Belardo

[Baz (NZ)]

How well have the progeny of Belardo been going recently with multiple winners including 3 stakes winners this past couple of weeks.

Obviously his stock can handle all types of conditions and have ability.

Was he a loss to NZ breeders due to low patronage?

[Nerula]

Lovely nature our one. Five wins and gone

[gubellini]

Baz Belardo only served 13 mares in his last season here so Haunui Stud decided not to shuttle him again. His progeny are going huge especially on very heavy tracks.

[stodge]

His best, oddly enough, is an American turf type called GOLD PHOENIX who seems to love firm ground.

Fourth in the Breeders Cup Turf last year, he won the Grade 2 Charlie Whittingham Handicap at Santa Anita in early May.

BELARDO stands at the Bearstone Stud in Market Drayton for £5,500. 

[Baz (NZ)]

He has a handy one called Red Lion in Hong Kong also... a multiple group performer that ran a GR.1 2nd in the Champions Mile last start.

[Dopey]

There are 2 belardo’s in race 7 at Ascot tonight!

[Baz (NZ)]

Belardo (IRE) sired a further 4 winners this long weekend including another stakes winner in Australia.
Looking at this season's stallion premiership...Belardo is 2nd only to Savabeel for Winners to Runners.
Surprised but not surprised with recent results !
 

[Palatable]

Aah the curse of a good wet weather stallion. Not since Noble Bijou and Zamazaan set the 80s alight have our best heavy track stallions been respected. 

His Royal Highness, Shinko King and Al Akbar made a fair fist of careers from humble origins, but were never given the best of mares. 

The Entain investment could change all that. Looking at Baz's snapshot above, Belardo is very close to other highly rated stallions for prize money. The general increase in stakes across all races is helping the winter gallopers pay their way. Breeders should be taking a closer look at sending mares to winter stallions again. 

[Baz (NZ)]

[Baz (NZ)]

On 7/25/2024 at 9:41 AM, Palatable said:

Aah the curse of a good wet weather stallion. Not since Noble Bijou and Zamazaan set the 80s alight have our best heavy track stallions been respected. 

His Royal Highness, Shinko King and Al Akbar made a fair fist of careers from humble origins, but were never given the best of mares. 

The Entain investment could change all that. Looking at Baz's snapshot above, Belardo is very close to other highly rated stallions for prize money. The general increase in stakes across all races is helping the winter gallopers pay their way. Breeders should be taking a closer look at sending mares to winter stallions again. 

Looking at your examples of good NZ wet track Sires...could Belardo become an excellent future broodmare sire?

Would only need to be half as good as the ones above!

[Baz (NZ)]

 

BELARDO THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING ! 

Skippers Canyon storms home from behind to claim the A$130,000 Sharp EIT Solutions Handicap (1700m) at Caulfield.  Photo: Bruno Cannatelli

Skippers Canyon finishes strongly for Caulfield success

NZ Racing Desk

16 November 2025

Next month’s A$300,000 Listed Pakenham Cup (2500m) is on the radar for Skippers Canyon after he collected his second Australian victory in come-from-behind style in the A$130,000 Sharp EIT Solutions Handicap (1700m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

The Belardo gelding was imported by OTI Racing after 10 starts in New Zealand, including a maiden win over 2100m at Otaki in January. He also recorded three seconds and a third, along with a fourth in the $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m) and a fifth in the Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m).

Skippers Canyon then crossed the Tasman and joined the stable of Phillip Stokes, who gave him his first two Australian starts during the winter for a win over 1400m at Sandown on July 30 and a second over 1800m at Caulfield on August 16.

Saturday’s Benchmark 74 handicap was the four-year-old’s first appearance since then, and he returned to action in impressive style.

Skippers Canyon was ridden patiently by Lachlan Neindorf and was among the last to come around the home turn. Neindorf unleashed him down the outside of the Caulfield home straight and he reeled in Sigiriya Rock and Nearing Liberty to win by a long head.

“These OTI colours have been really good to me,” Neindorf said. “Very grateful for Terry Henderson and the team’s support, and it’s good to join up on a good day at Caulfield and get the job done.

“I spoke to my form man this morning and we analysed the race really deeply. I thought we’d end up back there, like we did. He’s got a bad habit of missing the kick. It wasn’t the end of the world. I was aware that it could happen.

“My job from that point was not to join the race until the 700m and then decide whether we were going to stay in and ride for luck if they’d gone slow, or I believed that they’d gone hard enough, to make a looping run, which they sort of did.

“He travelled up nicely in my hands and then he was very good late.

“I think he’ll be suited down to the ground when he gets up over longer trips, especially with his habit of missing the start. A race like the Pakenham Cup will be right up his alley.”

Stokes confirmed that Skippers Canyon will now be set for the Pakenham Cup in four weeks’ time.

“He’ll be aimed for that,” he said. “He’s come here and good order today. We told Lachie, ‘Whatever you do, don’t bomb the start.’ He’s got a real habit of doing that, this horse. Lachie’s gone to Plan B and given him a bit of room with a nice turn of foot.

“He’s a very athletic horse, so he doesn’t take a lot of work. He’s clean-winded, which makes my job easy. He can go on any ground, so that is a plus.

“He’ll run here in two weeks’ time, stepping up to the 1800m, and then on to the Pakenham Cup.”

Skippers Canyon was trained in New Zealand by Opaki-based trainer Jim Wallace and was bred under his Ardsley Stud banner.

From a 13-race career, Skippers Canyon has now recorded three wins and five placings and has earned A$164,155.
 

Stablemates Romanoff (inside) and Affirmative Action fight out a desperate finish to the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas.  Photo: Race Images South

Romanoff heads Gerard quinella in 2000 Guineas

Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

15 November 2025

The only thing certain as horses slogged their way to the winning post in Saturday’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) was that Matamata trainer Pam Gerard would produce the quinella in the Riccarton classic.

