Llanacord to Oaks after brave Lowland win
The Stephen Nickalls-trained Llanacord (Contributer) landed the Little Avondale Stud Lowland Stakes (Gr 2, 2100m) at Hastings yesterday to provide the Mapperley Stud-based stallion Contributer with a first stakes success.
A dominant eight-length winner in maiden grade over 2040 metres at Whanganui last month, she narrowly withstood the late challenge of runner-up Charms Star (Per Incanto) by a nose to win here in a brave performance. Canuhandleajandal (Jimmy Choux) finished a half-length further back in third.
“It feels amazing. It’s just an incredible feeling,” Nickalls, best-known for training jumpers, said after claiming his first flat stakes success.
“We ran second in a Wellington Steeplechase and that was a special day, but this is pretty cool.
“I know we are in Covid times and it is a very different world, but it didn’t dampen enthusiasm at all.
“I have got to say a big thank you to Darryl Bradley who galloped her on Monday for me and said ‘this filly has just improved out of sight’.
“We were happy with her and she was fit and healthy. If she was good enough, she was in the right condition, and she certainly proved she was good enough.”
Llanacord is now a leading chance in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) in a market headed by short-priced favourite Amarelinha (Savabeel) and Nickalls believes the filly will stay the 2400 metres despite her narrow victory.
“Leah (Hemi, jockey) came back in and said ‘we’ve got an Oaks filly’,” he said.
“I’ve got no fears of her going the 2400 metres. Right the way through she has given us the feel of the further she goes, the better she will go.
“She hit the lead very early today, she has done what she had to do and was brave right to the line. We will go home and wrap her in cotton wool and pray for the best.”
Nickalls owns the filly in conjunction with his mother and stepfather, Dianne and Kevin Hopson. The latter bought her for $15,000 at Book 2 of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in 2019 and sent her to be prepared by Glynn Brick in Cambridge.
However, that came to a tragic end when Brick died in a car crash near Cambridge in March last year.
“Glynn had trained Kevin’s horses for ten years, and the intention was always that he would train this filly,” Nickalls said.
“When that happened my stepfather called and asked if I could take her and we were only too happy to.
“They were very tragic circumstances. To be able to do something with her is something, and if she can even run in the Oaks it will have great sentimental value for all of us.
“We still have a lot to do with the family and there is a memorial for Glynn in a couple of weeks, so she will be running for him in the Oaks, that’s for sure.”
Joy for breeder, Hewitt
Mapperley Stud had something to celebrate late yesterday with Llanacord becoming the first stakes winner for their second season sire Contributer (High Chaparral).
Bred in Ireland, the stallion was a winner at two and Royal Ascot stakes winner at four in the UK, before claiming four Australian Group races, including the Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) and Chipping Norton Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) in 2014.
The fourth living foal out of L’Accord, Llanacord was bred in a partnership between Mapperley Stud’s Simms Davison and Judy Hewitt, with the latter unable to contain her excitement at the win.
“Wasn’t that a good win and we thought she needed rain,” Hewitt said yesterday to ANZ Bloodstock News.
Hewitt missed out on purchasing L’Accord (Golan) outright when underbidder on the mare at the 2011 New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Sale, as Davison secured her for NZ$26,000.
Yet an introduction to Davison after the sale led her to becoming a part owner in the Golan mare.
“I came by the mare because of Michael Moran of Windsor Park Stud,” she explained. “I was underbidder on her and pulling my hair out because I was underbider on several that day.
“I spoke with Michael and he said ‘follow me’ and introduced me to Simms who was building a broodmare band as the new owner of the stud. So, we shook hands and became partners.
Hewitt gives credit to the advice of Simms, who convinced her to turn to Contributer as the perfect foil for the stamina-laden L’Accord, a maiden winner of 2000 metres.
“I breed for sentimental reasons but I’ve had some good advice from Simms who convinced me that Contributer’s high cruising speed would be a good match for L’Accord’s staying blood,” said Hewitt.
“A friend and I visited Mapperley not long after Complacent and Contributer arrived there. When he brought Contributer out I thought he was terrific. He stood over a lot of ground.”
Hewitt has since returned to Contributer with L’Accord, who has a two-year-old filly by the stallion, while she was put back in foal to Contributer last year having foaled a Time Test (Dubawi) colt.