Classic Caulfield provides huge results

As a subscriber to Haunui eNews you are more than likely to be very well aware of the fantastic result the farm achieved on Caulfield Cup Day earlier this month.  But, just in case you have been otherwise pre-disposed, I guess we should point out that Railings (NZ) (Zabeel) and Activation (NZ) (Zabeel) - both Haunui Farm graduates - took out two of the main features on the card!

Railings taking out the G1 Caulfield Cup 

Railings gave John Hawkes his first Caulfield Cup victory and in doing so, became the first horse since Hayai (NZ) (Skyhawk II) in 1983 to complete The Metropolitan Hcp and Caulfield Cup double.  He also earned his connections a $250,000 bonus.  Should he be successful in the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November, a further $250,000 will be on the way courtesy of the Australian Jockey Club who offered the bonus to runners in the The Metropolitan Hcp.

The Melbourne Spring Carnival is quickly becoming the epitome of thoroughbred racing around the world as Australia becomes more and more recognised as one of the world's leading racing destinations.  To win any of the feature races at this carnival is an achievement in itself and Activation put his hand up as a serious contender for Group One status throughout the spring after a convincing victory in the Group Three Coongy Handicap (2000m) on the same day as Railings.  The favourite for the Group One MacKinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday, Activation has his first chance to achieve Group One glory.

Railings' and Activation continued the flying start Haunui Farm graduates have made this season with eight individual stakes performers already.  "It has been a fantastic start to the season for us," said Mark Chitty of Haunui Farm, "and Railings' victory in the Caulfield Cup was just amazing," he said.  "That combined with Activation's win in the Coongy earlier in the day meant the weekend was a huge success - the biggest breeding success we've had so far, and hopefully there's more big results to come," says Mark.

Railings was bred by Haunui Farm and Noel Robinson and was purchased from the draft of Haunui Farm as a yearling by Roger James for NZ$300,000.  The horse was initially trained in Roger's Melbourne stable before being transferred to the John Hawkes team after Roger decided to close his Melbourne operation.

Activation on the other hand, is yet another product of long term Haunui client Marie Leicester who, with her impressive band of broodmares, has achieved enormous results both in the yearling sales ring and on the track.

"We're looking forward to following these horses throughout the spring," said Mark.  "The exciting thing is that they still have a lot of racing ahead of them and I'm sure there will be more big races to come for both," he said.

Van Nistelrooy receives boost to first yearling crop

Haunui Farm will be offering half brothers to both Railings and Activation at the 2006 William Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.  Both colts are by first crop sire Van Nistelrooy (USA) (Storm Cat) and will be among an outstanding first crop of yearlings to hit the sales ring in 2006.

Here is an interesting snippet of information for you.  Both Railings and Activation are branded 8 on their off-fore shoulder.  Many studs reserve this number for the horses they believe are among the best of their crop.  Both half brothers also carry the number 8 on their shoulders as well - could this be an omen?

"Van Nistelrooy has served some of the best broodmares in the country in his first two seasons at stud and is continuing along the same vain this season," said Mark Chitty.  "We have a number of outstanding yearlings to offer by Van Nistelrooy at the upcoming yearling sales series and I'm sure when buyers see these horses, they will be very impressed - I certainly am," he said.

Van Nistelrooy 

Van Nistelrooy was the highest priced yearling of his year fetching US$6.4 million at Keeneland.  He then went on to win three races from six starts at two including the Group Two Futurity Stakes (1400m) at The Curragh before going on the place second in the Group One National Stakes (1600m) behind Refuse To Bend (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

Other yearlings by Van Nistelrooy to be offered at the 2006 Yearling Sales series by Haunui Farm include:

Karaka Premier

• Chestnut colt out of multiple Group One-winner Fayreform (NZ) (Tights)
• Chestnut colt out of Midnight Babe (NZ) (Kaapstad), a full sister to Midnight Madam (NZ), the dam of Group One-winner Perlin (NZ) (Carnegie)
• Chestnut colt out of Group Two-winner Scarlet Runner (NZ) (Kingdom Bay).
• Bay filly out of American mare Fikra (USA) (Gulch)
• Chestnut colt, the first foal out of Major Force (NZ) (Groom Dancer) - a half sister to consistent performer Homewrecker (NZ) (Housebuster)

Karaka Select

• Bay colt out of Locomotee (NZ) (Last Tycoon) - dam of the Guy Walter-trained Bird Of Dawning (NZ) (Zabeel).
• Bay colt out of Last Tycoon (Ire) (Try My Best) mare Vanderbilt (NZ), the dam of two-time winner and stakes placed filly Smitten Kitten (NZ) (Volksraad) from the family of Group One-winner and filly of the year Katana (NZ) (Volksraad).
• Bay filly out of six-time winner Vive la France (NZ) (Paris Opera).

