New Epaulette SW Adds to Monovale Farm success

Media Release - Tuesday April 16

Epee Beel’s victory in Saturday’s Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton was a welcome result for breeder Monovale Farm.

The three-year-old daughter of Epaulette became the first stakes winner out of Group Two performer Pipi Beel, who was bred by the late Paul Smithies, father of farm principals Joe and Max.

Epee Beel winning the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton last Saturday.   Photo: Race Images South

Smithies senior sold Pipi Beel as a yearling for $75,000 to Murray Baker at Karaka 2013, for whom she went on to win three and place in three of her seven starts, including runner-up in the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) and third in the Gr.3 Lowland Stakes (2100m).

She was later bought back by Monovale Farm as a broodmare, and she is starting to leave her mark in that space, with Joe and Max believing the best is yet to come from the mare.

“My father bred Pipi Beel out of a mare called Pierian – we sold her and then bought her back,” Max Smithies said. “She had serious ability herself and was trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman.

“In our opinion, we think she is one of the best mares on the farm that didn’t get to reach her full potential.

“She leaves quite a strong, forward type. She is dry this year so we are unsure whether she is going to go back to Australia, but now that our New Zealand stallion ranks are quite strong, we could find her something here, but we are still working on that.”

Epee Beel is the third foal out of Pipi Beel and was purchased by trainer Andrew Forsman at Karaka 2022 for $80,000.

Advertisement

“We always thought a lot of her as a yearling,” Smithies said. “She went through Dave Duley’s draft (Landsdowne Park), who does some yearlings for us, and he does a really good job. Andrew really liked her.”

She was subsequently offered a year later on gavelhouse.com where she was purchased by clients of Michael and Matthew Pitman for $5,250, and she has gone onto win two and place in five of her 12 starts to date for the father-and-son training partnership, including Saturday’s maiden stakes success and placings in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) and Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m).

“She was quite a forward type that we thought that we might have seen a bit earlier as a three-year-old. As it turns out, they have been patient with her and got the results,” Smithies said.

Monovale Farm sold an Almanzor yearling half-sister to Epee Beel at Karaka earlier this year for $75,000, and Smithies said Saturday’s result will go a long way to promoting her Proisir weanling half-brother, who is set to go through the sale ring next year.

“We have got a weanling colt by Proisir out of the mare who we are really happy with. He will be heading to the sales, so it was a really pleasing result for him too,” Smithies said.

While they have been pleased with the racetrack success of their farm graduates, the Smithies have also been rapt with the results of their racing team of late.

“Our racing team has been going very well,” he said. “Hat Trick, who is with Tony Pike, he won three in a row and was narrowly beaten at Pukekohe last start. He has just come home for a spell. We have got a couple with Terri Rae that have been going really well.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Friday August 8
Here is the full list of 39 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Geelong
Team Hawkes were the guiding force behind the racing career of Group I ATC Doncaster Mile winner Brutal and have also prepared his first Group I winner as a sire in Nepotism and they unleashed a debut winner by him at Geelong on Friday.
Ozzmosis First Born is Feeling Frisky!
Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Ozzmosis was in demand at Newgate last spring covering 192 mares and his first born foal that arrived on July 31 at Alma Vale Thoroughbreds is the source of great pride for owners Ian and Cathy Mathieson.
Breeders Paradise - Inglis Digital August (early) Online
An abundance of high-quality broodmares – many in foal to some of the hottest young stallions in the Southern Hemisphere – and broodmare prospects headline a “breeders’ paradise’’ in the Inglis Digital August (Early) Online Sale.
Breeding To Win – Crystal Ball – New Season 3YOs to Follow
Who are we highlighting this week? - Analysis of the G1 winning 3YO’s for last season has made us realise how many horses on this list took giant strides from two to three, so we are looking into the crystal ball to find some juveniles we believe could end this season as G1 performers if not G1 winners.
New SW Epaulette- Epee Beel Takes Listed Insurance Stakes
Underrated filly Epee Beel claimed her first career stakes victory in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m) on Saturday, and in doing so brought up a special milestone for co-trainer Michael Pitman as she became winner number 2000 in New Zealand for the Riccarton maestro.
Epaulette Mare Wins G3 South Island Breeders Stakes
For the second year in a row, a big autumn stage at Riccarton has brought the very best out of talented local mare Epee Beel.
Above the Clouds Wins $100,000 Polytrack Championship
It proved to be a long but fruitful day for Kelly Myers on Friday, with the now Central Districts-based hoop riding home Above The Clouds to win the $100,000 TAB Polytrack Championship (2000m) at Cambridge for local trainer Ralph Manning.
Wootton Bassett Set to Blast Out of Winter
Many people may have anticipated Wootton Bassett (GB) would have been our Champion Australian First Season Sire last season and while that didn’t quite eventuate, he did finish the season with a wealth of horses holding spring potential and several were in action at the trials this morning.
Melbourne Cup on Radar for Sons and Lovers
Joseph O’Brien knows what it takes to win a Melbourne Cup and that was mentioned as a possible goal for progressive young stayer Sons and Lovers, who won the Group III Ballyroan Stakes (1m4f) at Leopardstown overnight.