North Island Breeders news
September 2011Winter is a time for review and preparation for the new season.
Things we have done:- Hosted the team from PGG to review the 2011 Australasian Classic Yearling Sale;
- Met with the Senate Committee of the Australian Government investigating the state of New Zealand's breeding industry;
- Committed to an annual preview of the Australasian Classic Yearling Sales to ensure vendors and preparers have thier say in making the sale the premium yearling sale in Australasia;
- Helped prmote the Bomac Lecture Series at Karaka and Matamata at the end of July - this year's lecture on the foal being particularly pertinent;
- Congratulated the winner of the Group 3 North Island Breeders' Stakes hosted by Franklin Trotting CLub. This years' renewal was won by the Village Jasper mare, Roseraire bred by K & J Parsons;
- The North Island Association at the time of writing looks forward to participating in a busy National Conference at Christchurch in July. With a National Executive meeting and a breeders' liaison meetin with HRNZ, the conference itself and the National Awards dinner;
- Our secretary Cathie Shaw has been nominated for the Unsung Hero Award - a well deserved nomination for a tireless worker for Harness Racing in the North - go Cathie!
- When we return from conference it is into the fun of the North Island Awards dinner which, as usual, will be run with aplomb by Raeleen Balle, Janene Cole and Suzanne Herlihy.
We look forward to the spring, the arrival of the new foals and all those mating decisions that have to be made.
We congratulate all the breeders of Group and listed winners in the past season.
March 2011February
and March is always a busy time for the North Island breeders as we are involved
in helping PGG organise the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale and, we take a
major part in financing and promoting the Young Guns two year old series at
Alexandra Park. Our thanks go as usual to Cathie Shaw for her great skills in
helping produce yet another successful yearling sale and a special evening at
Alexandra Park for the Young Guns “Draw”.
The Australasian Classic
Yearling Sale is now well positioned as a boutique, generally high quality sale
producing above average returns for stock that, on type and condition match
their pedigree page. We are grateful for Cathie’s organisation of the details
that are so important in making the parade day and the sales day a success. The
major talking point after the sale was, whether or not we should combine the
parade and the sale on to one day so as to make most economic use of time for
the busy trainers who, are ultimately the buyers and distributors of the
yearlings to their clients.
The Young Guns evening held on Friday, the
18th of February at Alexandra Park proved to be a most successful format with
all of the sales, vendors, buyers and trainers mixing over a light meal and
refreshments served in the best view in the house at Alexandra Park – the Tasman
Room. It is a format that will no doubt be replicated in future years.
Our thanks go to the sponsors of every race on the programme – JLT
Bloodstock, Smith & Partners Lawyers, Studholm Bloodstock Limited, Breckon
Bloodstock Limited, Equine Veterinary Services Limited, Caduceus Club, Bayleys
Whitianga Real Estate, Kumeu Taxation Services Limited, Auckland Co-Op Taxis,
Alabar Stud and Edwards Sound Limited. Congratulations to Terry McDonald and
Edwin Griffin for winning the draw for $20,000 to be spent at the Australasian
Classic Yearling Sale.
It is with sadness, that we record the death of
Kevin Coutts, a doyen of pedigrees and breedings. Kevin was a respected member
of our association and his advice was always sought by breeders.
The
North Island Breeders look forward to assisting with sponsorship support for the
Harness Jewels at Ashburton and, I am sure that many of our members will travel
to Ashburton to what is always one of the best days racing. We also look
forward to helping organise a Trust to support the North Island Awards dinner at
the end of the season.