It's hard to believe that the 2006 yearling sales series is just around the corner and with just on 50 yearlings to offer at different sales throughout Australasia in 2006, planning and preparation at Haunui is well underway.

Yearlings carrying the Haunui Farm polish will be sold at the Gold Coast, Karaka, and Sydney.  As always, our draft at Karaka will contain the largest number of yearlings with more than 20 in the Premier session and a similar number to be sold through the Select session.

Haunui's draft at Karaka 2006 will offer buyers more choice than ever before with yearlings by a range of stallions - 28 different sires in fact - from boom stallion Redoute's Choice (Aus) (Danehill) to Haunui Farm's very own Don Eduardo (NZ) (Zabeel).

We will keep you all posted with regular updates on how the yearlings are coming along and leading into the sales, will feature some of our prospective stars.  If at any stage, you wish to inspect any of the Haunui Farm yearlings, please feel free to contact either Mark Chitty (+64 21 663 995) or Shannon Taylor (+64 212 855 513).

Ready to Run Sale just around the corner

Haunui Farm will offer a select draft of two-year-olds at the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale on the 15^th and 16^th of November, among them a close relation to dual Group One-winner Perlin (NZ) (Carnegie), a half brother to the stakes winning filly Opportunity (NZ) (Redoute's Choice), and a half brother to stakes winner Gallic (NZ) (Zabeel).

Breeze-ups were held at Te Rapa earlier this month and can be viewed on the New Zealand Bloodstock website www.nzb.co.nz  Below is a brief outline of the Haunui draft for the sale.

Lot 48, a half brother to Opportunity out of Te Akau Bird (Aus) (Bluebird) will be among Haunui's draft at the Ready to Run Sale in November.  By young sire Traditionally (USA) (Mr Prospector), he will no doubt attract his share of attention from the buying bench.

Lot 55 is a half sister to the stakes performers Zazabelle (NZ) (Zabeel) and Voyager (NZ) (Last Tycoon), who placed third in the Group One AJC Derby (2400m).  Out of Group Three-winner The Perfume Garden (NZ) (Tights), she is by Carnegie (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

Lot 58 is a colt by Black Minnaloushe (USA) (Storm Cat) out of Filly of the Year Tri Belle (NZ) (Sir Tristram).

Lot 79 is an O'Reilly (Aus) (Last Tycoon) gelding out of Agena (NZ) (Honor Grades) - a full sister to Group One-winner Honor Bound (NZ). 

Lot 136 is a Danasinga colt out of Gesine (NZ) (Nassipour), dam of Gallic.  Gesine herself is a daughter of the mighty race mare and multiple Group One-winner Solveig (NZ) (Imposing).

Lot 189 is a Danasinga (Aus) (Danehill) filly out of Midnight Babe (NZ) (Kaapstad), a full sister to the dam of Perlin, Midnight Madam (NZ). 

Lot 173 is a Strategic (Aus) (Zeditave) gelding out of the Last Tycoon (Ire) (Try My Best) mare Locomotee (NZ).  He's a half brother to the Guy Walter-trained Bird Of Dawning (NZ) (Zabeel).

Lot 358 is a colt by Kashani (USA) (Danzig) out of On The Breeze (NZ) (True Style) and is a half brother to consistent filly Rushanwin (NZ) (Karensky).

Horses to Watch

Activation (NZ) (Zabeel - Coogee Walk by Success Express)
Group One Motorola Mackinnon Stakes (2000m), Flemington, Saturday 29 October.
Owner: Lloyd Williams
Trainer: Graeme Rogerson
Breeder: Marie Leicester 

Railings (NZ) (Zabeel - La Suffragette by Palace Music)
Group One Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m), Flemington, Tuesday 1^st November
Owners: Tony Pistikakis, Gerard Peterson, Michael Lam, Owen Glen, E Lam, N Pistikakis, Sam Kayalicos
Trainer: John Hawkes
Breeder: Haunui Farm and Noel Robinson

Tsarina Belle (NZ) (Stravinsky - Empress Belle by Sir Tristram)
New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas (1600m), Riccarton, Saturday 5th November
Owner: Marie Leicester
Trainer: Lance O'Sullivan
Breeder: Marie Leicester

Melbourne is a buzz with the first Tuesday of November looming.  No doubt the city is bursting at the seams with visitors and locals preparing for the start of one of the world's most famous races.

