Turf Connect

17/11/2024

Twain impressive at Tauranga
By Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Progressive sprinter Twain added another victory to his burgeoning record when he dominated his rivals in the Tauranga Hardware & Plumbing (1200m) at Tauranga on Saturday.
The John Bell-trained four-year-old had opened his account at the Bay of Plenty venue back in July and quickly followed up with a second win at Te Rapa shortly afterwards.
A pair of placed finishes followed without a lot of luck, however, in Saturday’s seven-horse rating 75 contest he looked a strong prospect and so it proved as he tracked tearaway pacemaker Kiva Han before taking over on the home bend to bolt clear before easing down for a three-length victory in the hands of rider Billy Jacobson.
Bell had expected a strong performance and was pleased his charge could deliver for his owners Elizabeth and Peter Martin, who bred him from outstanding Group One performed mare Fleur De Lune.
“That was very exciting,” Bell said.
“What really impressed me was that the horse was giving a lot of weight to the others but the pacemaker with the young apprentice aboard gave us a great drag into the race.
“You can only see this guy going forward from here and I’m so pleased for Billy as he has had a break and is back now and riding well.
“Elizabeth and Peter Martin have some lovely bloodlines and horses and I’m lucky enough to have some to train.”
Bell was guarded on the immediate future for Twain but did mention he may be tempted to set him for the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) on Karaka Millions night (January 25), where he produced Julius to win the Ellerslie sprint feature in 2000.
“We will just sit on him now and see as it will depend on tracks,” he said.
“A bit of a dream might be to do what Julius did in the Railway.
“I’m banking that Ellerslie will suit him as my horses like some ping out of the tracks so if it does, here we come.”
Twain is the third living foal of Fleur De Lune who won six of her 37 career starts and was also placed at Group One level on five separate occasions as she accumulated over $429,000 in prizemoney. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

16/11/2024

Mehzebeen completes carnival double with Cup romp
By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
After going into the New Zealand Cup Carnival without any black-type victories to her name, Mehzebeen leaves Riccarton with two of them including Saturday’s time-honoured Gr.3 Martin Collins 161st New Zealand Cup (3200m).
This has been a career-changing week for Mehzebeen, who showed bright promise with a Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) placing as a three-year-old but has alternated between disappointing and unlucky through the 18 months since.
The first sign that Mehzebeen might be turning a corner came on the first day of the carnival last Saturday, where she scored an all-the-way win in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) and announced herself as a genuine New Zealand Cup contender.
The circumstances were different when the Almanzor mare backed up for the $400,000 feature on Saturday, with a Soft7 track, a different jockey and a change of tactics, but the result was the same as Mehzebeen romped to victory by three lengths.
Mehzebeen was ridden by Craig Grylls, who missed the ride in the Metropolitan last Saturday when he was unable to make the weight and was a late replacement by Sam Spratt.
Grylls played his role to perfection on Saturday, settling in fourth and one off the rail as a very keen Just Charlie set the pace.
Mehzebeen travelled with ease all the way around the expansive Riccarton circuit, and she began to build momentum coming up to the home turn. Grylls asked her to quicken and the five-year-old sailed away, opening up a big margin over placegetters Beavertown Boy and Canheroc.
“That was a big performance,” Grylls said. “The plan was to get a bit of cover, and we managed to do that quite quickly. She just travelled so well throughout. Coming up to the turn, I thought that all she would have to do to get them all off the bridle would be to just quicken up a little bit, and she did that. She won easily in the end.”
Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Mehzebeen has now had 19 starts for five wins, three placings and $474,010 in stakes. That total is a sharp increase on the $186,510 she had to her name coming into the carnival.
“This is a massive thrill,” Bergerson said. “It’s one of the iconic races in New Zealand racing, so it means a lot to have our names on the trophy.
“Thanks to all of our team, both at Matamata and down here. The start of her prep didn’t quite go to plan, but she’s just improved, improved and improved.
“That win last week gave us the confidence to press on into today. She’s absolutely thrived and bounced through the run on the first day, and then she came out and was really strong through the line.
“There are plenty of nice Cup races coming up, both here and in Australia. The further, the better is what we’ve always believed with her. She’s just taken a bit of time and hasn’t always had the rub of the green.”
Mehzebeen was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds and offered in their draft at Karaka 2021, where she was bought for $50,000.
“She was sourced by Danny Rolston, who’s obviously a fantastic judge,” Bergerson said. “He bought her for some keen owners and small-time breeders. They’ll all be over the moon with this result.
“It’s been quite a ride with her, a lot of ups and downs, but days like today make it all worthwhile.” – LOVERACING.

