Cover image courtesy of Waikato Stud

The world-renowned operation was named Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan New Zealand Breeder of the Year, collecting the Kiwi breeding industry’s supreme award for an extraordinary tenth time.

Their headline act was homebred hero I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel), who races in the Waikato Stud colours and won four of his seven starts this season including the G1 TJ Smith S. and the $10 million Golden Eagle. The exciting 4-year-old also finished second in the G1 Lightning S. and third in the G1 Newmarket H.

Other notable Waikato Stud graduates this season included G1 Australian Derby victor Major Beel (NZ) (Savabeel), G1 Empire Rose S. winner Icebath (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) and G1 Queen of the Turf S. heroine Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel).

Legendary Waikato Stud stallion Savabeel also spent plenty of time in Saturday night’s spotlight, claiming his eighth Centaine Award (for worldwide progeny earnings) and seventh Dewar Award (for combined Australian and New Zealand progeny earnings).

Savabeel sits in third place on the Australian sires’ premiership this season, with 95 winners from 182 runners, eight individual stakes winners and total earnings of $18.35 million – trailing only I Am Invincible ($22.9 million) and So You Think (NZ) ($18.8 million).

Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick was joined on stage by members of his family, and he described the landmark season as a team effort.

“Waikato Stud is a big family and a big group,” he said. “It takes a whole community to run it and to get the results. I’d love to have everyone (from the stud) up here on stage. It is such an incredible night. Everybody puts in a huge effort, and we appreciate it immensely. It’s been a great year.”

Proisir’s rise to prominence

While Savabeel continued his dominance of the Centaine and Dewar Awards, he was denied a ninth consecutive Grosvenor Award for champion New Zealand sire. That honour instead went to the new kid on the block, Proisir.

The Rich Hill Stud sensation had a record-breaking season, becoming the first sire in history to have total New Zealand progeny earnings in excess of NZ$4 million. His current total is NZ$4,151,650, which has him well clear of the second-placed Savabeel’s NZ$2,668,235.

Proisir’s 47 winners from 89 runners on New Zealand racetracks included eight individual stakes winners, who between them recorded 15 wins at black-type level.

Proisir sired no fewer than five Group 1 winners during the 2022/23 season – Dark Destroyer (NZ), Pier (NZ), Legarto (NZ), Levante (NZ) and Prowess (NZ). Both Legarto and Prowess replicated their Group 1 feats in Australia, winning the Australian Guineas and Vinery Stud S. respectively.

Hong Kong star named Horse of the Year

The Seton Otway Horse of the Year was the superstar Hong Kong sprinter Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse), whose dam Madonna Mia (NZ) (Red Clubs {Ire}) was named Eight Carat Broodmare of the Year.

Lucky Sweynesse began the season as a highly promising winner of five of his seven starts, but yet to be tested at stakes level. His 4-year-old season marked a rapid rise through the ranks, culminating in a share of third place on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.

From 10 starts this season, Lucky Sweynesse recorded eight wins – equalling the all-time record for a season in Hong Kong.

One of Lucky Sweynesse’s only defeats came in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint in December, where he was hopelessly blocked in the straight and finished a luckless sixth in his first attempt at the elite level. But he soon set that record straight, putting together a sparkling treble in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup, Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup and Chairman’s Sprint Prize. Those three races make up Hong Kong’s Speed Series, and Lucky Sweynesse became the first horse to sweep all three since the great Silent Witness (El Moxie {USA}) in 2005.

A son of Novara Park stallion Sweynesse, Lucky Sweynesse was bred by Novara Park principal Luigi Muollo in partnership with Paul Dombroski and Allan Sharrock.

Muollo was represented at Saturday’s awards by Don Edwards, who reported that Madonna Mia is again in foal to Sweynesse and will be going to Savabeel in the upcoming season.

A season of Australian excellence

The huge haul of New Zealand-bred Group 1 successes during the 2022/23 season was underpinned by a remarkable run of results on an Australian stage that is more lucrative and competitive than ever.

Of the 75 races run at Group 1 level in Australia this season, 21 were won by New Zealand-breds. That works out as a success rate of just over 28 per cent, despite making up only eight per cent of Australia’s racehorse population.

Those Australian Group 1 heroics came across the full spectrum of ages and distances.

Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) made his mark in 2-year-old ranks, winning the ATC G1 Sires’ Produce S. and Champagne S., while no fewer than nine Kiwi-bred 3-year-olds won at the elite level in Australia – Affaire A Suivre (NZ) (Astern), Dunkel (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}), Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), Legarto, Major Beel, Pennyweka (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}), Prowess, Ruthless Dame (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) and Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ) (Redwood {GB}).