Heavy rain during the day had seen the track reduced to a Heavy9 rating that threw a massive spanner in the works as connections of the 15 runners tried to work out if their horse could handle the downgraded surface and just how competitive they would be.

Gerard was in that camp with the well-favoured Affirmative Action and stablemate Romanoff, but she needn’t have worried as the pair went clear at the 200m mark to fight out a desperate finish that went in favour of Romanoff by the barest of margins.

Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz had Romanoff away well from the start and stalking the pacemakers He Who Dares and Mission Complete throughout as George Rooke on Affirmative Action sat one pair further back but out wider as they searched for better ground.

Queiroz and Romanoff stuck closer to the inner rounding the home bend as Affirmative Action swung to the middle of the track and headed off He Who Dares at the 300m. The Gerard pair came together with 200m to run and set down to a dogfight which went stride for stride to the post.

The issue was only settled several minutes after the runners had pulled up with the judge declaring Romanoff, a son of former Haunui Farm stallion Belardo, the winner from his stablemate with maiden galloper Shoma storming into third just ahead of Little Black Dress.

Gerard was a bundle of emotion as she came to terms with what had transpired just minutes earlier.

“I don’t know if I can handle this anymore, it is just too much,” Gerard said.

“Just the whole thing as they are both really nice horses and I think their class has shown (today).

“There is no question that I was really worried about the track and I still don’t think they liked it one bit, but on a wet day Romanoff may always have been the better on it although I honestly thought the other horse had got up.

“My staff at home are just amazing as so much goes into getting here and it is hard on a day when you get a hailstorm and all the work that has gone in you think bloody hell, but we managed to get away with it.

“We just have fantastic owners and the guys from Aussie that are here have never experienced anything like this, but they will be definitely coming back.”

Queiroz, who had ridden 16 Group One winners in his native Brazil, was beaming as he celebrated his first New Zealand success at the highest level.

“I just had one dream which was a Group One here (in New Zealand) as I have 16 in Brazil and today I am very glad,” he said.

“Thank you to God along with the connections of this horse for the big opportunity.

“It was so close but I’m so glad as I thought I had won as he fought so hard the last 100m.”

Bred by Marie Leicester from her Stravinsky mare Tsarina Belle, Romanoff has now won his second race from seven starts and over $454,000 for a large group of owners.

He was purchased by Ballymore Stables, Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman for $75,000 from the Haunui Farm draft during the Book 2 sale at Karaka in 2024.

[Baz (NZ)]

BELARDO'S STAKES PERFORMERS THIS SEASON

24/08/2025

Simply Minds (FR) 2018

(G. by Belardo-Hatsepsut Queen) 1st Ovrevoll Marit Sveaas Minneløp Gr.3, K1200000 1800m earning K750000

30/08/2025

Gold Phoenix (IRE) 2018

(G. by Belardo-Magnifica) 1st Del Mar Del Mar H. Gr.2, US$302000 2200m earning US$180000

Special Wan (IRE) 2020

(F. by Belardo-Fast Jazz) 1st Kentucky Downs Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. Gr.3, US$1316000 1600m earning US$573500

20/09/2025

Golden Path (NZ) 2019

(G. by Belardo-Golden Destination) 3rd MRC Underwood S. Gr.1, A$1000000 1800m earning A$90000

27/09/2025

Juja Kibo (IRE) 2021

(G. by Belardo-Na Zdorovie) 2nd ATC Colin Stephen H. Gr.3, A$250000 2400m earning A$46250

Gold Phoenix (IRE) 2018

(G. by Belardo-Magnifica) 1st Santa Anita John Henry Turf Championship S. Gr.2, US$201000 2000m earning US$120000

04/10/2025

Juja Kibo (IRE) 2021

(G. by Belardo-Na Zdorovie) 3rd ATC Metropolitan H. Gr.1, A$750000 2400m earning A$71500

19/10/2025

Ashikidah (FR) 2022

(F. by Belardo-Ashtaneh) 2nd ParisLongchamp Prix de Saint-Cyr L, €50300 1400m earning €10060

Shaool (IRE) 2021

(F. by Belardo-Imtidaad) 1st Leopardstown Trigo S. L, €45000 2011m earning €27000

25/10/2025

Golden Path (NZ) 2019

(G. by Belardo-Golden Destination) 2nd MVRC Crystal Mile Gr.2, A$400000 1600m earning A$72000

01/11/2025

Romanoff (NZ) 2022

(C. by Belardo-Tsarina Belle) 3rd BOP RC James & Annie Sarten Memorial S. Gr.2, NZ$150000 1400m earning NZ$13500

Special Wan (IRE) 2020

(F. by Belardo-Fast Jazz) 1st Del Mar Goldikova S. Gr.3, US$303000 1600m earning US$180000

Gold Phoenix (IRE) 2018

(G. by Belardo-Magnifica) 5th Del Mar Breeders' Cup Turf Gr.1 , US$4600000 2400m earning US$150000

08/11/2025

Zambardo (NZ) 2021

(G. by Belardo-Zambezi) 2nd VRC LKS Mackinnon S. Gr.1, A$3000000 2000m earning A$540000

15/11/2025

Romanoff (NZ) 2022

(C. by Belardo-Tsarina Belle) 1st CJC New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas Gr.1, NZ$700000 1600m earning NZ$402500

[Baz (NZ)]

BELARDO IS NOW THE CURRENT LEADING SIRE IN NZ !  
 

[Baz (NZ)]

Belardo had two runners at New Plymouth today on a Good4 track for two winners. 

This giving Belardo 26 Individual winners for the season!