NEWS & EVENTS

LA Update 14th May 2007

Saturday, 19 May 2007 14:26

LA UPDATE FOR WEEK COMMENCING 14/5/07 

Well, undoubtedly the big news of the week for LA is the announcement that we will be standing the regally bred Zed this coming season. 

In the lead up to the 2006 New Zealand Derby, Zabeel colt Zed , on the back of a brilliant debut win, emerged as a serious contender for honours in the Group One classic. At his second career start, despite been galloped on after 400m, he finished sixth to Wahid in the Group Two Waikato Guineas. Sadly that injury halted his derby campaign and ultimately finished his racing career. Following a long layoff, he returned to the track this season for two starts, however the earlier injury was significantly affecting his performance and as a result he was retired. Trained by Murray Baker and educated by Dean Hawthorn, both maintain he was an outstanding talent with a great temperament. 

From the Group One winning Danehill mare Emerald Dream
, Zed’s female family is that of the distinguished Eight Carat. A close relation to the outstanding Australian sires Commands and Danewin he is also a very close genetic brother to the emerging sire Columbia (Zabeel from Eight Carat).

Since Towkay’s fee increase Sam had felt the stud needed to offer existing and new clients a competitively priced option. LA is making Zed available to breeders at a one off booking fee of $500 plus GST subject to the stud accepting the mare. Should the mare not get in foal, $250 plus GST will be returned to the mares owners. No other service fee is payable.

Zed’s fee provides breeders with a great opportunity to access the best bloodlines in New Zealand at a time when bloodstock prices are increasing on the back of stakemoney increases and positive taxation initiatives. Particularly if you have a broodmare or two in the back paddock, who you may not have bred in recent seasons, Zed is a not to be missed opportunity to spark up that genetic prepotency.   

On the racing front Towkay’s sons Pelorous Jack (Cooininee) and Mehrtens (On Song) both finished second at Woodville last Thursday. A trait of Towkay’s stock is their genuineness and Pelorus Jack’s record of paying a divvy in nearly 40 percent of his 46 career starts bears testimony to that.   

Saturday’s authorative Rotorua Cup win by Balmuse franked the form from his previous start where he finished second to Delbrae in the WFA Canterbury Gold Cup. LA’s recent purchase of Delbare’s mum Wee Leica has us rather excited round the farm and we can’t wait to get her home later in the year from Australia and hopefully with a half relation to Delbrae by Bradbury’s Luck in unison. 

The resale value of Towkay’s stock up into Asia in particular is well known and some recent performances at trials by his stock are likely to have connections phones ringing.   

At the Te Aroha trails on 1 May an unnamed two year old gelding from Cinzano ran the second quickest time of the twelve 800m catchweight heats when winning by 3 lengths. The third quickest heat winner was also by Towkay, a gelding from Mayfair bred by our longtime client Don Gordon – he also happened to be the most comprehensive winner on the whole programme, winning by six lengths.  

At the Tauherenikau trials on 3 May, the Towkay gelding from Chica Guapa for Guy Lowry took a two year old catchweight heat over 1000m.   

Well that’s another week’s news for LA. Watch out for the next monthly newsletter when we will bring you more information about Zed, including when you can pop over and view him. In the meantime pour yourself a Laphroaig or a nice Pinot, sit back in a comfy chair and consider the many positives of sending a mare or two to Zed this season.

First and foremost, stockman and people whose interest in the animal translates into an innate ability to read how a horse will develop. I’ll see a foal at LA and Sam or Buzz will tell me how they expect it to develop. I’ll see it during my Karaka inspections 12 months later, and you could blow me over with a feather

Danny Rolston, NZ Bloodstock, Karaka