Lather Up service on offer to support Life After Racing

Unlike Lather Up, not every standardbred can be the fastest horse in the world, but they all have the right for a chance to have an enjoyable life once their days in the racing stables are over. This is where the likes of Stable To Stirrup and the other standardbred rehoming groups across New Zealand and Australia step up.

Standardbreds are well-known for their quality traits including having terrific temperaments and a willing attitude, this makes them ideal candidates for being ridden companions. Stable To Stirrup is a registered charitable trust that was established in 2019, and even though they are relatively new to the industry, the people behind the charity have life-long equine knowledge and a deep passion for standardbreds and their lives after racing.

They take in standardbreds who have retired from racing, carry out any rehabilitation they may need and then retrain them to be ridden under saddle. They establish them to a level where they are ready to find a loving home that will enjoy everything our versatile breed has to offer. However, doing this work comes at a considerable cost, so the trust relies on donations and actively fundraising in the community through grant applications and special events. The funds received play a critical role in providing feed and primary healthcare for the standardbreds in the trust’s care.

Woodlands Stud realise the importance of groups and individuals such as Stable To Stirrup for the longevity of our sport and the well being of the horses we all love so much so we have set aside a budget to support this area where we can. Part of this included a donated service fee to our exciting pacing sire Lather Up for Stable To Stirrup’s Fundraising night that was to be held at Addington Raceway last month, however due to Covid restrictions this had to be cancelled. The service fee is still available to them, and we encourage any breeders to support the cause and put a tender in for the service.

Lather Up is a dual world champion. He holds two world records, is the fastest 4-year-old standardbred in history, the equal fastest standardbred in history and the fastest standardbred in history over 1 mile and one eighth. His speed on the track was unmatched and with Bettor’s Delight and In The Pocket in his bloodlines he is set to be one of the great sires in Australasia.

Together we are all breeding world class horses, but the ones who don’t make it to the track or have retired after a successful career still deserve the chance at a long and joyful life after they have finished on the racetrack. As a team we can work together to grow awareness for our breed both on and off the track.

To enter a tender or to find out more ways in which you can help Stable To Stirrup in their mission you can contact them on the details below – tenders need to be in by October 24th:

Website:  www.stabletostirrup.org

Email: stabletostirrup@gmail.com

Phone: 0212 010 899

For more information on Woodlands Stud, Lather Up or our other stallions please contact:

Australasia:        Mark Hughes - +61 451 650 707 – mark@woodlandsstud.co.nz

New Zealand:    Stacey White - +64 21 595 492 – stacey@woodlandsstud.co.nz

Cameron Grant - +64 22 096 1897 – cameron@woodlandsstud.co.nz

Downbytheseaside to resume stud duties on Friday

One of our most exciting young harness racing sires, Downbytheseaside is set to kick off his breeding season this coming Friday (October 15th 2021) after making a full recovery following colic surgery in August.

`He is set to serve an outstanding book of mares across Australasia this season, his Australian book is full and closed and his New Zealand book is nearing capacity.

“We have been extremely pleased with the popularity of Downbytheseaside this season, but after seeing so much quality and potential in his young stock on the ground we can’t blame breeders for jumping at the opportunity to breed their mares to him.”

“He was a terrific racehorse himself and his debut crop are flying in North America. The big thing in his favour down here though is that top breeders, breakers and trainers across Australasia continue to be impressed by his stock and we all know that is what matters most at the end of the day,” said Woodland Stud’s New Zealand Sales and Marketing manager Stacey White.

Downbytheseaside currently sits comfortably at the top of the stallion leader board for 2-year-olds in North America, over $400,000 clear of his nearest rival Captaintreacherous. He is also the sire of the talented, unbeaten 9-win filly, Sea Silk who is out of a Bettor’s Delight mare.

He continued a terrific season with strong results at last week’s Lexington yearling sales, being an Ohio based stallion his progeny were only sold on the final day but averaging over $77,000 for his 23 lots, including seven who went for over six figures. His top lot was a colt out of an Art Major mare who went for $230,000.

With those results combined with the terrific reports from Australasian breakers and trainers of his progeny down under, Downbytheseaside stands as the most exciting freshman sire in the world.

Woodlands Stud ensures that in the unlikely event that the plan for Downbytheseaside changes, breeders with mares booked in will be the first to be notified. For any further queries about Downbytheseaside please contact:

Australasia:        Mark Hughes - +61 451 650 707 – mark@woodlandsstud.co.nz

New Zealand:    Stacey White - +64 21 595 492 – stacey@woodlandsstud.co.nz

Cameron Grant - +64 22 096 1897 – cameron@woodlandsstud.co.nz

DOWNBYTHESEASIDE – THE TIDE CONTINUES TO RISE

Downbytheseaside continues to lead the way in North America as the leading sire of 2-year-olds. His debut crop are setting tracks alight and winning feature races left, right and centre.

At the Ohio Selected Yearling Sales held on the weekend he was also the leading sire, with six lots fetching more than $100,000 in the ring and the top price of $200,000 for a well related filly out of an Art Major mare.

