La Zip

Relevant to this thread: Here is an image I took of ULTRA at Longchamp - he is a son of Manduro (by Monsun) from a Nashwan mare and races for Godolphin. He won the Gr1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardare - the premier 2yo colt race on Arc day 2015...

I will be waiting for the 2018 yearling sales with bated breath to check out those who put their hands up for an Iffraaj.....I wonder if this will be another Written Tycoon scenario?

An extremely diverse bunch of owners....So a straight forward arrangement might take time to see all parties set right?

We had a funny horse by Sostenuto from one of his last crops...he was a fair horse who won 2 listed races in Sydney but in general they were bad in the barriers. Tommy Smith had a good one, Regal Rhythm, who got away from his strapper on a trip to the beach and swam way out to sea. He eventually swam back, none the worse and continued on his winning ways.

Could be the Aussie shareholders of these stallions pushing the envelope ...... They appear to have little understanding of the true value (&capacity) of the NZ market. It's seems Darley have woken up, realised the increased competition and reduced Contributer from $15k to $12.5k for 2017. I believe Tivaci is way over the odds, followed by Tarzino...but then as we haven seen by the intense (in your face) marketing campaigns by some studs, especially in Aust, they believe their own spin. So don't get sucked in - offer/pay what you believe is a fair valuation for these new stallions. Alternatively, most tried & tested stallions seem relatively good value compared with the new boys!

Jess, I have 2 rising 2yos: a gelding & filly. Both are very kind horses - always have been from day one, no vices and were a dream to break in. One is a natural 2yo, the other may be an Autumn horse.

Is free of Danehill which is a bit of a bonus. Love the Aga Khan's families and I think Vadamos is a great chance. The $15k is a bit steep in a year where there are plenty of new stallions being launched.

I think it's going to be a tough year for all these new stallions here in NZ. I definitely agree Berri, he was absolutely trashed in regards to looking after his post-race career. I would support but my main mare in by Flying Spur. Good luck to the team at Brighthiils - absolute pleasure to deal with & If he gets the right mares, I'm sure they will run.

Have just seen on Twitter that Brighthills have acquired Preferment. A nice son of Zabeel from a daughter of Flying Spur and a winner of 4 Group 1s. No fee was mentioned. I though they might have retired the horse last year...

You should be applauded Shane, bloody good on you, if only there were more like you.

Yes Berri - what a great pedigree..but I guess they have so many well bred horses, it's no wonder some fall by the wayside. I'm not sure if Darley support Iffraaj in the Southern Hemisphere? I can't recall ever seeing one reach the races here? We've been fans for years, so it's comforting to see him now coming to the fore, even though he hasn't been "popular" with the industry trend setters until now - Perhaps they can see potential dollars? Amazing how a small clique of agents, stud masters & trainer/traders, particularly in Australia, can shape our industry - make a young stallion so hot, that if you don't support, you're all mugs.

We have a lovely Iffraaj mare from a great Australian family. She has enormous natural speed and is definitely toey - hot & silly

Here is another Iffraaj that raced this day, Larthanarch who ran 2nd in 3yo listed race that day. Wow, he was an absolute stunner in the flesh and showed unbelievable talent...but unfortunately, as so many do, he just got lost along the way and I presume has now been consigned to the Blue Bin (as they call it in Newmarket).

Here is a pic i took of Hot Streak in the parade ring at Newmarket just prior to the Darley July Cup in 2014. Lovely horse from a Housebuster mare. I think he was just a bit immature for this race - going 6f against seasoned sprinters up that hill was just a bit too much for him. To me he was a "fresh" type of horse and I feel if had missed this race and taken on the Nunthorpe or the L'Abbaye he would have got his Grp 1.

Transfer Awapuni to Opaki....great course proper and a track manager that gives a toss.

Did anyone hear the comments on Trackside Radio by Pam Hughes this morning regarding the state of racing down her way?

No, in fact, if something is not done, there will be no domestic racing in the near future. All well bred horses go offshore leaving homebreds to prop up local racing. We tried to buy a pass in from the recent RTR sale and were told the price has gone up another $5k...owners said they want to roll the dice and win a trial then sell o/s...so what hope is there? Perhaps that strategy is contributing to the current circumstances?

Well if Hilton Donaldson makes it to NZ, get ready everyone....there won't be a trainer or jockey that will get away with a bad ride or a poor training effort. You have been warned....

