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Stud book produce records can unlock interesting stories. Some need detective work and one came into play after Evaporate (Per Incanto) strode to a convincing win in the Bill Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at The Valley last Friday night. The race was notable for Per Incanto (Street Cry) as the third horse, Rue de Royal, is also by the Little Avondale Stud stallion. Both were bred by Little Avondale Stud with the latter bred in conjunction with Buzz Williams.

The Stutt Stakes was Evaporate’s fourth win in succession and third at Moonee Valley and was sufficient to warrant the connections, which includes Little Avondale Stud’s Sam Williams, to aim the three-year-old towards next month’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).

Evaporate, the 30th individual stakes winner by Per Incanto, descends from a family that has been part of the Te Parae/Little Avondale legacy going all the way back to 1933 when a Miss NB Teschemaker took over breeding from the mare Consultation (Elevation).

And who was Miss NB Teschemaker? None other than Nancy, the same young woman who married Alister Williams of Te Parae, which at that time was a regular farm before it became a powerhouse thoroughbred breeding empire.

. @littleavondale didn’t need to be asked twice to remain in the ownership group of Evaporate, who won Friday evening’s Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at The Valley.

📖 Read more: https://t.co/h8QQs3TUlJ pic.twitter.com/zzbnnSChTN

— LOVERACING.NZ (@LOVERACINGNZ) September 30, 2024

Nancy moved from Blenheim but one of the conditions of the marriage was that she would bring her mare Haggada (Rabbi), the filly she bred from Consultation. 

Nancy’s greatest decision was buying Hall of Fame broodmare Sunbride (Tai-Yang) and Te Parae’s history would look very different if not for Sunbride. Nevertheless, it was Haggada who can claim to be the very beginning of Te Parae’s ultimate success.

ANZ Bloodstock News spoke with Buzz Williams regarding his mother’s exploits as a thoroughbred breeder. “I was born in 1942 but I remember Haggada’s second foal, Young Margaret being at the farm. I was too young to remember her going through the sale in 1943. I know that Mum bred Haggada from Consultation, a mare bred by Mr Bidwill who also bred Consultation’s dam Consolation,” said Williams.

The stud book tells us that a Mr JJ Corry owned Consultation during the early 1930s and who had bred two very good performers from her. One was Korero (Surveyor) who won Trentham’s Parliamentary Handicap (2300m) among 11 wins. His best form took place after Miss Teschemaker took over the mare.

Haggada never made it to the races and in 1939 foaled a filly by Croupier (Surveyor). That filly was Te Parae’s first commercial venture into selling and was offered at the 1941 Trentham National Yearling Sale. Named Gadier she was unplaced, did not go to stud and essentially disappeared. Haggada’s second foal, also a filly, was by Phaleron Bay (Phalaris). She too was offered for sale, at the 1943 Trentham sale, fetching 110gns. Racing as Young Margaret she won five races (one was a dead-heat) including a juvenile race at Awapuni.

Before Young Margaret finished racing Nancy lost Haggada in November of 1944. All appeared lost as Haggada’s only two foals were both sold but in 1950 Young Margaret was back at Te Parae and that spring was covered by the stud’s first stallion Sabaean (Blue Peter). From circumstantial evidence, one might easily assume that Nancy was keen to renew her association with Young Margaret and probably went on a search. The mare had had two colt foals before 1950.

Just as Nancy chose to breed from Consultation before Korero’s success, she found (again) Young Margaret and was sufficiently prescient to do the same thing as Young Margaret’s 1947 foal Young Beau (Beau Vite) would later win the Manawatu Cup (2300m) and five further races. One might say it was meant to be but Haggada’s story was far from over.

The 1950 mating with Sabaean produced Kataban and like her dam was a two-year-old winner at Awapuni. At stud Kataban produced two outstanding performers. Baraboo (Faux Tirage) won eight times including the country’s premier sprint, Ellerslie’s Railway Handicap (1200m). She also produced Baloo (Khorassan) whose 19 wins included nine cups, his best the Canterbury Gold Cup (2300m), a race he won twice. Another 13 stakes winners trace directly to Kataban including dual Group 3 winner Rasputin’s Revenge (Pompeii Court) who scored 11 wins.

Young Margaret’s 1956 filly, Group 3 placed Minaea, was also by Sabaean and her produce record was equally good as she produced Pyramus (Agricola), winner of eight races including the Chelmsford Stakes (Gr 2, 1700m). Minaea’s daughter Country Girl (Agricola) produced South African Grade 1 winner Have A Fling (Imperial March) whose eight victories included the rich Holiday Inns Handicap (Gr 1, 2000m).

This branch of the family is particularly strong as Country Girl’s granddaughter was the dual classic winner Candide (Sound Reason), successful in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) as well as the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).