16/11/2024

Mystic Park all class and courage in Stewards’ Stakes
By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Riccarton’s Listed Lindauer Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) is a special race on the calendar for local trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman, who won the $140,000 sprint showpiece again on Saturday with a remarkable performance from a rising star.
Mystic Park became the Pitman stable’s sixth Stewards’ Stakes winner in the last 17 years, joining Coup Bloomsbury (2007), Coup Align (2009 and 2010) and El Chico, who won it as a seven-year-old in 2011 and again as an 11-year-old in 2015.
With those previous winners along with Group One speedsters like Enzo’s Lad and Sensei, the Pitmans have had plenty of sprinting talent on their hands throughout the last couple of decades. But the father-son pair believe Mystic Park could be the best of the lot.
The Pitmans paid $40,000 to buy the son of Ocean Park as a yearling at Karaka in 2021. He went into Saturday’s race as the winner of six of his 11 starts, placing in another three.
The Stewards’ Stakes was Mystic Park’s first shot at black-type level, and he had to carry a 59kg topweight against a 16-horse field that was mostly on 53kg.
Mystic Park and jockey Sam Weatherley settled well back in a tightly bunched field, then began to warm into their work in the straight. The favourite had his momentum halted on two occasions as Weatherley had to duck and weave to find clear running.
Last week’s Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m) winner Illicit Dreams swept to the lead out wide on the track in what looked like a winning move, but Mystic Park hit top gear in the final 50m and clawed his way past her to win by a head.
Mystic Park was the first topweight in more than a decade to win the Stewards’ Stakes. The last was Durham Town, who won under 59.5kg in 2013.
“He’s a proper horse,” Weatherley said. “He had no real right to win that. He’s not really at home on that ground, he was stopped in his tracks a couple of times in the straight, and he was carrying 59kg and giving six kilos to most of the field. It was a huge effort.
“It’s a great training performance from the Pitmans as well. It was pretty bold to give him just the one run back in August and then wait for today. They have bigger ambitions up north later in the season, and I’m sure he’ll do them proud.
“These Pitman colours mean a lot to me. They’ve been big supporters of mine all the way through. I’m thrilled to get a big winner for them during Cup Week.”
Mystic Park has now had 12 starts for seven wins, three placings and $237,170 in stakes. The TAB now rates him a $10 chance for the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham on January 4, with a quote of $26 available for the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie three weeks later.
“We were offered huge money by the Ciaron Maher stable when he won his first start, but we didn’t sell him,” Michael Pitman said.
“The times he’s run, he’s as good as any horse around. We’ve still got to prove that, of course, but that’s what we believe.
“He almost got knocked over twice in the straight today and still got up to win. He’s a good horse.
“I love this race. We’ve won it six or seven times now, including with an 11-year-old. This race and the Telegraph are probably my two favourite races.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

