NZ Mares Making Their Mark Worldwide

At the end of any season the performance of a particular sire's progeny always features foremost in the season review. Featuring less prominently, however, is often the performance of broodmares and their sires and their influence on the season's results. This season, in the case of those from New Zealand, they're worthy of high praise.

With New Zealand Bloodstock's Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale (2 August, Karaka) and South Island Sale (7 August, Christchurch) on the horizon it is timely to shine the spotlight on these successes.

The globalisation of racing has allowed breeders to access a great diversity of bloodlines from many origins, across all the major continents. North America's Danzig and Mr. Prospector, Europe's Danehill and Sadler's Wells, South America's Southern Halo, Japan's Sunday Silence, Australia's Star Kingdom, and New Zealand's Sir Tristram have all added plenty to the international racing landscape over the past few decades.

These sires are responsible for a vast majority of the world's leading thoroughbred gallopers, in many cases combining with the local broodmare population to achieve international success.

New Zealand-bred thoroughbreds have recorded their best ever international season in 2008/09 with nineteen individual Kiwi-bred Group 1 winners worldwide. Added to that, New Zealand Bloodstock Ltd, with twenty-two individual Group 1 winners, has sold more Group 1 winners than any other Australasian sales company this season.

What doesn't get taken into account in this tally are the performances by local broodmares to produce gallopers of the highest echelon around the globe - those who may not carry the NZ suffix, but whose dams are true Kiwi through and through.

Since 2008 thirteen Group 1 winners fit this description. These thirteen have won eighteen Group 1 races between them on the racetracks of the USA, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Top Australian three-year-old filly Samantha Miss (AUS) (Redoute's Choice x Milliyet (NZ), by Zabeel) is just one example. A Group 1 winner of the Champagne Stakes (1600m) at two, in which she beat the best colts of her generation, Samantha Miss returned in her classic year to add the Group 1 AJC Flight Stakes (1600m) and Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) to her impressive record.

�

Her damsire, Zabeel, a champion sire of both Australia and New Zealand on multiple occasions, has begun his broodmare sire career in outstanding fashion, with his daughters already producing ten Group 1 winners including star three-year-old fillies Samantha Miss and Purple. Samantha Miss's NZ-bred dam is a full-sister to leading gallopers Cronus and Pravda who performed with distinction on both sides of the Tasman.

��������� Four Zabeel mares will be offered at NZB's Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale including Lot 96, Hairini. A daughter of a Group 1 winning sprinter she is already the dam of a stakes-winner.

��������� Deborah Ho will offer an unraced rising three-year-old filly by Captain Rio from Samantha Miss's family at Lot 188.

From one leading three-year-old filly to another in 2008, this time across the Pacific Ocean in California, USA.

Golden Doc A (USA) (Unusual Heat x Penpont (NZ), by Crested Wave) put a feature on the board for NZ mares when the USA-bred scored in the Group 1 Santa Anita Las Virgenes Stakes (1600m) before running second in the Group 1 Santa Anita Oaks and fourth in the Group 1 Kentucky Oaks.

The Barry Adams trained filly is a direct descendent of New Zealand's Top 2YO filly of 1972-73 Black Willow (Sobig), a winner of the Group 1 Manawatu Sires Produce.

To South Africa, and Our Giant (AUS) (Giant's Causeway x Macrosa (NZ), by McGinty), a half-brother to Singapore's new star Rocket Man (Viscount), and a close relation of NZ Group 1 winning sire Ebony Grosve, was another from a NZ-bred mare to take highest honours outside Australasia with an emphatic victory in the Group 1 Turffontein Horse Chestnut Stakes (1600m) in 2008. He returned to Group 1 winning form in 2009 to win big in the Group 1 Gold Medallion (1200m) just last weekend for Charles Laird.

Also in South Africa, Le Drakkar (AUS) (Anabaa x Mi Mo Rally (NZ), by Mi Preferido) stamped his class later in the season by taking the Group 1 Cape Guineas on his was to finishing third in the Group 1 Cape Derby.

His dam, Mi Mo Rally, won at Listed level in New Zealand's South Island before going to stud in Australia.

In Australia in 2008, Eliza Park's young sire Shinzig (AUS) (Danehill x Shindig (NZ), by Straight Strike) enhanced his sire credentials in the Group 1 CF ORR Stakes, while a month later Sirmione (AUS) (Encosta De Lago x World Guide (NZ), by Defensive Play) put paid to his rivals in the Group 1 Australian Cup.

