Haunui Grads off to Strong Start in New Season

Haunui Farm graduates have started the new season in fine form with a stakes performer and numerous winners on the board already as spring racing gets into full swing.

BELARDO 3YO Yeaboi (pictured as a yearling) finished last season with a win and stakes placing in the Listed Ryder Stakes to his credit and carried his form through to his Classic season with a brave effort for second in the Whanganui Guineas on Saturday. Trainer Allan Sharrock has already pencilled in the New Zealand Derby as his long-range target.

The undercard at Te Rapa on Saturday saw an impressive debut from Pure Imagination (NZ) (Darci Brahma). Born and raised at Haunui Farm, Pure Imagination is a graduate of our breaking-in and Ready-to-Run programme. Sold under the Lilywhites Lodge banner, the colt fetched $350,000 to the bid of David Ellis at the 2020 NZB Ready to Run Sale and at this stage, the Te Akau team are plotting a path toward the G1 2000 Guineas in November.

Racing earlier in the week saw another graduate of our breaking-in/RTR system with Funny Girl (NZ) (Showcasing) carrying the Cambridge Stud colours to a comfortable victory on seasonal debut. Funny Girl was a $50,000 buy also out of the Lilywhites draft.

In Australia, Elephant (NZ) (Shocking) was narrowly beaten in his first tilt at stakes level, going down by a bob-of-the-head in the G2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday. This came off the back of a tidy first-up win in the middle of August. He certainly looks to be well up to the test and decisions are yet to be made as to the path he will take for the remainder of the spring.

Sales and Marketing Manager, Shannon Taylor says, “Last season saw 16 Haunui graduates claim blacktype status and it’s really pleasing to see some nice young horses coming out early in the season and putting themselves in the mix for higher honours.

“The results of Yeaboi, Pure Imagination and Funnygirl are quite satisfying given they have all not only been born and raised at the farm but also through our breaking-in system and are from the first crop broken-in by Derek Nolan of Lilywhites Lodge. Derek completes all of our breaking-in here at the farm and we manage the whole process, so it gives us plenty of confidence in that system going forward that's for sure.”