16/11/2024

The emerging rivalry between exciting fillies Alabama Lass and Captured By Love swung back in Captured By Love’s favour with an outstanding performance in Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm 52nd New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.
The Matamata-trained stars clashed for the first time in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) on their home track in February, where Captured By Love beat Alabama Lass by a length and three-quarters.
That was the only defeat from the first five career starts for Alabama Lass, who went on to string together three blistering victories this spring including the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings and last month’s Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie. In the Gold Trail, the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained flier reversed the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes result with a three-quarter-length defeat of Captured By Love.
The evenly matched pair headed to Riccarton on Saturday with their scoreline all square at one-all ahead of the prestigious $550,000 classic. Alabama Lass was sent out as the $2.20 favourite for the 1000 Guineas with Captured By Love the second elect at $4.30, but it was the Te Akau Racing chestnut who took out the all-important Group One.
Visiting Australian jockey Josh Parr found a midfield position in sixth and one off the rail on Captured By Love, while Alabama Lass took up her expected front-running role and enjoyed some easy sectionals coming down the side of the track.
The field came out to the middle of the Riccarton strip at the home turn, searching for the better footing on the Soft7 surface. Parr opted to angle Captured By Love back closer the rail, quickly looming up on the inside of Alabama Lass at the 300m mark.
Alabama Lass saw her nemesis coming and lifted again in a brave front-running performance, but Captured By Love surged past her in the last 100m and went clear to win by a length and a quarter. Alabama Lass held second, with the lightly raced Movin Out storming home from near last to finish third in only the third race of her career.
“It feels great to win a Group One race in New Zealand,” Parr said. “Two years ago I came to ride for Te Akau at this carnival, and this day didn’t go well with the races being cancelled.
“Middle to three-quarters of the way out on the track is the place to be, but it opened up on the middle to inside, so I took the shortcut. We idled up alongside the favourite and she was the stronger filly.
“The Te Akau team has been great to me in the past and they’re huge contributors both here and in Australia.”
Captured By Love was bought for A$525,000 by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year. The Written Tycoon filly has now had 10 starts for five wins and five placings, earning $703,435 for the Te Akau 2023 Magic Fillies' Breeding Syndicate.
“That was a great win,” said Mark Walker, who trains in partnership with Sam Bergerson. “Well done to our racing manager Reece Trumper for getting the services of Josh Parr.
“At the top of the straight it could have got ugly, but Group One jockeys make Group One decisions and Josh got a lovely run through on the inside.
“Big thanks to Dave (Ellis), who bought the filly without any owners. It takes great nerve to buy the ones you want, and full credit to Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) for filling the syndicate.
“It’s been an interrupted preparation for Captured By Love, but the 1000 Guineas was the one we wanted. Full credit to Sam – I’ve spent a lot of time at our Melbourne stable during the spring. He held his nerve by not giving her a hard gallop on Tuesday, just didn’t think she needed it, and the result was a very satisfying win for everyone involved.
“She’s only going to improve heading into the autumn, so very exciting times ahead for Captured By Love.”
Captured By Love became the seventh 1000 Guineas winner for the Te Akau stable, following on from Insouciant (2007), King’s Rose (2010), Costa Viva (2013), Risque (2015), Kahma Lass (2020) and The Perfect Pink (2021).
“It’s a privilege to win this race for the seventh time,” Karyn Fenton-Ellis said. “Congratulations to David Ellis for buying this filly, the owners who understand how good she is, and Mark and Sam for the way they have managed her through a somewhat difficult preparation.
“Today she showed all the spirit and class that she possesses, and thank you to Josh Parr for coming over and riding such a great race.
“Nothing gives us more joy than to win a race like the 1000 Guineas for such a great group of owners, and it’s a special privilege to be on the podium accepting the awards from the Canterbury Jockey Club.”
Jockey Sam Spratt was far from disappointed with the performance of runner-up Alabama Lass.
“I thought she was really good,” she said. “She just didn’t cop the wet track today. Coming up to the turn, she wasn’t travelling well and I thought the whole field might go past me. So she fought well.
“The mile not quite be right up her alley, but I think she could have got away with it on dry ground. She’ll keep, and Ken is talking about freshening her up for a shot at the Railway (Gr.1, 1200m).” –

