Widden Stud secures Bonny Lass

Group One-winning mare Bonny Lass (NZ) (Super Easy) will head across the Tasman after being bought by Widden Stud for $480,000 on Gavelhouse Plus on Thursday.

Bonny Lass was a Group winner as a two, three, four, five and six-year-old for owner-breeder Sandy Moore, co-owners Brent and Wendy Cooper and the Social Racing Starting Gates Syndicate.

From the stable of Matamata trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall, her 26-race career produced eight wins, eight placings and $774,950 in stakes.

Widden Stud principal Antony Thompson was thrilled to secure another quality mare with Group One racetrack credentials like Bonny Lass.

“Her two and three-year-old form was what really drew us to her,” Thompson said.

“She raced on as an older horse and continued to perform well while being reasonably lightly raced, but when you delve into her two-year-old form, she won her first couple of starts very impressively including a Group Two. She followed that up with two very solid Group One placings against some high-quality opposition, like I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) and Sword Of State (Snitzel).

“Her ability to compete against the boys in some of those top-level sprints showed that she’s a mare with plenty of class.

“We weren’t able to inspect her physically ourselves, but we benefited from some high-quality photos and videos. I’m also a friend of the Bakers at Hallmark Stud, and I could rely on Mark’s feedback. He was very forthcoming in his description of the mare and really gave me the confidence to bid on her.”

Bonny Lass is set to be a high-quality addition to the first book of mares for Southport Tycoon, who will stand at Widden Victoria next spring for an introductory service fee of A$38,500. The son of Written Tycoon won four races including the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) and Manikato Stakes (1200m).

“I bought Bonny Lass with Southport Tycoon in mind,” Thompson said. “I thought she’d be a lovely sort of mare for his first book. He’s a Group One-winning sprinter and Guineas winner. She seems like a good fit.

“There’s a bit to work with on the pedigree side of things too, with Bonny Lass having Darci Brahma and Danehill along the top line, along with Centaine. For a young horse at stud, she appeals as a nice mare to help him get started.”

Entries are now open on Gavelhouse Plus for the National Online Breeding Stock Sale to be held from 27th June to 9th July and are also open for gavelhouse.com’s next fortnightly mixed bloodstock sale.