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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 10th to 30th 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pencarrow graduate Mehzebeen (NZ) (Almanzor) has completed Riccarton’s big staying double, adding Saturday’s $400,000 Group Three Martin Collins 161st New Zealand Cup (3200m) to her victory in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) seven days earlier.
Mehzebeen was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and offered in Pencarrow Stud’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2021, where she was bought by Sarai Stud for $50,000. She has now had 19 starts for five wins, three placings and $474,010 in stakes.
The Pencarrow Racing colours were carried to a third win this week when Sesimbra (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) cleared maiden ranks in Wednesday’s $18,500 Peninsular Beachfront Resort Mooloolaba (1200m) at New Plymouth.
Sesimbra was ridden by apprentice jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll at New Plymouth and settled in third along the rail before pushing forward to challenge the leader before the home turn.
A dominant performance by Tempest (NZ) (Frankel) at Ashburton on Sunday capped an outstanding weekend for Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela.
Those same blue and white hooped colours were also carried to victory by Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos) at Tauranga on Saturday. From 14 career starts, Tempest has now had a win and eight placings. She has earned $37,515 for owner-breeders Sir Peter Vela and Coolmore.
For the second time since 2021, Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela has shared in a scintillating victory in the stallion-making A$2m Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.
Valuable colt Switzerland (Snitzel) produced a stunning performance in the three-year-old sprint on Saturday, three years after Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) cemented his stallion credentials with a three-length win in the same race. Home Affairs now stands at Coolmore Stud for a service fee of A$82,500.
The blue and white colours of Pencarrow Racing are likely to be seen in feature three-year-old company this summer after an impressive audition by Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos) at Tauranga on Saturday.
Island Life went into the $25,000 Saddlery Warehouse Cambridge & Tauranga Maiden (1600m) with only one previous start under her belt, where she stormed home to finish second over 1400 metres at Pukekohe on October 16.
Lightly raced Pencarrow mare Golden (NZ) (Eminent) took a big step forward in her promising career with victory in Thursday’s $18,500 NEMS Medical (2000m) on the Cambridge synthetic track.
Trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie, Golden has now had five starts for a win, a second, a third and a fourth, earning $18,530 in stakes.
Pencarrow graduate Jay Bee Gee (NZ) (Complacent) completed a Group Three double within the first two months of the new season when he ran his rivals into the ground in Saturday’s $100,000 Hunterville Vet Club Metric Mile (1600m) at Wanganui.
Jay Bee Gee is out of Pencarrow’s remarkable mare Huluava (NZ) (Pins), who is the dam of nine winners from nine foals to race.
An impressive performance by Private Life (Written Tycoon) at Warwick Farm on Wednesday has put the classy colt on a path towards bigger and better spring targets for part-owner Sir Peter Vela.
The Chris Waller-trained Private Life made a big impression at the trials as an autumn two-year-old and was sent out as favourite for his raceday debut on May 1, finishing fourth at Canterbury. He took a big step forward and cleared maiden ranks in style in his second start three weeks later at Warwick Farm.
A more mature Private Life stepped out for his three-year-old debut on Wednesday and made it a winning one, despite carrying a testing topweight of 61.5 kilograms.
Quality mare Pearl Of Alsace is back on track to open her spring campaign ahead of a later than originally anticipated involvement in the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival.
Tavistock’s daughter will resume on Saturday in the Harcourts Bream Bay (1400m) at Ruakaka where stablemate and Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) hopeful Mahrajaan will also be in action in the Harcourts Tai Tokerau Cup (2200m).
The Sir Peter Vela-bred and raced Pearl Of Alsace failed to trial to the satisfaction of trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray at Taupo last month, but they have been encouraged by her subsequent progress.
Pencarrow Stud’s foundation mare, Romanee Conti (Sir Tristram-Richebourg, by Vice Regal), was immortalised with a sculpture created by New Zealand artist Michelle Farrell. The story of Romanee Conti begins in 1982 when the Vela brothers went to the Wrightson Bloodstock yearling sale and purchased a yearling filly from Chequers Stud. Full story as featured in Bluebloods, August 2024