When my daughter Jasmine was given the task of taking Konasana to New Zealand by her boss Chris Waller it was originally proposed as a likely 10 day trip, but when the Dundeel mare won the $500,000 Group II Westbury Stud Classic on Karaka Million night, plans changed and long story short, Jasmine is still there and will be until next month so I’ve grabbed the opportunity for a working holiday.
Konasana and Jasmine have kindly been accommodated at the Cambridge Stud private training centre at Karaka, so I couldn’t resist a visit with her and we also enjoyed a side trip to the stud farm this week with Sales and Nominations Manager Scott Calder rolling out the welcome mat to give us a tour of one of the most iconic stud farms in New Zealand and the entire world.
Cambridge Stud was the brainchild of the late Sir Patrick Hogan and achieved worldwide fame largely through the deeds of two stallions Sir Tristram (IRE) and his champion son Zabeel, so their presence casts a long shadow over the farm to this day.
In 2017, Cambridge Stud was purchased by New Zealand based businessman Brendan Lindsay and his wife Jo, who have injected fresh passion and investment capital to usher in a new chapter of success.
Scott Calder has been there from the start of this bold new era and explained the process of transformation that has led to a rejuvenated Cambridge Stud, which embraces elements of the past blended with modern functionality and slick technology.
“All of this area was levelled completely, redesigned and built from scratch,” said Scott Calder.
“The Heritage Centre was the most important thing to get right as Brendan and Jo were very mindful of the history here and the need to be respectful of that for generations to come.
“Sir Tristram and Zabeel remain where they were buried and their stories are celebrated and brought to life in the Heritage Centre, which has become a museum built around the centrepiece of a recreated version of Sir Tristram.”
It’s impossible not to be dazzled and inspired by this virtual Sir Tristram with Scott Calder revealing Sir Patrick had the say on his eyes and they are indeed THE eyes.
The future of Cambridge Stud lies with it’s new stallions and the 160 mares owned by the Lindsay’s that live at Cambridge Stud and include their prized NZ Horse of the Year Probabeel, who has a yearling filly by Almanzor (FR) that will be retained and a stunning filly foal by Snitzel.
“The Lindsay’s are looking to run this farm as a business and to that end we are very much committed to selling the best yearlings we produce including the fillies, but not with Probabeel, she is our queen and her progeny will be kept to race,” Calder said.
Cambridge Stud sold 32 yearlings at Karaka Book 1 this year for $4.4million and eight at Magic Millions for $1.3million and have another half a dozen – three colts and three fillies (click to see them) - scheduled to head to Sydney next month for the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
They are all either out of stakes-winners or siblings to stakes-winners and include the half-sister by Almanzor (Fr) to Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes winner El Castello and the half-sister by Too Darn Hot (GB) to $4.4million earning multiple Group II winning sprinter I Am Me from blue-blood mare Mefnooda.
The only thing missing on the resume of I Am Invincible mare I Am Me is a G1 win and that may change when she runs first up on Saturday in the Group I MRC Oakleigh Plate. Too Darn Hot has shown all the signs of being an important sire for Australia and given the chance he may not return, his stock are an even a hotter ticket at any sale adding further appeal to this special filly.
“She’s a filly we always had as a keeper, but Inglis were here and they made a very good case to send her to Easter and the reality of running Cambridge Stud as a business is selling elite fillies like her as they pay for the rest,” Calder said.
With shuttle stallions Hello Youmzain (FR) and Chaldean (GB) back at their respective bases in Europe there are just three stallions in residence in Almanzor (FR) and Embellish, who both sired stakes-winners last Saturday, and Sword of State, whose first yearlings have made a strong impression at the sales this year.
Bred in Australia at Newgate Farm by Go Bloodstock and purchased by David Ellis from Magic Millions, Sword of State is the quintessential Aussie style of precocious speed sire in type and pedigree with his 27 yearlings sold so far this year averaging $209,444, a stunning return off his $15,000 fee.
When you see the son of Snitzel on parade, you feel like you are back in the Hunter Valley and if he kicks a goal there will be plenty of Aussie studmasters left lamenting how they let him slip away.
Like his sire Wootton Bassett, Almanzor is easy on the eye and a powerful imposing presence in the flesh.
“When he first came here, people knew he was the Champion European 3YO Colt, but they were like, ‘who’s this Wootton Bassett sire?’ Scott Calder reflected.
The whole world knows about Wootton Bassett now!
