b4breeding

It’s a beautiful cool, sunny Spring morning and “the boys” aka Thephantomtollbooth (Real Desire-Zenterfold) and Isputtingonmytophat (Pegasus Spur-Sun Isa) are sprawled out in the paddock loving the fine weather and warmth of the sun, looking like two logs!  They are great mates. Both are heading to the yearling sales at Karaka in February.

View from my balcony – the boys sunbathing

They are not always so quiet! Here a photo of them having a real hoon around:

“The boys” having a hoon around the paddock.

Last night a horse Kym bought as a weanling from Alabar had her second start at Alexandra Park and got a very good second after being parked most of the way. She’s a lovely type of mare, stamped strongly by her sire Sutter Hanover. Named Driving The Dragon (from Shark Alert), she qualified as a 2yo but Kym and trainer Barry Cullen have been patient with her, allowing her time to grow into her big frame, and she is now a 4yo.  She comes from one of those families that now and then throws a real good horse, but otherwise struggles. Her grandam Alert Sue produced the very good Napolean (67 starts, 18 wins) and the handy Alert Motoring (36 starts, 8 wins) and a branch of the family (Disco Girl) produced the great Christopher Vance. But overall it has been hard going for the breeders. We like to think Driving The Dragon will be another one ‘out of the box” for the family! Here’s a recent photo of her winning a workout at Cambridge:

Workouts winner Driving The Dragon

Another weanling purchase from Alabar is Elect To Go (Gotta Go Cullect-Innsbruck), now a 3yo filly that Kym and I  co-own. She has qualified and is having a spell, hanging out with Kym’s third weanling purchase, Souvenir Glory, now 4yo, who had a few races last season and is a competitive little Elsu mare. Like many of the Gotta Go Cullects I have seen, Elect To Go is not a big type – neither was Gotta Go Cullect. They seem slighter, speedy types. This filly is a very willing horse, doing everything right, and should strengthen up for her next time in.

Kym Kearns with Elect To Go, August 2013

But back to the breeding side of things, which is Isa Lodge’s main focus.

• I’ve booked Zenterfold to Rock N Roll Heaven. She will be foaling this year (McArdle) at Patumahoe for co-owners Geoff and Aria Small.  She’s our “shuttle mare”, moving year by year between Cambridge and south Auckland and taking it all in stride.
• I’ve booked The Blue Lotus (daughter of Zenterfold) to Shadow Play and will be off to stud in a couple of weeks (see my blog earlier in August about this match).
• Kym’s trotting mares – Sun Isa is booked to Pegasus Spur and her half sister Toggle is booked to Majestic Son, and they will also be off to stud shortly.
• And Sophie’s Choice is booked to Tintin In America. She’s the mare I’ve leased from Lynda Mellsop who is currently having such a great run as owner of Carpenters Daughter in Australia.

Other news – It appears Destination Moon’s injury is not the hairline fracture it was first thought to be and he could be back racing sooner than expected. He’s the full brother to The Blue Lotus (Grinfromeartoear-Zenterfold) and showed a heap of promise in his first few races as a 2yo for owner Kerry Hoggard and trainer Steven Reid.

And final bit of news: I have bought a half share in a Tintin In America yearling from a half sister to Bit Of A Legend. More about that next time.