His future as a sire looks as bright as they come and thankfully, he is on track to make a full recovery after undergoing colic surgery in New Zealand in late August. He is set to serve over 300 mares across Australia and New Zealand in the next four months, so this will be welcome news to Australasian breeders.

“Downbytheseaside has put every foot forward in the right direction since the surgery. The abdominal wound healed without any infection and there have been no further signs of colic. We are putting the colic down to a one-off event. Mach Three as a 4-four-year old had a similar surgery and survived to shuttle for fifteen years,” commented veterinarian and Woodlands Stud’s co-owner Andrew Grierson.

The son of Somebeachsomewhere arrived back to Woodlands Stud on September 1st after completing his quarantine and he settled straight back in, albeit confined to a box for the first few weeks.

“He is looking good and hasn’t missed a feed since arriving at the stud. His post-surgery physio programme to get full strength back to his abdominal muscles includes exercise on a walker for an hour or more in the morning and the afternoon.

“He was cleared to be put out in the paddock late last week and is enjoying having the open space and the unlimited grass. Having his paddock to run around in also aids in his recovery,” said Grierson

His healing will continue to be monitored closely over the coming weeks, but all care is being taken for his to make a full recovery. Thankfully being a young, healthy sire has seen him bounce back quickly and it shouldn’t be long until he can join the rest of the stallions in the breeding shed.

“Breeders will be happy to hear Downbytheseaside will start being collected in mid-October. In the unlikely event that anything changes all who have mares booked into him will be contacted,” Grierson stated.

2021-22 SEMEN SHIPPING DETAILS

The upcoming 2021/22 breeding season is about to commence and this is an update regarding the semen shipping across both Australia and New Zealand. Covid-19 continues to make interruptions to our usual shipping timetables.

The situation regarding transport, shipping dates and times will remain fluid in the early stages as we navigate our new system.

We ask that all aspects of the breeding industry be patient as we all adjust to a new schedule outlined below:

All orders will continue via the normal channels as per previous seasons.

We thank everybody for their continued patronage and patience in advance for the 2021 season which has commenced. All our stallions at both Woodlands Stud and Llowalong Farms have arrived and settled in well.

Any queries about the season please contact our NZ Office on +64 9 2928250

or Stacey White + 64 21 595 492 and in Australia to Mark Hughes on 0451 650707.

Many Thanks,

Woodlands Stud

A SWEET COMBINATION

The combination of Sarah O’Reilly and Sugar Me were a formidable force on the racetrack prior to the current New Zealand Covid-19 lockdown. From seven starts they haven’t been out of the top three, achieving four wins and three placings in a short period.

The son of top sire Sweet Lou is royally bred, being out of a full-sister to Adore Me and Have Faith In Me, but he is making his own mark on the track. O’Reilly hasn’t always been hands on with the gelding.

“Early on I didn’t really have much to do with him. Just in the last six months he has become my project horse. We seem to have clicked and we do get on very well.”

“We’ve had a good partnership out on the track. He’s never finished below the top three, which is a great achievement really for the amount of starts he has had,” said O’Reilly.

O’Reilly and Cruz, as he is affectionately known at the stables haven’t looked back since the start of their association and O’Reilly plays a big part in the daily routine of the gelding.

“Usually I will drive him and jog him in the mornings, and then he likes to swim in the pool and in the afternoon he likes to be ridden a couple of times a week. And he really enjoys that, and he relaxes and does something different than what he would normally do,” O’Reilly stated.

Sugar Me was bred by the late Charles Roberts and purchased by Kentuckiana Lodge from the Woodlands Stud draft at the 2019 yearling sales. While he hasn’t come without some challenges, his co-trainer Cran Dalgety has high praise for horse and his partnership with the top junior driver.

“We had a few obstacles with Sugar Me, but we’ve found a real gel with Sarah and the horse. Their CV is reading very well, and the win ratio has been very good. She spends a lot of time with him around the farm, riding him and they have a nit together and it seems to be doing the trick,” Dalgety exclaimed.

One of their wins together included O’Reilly’s 100th in the sulky, and she is hoping there are many more to come.

“I hope me and ‘Cruz’ can keep winning races together. I’m excited to see what he can do as a 4-year-old and I hope that he can keep improving and that hopefully we can win a big race together,” she said.

From what we have seen so far, we think they are well on their way to achieving some great things together. He is just another of the progeny of Sweet Lou who are doing some great things on the track and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them.

DOWNBYTHESEASIDE RECOVERING WELL FOLLOWING SURGERY

The sensational up-and-coming pacing sire Downbytheseaside is recovering well after undergoing colic surgery in Auckland on Friday (August 19th). He was operated on days after arriving into quarantine, ahead of standing at Woodlands Stud for the upcoming breeding season in Australasia.

“The bout of colic happened late morning following his arrival to Auckland on Wednesday. He went to surgery shortly after an ultrasound scan confirmed a small intestinal blockage and one metre of bowel was removed,” said Andrew Grierson, co-owner of Woodlands Stud.