Flemington will be packed tomorrow as Derby Day gets underway.  Activation will be one of the headliners in the Mackinnon Stakes, another of the major races on the day besides the VRC Derby.

Railings, the winner of the Caulfield Cup just a few weeks ago is set to take his place in the field and could be set to give Haunui one of our greatest breeding results yet. 

In New Zealand, we are all looking forward to New Zealand Cup Week in Christchurch and in particular, the running of the Group One New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas (1600m).  Haunui Farm will be represented in the Guineas by the Marie Leicester-bred and owned filly Tsarina Belle.

Marie has had a fantastic season to date with Tsarina Belle already stakes placed in her second outing this season in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) after an impressive first up victory at Te Rapa in September.  Group Three Coongy Handicap (2000m) winner Activation is also a product of Marie's and as stated earlier in eNews, is currently favourite for the Group One Mackinnon Stakes (2000m).

In Australia

A number of our mares have made the trip across the Tasman to be covered by some of the best sires in Australia.  As part of our vision for the future, we are continually striving to send our mares to the best possible stallions matching them both on pedigree and physical attributes.  With this in mind, there are a number of foals that we and our clients also have residing in Australia so here is a brief rundown of some of the foalings so far.

Bay Filly
Flying Spur - Liberty Walk
Liberty Walk is owned by Marie Leicester has been covered by More Than Ready (USA) (Southern Halo) this spring.

Bay Filly
Flying Spur - Exotic Stranger
Owned by Haunui clients Don and Rochelle McLaren, Exotic Stranger has been covered by Galileo (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

Bay Colt
Stravinsky - Fibber Magee
Another mare owned by Don and Rochelle McLaren, "Fibber" visits Hussonet (USA) (Mr Prospector) this spring.

Bay Colt
Danzero - Diva Belle
Diva Belle is another mare owned by Marie Leicester and will return to Danzero (Aus) (Danehill).

Bay Filly
Reset - Coupon
Coupon is owned by Haunui Farm and clients Gary Cranny and Denis Nicol.  She will be covered by Red Ransom (USA) (Roberto)

Bay Colt
Flying Spur - Cassovia
The first foal out of Coogee Walk (NZ) (Success Express), Cassovia is owned by Haunui Farm and is visiting More Than Ready in 2005.
For more Haunui Farm foalings, check out the Haunui Farm website, www.haunuifarm.co.nz

A busy time for Don Eduardo

Resident stallion Don Eduardo (NZ) (Zabeel) has had an extremely successful last month or so since the last Haunui eNews.  He has now covered more than 70 mares so far this season and the positive scans are coming in thick and fast.

Some of the mares carrying positive tests to "The Don" so far this season include:

Miguelita (Aus) (Danehill) - a half sister to stakes winner Brocco Babe (Aus) (Brocco).  She is one of a number of high quality mares that Gooree Park Stud have sent across to be covered by Don Eduardo this season.

Solvieg's Song (NZ) (Bakharoff) - owned by Richard Moore, this mare is out of multiple Group One-winner and filly of the year Solveig.  She is the dam of five winners including stakes performer Pulitzer (NZ) (Prized).

Basra (Aus) (Desert King) - another of Gooree Park's young mares, Basra made the trip across the Tasman last season as a racehorse and claimed the Group Two New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie.

Grovana (NZ) (Grosvenor) - Owned by Nola Hopson, Grovana was the winner of seven races and was also stakes placed during her racing career.  She is out of filly of the year Impasada (NZ) (Imperial Seal).

Others who have been covered by Don Eduardo and are awaiting their first scans include Group One producer Sonchela (NZ) (Sound Reason), dam of Australasian Oaks-winner Yelgun Dawn (NZ) (Deputy Governor); Jinsky Rose (NZ) (Tights), dam of stakes winner Raw Instinct (NZ) (Housebuster); Janie Hikawai (NZ) (Honor Grades) who is from the family of Perlin (NZ) (Carnegie); and stakes winner Magsaya (Aus) (Danehill Dancer)

We couldn't be happier with the reception Don Eduardo has had this season with a book of quality mares.  With over 100 mares to cover this season, its not too late to secure a nomination so if you have an enquiry, please feel free to contact us.