Gallery: A selection of New Zealand-bred stars who won at Group 1 level in Australia this season.

I Wish I Win and Roch ‘N’ Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) won elite sprint races, while Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) was a headline act among milers with a defence of his G1 Doncaster H. crown.

New Zealand-breds typically come into their own over staying distances, and Explosive Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry {Ire}) and No Compromise (NZ) (Pins) held up that end of the bargain with their victories in the Sydney Cup and Metropolitan H. respectively.

Many of those successes came courtesy of Waikato Stud, including a rare TJ Smith S. and Australian Derby double on the opening day of The Championships at Randwick with I Wish I Win and Major Beel.

“When we see the outstanding results of these horses on the big screen tonight, and there are horses from all over the country and breeders from all over the country, it is very heartening,” Mark Chittick said.

“I know how much we enjoy and get carried away about winning any race, let alone Group 1 races, and I hope everybody else is as proud of breeding horses like that as we certainly are.

“Seeing New Zealand-breds winning Doncasters, Derbys and Oaks as well as Group 1-winning 2-year-olds and sprints – man, New Zealand is bloody good at it (breeding thoroughbred racehorses) and we should be really, really proud.”

Jeffries honoured for Group 1 pair

The New Zealand Small Breeder of the Year award is restricted to breeders with a broodmare band of five or fewer, and Warwick Jeffries was an unsurprising winner after producing two Group 1 winners during the season.

The Tauranga breeder made an impact in early spring, with Dark Destroyer landing the season-opening G1 Tarzino Trophy at Hastings. But the best was yet to come from 3-year-old filly Legarto.

Trained by Ken and Bev Kelso, Legarto won five of her six starts during the season. Her four black-type successes included a 5l romp in the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, followed up in the autumn by a breathtaking late charge to capture the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington.

Jeffries had no hesitation in naming the latter as his highlight of the season.

“Just like Ken Kelso, we were really proud of her and thought she’d run a good race, couldn’t get out and she was going to be running fourth or fifth,” he said. “That last 100 metres was just, ‘Holy heck!’ My heart was racing. I don’t know how she did it, but she’s outstanding.”

Brad Molander won the Mary Lynne Ryan Young Achiever award, while Rich Hill Stud principal and New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association president John Thompson was named the NZTBA Personality of the Year.

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

The most successful son of Spill The Beans, Ellsberg is something of a people’s horse. Highly consistent from his debut win at three all the way to a record-breaking Five Diamonds win 24 starts later, he will now look to carry the legacy of his own sire, who died within days of siring his first winner in October 2019.

The busiest sire in Australia in his own debut season, Spill The Beans produced 144 live foals from that 2016 season. One of those was the chestnut colt out of General Nediym mare Love Of Liberty, a sister to Group 3 winner Electric General, who would go on to be named Ellsberg.

However, it appears that Ellsberg will not be emulating his sire in numbers for his own debut season. Majority owner Maurice Sinclair, in whose orange silks Ellsberg competed, told TTR AusNZ that Ellsberg will receive plenty of support from his ownership group and Murrulla Stud but that they’re realistic about how close to the season their announcement comes for external breeders.

“The whole group is supporting him with mares, including the trainer,” Sinclair said. “The mares will be well-bred; I’m sending him a handful of mares related to stakes winners and one out of a Group 1 winner.

“We've got other mares that have just come off the track that are going to him too.”

That Gerald Ryan, Ellsberg’s co-trainer alongside Sterling Alexiou, will be supporting him in his debut season is, perhaps, predictable. Not only did Ryan train Spill The Beans to win the G2 QTC Cup, he also trained his father, Snitzel, who won the G1 Oakleigh Plate before beginning his sparkling career at Arrowfield Stud.

At the top of his game

Retiring as a 5-year-old, Ellsberg effectively put himself into serious contention as a stallion prospect in the space of just three runs last year. Only out of the placings five times in his career, he won nine races in total, and appeared to be improving with age.

His 3.19l win in the G3 Liverpool City Cup in February 2022 was the prelude to taking on some of Australia’s top sprinter/milers, and he put in a creditable performance a few months later when third to Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) in the G1 All Aged S.

It was third-up after he resumed at this term that provided one of the moment's of the season, not just for his connections but for racing fans also. In his fourth attempt at the elite level, he took on the G1 Epsom H. on a Heavy 8 at Randwick last October, and couldn’t be separated from Top Ranked (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in a thrilling finish.

