Elsdon Park’s second-ever yearling draft presented at a public auction has been strongly received.
Improving on its $176,923 average registered with its debut draft at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book OneYearling Sale, Elsdon Park returned in 2024 to popular reception, selling 14 of its 15 yearlings offered (93.3% clearance rate) for an average of $271,429.
Such an average saw Elsdon Park sit second behind Hallmark Stud on the Leading NZB Book One Vendor by Average table and saw it positioned well in advance of the sale’s overall Book One average and clearance rate of $168,257 and 78%.
The honours of the highest price yearling offered by Elsdon Park in 2024 would go ti Lot 55, a Zoustar colt ex Evalina who sold to Jamie Richards / Andrew Williams Bloodstock (Hong Kong) for $725,000.
Like the average, this top price compares favourably with Elsdon’s first draft, where the highest price was awarded to Lot 97, the Savabeel filly out of Chiaretta, who sold to Forsman Racing / Andrew Williams Bloodstock / Bevan Smith Bloodstock (Waikato) for $600,000. Named Macaluso, this filly has already been stakes placed.
To see the sale details of each member of our 2024, please click here.
We now look forward to witnessing these yearlings enjoy highly competitive careers for their connections.
On the eve of the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales at Karaka, a number of major players in the Kiwi breeding industry shared a black-type success with Kinloch (I Am Invincible) in Saturday’s A$160,000 Listed Coastline BMW Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m) in Queensland.
Kinloch was a $300,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2019 by bloodstock agent Bruce Perry, who races him in partnership with a syndicate that includes Elsdon Park’s Lib Petagna, Waikato Stud’s Mark and Garry Chittick, Jomara Bloodstock and Jamieson Park’s James Chapman.
From 29 starts, Kinloch has now recorded seven wins and 11 placings, banking more than A$840,000 in prize-money.
Kinloch is trained by Kris Lees and was ridden to Saturday’s Sunshine Coast success by Andrew Mallyon, who allowed him to drift back to the tail of the field before launching a powerful finish in the straight. He burst to the lead and completed a comfortable three-quarter-length victory over Essonne (NZ) (Reliable Man).
“He’s always had the talent, and I’ve been on the back of him when he hasn’t been able to get out and it’s awfully frustrating,” Mallyon said. “So it’s bloody nice to get a good win on him today and to repay the faith of the owners. This horse is starting to show what he’s always promised and he deserves this black-type win.”
Source: NZB
We were delighted to be involved as sponsor of the inaugural $1 million Aotearoa Classic (4YO, 1600m) at the TAB Karaka Millions race meeting at Ellerslie tonight and what a race it turned out to be.
In the hands of Vinnie Colgan, the Peter and Dawn Williams-trained Gr.1 winner Desert Lightning (Pride of Dubai) took control of proceedings turning for home, powering away for a 1 3/4 length win over the talented short-priced favorite, Legarto (Proisir).
Desert Lightning is now the winner of four of his 16 starts and gains an automatic entry into the All-Star Mile.
Congrats to owners Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer of Barneswood Farm, and breeder, the Mahoenui Partnership for tonight’s win and the exciting horse you have on your hands.
A bold barnstorming effort out wide from the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Smokeshow saw our talented Contributor gelding register a well-deserved win under Joe Doyle at Matamata today.
In all 3 of his career starts prior, the Simms Davison-bred 3YO had placed second.
Photos: Kenton Wright, Race Images NZ
Just like it was for his Gr.1 dam Nicoletta, Te Aroha proved just the ticket for our homebred 3YO Rebecchi today.
The Andrew Forsman-trained son of Trapeze Artist was having his third career start, and could not have been more impressive striking his maiden win.
Midfield throughout, jockey Sam Weatherley angled him out into the clear upon straightening and it was game over from there, careering away to brilliantly land the Graeme Wright 1600 by a 5 3/4 length margin.
Rebecchi’s Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained dam Nicoletta (Savabeel) also loved the Te Aroha track, winning the Gr.1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes there in 2019.
The Dewar Partnership-bred juvenile Beau Dazzler was thrown in at the deep end for last Saturday’s A$200,000 Listed Eureka Stud Phelan Ready Stakes (1000m) at Eagle Farm, but he rose to the occasion with a bold black-type win.
