News

25 Mar 2025

Pearl Of Alsace came desperately close to a fairytale finish to her racing career, with the Group One performer retiring off the back of a second placing in Saturday’s Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m).

“We tried with Proisir last season, but she’ll go back into the bundle now and we’ll go through all of the stallions that are available to her. We will see which one we feel will make the best mate and keep our fingers crossed.”

Pearl Of Alsace will join Irion in Pencarrow’s broodmare band, with the dam visiting Cambridge Stud’s shuttle stallion Chaldean in her most recent mating.

“He has a beautiful pedigree and was a lovely racehorse, we’re very lucky to have him in New Zealand,” Vela said.

17 Mar 2025

A change of scenery has worked wonders for Pencarrow’s Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent), who brought up his second win from just three starts for new trainer Kevin Myers when he took out Saturday’s $40,000 Wanganui Motors (2040m) at Wanganui.

The gelding showed early promise for his original trainers Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie, collecting a win and three placings from nine starts. Since his shift into Myers’ Wanganui stable, he has recorded a win in the $25,000 Ecolab (1650m) at Waverley, a close fourth at Trentham and Saturday’s success on his new home track.

The dam of Sunset Boulevard is North of Sunset (NZ) (Red Ransom), who is a half-sister to the stakes winner and Group One-placed Pencarrow mare Wildflower (NZ) (Keeper).

10 Mar 2025

A close relative to last weekend’s Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) winner Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth), promising Pencarrow filly Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos) capped a big week for the family with victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Group Three Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie.

Island Life is out of the unraced Lycia (NZ) (Montjeu), whose half-sister Corinthia (NZ) (O’Reilly) is Feroce’s dam.

07 Mar 2025

An outstanding week for Pencarrow Stud and young stallion Super Seth ended on a winning note with Sprezzatura (NZ) at Te Aroha on Friday.

Sprezzatura’s victory in the $18,500 Saddlery Warehouse (2200m) came six days after the Pencarrow-bred Feroce (NZ) triumphed in the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.

The dam of Sprezzatura is Sopra Tutto (NZ), whose daughters Supera (NZ) (Savabeel) and Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi) were both Group winners and Group One placegetters.

04 Mar 2025

Feroce’s stunning Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) victory was celebrated in several of New Zealand’s most prominent stud farms over the weekend.

Bred by Pencarrow Stud, Feroce was narrowly beaten by Private Life in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) back in October, but there was no denying the gelding at Flemington on Saturday, outmuscling fellow Kiwi-bred colt Savaglee to take the three-year-old feature by three-quarters of a length.

Leon Casey, stud manager at Pencarrow, was thrilled to see the gelding earn his redemption after such a narrow miss at Caulfield.

“It was a massive thrill, he’d just been beaten in the Caulfield Guineas and you’re never sure whether you’re going to get into that position again, to win a Group One race,” he said.

03 Mar 2025

The feeling of seeing sale-ring purchases go on to stardom on the racetrack is nothing new for Johnny McKeever, but the respected European bloodstock agent took special satisfaction from Feroce’s triumph in the Gr.1 Howden Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.

“Another special aspect of this story is that Feroce was bred by Sir Peter Vela. I’m very fond of Sir Peter. He’s been up to Newmarket a lot and we’ve got to know each other well.”

03 Mar 2025

Pencarrow Stud’s proud history of breeding and raising Group One winners gained a new chapter on Saturday when Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) triumphed in the prestigious A$1m Group One Howden Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.

Feroce is a graduate of the 2023 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, where he was offered by Kilgravin Lodge. He was bought for $160,000 by McKeever Bloodstock Ltd and Sutton Racing. Feroce has now had nine starts for three wins, three placings and A$1.3m in stakes.

Corinthia is the dam of three foals to race, all of them winners. Feroce is the second of her foals to win at stakes level, joining the Listed Karaka Classic (1600m) winner and multiple Group Two placegetter Siracusa (NZ) (Sebring).

27 Feb 2025

Pencarrow three-year-old Sonata (NZ) (Charm Spirit) opened her winning account on Wednesday with a smart front-running performance in the $25,000 NZB 2025 National Online Yearling Sale 1 April (1400m) at Taupo.

Sonata is trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie at Matamata and went into Wednesday’s race with a fourth and a third from her only two previous appearances.

24 Feb 2025

Pencarrow’s Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) continued her rise through the grades with another win on Saturday, this time against open-class opposition in the $75,000 Horizon By Skycity (1200m) at Ellerslie.

Tomodachi won three of her five starts as a three-year-old last season, and her perfect record as a four-year-old now stands at two from two. She resumed with a spectacular last-to-first performance at Tauranga in January, which she followed up with another impressive come-from-behind victory at Ellerslie.

10 Feb 2025

Bought through the Karaka sale ring and part-owned by Sir Peter Vela, classy colt Public Attention (NZ) (Written Tycoon) produced a bold audition for upcoming feature races in Sydney with a first-up victory in Saturday’s A$250,000 Group Three Asahi Super Dry Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

Public Attention was bred by Sir Peter Vela’s close friend, the late Sir Patrick Hogan, in partnership with wife Lady Hogan. Offered by Carlaw Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2023, he was bought by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $160,000.

