Haunui Farm

Haunui Farm, the property that produced New Zealand Horse of the Year and ten-time Gr.1 winner Melody Belle (Commands), and Hong Kong Derby winner Furore (Pierro), among their many stakes winning graduates, will present 59 yearlings for sale across the three books of the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale.

Managing Director Mark Chitty said, “2019 has certainly been a landmark year on the track and Melody Belle has been a big part of that.  She’s the first Horse of the Year we’ve had off the farm and to be the world’s leading Gr.1 winner in 2019 is amazing.  Marie Leicester has been a big part of Haunui’s success story and to see the joy that she gets every time Melody Belle sets foot on the track is great.  She has certainly given Marie, and all of us here at the farm, some great thrills and there looks to be more in store – hopefully she can be a dual Horse of the Year winner, that would be something else! It was also fantastic to see Furore win the Hong Kong Derby and Imelda Mary perform so consistently over the season to take joint honours as NZB Filly of the Year.  Both were born and raised here at Haunui for GSA Bloodstock when we stood Ferlax for Jonathan Munz.  It was great to see Jonathan get those results although it did make the loss of Ferlax hit home a little more. And the Haunui colours saluted the judge on fifteen separate occasions last season so that was pretty exciting too.”
Of the 59 yearlings in the Haunui Farm draft, fifteen are by Haunui’s top class sire Iffraaj, while another fifteen are by first season sire and dual Gr.1 winner Belardo.
“It’s a long time between announcing a stallion to stand at stud and selling their first crop and we’re finally there with Belardo.  There are quite a number of first season sires this year but, we believe Belardo will more than hold his own against his peers.
He was a Champion 2YO, a Gr.1 winner at two and four and, he’s the only son of Lope De Vega at stud in Australasia.  His sire line has gone from strength to strength – Shamardal has had 24 Gr.1 winners including Blue Point who won the sprint double at Royal Ascot and Pinatubo who is the best two year-old colt they’ve seen in Europe for 25 years, and Lope De Vega’s success in Australia from limited numbers includes Gr.1 winners Santa Ana Lane and Vega Magic and he now commands a fee of €100,000,” said Chitty. “We’ve had great support from our partners in Belardo with the likes of Ardsley Stud, Goodwood Stud, Little Avondale Stud, Trelawney Stud, Valachi Downs, Wellfield Stud and Wentwood Grange all part of our partnership along with a number of other private breeders, and he’s had great numbers having served over 300 mares in his first three books of mares. He ticks the box on racetrack performance, sireline, he’s out of a stakes performing Danehill mare and he’s left a nice style of yearling.  We’ve given him the opportunity through good books of mares and good numbers and now, it’s up to the buyers and then ultimately, how they perform on the track.  Given the success of Elusive City, Iffraaj and Showcasing – our last three stallions that we’ve sourced from Europe – Belardo won’t let the side down.”
With Belardo being a Gr.1 winner in England at two, trainers should expect to see his stock show precocity, and two of his yearlings are closely related to juvenile stakes winners on their maternal lines, giving them a double dose. Lot 737, a half-brother to Karaka Million winner Hardline, from the family of dual Gr1 winner Perlin, while Lot 973 is a half-sister to two year-old stakes winner Flaunting. In addition, Lot 144 is a half-brother to recent two year-old winner and stakes placed (from three starts) Ohio Showgirl, while Lot 203 is a filly out of a half-sister to Top Filly on the 2011-12 2YO Free Handicap, Rollout the Carpet.
As befits a stallion of the quality of Iffraaj, whose ten Gr1 winners include Gingernuts, Ribchester, Wyndspelle and Jon Snow, thirteen of his fifteen Haunui yearlings are in Book One.
A full brother to New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Fix is Lot 542, and this colt is also a half-brother to Gr.1 South African Derby placed Galileo’s Destiny from an international Gr.1 family that includes Foreteller, and Prophecy, as well as quality stallion Showcasing. A colt with plenty of pedigree is Lot 380, a half-brother to stakes winners Vavasour, Vilanova, Celebrity Dream, and group placed Rondinella, all out of Gr.3 winner Valpolicella. The first foal of Brutal’s two year-old stakes winning full sister Talaria,
is a filly, Lot 337, from the famed Alberton family.
A filly, Lot 600, is out of Gr.2 Brisbane Cup winner Floria, who also placed in the Gr.1 Tattersall’s Tiara, while Lot 620 is the first foal, a colt, out of dual Gr.3 winner and Gr.1 placed Girl of My Dreams.
Among the other pedigree highlights in this draft are Lot 86, a half-brother to Horse of the Year Melody Belle by Tavistock; Lot 28, a Showcasing half-brother to Champion Stayer in Singapore Bahana, and this colt is also a full brother to group placed winner of six races La Mouline; Lot 48, a half-sister, by Turn Me Loose, to The Justice League; Lot 406, a Tavistock colt out of group winner Zapurple; and Lot 497 a half-brother by Starspangledbanner to recent group winner Sherwood Forest, and to stakes winner Royal Ocean.
Mark Chitty concludes, “As always, we have plenty of variety in our draft and there is yearling to suit every budget.” ✦

2020 Draft