02/11/2024

The New Zealand contingent for Tuesday’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) has been dealt a blow with the withdrawal of Mahrajaan on veterinary advice.
The Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained gelding earned his shot at the A$8.5 million showpiece with his victories in last season’s Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) and Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m), but Racing Victoria stewards have ruled him out after their independent imaging panel deemed the seven-year-old to be at heightened risk of injury.
“It’s obviously a big disappointment for us and the owners,” Ritchie said. “Who doesn’t want to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup? And we know our horse runs a strong two miles, so it’s a tough one to swallow.
“But we’re philosophical and we respect the vets’ decision. At the end of the day, we’re horse lovers first and we want our horse to be safe and healthy.
“I’ll go in on Monday and they’ll take me through the results of their imaging and the exact reasons for their decision. Apparently they detected a small issue in a sesamoid, which hasn’t been picked up in X-rays we’ve done on the horse in the past. Their imaging is very high-tech and thorough, so it’ll be a good opportunity for me to see all the bells and whistles that they’ve got. It’ll give me a better understanding, so that if we come back next year, we’ll have a bit more information.
“Our owners are all on the same page. The horse has been so good to us, and the last thing we want is for him to be in any danger. We’ve got to respect the fact that if they found something they consider to be heightened risk, he shouldn’t be running in the race.”
Ritchie now hopes to prepare Mahrajaan for a defence of his Auckland Cup title on Champions Day at Ellerslie in March.
“He’s on a plane home on Wednesday night, and then we’ll give him a good break,” the Cambridge trainer said. “Once we bring him back into work, and subject to vets’ advice, we can work towards having another crack at the Auckland Cup.”
Mahrajaan’s withdrawal leaves three New Zealand-trained runners in the Melbourne Cup field – Team Rogerson’s Sharp ‘N’ Smart, the Andrew Forsman-trained Positivity, and the Bruce Wallace and Grant Cookely runner Trust In You. –

13/10/2024

One of New Zealand's leading soil scientists Dr Gordon Rajendram emphasises the importance of understanding the nutrient balance in spring grass and the impact it can have on the health of horses and stock. Spring brings a surge in pasture growth, creating a nutrient-rich food source for grazing animals.
https://bit.ly/484uVmy

One of New Zealand's leading soil scientists Dr Gordon Rajendram emphasises the importance of understanding the nutrient balance in spring grass and the impact it can have on the health of horses and stock. Spring brings a surge in pasture growth, creating a nutrient-rich food source for grazing ani...

12/10/2024

By Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Spencer, the find of the winter sprinting ranks, showed he could be just as effective on better going when he claimed a decisive victory in the Gr.3 Valley D’Vine Restaurant Spring Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.
The Erin Hocquard-trained five-year-old put three victories in a row together during the winter before finishing runner-up in the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) back in July.
The son of Derryn was thereabouts in his next three starts but was left alone by punters on Saturday, starting at the generous odds of $17.60 in an even field, mainly because of concerns on whether he would be as effective on a Soft6 surface as opposed to a Heavy10.
Spencer made a nonsense of that theory as apprentice Triston Moodley planted him behind pacemaker Witz End after a torrid five-way battle for early dominance and allowed him to find a settled rhythm before issuing his challenge rounding the home bend.
Asked for a serious effort, Spencer dashed clear and maintained a strong gallop to the finish, holding out a late surge from Geriatrix with Dusty Road closing well to take third.
Hocquard cut an emotional figure as she reacted to the victory, her first training success at stakes level in a limited career that commenced in the 2016/17 racing season after spending time working for Aidan Schumacher, who co-bred and part-owns Spencer.
“That is just so good, too good,” Hocquard said.
“It’s awesome as it is just little old me from Waverley with the first Group race I’ve been in.
“I started off in Wanganui and made my way to Aidan a couple of years later. I hadn’t ridden much and he even named a horse after me, Goldie Cantride, but hopefully I can now as I ride this guy every day and he is not the easiest.
“I was a bit worried about the track because he hasn’t done much on a good surface and last time here he didn’t go so well, but last night he ate everything and I was so happy with him.
“Who knows what he is capable of and I don’t know where he will go next as I have to get home first.”
Moodley was also ecstatic to pull off the victory with a peach of a ride.
“I didn’t expect to be outside the leader, but I saw Matt (Cartwright, Witz End) and he is always a good person to follow,” he said.
“It was a brilliant decision as when he started coming back to me my horse got going and when we hit the straight he had a great turn of foot.
“He put them to bed well and that shows just what a good horse he is.
“This means a lot to me as I’ve been struggling a bit lately. People have been behind me though and I just really appreciate that support.”
Spencer has now won six of his eighteen starts and over $218,000 in prizemoney. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

