G1 Winner for Sale on Gavelhouse

Media Release - Friday May 2

Classy, tenacious and mega-durable mare Bonny Lass (NZ) (Super Easy) is set to be offered in a special sale launching next week on Gavelhouse Plus.

The daughter of Super Easy was raced by her breeder Sandy Moore in partnership with Brent and Wendy Cooper and their Social Racing Starting Gates Syndicate. She was trained by Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall through a 26-race career that produced eight wins, eight placings and $774,950 in stakes.

G1 winner Bonny Lass is for sale - Race Images

Bonny Lass was a five-time Group winner, headed by the Group One BCD Group Sprint (1400m). She backed that up with another four placings at Group One level.

“She was an absolutely amazing horse for her big group of owners,” Brent Cooper said. “Mark Baker at Hallmark Stud researched it and found that only two mares in New Zealand history won Group races at every age from two to six – Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) and Bonny Lass.

“The great Sunline (NZ) (Desert Sun) was a Listed winner as a two-year-old from only a handful of starts, so we might be splitting hairs a little bit there. But even so, winning Group races in four consecutive seasons puts Bonny Lass in an incredibly exclusive club.”

Bonny Lass burst on the scene as a two-year-old with wins in her first two starts including the Group Two Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), followed by placings in the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Group One Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

In her three-year-old season, Bonny Lass won three races including the Group Three Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), along with a third behind Group One winners On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau) and I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Listed Mufhasa Stakes (1400m), plus a fourth in the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m).

Bonny Lass won the Group Three Sweynesse Stakes (1215m) as a four-year-old, then returned at five for luckless placings in the Group One Sistema Railway (1200m) and Telegraph (1200m). She had her deserved moment in the sun in the BCD Group Sprint at Te Rapa in February, where she edged out the previously unbeaten three-year-old Crocetti (NZ) (Zacinto) by a long head.

A six-start campaign as a six-year-old was headed by a superb first-up win in the Group Two Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa last August, beating the likes of Skew Wiff (NZ) (Savabeel), Waitak (NZ) (Proisir), Mustang Valley (NZ) (Vanbrugh), Puntura (NZ) (Vespa) and Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin).

Advertisement

Bonny Lass was tough and consistent at the highest level - Race Images

But out of all of those outstanding performances against top-flight opposition, Cooper has no doubt which performance sits at the top of the pile.

“Her Group One win at Te Rapa was such a special day for all of us,” he said. “I’m good friends with Daniel Nakhle, whose horse Crocetti was defeated for the first time in his career when he ran second that day. He gave all of us his congratulations and said he was delighted for Bonny, and that if anyone had to beat Crocetti in that race, he was glad it was her.

“He said no horse in New Zealand deserved to win a Group One race more than Bonny Lass, and we heard those sentiments from quite a few people that day. It was an outstanding win and an obvious career highlight.”

Bonny Lass is one of three winners from five foals to race out of Posh Bec (NZ) (Le Bec Fin), who herself won three races and placed in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes (1400m). Posh Bec is also the dam of Clark Kent (NZ) (Super Easy), who placed in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m), while her half-brother Time To Celebrate (NZ) (Per Incanto) placed at Group Two level in Hong Kong.

Cooper believes Bonny Lass has the attributes to be a quality broodmare.

“Another of her most memorable performances was in the Railway, where she was almost knocked over in the straight but somehow managed to pick herself up and finish second,” he said. “If she can pass any of that bravery and tenacity on to her progeny, she’ll be an outstanding broodmare.”

The sale of Bonny Lass will run on Gavelhouse Plus from 10am (NZT) on Wednesday 7th May to 7pm (NZT) Thursday 15th May.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Marble Nine Brings Up Second SW For Aquis Sire Kobayashi
The withdrawal of the top weight in Saturday’s $175,000 Listed VRC Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (1200m) at Flemington saw the field down to just six, with Marble Nine continuing his outstanding recent form to secure his first black type victory.
Invincible 3YO Wins G3 Winx Guineas
The $300,000 Group III Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday featured a big field of 16 up and comers and following the late scratching of favourite Mister Bianco, Angela Jones took luck out of the equation on I Am Invincible gelding The Three Hundred.
Pride’s Outsider Estadio Mestalla Wins Winter Stakes
The lone stakes race on Rosehill’s ten-race card on Saturday saw Joe Pride’s race outsider Estadio Mestalla (Galileo Gold) take out the $200,000 Listed ATC Winter Stakes (1400m) in a boilover.
Sires With Winners - Saturday July 5
Here is the full list of 112 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sweet Redemption for Stable Favourite Jimmy the Bear
Patrick and Michelle Payne enjoyed a red letter day at Flemington on Saturday with their rising star Buccleuch winning the Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final and then later in the day stable favourite Jimmy the Bear won the Listed VRC Winter Championship Series Final (1600m).
High-flying Pencarrow Stud offers well-bred mares in Online Breeding Stock Sale
The 2024-25 season has been one of the best ever for Pencarrow Stud, and some of the renowned bloodlines that have underpinned that success are now available for purchase in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus.
Divine Prophet’s Fortunate Kiss Captures Elusive Black Type Win
With nine top five finishes in previous black type races, it was better late than never as 6yo Divine Prophet mare Fortunate Kiss charged along the inside to win the $300,000 Listed Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday – her first black type victory.
National Online Breeding Stock Sale Online Now
The National Online Breeding Stock Sale has launched on Gavelhouse Plus with bidding open on the 87 Lots sale which is set to end from 7pm on Wednesday 9th July.
G1 Winning Champion 2YO Velocious to be Offered on Inglis Digital
The G1-winning Champion 2YO Velocious (Written Tycoon) will be offered for auction in the Inglis Digital July (Late) Online Sale.
Snitzel Filly Bridal Waltz Wins A.R. Creswick Stakes
While many felt the winner of Saturday’s Listed $175,000 VRC A.R. Creswick Stakes (1200m) had raced two weeks prior in the Shop Flemington Handicap (1100m) – and they would’ve been correct – but it was not the result many punters felt it would be!