04 Feb 2025

Pencarrow Stud’s yearling class of 2025 was well received by the buying bench during Book 1 at Karaka last week, finding new homes in stables across Australasia.

Pencarrow offered 22 yearlings over the three days of the Book 1 session of NZB’s National Yearling Sales, with Lot 274 the highest-priced member of the Pencarrow draft.

30 Jan 2025

Talented Pencarrow gelding Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent) started a new chapter of his career on a winning note in Wednesday’s $25,000 Ecolab (1650m) at Waverley.

14 Jan 2025

Several significant pedigree updates have given a major boost to Pencarrow Stud’s draft for Karaka 2025.

Pencarrow will offer another quality draft of 26 yearlings during Book 1, many of them close relatives to notable recent racetrack performers.

The most significant of these updates is for Lot 498, a filly by Pierro out of Breeze (Sea The Stars). She is a full-sister to the highly talented three-year-old Golden Century (NZ) (Pierro), who ran second and was beaten by a nose in Sunday’s $100,000 Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) at Ellerslie.

13 Jan 2025

Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) made a big impression winning three of her five starts as a three-year-old last season, and the exciting Pencarrow prospect picked up right where she left off with a first-up victory in Friday’s $40,000 Social Club Greerton (1200m) at Tauranga.

07 Jan 2025

The international success and esteem that Pencarrow Stud has enjoyed over the last few decades has been underpinned by exceptional female families built up by Sir Peter Vela. Buyers get relatively few chances to tap into those famous bloodlines, but Pencarrow’s yearling drafts at Karaka every year provide that prized opportunity.

03 Jan 2025

Classy two-year-old Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) became the latest stakes winner for an iconic Pencarrow Stud family when she led all the way to win the $225,000 Group Two Skycity Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.

The Roydon Bergerson-trained filly has now had three starts for two wins and a placing, earning $164,400 for an ownership group headed by Chris Rutten.

Too Sweet is by Satono Aladdin out of the Pencarrow-bred Sparkling Rose (NZ) (Bernardini), who descends from one of the stud’s greatest mares, Grand Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel). Sparkling Rose herself was unraced but is now making a mark of her own as a broodmare.

27 Dec 2024

Pencarrow Stud celebrated a new stakes winner in Sydney on Boxing Day when Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock) took the spoils in a tight finish to the A$250,000 Group Three Schweppes Summer Cup (2000m) at Randwick.

Tavi Time was offered in Pencarrow’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2021, where he was bought by Kiltannon Stables for $60,000. He has now had 18 starts for eight wins, four placings and A$677,025 in stakes.

20 Dec 2024

Talented Pencarrow mare Bonifleur (NZ) (Burgundy) added a second win to her CV with a runaway victory in Wednesday’s $18,500 Art In Stone (1200m) at Ruakaka.

Trained by Paul Richards at Matamata, Bonifleur was a winner on debut at Tauranga in February, and her five starts since then produced a fifth at Taupo, a seventh in heavy ground at Tauranga, and solid runs to finish fourth and sixth at Ellerslie this spring.

12 Dec 2024

Up-and-comer Unequivocal (NZ) (Eminent) took another step forward in her promising staying career with victory in Wednesday’s $30,000 Wairarapa Music in the Country 10^th to 30^th Jan 2025 (2200m) at Tauherenikau.

The Andrew Forsman-trained Unequivocal has now had 10 starts for two wins, three placings and $40,830 in stakes.

10 Dec 2024

As always, the only opportunity for buyers to access this season’s crop of yearlings from internationally respected nursery Pencarrow Stud will be at the Karaka Sales Centre, where another quality draft of 26 yearlings is catalogued for Book 1 of Karaka 2025.

Pencarrow will present an exclusive and high-quality offering of 16 colts and 10 fillies during the three-day sale, which runs from Sunday January 26 to Tuesday January 28 in the Sir Patrick Hogan Auditorium.

05 Dec 2024

There is plenty of potential among this season’s crop of three-year-old fillies in the Pencarrow racing team, and Fosse (NZ) (Darci Brahma) added her name to that list at Rotorua on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s $25,000 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1560m) was the second start for Fosse, who had made her debut with a third placing over 1600 metres at Te Rapa on November 9. The Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie-trained filly carried on to Rotorua and took a big step forward at start number two.

26 Nov 2024

Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie will bid to continue their hot run of form since moving their operation to a new property with another trip to the Central Districts this week.

The Waikato couple have their eyes on a black-type goal for their promising filly Island Life at Otaki on Thursday with the Gr.3 Elsdon Park Wellington Stakes (1600m) viewed as an ideal opportunity for the daughter of Vadamos.

21 Nov 2024

Lightly raced Pencarrow prospect Starry Eyed (NZ) (Darci Brahma) capped an improving form line with a dominant victory in Tuesday’s $18,500 Van Dyks (1560m) at Rotorua.

Starry Eyed is trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie and has now earned $12,395 from her three-start, one-win career. She was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and is raced by Sir Peter Vela.

19 Nov 2024

Riccarton Park has become a happy hunting ground for graduates of Cambridge thoroughbred nursery Pencarrow Stud, which was further enhanced last week through the deeds of Mehzebeen.

“It was a real thrill to win a race like the New Zealand Cup, which is still one of the iconic races on the calendar,” Pencarrow Stud Manager Leon Casey said.