12/10/2024

A trophy that slipped through Brendan and Jo Lindsay’s grasp in their early days of racehorse ownership now has pride of place in the Cambridge Stud trophy cabinet, thanks to a stunning coming-of-age performance by Snazzytavi in Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Te Rapa.
The Lindsays’ foundation mare J’Adane went agonisingly close to winning the 2007 edition of the spring showpiece, where she was beaten by a whisker by superstar mare Princess Coup.
Multiple Group One wins have followed in the Lindsays’ black and gold chequered colours throughout the 17 years between then and now, but what Snazzytavi did at Te Rapa on Saturday holds a special place in the couple’s hearts.
“That’s one of the biggest thrills ever,” Jo Lindsay said. “Her finish really was something spectacular.”
Snazzytavi had already announced herself as an emerging talent on the New Zealand scene, winning seven of her 12 starts in highly impressive style including a four-length runaway in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Te Rapa in April. She scored in similar style in her last-start appearance in a 1600m open handicap at the same venue on September 27, improving her course record to a perfect three-from-three.
The Tavistock mare’s obvious affinity for Te Rapa was an advantage when the Livamol was relocated there from its traditional home of Hastings. However, the $550,000 feature was still by far the biggest test of her burgeoning career.
It was her weight-for-age debut and her first appearance at Group One level, and she had to jump from gate 15 against a field stacked with proven elite performers. But Snazzytavi rose to the occasion in spectacular style, announcing her arrival among the very top echelon of New Zealand’s racehorse ranks.
Ridden by Warren Kennedy for trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall, Snazzytavi came across from that awkward gate and settled into an ideal position in 10th and one off the rail.
The five-year-old began to warm into her work approaching the home turn, and when Kennedy let her rip in the straight, Snazzytavi’s response was electric. She exploded down the outside of the track, hitting the front 150m from home and bounding away to win by three and a half lengths.
“That was pretty special,” Kennedy said. “She had to step up to weight-for-age level today, and didn’t she do that? She quickened really smartly.
“I managed to get a beautiful spot just behind Campionessa and One Bold Cat, so I knew they would give me a lovely run into the race. When I asked her to quicken, she produced an electrifying turn of foot. She just put them to bed from the 400m to the 200m and it was race over.
“I just wanted to ride her where she wanted to be. She settled really nicely and the rest is history.
“I was a little bit doubtful today. She obviously loves the track here, but weight-for-age conditions are a different story. I was a bit sceptical with the draw as well. I would have been happy if she was just hitting the line strongly.
“But the way she won this today, she’s obviously a very good mare that’s improving all the time. To win a Group One weight-for-age race like this today is no mean feat for a mare that had only previously won at Group Three level.
“I think she can now compete in these big Group One weight-for-age races and be a live contender in any race she lines up in.”
Snazzytavi has now earned $582,275 from her 13-start, seven-win career, and her value to the Lindsays extends well beyond that.
“It’s fantastic, because it means we have another Group One mare to come to the farm,” Brendan Lindsay said. “You always need a bit of luck in this game, and we had it this week. Having the race moved from Hastings to Te Rapa was bad luck for some people, but good luck for us because our horse loves this track. She’s had four starts here now for four wins.
“Graham and Rogan and Warren have all done a wonderful job. Graham thinks she’s still six months away, so goodness knows what she might be capable of in the future. But for now, we’ll just enjoy the moment.”
The Livamol was the 11th Group One win of Richardson’s training career.
“All Group One wins are special, but I’ll tell you what, this is a massive thrill,” he said. “It’s very special to do it at this time of year with a mare like this.
“I’m just chuffed for the horse, obviously. She’s very, very good and will continue to get better. I’m also chuffed for the owners, for Rogan and all the staff at home. It’s an amazing feeling.
“Warren said he wanted to get midfield if he could from that tricky draw, and you couldn’t have asked for a better ride. It’s awesome.
“She’s just a lovely mare and is such a good horse. She’ll have a short break now, and then we’ll sit down with Brendan and Jo and the team and work out where we go from here.”
New Plymouth raider Hi Yo Sass Bomb produced a career-best performance to finish second in Saturday’s Livamol at $71 odds, with trans-Tasman Group One performer No Compromise edging out Campionessa for third. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