Everything in South Africa is cheaper. Wages, of course, are much lower than NZ/OZ and this is reflected in costs across the board. They do have an abundance of labour and trainers can afford to ensure all horses in their care are exceptionally well cared for. Average costs are around $A1000 per month. But owners are treated with respect as Owning a racehorse is not one of life's compulsory exercises! The hospitality is fantastic and the industry spends a lot of money promoting racing through mainstream media. Now export to the US has been sanctioned, it won't take long before the Americans cotton on. South Africa does send horses to Singapore as there are several expats training there. In some ways it shows, that whilst some NZ people are benefitting greatly from the HKG & China market, it is putting unrealistic prices on NZ bred horses, leaving the domestic market struggling to compete. In turn this is depleting our domestic racing fields leaving punters with too few options and therefore downgrading TAB profits and of course, our Studbook. As I have said for 10 years, the gravy train to Asia will come back to bite us....

Was lucky enough to be in South Africa during the Cape Ready to Run sales. Lovely types, well grown and they bring realistic money. Unlike the NZB RTR where majority of sold horses go offshore, in South Africa most are sold to local buyers. Vendors place realistic reserves and subsequently the pass in rate is low. However now the door is open for South Africa to ship horses to the US, I'm sure things will ramp up. Prizemoney is on par with NZ racing but costs are much lower. Sheik Hamdan and Sheik Khalifa but have substantial investments in South Africa and many Trainers make their way to the Inglis Melbourne Sale to purchase yearling. The best horse in the last decade was the Australian bred mare Igugu (by Galileo), purchased from Melbourne sale for $A55K. South Africa also has 2 races in the internationally recognised top 100 Group Ones. NZ doesn't have one. Perhaps there are some lessons we could learn from South African racing? Obviously their racing administration is a few notches above ours?

lovely mare. No risk with FR...well at least it will look a good page in the catalogue...hope its a filly....

Dalghar only served a small book in France before coming to NZ. He only has 48 living foals from his first crop and 38 foals from his second. The fact is he has a Sydney Saturday metro winner, a Perth provincial winner and a Sydney provincial winner who should have won in town. They will do better with time, such as Anthony Cummings' horse, Golden Organic. Astara has a good record and proved her class in winning at Ellerslie in record time over the mile. Also take in account, there aren't too many "star" mares in the books he covered, but he is a half to 2 champion sires, comes from one of the best families in the European stud book and was a good, fast racehorse in France and the UK. Trainers who bought Dalghars' from the first crop, went back for more this year....so they obviously show ability. I think he is fair value at the fee he stands for. Brighthill is a good farm, family run and do a great job.

Can he ride at 52-1/2?

Berri, how wonderful to read your above post. My heroes are Prince Khalid Abdullah and HRH Aga Khan - both breed to race thus improving their own bloodlines and in all honesty, would have to be the most successful breeders in the world, all without spending the huge amounts of money, the other camps have spent to achieve their goals. I have no time for the mob across the Irish Sea. As you correctly say, who is the heir apparent to Galileo? Or in our part of the world, where is the stand out Australian Group one winning son of Fastnet Rock? And what about their group one winning Galileo mares - as you say, no way Dubawi. The politics standing in the way of thoroughbred racehorse development. Don't you wish you could bang their respective heads together and pour in a good dose of common sense! Today, with the influx of Asian money and the young, aggressive bloodstock agents, thoroughbred breeding and racing has just become another stock exchange vehicle. I refer to today's agents as "dedicated followers of fashion" - ie. whatever is trending. There is a perfect example of this at the moment. A large Asian owned breeding establishment in Victoria were "astute" enough to buy a nice mare at auction in the US in foal to Bernadini for $US80K. The first of the mare's progeny has now won a Group 1 at Del Mar, and now this stud is putting the mare back on the market, obviously not interested in developing the family further to SH time but to cash in. Dare I say this is typical of where the industry is going - trading is the name of the game with little interest in breeding horses for race track success (and I'm talking globally) Its all about the "page" (oh, how I detest that term!) and not necessarily physical type! I admire the studs that don't have a shuttle stallion - i.e. Widden & Waikato Studs. They have to be innovative in promoting their locally bred stallions and year, after year, they produce the goods. Its racetrack success that drives their product!

Can only say what a great start you have made for first venture with Dalghar! We have a yearling filly and she is a pocket rocket! We love the stallion so much, we have sent another mare this year. There isn't a better related stallion in NZ than this fellow. And Nick and Anne-marie King are great to deal with, so best of luck with your mare!