Cover image courtesy of Race Images South
Established in 2010, Cheltenham Stables’ services include breaking-in, pre-training and agistment with recent and unbeaten G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas hero Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) their latest star graduate.
John and Rachel Malcolm have also regularly prepared horses for sales before sending them on to be offered through various drafts, and next week will sell for the first time at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale at Karaka on November 18 and 19 under their own banner.
“The Ready to Run is obviously new to us in this role and we’ll look at doing a draft each year, we’re happy to just do small drafts and really happy to take the horses through ourselves, instead of pushing them on to someone else,” John Malcolm said.
While the current times make it a debut year like no other, Cheltenham remains optimistic and will let its young talent do the talking.
“It doesn’t get any harder than this year, but we’ve got a nice bunch of horses and have been pretty lucky really. They are all client horses and they breezed-up nicely so we’re happy with how they will present,” Malcolm said.
“It doesn’t get any harder than this year, but we’ve got a nice bunch of horses and been pretty lucky really.” – John Malcolm
“We have a couple of stand-outs and we’ve been honest with everyone and in the current climate you have to be realistic about what the horses might be worth. You have to decide whether to keep the horse and race it or do you want to sell it.
“We have a range of horses with some more 3-year-old types and the Showcasing and Vadamos are really nice colts would be the stand-outs.”
Watch: Lot 304 breeze-up
Lot 304 is the son of Showcasing (GB) is a half-brother to five winners with their dam the Almutawakel (GB) mare Mount Albert Lions (NZ). She is from the family of the G1 Air New Zealand S. winner Riverina Charm (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}).
The Vadamos (Fr) colt, Lot 123, is out of the unraced Zorya (USA) (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}), who has left a brace of winners and is a half-sister to the G1 Spinaway S. winner Irish Smoke (USA) (Smoke Glacken {USA}).
Group 1 presence
Also on the pedigree page is the G1 La Brea S. winner Book Review (USA) (Giant’s Causeway {USA}) and the family received a recent update when Diamond Soul (USA) (Dominus {USA}) ran third in the G2 Del Mar Derby.
Cheltenham will also offer Lot 45, a Preferment (NZ) colt out of a half-sister to dual stakes winner Classic Clare (NZ) (Gold Brose), Lot 157 is a son of Dream Ahead (USA) out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Buckling, dam of the G2 Concorde H. winner and sire Ego (NZ).
The draft is rounded off by a son of Redwood (GB), Lot 285 and he is out of a sister to the G1 Captain Cook S. winner Hurrah (NZ) (Bahhare {USA}) and the Hong Kong stakes winner Best Gift (NZ), also runner-up in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
Watch: Lot 285 breeze-up
“We mainly break-in and pre-train and do a lot of work for Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman. They are our main clients and a handful of others,” Malcolm said.
“This year, the numbers have been down a bit and normally we would break-in between 120 and 150 horses. We have been pretty lucky and we’ve broken in about 17 or 18 Group 1 winners.”
Roll of honour
Included on that decorated list is two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi {GB}), the top-flight winners and sires Kermadec (NZ), Preferment and Jon Snow (NZ), Derby winners Quick Thinker (So You Think {NZ}), Tavago (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) and Ping Hai Star (NZ) (Nom Du Jeu {NZ}).
Top sprinter The Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux {NZ}), Bahana (NZ) (Elusive City {USA}) and the mares Unforgotten (Fastnet Rock), Luna Rossa (NZ) (Written Tycoon), Rock Diva (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn), Media Sensation (I Am Invincible) and Bounding (Lonhro) and True Enough (NZ) (Nom Du Jeu {NZ}) are other Group 1-winning Cheltenham graduates.
Malcolm gained his early thoroughbred grounding working in racing stables.
“I grew up with equestrian horses and Dad had trotters and pacers. I always like the horses and my first job in racing was working for trainers Wayne and Anne Herbert when they had the likes of Tit For Taat, Camacho and Elfonze,” he said.
“I later moved to Auckland and worked for Frank Ritchie and then with Kim and Shaun Clotworthy.”
Since establishing Cheltenham Stables, Malcolm has retired from the equestrian field, but his wife is still heavily involved.
“She won Lady Rider of the Year this year at the Horse of the Year Show, that’s a pretty prestigious show-jumping class so she’s very involved. We do the odd sport horse breaker, but concentrate more on the thoroughbreds.”