Gallery: Ellsberg's hat-trick in spring of 2022, images courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

Targeted at the inaugural Five Diamonds next, Ellsberg then justified favouritism in the Prelude (run over 1500 metres) before stepping up to 1800 metres for the first time in the $2 million feature. Shouldering top weight, he was able to see off Sibaaq (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) to post a track record time, and bring his five-week prizemoney haul past $2 million.

“His resume is exceptional, having been placed in 10 Group and Listed races, including winning the Epsom,” Sinclair added. “Therefore, as an entire, and a beautiful, strong, big, gentle-natured horse, he’s a very suitable candidate.

“It was very unfortunate that his sire died so young, but hopefully Ellsberg can fulfil his legacy.”

A diverse mix

Prior to partnering with Alexiou, Ryan selected Ellsberg at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. There he forked out $280,000, and was duly approached by an assortment of existing owners who took shares.

One of those was Mervyn Wood, a businessman and former merchant banker. Another that will be sending Ellsberg mares, Wood revealed why the announcement has come so close to the breeding season.

“We were going to race him on, however, he got injured, and we decided we'd just put him away and get him better,” Wood told TTR AusNZ. “He came back and was going extremely well, and he got injured again.

“So, it was decided by the team, in fairness to the horse, that we had to stop.”

With a stud career now beckoning, and after one deal fell through, connections opted to offer Ellsberg via Inglis Digital. After he failed to meet his $1 million reserve at the end of March this year, the group contemplated retaining him themselves to stand.

One of their number, Tim Perram, who had an existing relationship with the stud, suggested they look to Murrulla. That’s ultimately what they did, and now a wide mix of people who joined forces back at Ellsberg’s yearling stage will be entering into the entirely new phase of ownership that is standing a stallion.

“It's a tremendous cross section of people, from clothing manufacturers to stud owners,” Wood said, adding that the whole group is excited for the next chapter.

“He deserves his chance because he's a Group 1-winning horse with huge potential and a beautiful-looking animal.

“Those people that know the horse will be going out of their way to send him mares because of his looks and, once he gets foals on the ground, we anticipate there to be a massive jump in mares that go to him.”

A fresh face for Murrulla

Tim Nolan, who runs Murrulla Stud with wife Celie, is no stranger to standing Group 1 winners. At the age of 21, he reports that The Galaxy H. winner Charge Forward is still attracting a selection of mares each year, but admits that the spotlight will now very much be on the latest recruit.

“We’re really excited about it,” he told TTR AusNZ. “The horse has won $3.3 million, he's Group 1 winner, Group 1-placed, and only out of the placings five times - that's pretty good going.

“We thought, being a Group 1 winner, that he’d have been snapped up and gone.”

Nolan added that Murrulla looks forward to supporting Ellsberg with some of their own mares, and said that he represents good value at his pricepoint.

“He’s out of a General Nediym mare, there’s plenty of speed there, but he won over 1800 (metres) too, so he was pretty versatile.

“I would have thought he’d suit a variety of mares. He’s a big, scopey horse at 16.2hh. He is from the Danehill line being a grandson of Snitzel, but I suppose Danehill is four (generations) back, which gives breeders a few options.

“I think people can look to breed a nice racehorse with him; he was tough, he raced on, and he was top quality.”

Cover image courtesy of Coolmore Stud

Cranbourne-based trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young looked to have a smart prospect on their hands when the 2-year-old Warlords, a son of Saxon Warrior (Jpn), transitioned a series of impressive jump-outs to race conditions on Sunday at Sale.

The masculine colt was sent out the punters’ elect with the in-form Blake Shinn in the saddle and was doing his best work late, and he drew away by 1l from Eff Oh (Santos) in the 1200 metre event.

The victory and likelihood that the distance is well short of Warlords' forte pinned him as a colt to follow as we head into the spring carnival.

A representative for the Busuttin and Young stable hesitantly took up the post-race interview duty, sharing, “He (Warlords) was very good today (Sunday). The colt has shown good ability in the jump-outs and also in his trackwork,” they said.

“Today (Sunday), he came to the races in good order, and I felt Warlords handled the raceday pressure well. He found the line very well, especially the last 100 metres; he’ll definitely improve off that.”

Winning rider Shinn was complimentary of Warlords' effort on debut.

“Warlords is a beautiful-looking colt. He handled the occasion like a real professional, despite it being his first time at the races, and it was a lovely win,” Shinn said.

“I think he will end up being a 1600 to 2000 metre horse. Being a colt, I think he can get a little bit lazy, and today over 1200 metres, I had to encourage him for the first part; once we got midway through the race, he was good. However, as we approached the race's finish and the chips came down, he was there for me and won softly.”