He is still expected to leave quarantine and arrive at Woodlands Stud to complete his breeding season here as scheduled on August 30th along with the other New Zealand based stallions Bettor’s Delight, Sweet Lou and What The Hill.

“He has recovered remarkably quickly and although it is early days all signs thus far are positive. He is on track to make a full recovery. Full credit to the team of veterinarians involved, where both the speed in diagnosis and the decision to operate has undeniably saved him,” said Grierson.

Downbytheseaside has already been a popular choice for New Zealand and Australian breeders with his Australian book already full at the limit of 150 and his New Zealand book is tracking well towards 150 also.

The USTA 2017 Pacer of the Year currently has his first crop racing in North America and he currently leads all pacing stallions for money-winning 2-year-olds on both total and average earnings – surpassing the likes of Captaintreacherous and Always B Miki.

With those results combined with the terrific reports from Australasian breakers and trainers of his progeny down under, Downbytheseaside stands as the most exciting freshman sire in the world.

Woodlands Stud ensures that breeders will be kept up to date with his recovery and how he is tracking in the breeding shed as we near the start of the 2021-22 breeding season. For any further queries about Downbytheseaside please contact:

New Zealand:

Stacey White - +64 21 595 492 – stacey@woodlandsstud.co.nz

Cameron Grant - +64 22 096 1897 – cameron@woodlandsstud.co.nz

 Australasia:

Mark Hughes - +61 451 650 707 – mark@woodlandsstud.c

CAMERON GRANT JOINS WOODLANDS STUD

Woodlands Stud is pleased to announce the appointment of Cameron Grant as their New Zealand Sales Representative for the upcoming breeding season.

Grant will work alongside current New Zealand Sales and Marketing manager Stacey White to promote the seven world class stallions on offer at the stud – Bettor’s Delight, American Ideal, Sweet Lou, Downbytheseaside, What The Hill, Lather Up and Speeding Spur.

Born and raised in Ashburton, harness racing is a big passion of Grant’s. He breeds and owns standardbreds, along with also helping his wife Jessica Young-Grant training her team of horses.

He has dabbled in real estate and also did a stint with PGG Wrightson in the Standardbred Division where he made some strong connections to the industry. He is a keen golfer and always looking for a game.

“I’m always more than happy to have a game with anyone in the breeding industry who might want to enjoy a game while chatting about horses.”

Co-owner of the Stud Andrew Grierson said. "Cameron is an approachable man who is very enthusiastic and passionate about harness racing. We think he will be an asset to the Woodlands team".

Within his new role Grant will be responsible for building relationships with breeders and taking bookings for the sires.

“I’m excited to work with a strong stud farm who has a great range of stallions to cross with a number of different mares in New Zealand. My goal is to gain the awareness of our stallions and to grow the number of foals being bred into the standardbred industry.

“I want to do this by giving a really personal service to everyone who wishes to breed or look into breeding horses to get the best results we can,” Grant said.

Contact Details: Cameron Grant – 022 096 1897 – cameron@woodlandsstud.co.nz

WOODLANDS STUD'S CHAMPION TROTTING STALLION JOINS LLOWALONG FARMS

Woodlands Stud’s own globetrotting square gaiter Speeding Spur will join the impressive and deep stallion roster at Victoria’s Llowalong Farms formerly known as Northern Rivers Equine for the 2021/22 season.

Speeding Spur brings an extraordinary race career across four countries and two hemispheres including Group 1 wins in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

A career of outstanding achievement underpins the Woodlands Stud bred and raised millionaire’s  racetrack performances.

A winner at 2YO through to winning as an 8YO in the United States, Speeding Spur took no prisoners on his way to making over $1.3 million on the racetrack.

Speeding Spur won a staggering ‘Nine’ Group One races, including a Victorian Derby, Breeders Crown, The Great Southern Star and the time-honoured Rowe Cup.

No trotting stallion bred ‘Down Under’ can claim to have such serious stamina, a stunning desire to win and beat up so many great names on the racetrack.

Speeding Spur stands his second season at stud this season, following a great start in Australia and New Zealand in 2020.

Speeding Spur is highly fertile and presents a great opportunity for breeders to breed to a stallion that they watched race and with the additional benefit of fresh and not frozen semen!

It is also a great option for local Victorian breeders to support a stallion whose progeny will race for a $12,000 bonus!

Woodlands Stud continues its outstanding relationship with the newly rebranded Llowalong Farms formerly Northern Rivers Equine, who are the future of standardbred breeding in Victoria.

Speeding Spur’s service fee will be $3300 GST INC in Australia and $2,500 + GST in New Zealand, with normal discounts applying.

Speeding Spur is clearly the stallion, the trotting brethren have been looking for in Australia.

All inquiries for bookings to Speeding Spur please contact the following:

In Australia – Mark Hughes – 0451 650707 -mark@woodlandsstud.co.nz

In New Zealand -  Cameron Grant – 022 096 1897 – cameron@woodlandsstud.co.nz