Candide maintained the family’s quality by throwing Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Nadeem (Redoute’s Choice) while Nadeem’s half-sister Aulide (Snippets) chipped in by foaling Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Marju Snip (Marju).

The branch represented by Evaporate is via Candide’s sister, Ladies Mile (Gr 3, 1600m) winner Sound Lover (Sound Reason), also a fine producer of no fewer than four stakes winners featuring Chairman’s Handicap (Gr 2, 2600m) victor Philosophe (Zabeel). His three-quarter sister Savamour (Savabeel) is the dam of Evaporate’s three-quarter sister Belluci Babe (Per Incanto), a recent Randwick winner of the Wenona Girl Quality Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m). Evaporate himself is from the unraced Savanna (Animal Kingdom), a half-sister to Belluci Babe. Minaea’s branch of the family is responsible for 20 stakes winners.

Without a doubt, the line up of outstanding sires that feature in the pedigrees of all 37 stakes winners add greatly to the original foundation of the family. Starting with Sabaean followed by Te Parae stalwarts Agricola (Precipitation) and Oncidium (Alcide), are massive boosts.

The stud also used Big Game’s (Bahram) sons Faux Tirage and Khorassan early on then added quality sires such as Sound Reason (Bold Reason) and Centaine (Century) to bolster the line. More recently Zabeel (Sir Tristram), Savabeel (Zabeel) and O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) can be found among the stakes winners. Per Incanto has joined in with four stakes winners.

It all had to start somewhere but in 1944 the family’s continuation hung by a thread. Miss Teschemaker bred Haggada, lost Young Margaret then lost Haggada but found Young Margaret again. Karaka 2025 will mark 85 years since the Williams family, Te Parae and Little Avondale offered their first yearling. Haggada, take a bow, or a curtsey.

Over in Oz and beyond
Saturday saw a number of New Zealand-bred winners to the fore. Four won in Hong Kong, one in Perth and two in Sydney. How good is El Roca (Fastnet Rock) going? Since September 1 he has sired ten individual winners. 

Rosehill’s race four resulted in a New Zealand trifecta when Firestorm (Satono Aladdin) headed Unusual Legacy (Unusual Suspect) and Raf Attack (Satono Aladdin) in a Benchmark 88 (1900m).

Aided by a great ride from James McDonald, Firestorm had to be good to win, especially turning for home where she had four behind her while stuck down on the rail. When McDonald did ease away from the fence she went for a gap which promptly closed.

McDonald tried again but the only way through was back towards the fence which is where she went, finishing strongly over the final 150 metres to claim consecutive Rosehill wins and her career fourth from 15 starts.

Firestorm began her career in New Zealand, winning on debut at Matamata in January 2023. Although unplaced in a further seven starts, her last race was a sixth behind Molly Bloom (Ace High) in last year’s New Zealand 1,000 Guineas. Transferred to Chris Waller’s stable she won first up at Kensington then headed to Queensland where she added a Listed third at Eagle Farm and a Group 3 third at Doomben.

Her third win, two weeks ago, was achieved fresh up and this latest win takes her earnings to $255,513. Given her tenaciousness, more wins are likely.

Firestorm is one of three winners from her Listed placed dam Dancing Embers (Istidaad), a three-race winner. There are several stakes-placed performers within the first three generations of her family but it is necessary to go back to her fourth dam to find the stakes winner Zasu (Kaoru Star).

Firestorm scores successive wins at Rosehill Gardens 🔥🔥

The Chris Waller-trained runner gets the cash at good odds once more, this time in the Egroup Protective Services Handicap, with @mcacajamez in the saddle@cwallerracing pic.twitter.com/6D4yMeuXiL

— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) September 28, 2024

Zasu was a Group 1 winner of Randwick’s Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at two, one of five wins she landed as a juvenile. She carried her form to the following season when scoring the Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) and eight wins in total. Zasu’s brother was Marceau a triple Group 1 winner whose 11 wins included back-to-back versions of the Rawson Stakes run at two different distances of 1750 metres and 2000 metres. He also landed the Doomben Cup (Gr 1, 2200m) before a stud career at Cambridge Stud.

Although conceived in Australia but foaled in New Zealand, Desert Lightning (Pride of Dubai) waved the Kiwi flag by taking out the Sandown Stakes (Gr 3, 1500m) in good style. He needed a run once they straightened but took the gap when presented. His winning of the race was when he shot clear at the 200 metres and was still strong at the line for his sixth career win.

A former Group 1 winner in last December’s Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), which was re-named the TAB Classic, Desert Lightning’s best previous effort was in the rich Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Karaka Millions night. His Trentham win, will always have an asterisk attached as 80 per cent of the field [not him] ran 400 metres to 600 metres after a false start. At Ellerslie, however, he blew them away, except for Legarto (Proisir), to score impressively. Next for Desert Lightning is the Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) and he has proved he is up to the class.