NZ Breeders Celebrate Big Flemington Double

Monday, 6 November 2017: After enjoying some truly remarkable achievements over many years New Zealand thoroughbred identity Christopher Grace had no hesitation labelling his results at Flemington on Saturday as the pinnacle of his racing and breeding career.

Grace and his wife Susanna bred and own the Chris Waller-trained Shillelagh, the Savabeel mare who won the G1 Kennedy Mile, and they also bred Luvaluva, the John Sargent-trained Mastercraftsman filly who won the G2 Wakeful Stakes.
The Graces weren’t at Flemington but were glued to their television throughout the day and celebrated with with a group of friends on Saturday night.

Shillelagh
Shillelagh

“We had thought about going over but I was busy at work on Thursday and Friday so we couldn’t make it,” Grace explained.
“While it would have been nice to have been there the television coverage is marvellous and we probably saw as much or more than we would have being on course.
“Chris Waller is also remarkable in the amount of information he provides so we had up to the minute snippets on how Shillelagh was and the general thrust was that he was confident of a top performance.
“We just kept our fingers crossed she could run well. When she won it was such a marvellous feeling and rates as the best we have ever had in racing.”
Shillelagh is a daughter of the Flying Spur mare Trocair who has proven to be a wonderful producer for the Graces after a relatively modest career on the track.
“Roger James brought Trocair for me from the Sydney Easter sale, but she never really reached her potential on the track, winning just once from a handful of starts,” said Grace.
“She is a lovely big mare and has done us proud in the breeding barn with five individual winners including Tullamore who we sold to Gai Waterhouse before he went on to win the Brisbane Cup.
“And Shillelagh’s sister Grazia (Savabeel x Trocair) won a stakes race at Riccarton last week for Te Akau Racing.”
Grace also bred Hard Merchandize (Burgundy), the winner of last month’s G2 Hawke’s Bay Guinas.
“Trocair just returned a positive test to Savabeel after missing to him last year. She is getting on a bit now and we’re not sure how much longer we will breed from her but we have retained two of her Savabeel mares along with Shillelagh, so we have plenty of ammunition from the family for future generations.
“One of those mares is Irish Dream who had her two-year-old O’Reilly filly named Dublin Rose run second at Te Aroha recently.”
Shillelagh began her racing career in New Zealand from the Te Akau stables at Matamata, winning four of her six starts before she joined the Waller team in Sydney last year. She has now won three times for his stable.
Trocair is a half-sister to Nautique (Pins), who raced in Queensland before winning two G3 races in the US.
Shillelagh’s two-year-old sister was purchased from this year’s NZB Premier Yearling Sale from the Little Avondale Stud draft for $NZ340,000 by BBA Ireland and Lindsay Park Racing. Trocair also has a yearling colt by Ocean Park.
Savabeel is the sire of 67 stakes winners including 13 at G1 level.

Luvaluva
Luvaluva

Luvaluva (Mastercraftsman x Wanseesingyee by Galileo) was sold to John Sargent at the 2016 NZB Ready To Run Sale for $55,00 and her half-brother by Per Incanto is entered for the NZB Ready To Run Sale later this month.
The Per Incanto colt will go through the ring from the Surrey Farm draft on Day Two of the NZB Ready To Run Sale that commences on 22 November at Karaka.
Luvaluva will line up in Thursday’s G1 VRC Oaks against another Karaka graduate Aloisia (Azamour), who has won the G1 Thousand Guineas and G2 Moonee Valley Vase at her last two starts.
She has now had six starts for two wins and a placing, earning $217,650 in prizemoney and is the 41st individual stakes winner by her sire Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) that include Sargent’s earlier Wakeful Stakes winner Thunder Lady.
The former Windsor Park shuttler stands at Coolmore Stud in Ireland.
Sargent will attempt to emulate his feat of 2013 when he sent out Kirramosa (Alamosa) to win the Wakeful Stakes/VRC Oaks double.




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