The Ardrossan colt was making only the second start of his career on Saturday, having debuted with a second placing in a 1000m race at Toowoomba on November 25.
After settling at the back among a field of only four, Beau Dazzler and jockey Robbie Dolan came across heels in the straight and set out after the front-running Mishani Explorer and Butwedid.
Beau Dazzler began to move through his gears and lengthen stride, and despite racing greenly and having his head to the side, he finished over the top of the leading pair to win impressively by half a length.
“I don’t think you’ll find a horse that will try to get himself beaten as much as he did then,” said Maddysen Sears, who trains in partnership with her father Tony.
“He’s very green. We never expected him to race this early to be honest. He’s surprised us, but I think he’s got a bright future when he starts thinking about being a racehorse.”
Beau Dazzler was offered by Mapperley Stud in Book 2 of Karaka 2023, where he was bought for $85,000 by Paul Moroney Bloodstock, Catheryne Bruggeman and Sears Racing.
The Phelan Ready Stakes is often used as a stepping stone towards the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) on the Gold Coast a month later, but this year’s edition has the potential to be a springboard to a very different race for sales graduates.
Beau Dazzler is eligible for the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie on January 27, and the talented colt’s trainers have indicated that they are open to the possibility of making the trans-Tasman trip. Beau Dazzler’s earnings of A$120,150 put him clearly at the top of the order of entry for the $1 million feature.
Beau Dazzler became the first Australian stakes winner for promising Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan, who has also been represented by Codigo, Loch Katrine and Saltcoats in New Zealand.
Beau Dazzler is out of the Pentire mare Pwerfect, who comes from the family of northern hemisphere Group One stars such as Fame And Glory and Legatissimo.
The Dewar Partnership consists of Lib and Katrina Petagna, Bruce and Anna Perry, David and Nicki Wilson, Max Brown and Tony Joyce, who were involved with Ardrossan when he raced. The partnership was established to support Ardrossan in his career as a stallion.
The Dewar Partnership, which also bred another recent Ardrossan juvenile winner in Maracatu, will offer Beau Dazzler’s brother as Lot 907 in Landsdowne Park’s consignment at Karaka in 2024.
Story: NZ Racing Desk
Loch Eagle added a massive boost to his career earnings at Randwick with a New Zealand-dominated syndicate cheering the five-year-old home.
Trained by Kris Lees, the son of Lonhro had finished runner-up in the A$1 million The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange before he came off the ballot to claim the thick end of the prize in Saturday’s A$2 million Gr.2 The Ingham (1600m).
Victory also earned him a golden ticket into the A$4 million Gr.1 Doncaster Handicap (1600m).
Loch Eagle was purchased by Masterton bloodstock agent Bruce Perry out of Newgate’s draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for A$230,000 with his bank account now nudging A$1.8 million.
He is out of the unraced Irish-bred Shamardal mare Song Street, who is a half-sister to the dual European Group One winner and sire Laverock and to the dam of the five-time Group One winner and leading sire Pierro.
“The syndicate was in place when we bought him and the intention was to try and buy a couple of colts through the sale and one of them might hopefully make a stallion,” Perry said.
“Loch Eagle was gelded at the end of his three-year-old career though, Kris rated him all the way through but nothing went quite right for him as a three-year-old.
“He went some really good races and he won a couple of races, but he couldn’t get the decent Group win that he needed so we made the decision to geld him.”
Loch Eagle is now likely to be set for another major purse in Queensland.
“There is a $1 million race over 1400m for the older horses during the Magic Millions so there’s every chance he’ll head up there and then have a little break and target the Doncaster,” Perry said.
The Kiwi ownership group behind Loch Eagle includes Perry, Waikato Stud, Jamieson Park, Lib Petagna, Jomara Bloodstock, Aucklanders David and Nicki Wilson and Greg Clarke, of Mt Maunganui, with Victoria’s Rosemont Stud adding an Australian flavour to the syndicate.
“David and Nicki came into Ardrossan when we bought him as a yearling, that was their first venture into the game,” Perry said.
“Greg is racing one or two, he’s in a few of our horses and he didn’t race Ardrossan, but he’s got mares and breeds and bought a share in him.
“David and Nicki and Greg race (multiple Group Three winner) Milford with Lib as well.”
