent wet-tracker.
Saturday’s running was a triumph for Espresso To Go (Tavistock) who was first into gear and took a two–length lead before they had run 200 metres. He extended that to three lengths before they reached the end of the back straight but was eased to allow the chasers to get within a length approaching the 600 metres.
Taking a tighter line into the straight, Espresso To Go then drifted towards the outside fence but still led by two at the 300 metres and went further clear from the 200 metres. To the line he was fully in control and nearly four in front when it mattered and his third career win.
He was offered as part of the Inglewood Stud draft at the 2020 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale (Book 1) but failed to reach his reserve of $60,000.
Espresso To Go is the third winner from four to race from Frothed (Lonhro), a half-sister to the top three-year-old in Australia in 2006-07, Fiumicino (Zabeel). He won seven times and banked $3.1 million in prize-money as a result of wins in the Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) and BMW Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m). Another half-sister is Tsikory (Stravinsky), dam of the good two-year-old, Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Aretha (Charm Spirit).
Espresso To Go’s granddam is a half-sister Melbourne Cup winner Brew (Sir Tristram), the son of five-time Group 1 winner and champion mare Horlicks (Three Legs).
Tavi-sprinter
Entriviere (Tavistock) was certainly a brilliant sprinter, having won the Railway Handicap and was highly competitive among Sydney’s sprinters. Mostly, however, when we think of Tavistock (Montjeu) as a sire we think middle distance despite the fact that Tavistock himself was a Group 1 winner at 1400 metres.
The exceptions are previously mentioned Entriviere but to her you can add Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) winner Ruthless Dame. At Group 2 level are Tavi Mac and Life Lessons. He really is a versatile sire.
The open sprint at Trentham on Saturday was over 1000 metres but probably raced more like a 1200-metre race and was won by Tavis Court (Tavistock), recording his tenth career win, eight of which have taken place on heavy tracks. His best stakes placing was when finishing third in the Red Badge Spring Sprint (Gr 3, 1400m) in October 2022 as a seven-year-old. In a few weeks he will be nine.
Always handy, Tavis Court was taken wide when they reached the course proper and kept up a sustained run from the 400 metres to overhaul the leader just short of the line. This latest and shortest distance win took his prize-money earnings to $279,123.
He is the only foal of his dam, the unraced Keep Her Free (Keeper), to race. His granddam is a half-sister to Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Court Ruler (Viking Ruler) and his great granddam is a half-sister to Freequent (Mistral Dancer) whose best win was the New Zealand St Leger (Gr 3, 2500m).
Ride him cold
Five-year-old Jabbawockeez (Redwood) seems to be improving with age, plus the stable have found the winning formula, which is to ride him cold and save his run as late as possible. That’s how Blake Shinn figured things out anyway having watched a replay of the gelding’s win at Sandown this time last year.
At Sandown, Jabbawockeez was kept to the fence the entire race then stormed home late. At Caulfield, for Saturday’s Benchmark 78 (2000m), Shinn also held the rail although he had to move out in the home straight yet their finish, between runners, was a case of holding him up until the last minute before unleashing.
The son of Redwood (High Chaparral) was entered but withdrawn from the 2020 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale and began his race career in New Zealand, winning an Ellerslie trial at two from Shaun and Emma Clotworthy’s stable in December of 2021. His first race was at three, winning second–up at Swan Hill in November 2022. His second win was at Pakenham later that season and two starts later was the Sandown win described above.
This preparation he won second–up at Warrnambool, flying home from well back to nail the winner at the post. His record stands at five wins and three placings from 16 starts with a growing bank of $213,750 in prize-money. His best form is when there is some give in the track
Windsor Kiwi
Impressive winner of Sunday’s Glasshouse Handicap (Listed, 1400m), Punch Lane (So You Think), has serious New Zealand roots even though he was bred in Australia.
The four-year-old showed a great turn of foot to lead his opponents to the top of the straight and was vulnerable to the 200 metres yet came away strongly over the final 100 metres, taking his record to six wins in 12 starts, the Glasshouse his maiden stakes success.
His NZ-bred sire, international star So You Think (High Chaparral), is now an established leading sire and Punch Lane became his 57th individual stakes winner, as well as the fifth winner of six to race from his dam Cybercyn, a stakes–winning daughter of not-so-well known Staaraq (At Talaq). Cybercyn won six, including at Listed level in Adelaide.
Windsor Park Stud has a major influence on Punch Lane’s existence, beginning with So You Think who was sold through their 2008 NZB Premier Sale draft. Punch Lane’s granddam is by Kaapstad (Sir Tristram) and his great granddam is by Star Way (Star Appeal), both stallions stalwarts of Windsor Park.
Recent Auckland Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner El Soldado (Columbia) is from a half-sister to Punch Lane’s great granddam, Rocky Way (Star Way). The next dam, On The Rocks (Rocky Mountain), was a half-sister to the top New Zealand two-year-old of his year, Counsel (Test Case).