First Southern Hemisphere winner for Saxon Warrior

By winning on Sunday, the colt became the first Southern Hemisphere winner for his impeccably bred sire Saxon Warrior, who stands at Coolmore Stud, Ireland. He did shuttle for several seasons to Coolmore Stud, Australia. However, Saxon Warrior will not visit Australia this upcoming season.

The Mr CW Kwok-bred Warlords is the seventh foal from the Snow Ridge (USA) mare Gypsy Chimes (USA). She was a dual-winner and had already produced the Group 3 placegetter Folk Dress (Pierro).

Furthermore, this is the family of Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock), who was victorious in the Listed Tetrarch S. and recorded fourth-placed finishes in the G1 Critérium Saint-Cloud and the G1 Prix d’Ispahan.

The Coolmore Stud draft consigned Warlords at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Busuttin Racing and Group 1 Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $400,000 to secure the son of Saxon Warrior.

The colt is raced by a prominent group of owners, including Ozzie Kheir and John O’Neill, in their recognisable navy-blue, pale-yellow spots with halved silks.

Pleasing result

It was a pleasing result for Tom Moore, marketing and nominations at Coolmore Stud, Australia.

“Trent (Busuttin) and Natalie (Young) have been extremely bullish about Warlords from very early on, and he has always shown them a huge amount of ability at home,” Moore told TTR AusNZ.

“They have been patient with him, given the colt plenty of time, and we hope that pays dividends in the long run.”

Moore noted the $400,000 price-tag paid for Warlords, which makes him the most expensive Saxon Warrior to be offered at a yearling sale in Australasia.

“They put their necks on the line and paid plenty for him as a yearling at the Magic Millions, but he was a stunning colt with an incredible temperament. I watched Warlords on TV today, and it looks like he still has that great nature,” Moore said.

“He clearly has plenty of natural ability, and the whole Coolmore team looks forward to watching him progress through the grades in the spring and beyond.”

Race performance and pedigree in spades

Warlords hailed from Saxon Warrior’s first-born Southern Hemisphere crop. That initial crop resulted in 54 live foals. Ten first-crop runners have hit the track, with five placed before the Warlords' victory.

Saxon Warrior’s pedigree combines some of the most influential bloodlines of the modern era; he is a son of the extraordinary Deep Impact (Jpn), while he is the second foal from the Galileo (Ire) mare Maybe (Ire). She was crowned the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in Europe and Ireland in 2011. Maybe won the G1 Moyglare S. and the G2 Debutant S.

Saxon Warrior lived up to his aristocratic breeding on the racetrack when he claimed the G1 Racing Post Trophy as a juvenile and trained on to win the G1 2000 Guineas. He stretched out his class to run third in the G1 Irish Derby and ran fourth in the G1 The Derby at Epsom Downs.

Saxon Warrior also recorded placings in the G1 Irish Champion S. and Eclipse S. He fronted up to every challenge thrown at him by Aidan O’Brien and faced a classy generation of gallopers that included a fierce rivalry with the late Roaring Lion (USA).

The son of Deep Impact has made a flying start in the Northern Hemisphere; among his winners include Victoria Road (Ire), the winner of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and the G3 Prix de Conde, and Lumiere Rock (Ire), a victress of the G3 Staffordstown Stud S.

Saxon Warrior has also been represented by Gan Teorainn (Ire), who was placed in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.

“Saxon Warrior started incredibly well in the Northern Hemisphere and notched a Group 1 winning 2-year-old (Victoria Road) over a mile at the end of the season,” Moore told TTR AusNZ.

“They’re the types of horses that we expect to flourish as spring 3-year-olds when they get the chance to get to a mile or further.

“With the prizemoney on offer in Australia for horses that can improve as they get older and can stay a trip, the Australian racing program has never been more conducive for stallions such as Saxon Warrior.”

Cover image courtesy of Singapore Turf Club

Golden Monkey (Star Turn) went into the SG$400,000 (AU$445,500) Derby as an overpowering favourite, having scored an impressive 2l win in the Sgp-2 Stewards’ Cup in his last start at the beginning of this month. If there were any doubts about his ability to stretch out in distance for Sunday’s 1800 metre feature, he blew them away down the Kranji straight.

Ridden by Hugh Bowman for expat Australian trainer Tim Fitzsimmons, Golden Monkey dropped out to a clear last and could still see every one of his rivals as he rounded the home turn. But Bowman brought him to the outside and sent him into overdrive, charging home out wide on the track to win with ease.

It was a new career highlight for Fitzsimmons, who had to settle for second in this race last year when Relentless (Hallowed Crown) was edged out in a photo finish.

