Nominations for the Property Brokers National Breeding Awards, to be held at the Don Rowlands Event Centre in Cambridge on July 27, have been announced.
There will be awards for the Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan Breeder of the Year, the Small Breeder of the Year, Eight Carat Broodmare of the Year, premiership-winning stallions, as well as the Entain Personality of the Year, Mary-Lynne Ryan Young Achiever, and the Seton Otway Horse of the Year.
The breeders of all 25 individual Group One winners throughout the season will also be recognised.
“It’s an opportunity to recognise human and equine achievement, which once again the 2023/24 season has provided in spades. Not only that, it’s also a brilliant way to bring our industry together to celebrate at this wonderful night hosted by our Waikato Branch,” New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association chief executive Nick Johnson said.
“The New Zealand-bred punches above its weight on both the domestic and international stage, and we are looking forward to when we can come together and celebrate that”
Nominees for the coveted Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan Breeder of the Year award are Trelawney Stud, Waikato Stud and Ray and the Estate of the late Martha Johnson.
Pride of Jenni (Pride of Dubai-Sancerre) became the pride of Brent and Cherry Taylor’s Trelawney Stud with her sensational front-running performances this season. From nine starts she won three Group One events. During Melbourne Cup week she won the Gr. 1 VRC Empire Rose and Cantala Stakes and capped those in the autumn by winning the All Star Mile before her season-defining victory in the Gr.1 ATC Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick.
Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec-Jacquetta) was another high performing graduate for Trelawney Stud, with the son of Kermadec having won the Singapore Gold Cup, Kranji Mile and Raffles Cup. While closer to home Witz End won twice and was placed in the Gr. 3 Wellington Cup, adding to Trelawney’s massive season encompassing 18 individual winners.
Three Group One winners in the season under review have once again put Waikato Stud into contention for the Breeder of the Year award. Atishu (Savabeel-Posy) and I Wish I Win (Savabeel-Make A Wish) both won at elite level in Australia, while Skew Wiff (Savabeel-Starvora) won the Gr. 1 Tarzino Trophy at Hastings.
That classy trio were major contributors to the 2023-24 earnings of Savabeel, who will once again be awarded the trifecta of stallion awards comprising the Dewar Award for earnings in Australasia, the Centaine Award for global earnings and the Grosvenor Award for earnings in New Zealand. The Gr.1 New Zealand Derby and Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes winner Orchestral (Savabeel-Orchestral) was also another significant contributor to Savabeel’s earnings in Australia and New Zealand.
Waikato Stud also bred two Group Two winners, seven Group Three winners, three Listed winners and more than 130 individual winners.
Ray Johnson and his late wife Martha bred the outstanding galloper Mr Brightside (Bullbars-Lilahjay), who in the 2023-24 season faced the starter 11 times for five wins, four at Group One level, and five placings.
He opened the season with wins in the Gr.2 PB Lawrence Stakes, Gr.1 Memsie Stakes and Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes before concluding his spring campaign with three consecutive Group One seconds in the W S Cox Plate, King Charles lll Stakes and Cantala Stakes. In the autumn he again won his first two starts, the Gr.1 CF Orr Stakes and Gr.1 Futurity Stakes, before running second in the All-Star Mile and third in the Gr.1 ATC Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Mr Brightside’s deeds have also earned Johnson a nomination for Small Breeder of the Year, while his dam is nominated for the Eight Carat Broodmare of the Year award
Fellow nominees for the Small Breeder of the Year award, which recognises the achievements of a New Zealand breeder with a small broodmare band, are Eddie and Nicola Bourke and Allan Piercy, and Carole and John Lynskey.
Taranaki-based breeders the Lynskeys bred the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile winner Puntura. He won three races in the season under review, claiming the Gr.3 Couplands Bakeries Mile at the New Zealand Cup Carnival and the Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes at Trentham in late December before his Thorndon Mile victory.
Taranaki breeders, Eddie Bourke and his daughter Nicola, along with Ashburton-based Allan Piercy bred two stakes winners – Mary Louise, the winner of the Gr.3 Wellington Cup, and also placed third in the Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, and One Bold Cat, who won the Gr.3 Counties Cup following his win in the Listed Feilding Cup. He also finished third in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes and fourth in the Gr.1 WRC Thorndon Mile.
The trio also bred The Hottie, who won three races during the season under review and was Group Three placed in the Cuddle Stakes at Trentham, while another in their portfolio is The Underbelly, the winner of four of his eight starts this season and runner-up in the New Zealand St Leger.
Lilahjay, the dam of Mr Brightside, is a nominee for the Eight Carat Broodmare of the Year award, along with last year’s winner Madonna Mia, in recognition of the continuing success of Lucky Sweynesse in Hong Kong, whose wins included the Gr.1 Hong Kong Sprint and repeat successes in the Gr.2 Jockey Club Sprint and Sprint Cup. Madonna Mia is owned by Allan Sharrock, Paul Dombroski and Luigi Muollo’s Explosive Breeding Ltd.
Orchestral’s wins in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby and Vinery Stud Stakes, along with her TAB Karaka Millions 3YO and Gr.2 Avondale Guineas victories, and third in the Gr.1 Australian Oaks, earned her dam Symphonic a nomination for the Broodmare of the Year as well. The daughter of multiple champion broodmare sire O’Reilly is owned by Barneswood Farm.
The Mary-Lynne Ryan Young Achiever Award, sponsored by LOVERACING.NZ, is named in honour of Waikato horsewoman Mary Lynne Ryan, who is remembered for her passion for thoroughbred breeding and racing and for her dedication to the development and education of young people wanting to develop their careers.
Introduced in 2007, the award named in her honour recognises the dedication and passion of a talented young person (30-years-old and under) working in the thoroughbred industry.
This year’s impressive list of young finalists are Hannah Airey (Trelawney Stud), Olivia Blane (Waikato Stud), Ryan Figgins (Waikato Stud), Grace McMillan (Windsor Park Stud) and Cameron Ring (Cambridge Stud).
There are no listed nominations for the two remaining awards, the Entain Personality of the Year and the Seton Otway Horse of the Year, however, the winners will be announced on the night.
NZTBA Waikato branch president Scott Buchanan is looking forward to the evening, which is a highly anticipated annual event on the breeding calendar.
“The Waikato branch is renowned for its vibrant and engaging events,” Buchanan said.
“Ticket sales provide us with the ability to generate a great night and aid us in facilitation in our events.
“Emily Bosson and Steve Davis will MC the event and Steve’s auctioneering skills will be put to good use when we auction the riding britches of the former champion Irish jockey A P McCoy.”
Tickets are $225, or $2250 for a table of 10 and are available from the Waikato Branch of the NZTBA [email protected]