31/08/2024

By Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Exciting three-year-old prospect Read About It made all the headlines in the feature event at Wanganui, the Listed HS D**e Wanganui Guineas (1200m).
The Robbie Patterson-prepared galloper was having just his third start on Saturday but had created plenty of buzz around his chances and future prospects after closing off his two-year-old campaign with a scintillating victory in the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki.
Patterson was keen on his chances prior to the contest and despite settling towards the rear in the seven-horse field, Read About It never gave him a moment’s worry as he put in a clinical effort to secure the victory.
Rider Craig Grylls slowly moved the son of Highview Stud stallion Wrote around the field to issue his challenge rounding the home bend and after a brief tussle with eventual runner-up Unbridled Joy, he eased clear to score by a length and a half in a respectable 1.16.61 for the 1200m journey on a Heavy10 rated surface.
Patterson was pleased to see his charge return with a win as he looks ahead to bigger prizes later in the season.
“He was very professional and Gryllsy summed the race up perfectly,” Patterson said.
“He rode him the way we had planned out and I just like the way he gets to the front and then buttons off.
“He’s a lot like Dan Carter (former All Black) in that he always has a lot of time on his side.
“Going forward I think he is an out and out stayer and I have been going on about the Derby (Gr.1, 2400m) for him as he is so relaxed and is very exciting.”
Paterson also alluded to the fact that numerous offers have been made to buy the horse however owner Kirk Devers, who races Read About It under his KRD Racing banner, has so far resisted that interest and has kept the horse in Patterson’s care.
“I gives you a lot of confidence when an owner puts that much trust in you as it is a lot of money (the purchase offers) and it would be life-changing for me,” he said.
“We don’t normally get to keep these ones so I’m just going to savour the moment.
“We will go home and have a think but I’m not keen on going to Christchurch for the 2000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m) as he has a big season ahead of him and I don’t want to bury him now.”
The Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m), raced on the 8th of March at Ellerslie, will be one of the major highlights on the biggest day of thoroughbred racing in New Zealand next year with seven stakes races including four Group One events plus the inaugural running of New Zealand’s first thoroughbred slot race, the NZB Kiwi (1500m) for three-year-olds, on the card.
Read About It is out of the unraced Iffraaj mare Diggilou, who is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) placegetter Perfect Rhyme.

