THOROUGHBRED

Going better than ever

Feature racetrack success has continued to flow for Blandford Lodge, with top quality Singapore performer BETTER THAN EVER (AUS) again flying the flag for the Matamata nursery.

The stud's highest profile graduate has added to his tally at the top level this season with the successful defence of his Kranji Mile-SIN Gr.1 title.

Purchased out of their 2008 draft for $NZ80,000 by champion trainer Laurie Laxon, BETTER THAN EVER (FRENCH DEPUTY (USA-SONGFEST by UNBRIDLED SONG (USA) won his first 12 races in succession and has now taken his record to 15 wins and four placings from 22 appearances. His honour board also features the Singapore Guineas- SIN GR.1 and the Raffles Cup-SIN Gr.1. is a hard act to top, said Graham Bax, who owns Blandford Lodge with wife Helen-Gaye and international businessman Owen Glenn.

That may be so, but with the farm preparing to offer a quality line up of yearlings through the Premier and Select sales at Karaka in 2012 there are potential stars of the future primed to grace the sale ring. We're still going forward and without doubt this is our best draft by a long way, Bax said. Featuring in the consignment is a colt by the Golden Slipper Stakes-Gr.1 winner SEBRING out of MICA'S PRIDE, who claimed the Research Stakes-Gr.3 during her brief career. He is a magnificent individual and from a very good family. The colt is a half brother to the QTC Cup-Gr.2 winner VARENNA MISS, who was also fourth in the Oakleigh Plate-Gr.1, and SILENTLY who won the Carr Stakes-LR, while their dam is a half sister to recent Australian stakes winner AMAH ROCK.

A filly out of the winning RED RANSOM mare WHIFFLE also represents SEBRING. Her first foal HOLLYWOOD ANGEL (DEHERE) was placed at her two year-old debut. This is the family of International Stakes-Gr.1 winner MISSION CRITICAL and English St Leger Gr.1 winner and successful sire NEDAWI. The HIGH CHAPARRAL colt out of TRUJILLO is another outstanding individual. He is a half brother to farm graduate and multiple winner TRENDY (PINS) and the dual winner and Australian stakes performer OUR TIGRESS (TIGER HILL). That mare has recently been retired and is now resident in the Blandford broodmare band.

A son of the American bred POINT GIVEN mare SHARP POINT also represents HIGH CHAPARRAL. This colt is from the family of international Gr.1 winners and successful sires COMMANDER IN CHIEF and WARNING and is described as “a really nice cut of a horse." A filly by boom stallion FASTNET ROCK is sure to have plenty of suitors as her dam is the winning MONTJEU mare RUNEASY. The Gr.2 winner SILKY RED BOXER and the Australasian Oaks-Gr.1 placegetter STAR OF GRETCHEN, with Hong Kong Sprint Gr.1 winner ALL THRILLS TOO and crack youngster CROSSYOURHEART also featuring on the pedigree page.

Other top line fillies from the same family in the Premier team are by the champion ENCOSTA DE LAGO and the emerging SAVABEEL. The former is out of the ZABEEL mare KATIE O'NEILL, who is the dam of the Edward Manifold Stakes-Gr.2 winner SHE WILL BE LOVED, while the SAVABEEL youngster is a half-sister to the highly promising MALANDRINO (DARCI BRAHMA). The daughter of DANEHILL DANCER and PECTORALIS MAJOR, a winning daughter of UNBRIDLED'S SONG, is another tipped to make waves. She is from the family of successful sires MUTAKDDIM and RHYTHM and the South African Gr.1 performer KAVANAGH.

Expectations are also high for a coltby NEW APPROACH, who numbered the English Derby among his multiple Gr.1 successes. This yearling is out of the winning ROCK OF GILBRALTAR mare QUATRO. She is a daughter of the Australian Oaks-Gr.1 winner MY BRILLIANT STAR and a half sister to the Toorak Handicap-Gr.1 winner SHOT OF THUNDER.

Yearling manager Jamie Kennedy is preparing the Karaka draft on site this year. He has taken up the new role after stints at Whakanui Stud and in Australia with Yarraman Park. We only prepare our own and don't pinhook and take the mares to Australia and then bring them back, Bax said. Blandford operates with a broodmare band of about 40. That's between Owen and myself and we're always looking to add to it with stakeswinning mares. We're looking to get up to 50 and the farm can handle that with still room to move.

With interests in DARCI BRAHMA, SAVABEEL and TAVISTOCK, the farm utilises the best stallions at home and in Australia. We generally look at breeding up to 10 over there, and we mate on type and obviously for the best commercial outcomes. Bax also has half a dozen horses in work, including the promising Chris Waller trained stayer KING GLADIATOR, while Glenn has extensive racing interests. Blandford Lodge was bought in the late 1990s by Bax, his wife Helen-Gaye and their daughter Kylie, whose interest was subsequently purchased by Glenn. The farm is managed by Richard Johnston and the office complex is also home to Bax's insurance company Apex Consulting which naturally has a wide range of thoroughbred industry clientele.