Shinzig's NZ-bred dam also won at Group 1 level in Australia, while Sirmione's dam is a half-sister to two stakes winners by Zabeel in young South Island sire, Sunray, and Rocking On.

Cups were also claimed in New Zealand by Young Centaur (AUS) (Jeune x Centafit (NZ), by Centaine), the Group 1 Wellington Cup, and back in Australia with Sarrera (AUS) (Quest For Fame x Zamsong (NZ), by Zabeel) who captured the Group 1 Doomben Cup after claiming the Group 1 AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes. On that same race card No Wine No Song (AUS) (Song of Tara x Deep Time (NZ), by Kinjite) strolled home ahead of the field in the Group 1 Sydney Cup.

Young Centaur's broodmare sire Centaine is proving to be an exceptional broodmare sire with 17 Group 1 winners to date. That has helped him secure Champion NZ broodmare sire status every season since 2005/06, and he leads again in 2008/09.� His daughters have produced Group 1�winners Vision and Power, Alamosa and Maco'Reilly this season.

��������� Three mares by Centaine are catalogued in NZB's Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale including Lot 87, Dingle, a young half-sister to two stakes horses, sold in-foal to Mufhasa's sire, Pentire.

October and November 2009 spelt Victoria's Spring Carnival and Samantha Miss' heroics were capably backed up by Viewed (AUS) (Scenic x Lovers Knot (NZ), by Khozaam) who won the race that stops a nation, the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).

The bay horse from New Zealand's famous Heights family won a twelfth Melbourne Cup for Bart Cummings, whilst the race was the master trainer's 250^th Group 1 success.

��������� Brighthill Farm will offer a yearling filly by Ustinov from the Heights family at Lot 133 at the Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale, while a two-year-old full-brother will be offered as Lot 51 by Esker Lodge at the South Island Sale.

Back in New Zealand, Tell A Tale (AUS) (Tale of the Cat x Cheeky Veronica (NZ), by Sir Tristram) romped home in the $1,000,000 Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas (1600m) in November before finishing third in the $2,000,000 Group 1 NZ Derby (2400m).

�

�Tell A Tale (out of NZ-bred Cheeky Veronica) returns to scale in the hands of Troy Harris

In 2009 the NZ broodmare success continued into Sydney's Autumn Carnival with Pompeii Ruler (AUS) (Genuine x West with Night (NZ), by Pompeii Court) claiming his second Group 1 victory in the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes after a long lay-off for Mick Price.

��������� Pompeii Court mare, Promiscuous, will be offered for sale at Lot 176 of NZB's South Island Sale. She is a half-sister to smart gallopers Castle Hill Lad and Mr Omegan from the same family as Group 1 performers Des's Dream, Natural Blitz, and Echo Lass.

Darley's Purple (AUS) (Commands x Lady Viola (NZ), by Zabeel) came into her own as an autumn three-year-old beating the very best of her own age and sex in the Group 1 STC Storm Queen Stakes and later in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks.

She is a direct descendent of Taiona (Sovereign Edition) as are Group 1 winners Sovereign Red, Gurner's Lane, Trichelle, and Foxwood.

��������� Deborah Ho will offer young Black Minnaloushe mare Black Pepper from this family at Lot 67 at the Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale. She is to sell carrying her first foal in utero by Perfectly Ready.

��������� Te Mania Thoroughbreds will offer a 2YO colt by King's Chapel from Purple's family at Lot 156 of the upcoming South Island Sale.

The evidence suggests New Zealand-bred mares have plenty to offer breeders far and wide given the superb success of their offspring at the highest level worldwide. It would seem the recognisable Kiwi traits of good bone, great constitution, adaptability, and versatility are being passed on through future generations, even those bred elsewhere.

New Zealand Bloodstock's upcoming Winter Mixed Bloodstock Sale and South Island Sale will offer buyers over 200 fillies and mares bred in the idyllic New Zealand countryside.

Prospective buyers can obtain catalogues from reception@nzb.co.nz while Marketing Executive Haylie Martin (Haylie.martin@nzb.co.nz) can help with any travel arrangements. Catalogues can also be viewed online at www.nzb.co.nz.

