Te Kauwhata breeders Courtney and Mandy Howells had cause for celebration on Saturday night when Affaire A Suivre, a filly they bred and sold, won the Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville for trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
The gutsy New Zealand-bred daughter of Astern endured a torrid run from the outside barrier but still prevailed, leaving the vanquished with few excuses.
For the Howells, it was as continuation of more than four decades breeding and raising quality gallopers from a relatively small breeding operation under the banner of Ainsley Downs Stud in the north Waikato.
The couple, who mix breeding from a small broodmare band with the odd pinhook, were understandably proud to claim another Group One homebred some 20 years after outstanding galloper Russian Pearl won the Gr.1 Bayer Classic (1600m).
That son of Soviet Star would go on to be a top-liner in Hong Kong, winning a Stewards Cup (1800m) as well as running second to Vengeance Of Rain in the Hong Kong Derby (2000m).
In between there have been Group One winners the ilk of Mongolian Khan and Choice Bro, which were pinhooks raised and on-sold by Ainsley Downs, to go with a slew of other good performers off the property.
But there was once again a sense of huge satisfaction from Courtney Howells after posting another elite-level graduate.
“It’s been a long time between drinks,” an understated Howells said.
“The last one we bred was Russian Pearl. We didn’t breed the other two, Choice Bro and Mongolian Khan, but we were proud of them too.”
Affaire A Suivre is a half-sister to Listed Scone Cup (1600m) winner Laure Me In. She is the best of five winners from seven to race for the Highest Honor mare Laurelling, who was a $34,000 purchase for the Howells via long-time friend and bloodstock agent Paul Willetts. The mare was in foal to Astern, a Group One winning son of Medaglia d’Oro.
Howells made a compelling case for sourcing older mares, given the cost of acquiring well-related fillies straight off the track.
“I just love those deep European pedigrees,” Howells said. “When you look at the page, it is just phenomenal - an absolute blue hen family and at the time she had about six foals for a couple of winners but nothing of anything significance.
“Then Laure Me In won a Listed race and has been Group Three placed and has put nearly $800,000 together so there is a bit of black-type which is great, and now a Group One winner.
“She is just a gem of a mare. She is the kindest mare you could have anything to do with, just a real good sort. She is 20 now but she doesn’t look it.
“She is in foal to Proisir so I pulled the right rein there. I sent her to Darci Brahma the year before just to try to get a filly out of her but of course I ended up with a colt. He is weaned in the paddock now and is a really nice sort.”
First Light Racing, Paul Willetts, Ciaron Maher Racing and David Eustace shelled out $75,000 for Affaire A Suivre from Ainsley Downs Stud’s draft at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.
In the Covid-affected year, Howells praised Sarah Worker and Conor Fahy of Kawa Park for identifying the filly on behalf of Maher and Eustace.
“Paul did the bidding but Sarah Worker looked at her for Ciaron Maher. She had come back from working for Ciaron and she came and looked at her and really loved her,” Howells said.
“She obviously passed the word on. It was probably at the stage where Astern was not doing a lot when we put her through the ring, but at $75,000 we made a small margin on her.
“I saw Affaire A Suivre first two races back in spring and I thought she was a bit weak and to be honest I didn’t know she was back racing and missed her first win this campaign.”
Howells was tuned in when Affaire A Suivre impressed with a dominant performance in the Listed Port Adelaide Guineas (1800m) at Morphettville on April 15 and cheered her home again on Saturday.
“It’s the mark of a top trainer to put them away when they knew the ability she had and then bring her back for a new campaign and get the best out of her,” he said.
The Howells’ have seven mares in foal, with their foaling down these days done by long-time friends Denny Baker and his son Mark at nearby Hallmark Stud before being raised at Ainsley Downs.
They typify the astute Kiwi breeders, who while not big on numbers, continue to produce a superior product for the Australian market, with Saturday’s Australasian Oaks winner the 18th Group One victory by a New Zealand bred across the Tasman this season.
Howells has transferred his skills as a sheep breeder to the thoroughbred industry after marrying horse enthusiast Mandy.
“I keep saying that I am going to cut back further but it doesn’t happen,” Howells said. “I married a horsey lady so that started it, I’d say 45 years ago.
“We bought Wharf as our first stallion and that was 40 years ago. We stood him for $1000 and got 50 mares through the gate and I thought that was easy.
“I have always been a pedigree buff. I had a southdown sheep stud when I was at school and I have always been fascinated so it was a natural progression when Mandy was riding.
“We had a horse called Yamaha that won the Wellesley (Stakes, 1000m at Trentham in 1967) and came with Mandy when we got married so the association with racing people was always there.
“Once we started buying broodmares, we realised that we had to pay service fees so that was when we got our own stallion. When Wharf came, I learned so much from him then I played rugby with Denny Baker so I was in and around horse people all the time.
“We don’t do as many pinhooks these days. I get a lot of satisfaction out of having a nice mare that has already done it and if I get a filly, I can race her. I bought a Tavistock filly from Patrick Hogan a couple of years ago at Karaka and she has ended up a half-sister to Devastate (Group Three winner) and so we are trying to get a win out of her and then she will go to stud.
“We are just doing little things like that to think outside the square a bit but still breed a nice horse.”