STANDARDBRED

What a year it's been for Windsor Park Stud with resident stallion Thorn Park's elevation to champion status, an international top end addition to the roster, and So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral) taking his outstanding Australasian form to the rest of the world.

The Cambridge farm has continued to watch with pride its graduates delivering on the racetrack and, in particular, their run of classic success. " Thorn Park (Spinning World) winning the premiership and taking over from Volksraad in keeping the Grosvenor Award here was a major highlight, " general manager Steve Till said. " That's been backed up by a world class stallion roster with Rip Van Winkle (Galileo) joining Thewayyouare (Kingmambo) and Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) and alongside Falkirk (NZ) (Tale of the Cat) and Guillotine (NZ) (Montjeu). It's very satisfying to be offering breeders those opportunities."

2010 Breeders of the Year and a finalist this year, Windsor Park has again been in the thick of the Group One action. " Seeing our graduates of the farm and from the yearling sales doing so well has been great and So You Think's international performances have been fantastic," Till said. " Then we had Sangster's VRC Derby win, we offered him as a yearling, and in the past four or five years we've had a number of Derby winners out of Windsor Park drafts. " Indeed, Sangster (NZ) (Savabeel) followed in the VRC classic footsteps of Kibbutz (NZ) (Golan) (2007) and Monaco Consul (NZ) (High Chaparral) (2009) to go with Nom du Jeu's success in the AJC Derby (2008) and Military Move's home New Zealand Derby triumph (2010). " I'm not sure another stud in Australasia could match that recent Derby record, " Till said.

Windsor Park is also preparing another stunning line up of yearlings for Karaka with the first progeny of Guillotine (NZ) among them. " He was an outstanding racehorse and a $NZ300,000 yearling at Karaka which tells you what a good looking horse he is. We stood his sire Montjeu and he was very successful in the sale ring, just as his progeny we sold were on the track."

Till tipped Guillotine's Premier colt out of Endless Joy (NZ) (Centiane) to be a standout. " He's a three-quarter brother to Emperor Bonaparte (NZ) (Montjeu) (Listed Premier's Cup) out of a Group One-placed half-sister to Bonecrusher (NZ) (Pag-Asa). He's a really nice individual and Guillotine's got a lovely line of horses going through K2 as well."

The Windsor Park draft will also feature the final New Zealand crop of six-times Group One winner High Chaparral (Sadler's Wells). " They made a huge impact at the sale last year and we're looking forward to presenting them. There's a three-quarter brother to So You Think (NZ) out of that horse's half-sister La Souvenir (NZ) (Nuclear Freeze), who's an outstanding colt and three-quarter brothers to Monaco Consul (NZ) and Growl (NZ) (Montjeu).

There are also a number of attractive fillies with great pedigrees like the ones out of The Mighty Lions (NZ) (Grosvenor), Very Musical (Green Tune) and Sierra Dane (Danehill). By Grosvenor, The Mighty Lions (NZ) won the Group One Avondale Gold Cup and her two previous High Chaparral fillies sold for $NZ300,000 and $NZ280,000. Very Musical is an Irish bred daughter of Green Tune who is from the family of multiple Group One winner and successful sire Last Tycoon, while Sierra Dane is a Group-performed daughter of Danehill. Her High Chaparral colt made $NZ240,000 earlier this year at Karaka.

Thorn Park will be represented by three colts and a filly, and Till singled out the son of Fragile Asset (NZ) (Zabeel) for special mention. His dam is a stakeswinning Zabeel mare from Bonecrusher's family and he's a real stand out. The colt is a half-brother to the Group Two Championship Stakes winner Hidden Asset (NZ) (High Chaparral).

Owned by Nelson and Sue Schick and their son Rodney, the main Windsor Park Stud property covers 242ha (600 acres) for the stallions, foaling facilities, paddocks for the mares, foals and yearlings and the office complex. Nearby Halidon Hill takes in 121ha (300 acres) for wintering mares and spelling the racing team, while yearlings are further catered for on another 36.5ha (90-acre property). Windsor Park Stud continues its long and successful association with Mapperley Stud used for dry mares, yearling preparation, mares and foals.

Windsor Park Stud will be represented by drafts in Premier, Select and Festival sessions of the 2012 NZB National Yearling Sales.