Ardrossan was a A$150,000 Inglis Melbourne Yearling Sale purchase for Perry and was a stakes winner and Group One placegetter before retiring to Waikato Stud.
He was represented by his first Australian black-type winner when the Tony and Maddysen-trained Beau Dazzler claimed Saturday’s Listed Phelan Ready Stakes (1000m) at Eagle Farm.
He was bred by the Dewar Partnership, which includes Perry and his wife Anna, Petagna, the Wilsons, Max Brown and Tony Joyce.
Out of the Pentire mare Pwerfect, Beau Dazzler was sold through Mapperley Stud’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $85,000 with Paul Moroney Bloodstock, Catheryne Bruggeman and Sears Racing signing the ticket.
The Dewar Partnership, which also bred another recent Ardrossan juvenile winner in Maracatu, will offer Beau Dazzler’s brother as Lot 907 in Landsdowne Park’s consignment at Karaka in 2024.
Having enjoyed success in the 2013 event with our foundation mare Lucia Valentina, Elsdon Park proudly sponsored the running of today’s Gr.3 Wellington Stakes at Otaki, with our very own Sarah Scott and Gali Zorero on hand to provide the winning connections with their spoils.
The winner impressively came in the shape of Zabmanzor, an Almanzor colt who handsomely rewarded the estimations of his trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood with a four-length win under Masa Hashizume.
Congratulations to Zabmanzor’s breeder/owners John and Di Struthers. You sure have an exciting horse on your hands.
Parades for our 2024 NZB Book One Yearling draft officially commenced today with debut honours coming by way of the Peter Moody/Wylie Dalziel Racing Tour Group.
We thank Peter and Wylie for bringing this fun group to the farm and for letting us show off our 2024 offering.
A special thanks also to NZTM’s Andrew Birch for hosting this group.
Click here to view details of our 2024 NZB Book One Yearling Draft
Please find below some pictures of our debut parade today and the people who made it happen.
– Source: NZ Racing Desk
A change of approach has presented Lib Petagna with a shot at Australasia’s top staying prize.
The Wellington-based bloodstock identity shares in the ownership of the Kris Lees-trained Kalapour, who won his way into Tuesday’s Gr.1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington with victory in the Gr.3 Archer Stakes (2500m).
The Irish-bred stayer will drop 6kg from Saturday to a luxurious 50kg with apprentice Zac Lloyd to ride the lightly raced son of War Command.
Kalapour came on the radar of Lees and bloodstock agent Justin Bahen after a middle-distance success in Ireland and minor placings from his other three starts.
“He showed some promise in the UK so Kris and Justin bought him,” Petagna said.
“I don’t usually go into these European stayers, but they were pretty positive about him so I thought why not and took a share and lucky enough to have pulled the right rein.”
The gelding is a half-brother to the stakes winner Kalaxana with their dam the Daylami mare Kaladena, a half-sister to the dual Group One winner and sire Kalanisi.
Kalapour was successful at Hawkesbury in his Australian debut in the autumn and progressed to win the Gr.3 Chairman’s Handicap (2000m) and finish third in the Gr.3 Premier’s Cup (2400m) during the Queensland winter carnival.
Following a break, the seven-year-old placed in the Gr.1 The Metropolitan (2400m) and the Gr.3 St Leger before he claimed his Cup spot with a front-running victory at Flemington in the Archer.
“Kris has done a terrific job with him and he’s a very honest horse,” Petagna said.
“I don’t know whether he’s got the class of some of the others in the field, but he will give it everything and that’s half the battle with the stayers.”
Kalapour will be Petagna’s second Cup runner after multiple top-flight winner Lucia Valentina finished midfield behind Protectionist in 2014.
“She didn’t really stay the trip, she wasn’t quite up to it,” he said.
He will also be represented on Tuesday by the Andrew Forsman-prepared Aprilia in the Listed Howden Desirable Stakes (1400m).
“She was a bit disappointing last time out so it’s hard to know how she’ll go, it might have been the firm track,” Petagna said.
“She is Group Two-placed over there so we’d like to think with the drop in class she might be right in it.”
Runner-up in last season’s Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), the U S Navy Flag filly finished second in the Gr.2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) before she was unplaced in the Gr.2 Fillies’ Classic (1600m).