Kiwi Mares Flying the Flag for Leading Nurseries

Media Release - Friday August 14

Two of New Zealand’s leading thoroughbred nurseries will be keeping close tabs on Randwick on Saturday where trainer John O’Shea will kick-off the spring preparations of their talented mares.

Group One performer Rondinella will carry the colours of co-breeders and part-owners Haunui Bloodstock in the Spring Preview Handicap (1400m).

Rondinella

It will be her first raceday outing for O’Shea and he is happy with the six-year-old mare after her two recent unplaced trials over 1040m and 850m.

“She has trialled well and she is going well, so I expect her to race well on Saturday,” O’Shea said.

“But her campaign is not based on Saturday’s run, it’s about what is going to happen in a couple of months’ time. It’s about getting started on Saturday and having a positive outing.”

Rondinella has drawn barrier 17 on Saturday and O’Shea said she will be taken back by jockey Sam Clipperton to find some early cover.

“She will go back and get cover and it might not be that big of a disadvantage at that stage of the day to be wide anyway,” he said.

Rondinella has had success in Sydney with previous trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood, running third in the Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) before finishing fourth in the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) last year, and she is once again on a Group One path.

“Her main goal initially will be the Metropolitan (Gr.1, 2400m) and beyond that we will see what comes,” O’Shea said.

Advertisement

Earlier in the day O’Shea will contest the Everest Carnival On Sale Handicap (1400m) with All Saints’ Eve, who will carry the silks of Waikato Stud’s Mark and Garry Chittick, who co-bred and part-own the exciting four-year-old.

She has won two of her six starts to date and O’Shea expects her to add to that tally at short notice.

“All Saints’ Eve is a talented mare evidenced by her record. She looks to be well placed and has got a bright future,” he said. “We expect a pretty forward showing on Saturday.”

The daughter of Sacred Falls placed in the Gr.3 Kembla Grange Classic (1600m) and she is being set to try and add a stakes victory to her burgeoning CV this preparation.

“She will have a couple of runs after Saturday and then she will head into stakes company,” O’Shea said.

O’Shea is looking forward to Saturday and said he is delighted to have a strong association with the two New Zealand thoroughbred farms.

“I have been a big fan of New Zealand racing for a very long time and it’s always an honour to train for such great nurseries like Waikato Stud and Haunui Farm,” he said. – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Magic Carpet Writes New Chapter for Family
Jenna McLeod got a massive thrill when watching the latest generation of her family’s breed score at stakes level at Te Rapa on Saturday.
Sires With Winners - Monday September 29
Here is the full list of 22 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Pedigree Potential –NZB Ready to Run – Nicks that Click
A quality packed catalogue for the 2025 NZB Ready to Run Sale is now online and in the lead up to the sale we’ll go looking each week for some horses of interest that jump out on pedigree for various reasons.
Sires With Winners - Sunday September 28
Here is the full list of 73 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Golden Rose Brings Second Season Shake Up
We are two months into a new racing season and the second season sires table was given a good shake up over the weekend with the $1million Group I Golden Rose and $300,000 Group II Stutt Stakes both producing a quinella for sires in this cohort.
Petrol in the Tank – Why Buying Mares from Godolphin is a Good Idea
From the point of view of the bloodstock world, Beiwacht was the most significant winner from last weekend with his Group I Golden Rose victory propelling his sire Bivouac to the top of the second season sires list, but it wasn’t just Godolphin cheering him home with a number of other Aussie breeders now invested in his family.
Sires With Winners - Saturday September 27
Here is the full list of 106 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Pedigree Watch – G1 European 2YO
Juveniles took centre stage overnight in the UK and Ireland with a pair of Group I races decided at Newmarket in the Middle Park Stakes (6f) for the colts and Cheveley Park Stakes (6f) for the fillies, while at The Curragh a field of 30 lined up in the Goffs Million, the richest 2YO race in Europe.
Sires With Winners - Friday September 26
Here is the full list of 60 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Jenni The Pride of Trelawney
Comeback mare Pride Of Jenni has given Trelawney Stud a number of reasons to look forward to the spring after a dashing victory in the Gr.2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) on Friday night.