Let's Hear it for the Girls

Bonneval’s win in the $A1 million Group 1 Australian Oaks represented the fourth consecutive win by a New Zealand bred in the world’s richest Oaks. Over the past five years New Zealand thoroughbreds have won 35% of Group 1 Oaks races in Australia, during which time they’ve accounted for just 5.5% of the Australian racehorse population.  

This racetrack success is mirrored in the breeding barn where New Zealand bred mares are playing a major role in elite races across the Tasman.

“It’s the strength of your broodmare band which really carries you through,” explains NZB Chairman Joe Walls. “You can have a very good stallion but you can put it to a mare that’s been a good race mare or is from very good lineage and they’ll be the ones that come through. 

“Sure, from time to time you have stallions that dominate the market but at the end of the day it’s been the fillies and mares that have dominated the breeding barn and I don’t think that changes.”

New Zealand mares produced the winners of 14 Group 1 races in Australia in the 2016-17 racing season. 

Most notably Australian Hall of Famer Winx (AUS) (Street Cry) is a daughter of the Al Akbar mare Vegas Showgirl (NZ).

Bred by Graeme Rogerson and Aotearoa Stud Ltd Vegas Showgirl was a dual listed winner in New Zealand for Rogerson, who was training in partnership with Stephen Autridge at the time.

Rogerson also raced Winx’s second dam Vegas Magic (AUS) (Voodoo Magic), a daughter of Vegas Street (NZ) (Sovereign Edition). She won two races before Rogerson sent her to stud where she produced eleven foals the ninth of which was Vegas Showgirl.

Interestingly, Rogerson never intended to breed Vegas Magic to Al Akbar. He had sent her to Grangewilliam Stud to be covered by Batavian (NZ) (Straussbrook) but he dropped dead from a heart attack while serving a mare and so the decision was made to mate her with his barnmate Al Akbar (AUS) (Success Express).

Other New Zealand mares to have produced recent Australian Group 1 winners include Parfore (NZ) (Gold Brose) dam of Lightning stakes winner Terravista (AUS), Brecca (NZ) (Fastnet Rock) dam of All Aged Stakes winner Tivaci (AUS), Double Elle (NZ) (Generous) dam of Rosehill Guineas winner Gingernuts (NZ), Utopia (NZ) (High Chaparral) dam of South Australian Derby winner Volatile Mix (NZ) and Purely Spectacular (NZ) (Pins) dam of Kingston Town Classic winner Stratum Star (AUS).

It’s not just on the racetrack and in the breeding barn that New Zealand mares are at the forefront, they’re also featuring in the sale ring as re-sale values soar and international buyers look to tap into New Zealand’s matriarchal strength.

Australian Group Two winner Nurse Kitchen (NZ) (Savabeel) made headlines when she was purchased by the China Horse Club for $A1.7 million. Others to have fetched over $A1 million at auction recently are Soriano (NZ) (Savabeel), Provocative (NZ) (Zabeel) and The Party Stand (NZ) (Ocean Park).

“The Australian breeder has become much more aware, in recent years, of the quality of our local racing as evidenced by the number of horses that we can take to Australia and win at the elite level with,” said Walls. 

“They’re not winning Golden Slippers and Blue Diamonds but they win the Oaks and Guineas and the Cups and I think by and large the Australian breeder has realised that if they want to breed those sorts of horses they’ve got to take our product very seriously.” ///