23/08/2024

By Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
The New Zealand thoroughbred industry has lost one of its most influential figures of the last two decades with the passing of Kevin Hickman after a long illness.
Tributes to the Valachi Downs principal have flowed from around New Zealand and Australia, including from Gareth Downey, who was Valachi’s general manager from 2020 to its closure in 2022. He now has a management role with leading Australian stable Lindsay Park Racing.
“It really is a huge loss, and it’s the end of what’s been a very difficult journey in recent years for Kevin and his family,” Downey said.
“A few of us who were on the Valachi team have been catching up today, and we’re all forever grateful for the opportunities that he gave us. Even apart from the many varied successes he had in his life, he was such an inspirational, dedicated and passionate man who loved the horses and loved his people. If you were part of his team, he made you feel like part of his family.
“What he achieved in racing and breeding in a relatively short space of time was remarkable and indicative of the type of man that he was. Whatever he set his mind to, be it in business or sport or thoroughbreds, he was determined to succeed, and he invariably did. But that success never came at the cost of his ethics or integrity. He still had lifelong friends from his childhood, and all of the success that he had in his life never changed him one bit.
“There aren’t many people like Kevin Hickman, and a lot of people who were lucky enough to know him are feeling the pain of his loss today.”
A relative latecomer to the racing and breeding world, Hickman was born in Westport and grew up in Darfield and Rakaia before moving to Christchurch to join the New Zealand Police. He progressed through those ranks to become a detective, which was just one of a number of achievements in a varied and distinguished career. He was also a competitive athlete and highly respected athletics coach, and in 1984 he co-founded Ryman Healthcare – a retirement-village business that has grown to encompass 42 villages, which are home to more than 12,500 residents and employs more than 6,000 people.
It was only when Hickman retired as Ryman’s managing director in 2006 that he began to dip his toes into the thoroughbred world. What started as a hobby developed into something much more, and his influence as a breeder, owner, sponsor and charitable donor will be felt for decades to come.
“Kevin Hickman made a wonderful contribution to the New Zealand breeding and racing industries,” New Zealand Bloodstock’s managing director Andrew Seabrook said. “Kevin introduced some lovely European blood to this country with the importation of several mares every year.
“Not scared to think outside the square with some of his breeding theories, not only was Kevin a New Zealand Breeder of the Year, he was also crowned New Zealand Owner of the Year in 2014. There was hardly a race meeting that went by where his well-known colours weren't seen or where his beloved stud, Valachi Downs, wasn't a sponsor. The impact he made to the New Zealand thoroughbred industry will be felt for years to come.”
Hickman’s pride and joy was his homebred O’Reilly mare Silent Achiever, who was trained by Roger James to win 10 of her 36 starts and more than $3.6 million in stakes. She won the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m), Gr.2 Championship Stakes (2100m) and Gr.3 Waikato Guineas (2000m) in a stellar three-year-old season, then proved herself on both sides of the Tasman as an older horse with victories in the Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m), Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and New Zealand Stakes (2000m). She also finished third in the 2014 Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), where she was beaten by a neck and a short head by Adelaide and Fawkner in one of the closest finishes in the race’s storied history.
Other notable performers in Hickman’s gold and blue colours included Group One performers Savile Row, Vernanme and Blue Solitaire, along with Gr.2 Doomben Roses (2000m) heroine Bohemian Lily and fellow Group winners Needle And Thread, Communique and Emerald Queen.
Hickman and his wife Joanna also developed Valachi Downs into an internationally respected thoroughbred nursery. Located near Matamata and at one stage home to 80 of Hickman’s broodmares on a property spanning 110 acres, Valachi Downs was sold to Lib and Katrina Petagna in 2022 and rebranded as Elsdon Park.
Hickman’s long list of breeding successes includes Group One winner and champion two-year-old Vespa and this year’s jaw-dropping Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) winner Warmonger, plus other big-race performers such as Savile Row, Arrogant and Benaud.
Valachi Downs stood stallions Zacinto, Vespa, U S Navy Flag, Ten Sovereigns and Savile Row. Zacinto’s successful stud career was the product of a partnership with his previous home, Inglewood Stud in Canterbury, with which Hickman had a long-standing and close association.
“Kevin played an instrumental role in the development of Inglewood Stud over the past 12 years as a major shareholder in both Zacinto and our current stallion War Decree,” Inglewood Stud co-owner Gus Wigley said.
“He didn’t hesitate to support Bianca and I when we bought both stallions, which was very typical of the man. He was a great supporter of young people willing to have a go.
“He made a massive contribution to our industry – from the farm he developed, to the mares he imported, to the opportunities he offered people within our industry. He was also just a bloody good bloke that I enjoyed the company of, and he’ll be very much missed.”
That sentiment is shared widely around Australasia and particularly in Canterbury, where Hickman honoured his roots with sustained sponsorship support.
“Kevin had a great passion for racing here at Riccarton Park, stemming from being a very proud Cantabrian,” Canterbury Jockey Club chief executive Tim Mills said.
“He was an owner, breeder, sponsor, corporate host and friend of racing. A man who never forgot his roots, he had a particular affinity with the Hororata raceday, coming from that part of Canterbury.
“He set out to get both the Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and South Island Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) upgraded to Group Three status, contributing significantly with his Valachi Downs sponsorship to enable stakes above the industry minimum. That goal was achieved, and the success of both races is due to Kevin’s support.
“In his perpetual memory, it is fitting that the Kevin Hickman Retirement Village now borders the 1200m chute at Riccarton Park, looking out over where so many horses raced in his colours.”
Hickman was also a generous supporter of charities, donating significantly to the likes of the Horse Ambulance Trust, CatWalk Trust, Women’s Refuge, Pet Refuge and the Christchurch Medical Research Centre.
He was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 20