“This has been 12 months in the making,” Fitzsimmons said. “Everything is planned and plotted, and for it to come off today is amazing. Look at the crowd here today – it’s an amazing race.

“This was the last thing left. We’ve won the premiership here, we’ve won Group 3 and Group 2 races, so to top it off with my first Group 1 in the Derby is very special.

“It was an amazing ride, and I just want to thank all of my staff as well. It hasn’t been easy with this horse, and it’s a massive team effort.

“Thanks also to Josh McLoughlan, who found this horse and has brought a lot of quality horses into my stable.”

Bred by Howard Blight, Golden Monkey is now a six-time winner from 18 starts. He was offered as part of the Byerley Stud draft at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, where he was purchased by Research Bloodstock for $54,000.

Golden Monkey failed to win in five starts in Victoria when trained by Clayton Douglas. Josh McLoughlan of Jig Bloodstock purchased the horse and put together a syndicate of owners, one that includes past and present Australian Rules stars Dane Swan, Michael Gardiner and Dustin Martin.

The dam of Golden Monkey is Dixie’s Comet (Northern Meteor), who is a half-sister to G2 Jockey Club Sprint placegetter Win Dixie (Tale Of The Cat {USA}). Dixie’s Comet has produced two winners from three foals to race, and she has an unraced 2-year-old by Churchill (Ire). She foaled a colt by Castelvecchio last spring, and she was later served by Dundeel (NZ).

The runner-up in Sunday’s Singapore Derby was Cavalry (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), who is better known in this part of the world as Tutukaka (NZ). A half-brother to the multiple Group 1 winner Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands), Tutukaka won three races in Australasia including the Listed Geelong Classic and Tatt’s Life Member 2YO S. He was also a runner-up in the R. Listed Karaka Million 3YO Classic and the Listed The Phoenix. Prior to his gallant second in Sunday’s Derby, he had made a stylish Singapore debut with a win two weeks ago.

The third placegetter in the Derby was the I Am Invincible gelding Super Salute.

Stratosphere sires first stakes winner in Golden Horseshoe

Sunday’s Golden Horseshoe shone a spotlight on Tasmania’s Grenville Stud, with the Grenville-bred Greatham Boy becoming the first stakes winner for resident stallion Stratosphere.

The Michael Clements-trained gelding went into the 2-year-old feature as the winner of his only previous start, overcoming a wide run to score on the polytrack on June 17. But despite his perfect record, he was sent out at double-figure odds for Sunday’s much bigger test.

Greatham Boy rose to the occasion in the hands of Australian jockey Daniel Moor. After settling in third place for most of the 1200 metre race, he accelerated sharply to pounce on the leader and take command early in the home straight.

Fellow Australian-breds Silo (National Defense {GB}) and Artillery (Smart Missile) chased hard through the final stages of the race, but Greatham Boy fought them off and held on by a length.

“He did a great job first-up on the polytrack, and being an Australian-bred, there was no reason why he shouldn’t be able to switch to the turf,” Clements said.

“He’s shown us a lot of quality right from the beginning, in his trials in Australia as well as since he got here. We earmarked this race a long way out, and he’s done a great job.

“He’s a professional little package and always very focussed. He does everything like he’s had five or 10 races already. He’s that smart and takes everything in his stride.

“Daniel (Moor) did all the trial work on him. He would have ridden him on debut, but he had 50 kilograms against 3-year-olds in that race.”

Greatham Boy was bred by Grenville Stud, who offered him at the 2022 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale. He was bought there by Bevan Smith Bloodstock for $125,000.

He is one of seven first-crop winners for Stratosphere, who is also the sire of Listed performers Encounter Sphere and Cairns.

Placed in the G3 Canonbury S. as a 2-year-old in what proved to be his only career start, Stratosphere will stand for a service fee of $7700 (inc GST) in the upcoming breeding season.

Greatham Boy is out of In Harmony (Exceed And Excel), who is the dam of seven winners from eight foals to race. Greatham Boy is the third black-type performer, joining Singapore’s Merlion Trophy winner Celavi (Fighting Sun) and the Listed Elwick S. placegetter Entrapped (Fighting Sun).

Herself a winner, In Harmony is a half-sister to G3 Illawarra 2YO Classic winner King Of Danes (Danehill {USA}) and Listed performers Latino (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}) and Mr Spock (Starcraft {NZ}).

Their dam Impulsive Rhythm (Rubiton) placed at Listed level and is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner, Group 1 placegetter and stakes producer Rose O’War (Danehill {USA}).

In Harmony produced another colt by Stratosphere in 2021, and she was served by Capitalist last season.