Cover image courtesy of Windsor Park
A strong business relationship between Windsor Park Stud and trainer Fraser Auret led to rising Hong Kong super sprinter Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) being foaled down in the grassy pastures of the farm.
Ka Ying Rising foaled at Windsor Park Stud
The rising sprint star, and now dual Group 1 winner, was foaled at Windsor Park Stud, by their resident sire Shamexpress (NZ).
“Missy Moo came here to foal and they were here for three or four months. Fraser trains for us and we do a lot of business with him. (Ka Ying Rising) was the first foal he’s ever bred, and he’s done a great job first up. The mare had a fair bit of talent and I’ve always said that those are the type of mares you want to breed from. Fraser sent her to Shamexpress and he’s got the job done,” said Windsor Park’s Rodney Schick.
Rodney Schick | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Sold by Sanderston Park in 2014 as a yearling for NZ$500, Missy Moo (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) was trained by Fraser Auret for Mike and Bronwyn Griffin to win five races and run fourth in the G3 Manawatu Breeders.
She had only two foals for Auret before a hip issue became too much and she was euthanised for humane reasons in 2021. Her other foal is unraced 3-year-old gelding Ka Ying Glory (NZ) (Turn Me Loose {NZ}) who ran third in his first barrier trial in Hong Kong on January 3.
Subfertile Shamexpress has good figures
Ka Ying Rising (NZ) is the second Group 1 winner for Shamexpress (NZ) whose other Group 1 winner is Coventina Bay (NZ) who won five of her first six starts, going on to win the 2022 G1 Herbie Dyke S. and G1 New Zealand S. She was purchased by Yulong for $625,000 at the end of her racing career at the 2023 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and her first foal is a 2024 filly by Yulong’s sire Diatonic (Jpn).
“Shamexpress’s biggest problem is that he’s subfertile, so he only has small crops. He’s had to do it the hard way as he’s struggled to get them in foal. He has a good filly in Australia called Grinzinger Belle, who is a Group winner there. With very low numbers, it gets hard, if you send your best mare and she doesn’t get in foal, it can put mare owners off,” said Schick. Windsor Park Stud sold Grinzinger Belle (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) as a yearling for NZ$32,000 and the G2 Let's Elope S. winner now has earnings over $600,000 from her four wins.
Shamexpress (NZ) | Standing at Windsor Park Stud
A son of O’Reilly (NZ), Shamexpress won on debut at two in Australia. At three, he was third in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. to Nechita (Fastnet Rock) and Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock), then two starts later, he won the G1 Newmarket Handicap against the older horses. Sent to Royal Ascot, he ran mid-field in both the G1 King’s Stand S. and G1 July Cup. The next spring, at four, he ran second to Buffering (Mossman) in the G1 VRC Sprint and second to Snitzerland (Snitzel) in the G1 Lightning S. He retired with three wins from 19 starts and earnings over $1.1 million.
His first book reflected his speed, covering 158 mares, but unfortunately 77 of them missed and he was left with only 59 live foals in his first crop. His fertility improved for his second crop, but for the last six seasons, it has hovered around 50 per cent mares in foal.
“He was a fast horse himself, winning the Newmarket at three, which is unusual for a New Zealand bred horse, and he leaves a magnificent type. We have a really nice handful of yearlings by him.”
“He (Shamexpress) was a fast horse himself, winning the Newmarket at three, which is unusual for a New Zealand bred horse, and he leaves a magnificent type. We have a really nice handful of yearlings by him.” - Rodney Schick
Windsor Park’s draft has five yearlings by Shamexpress with Lot 68 the only offering in Book 1. The colt is the first foal of Last Leg (NZ) (Pins) who is a sister to stakes placed Splitsecond (NZ), the dam of Listed Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders S. winner Tabata (NZ) (Savabeel).
In Book 2, there’s Lot 726, a filly out of Missile Crisis (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}), whose first foal to race is a winner, and Missile Crisis is a half-sister to Listed CJC Spring Classic winner Viana (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}), dam of Southern Ocean (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) who won the same race as his dam.
Lot 815 is a colt out of a winning Savabeel mare from an old Windsor Park family, while Lot 981 is a colt from the family of Zipping (Danehill {USA}). Lot 1082 is a colt out of winning High Chaparral (Ire) mare High Tail It (NZ) whose only foal to race, Bentayga (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}) has won three times.
Gallery: Some of the yearlings by Shamexpress being offered at next week’s Karaka Yearling Sale, images courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Windsor Park’s strong graduate reputation
Windsor Park Stud have bred, sold or reared 50 Group 1 winners since their inception, and over 170 stakes winners. “We’ve been very lucky over the years. We’ve produced three world champions with So You Think, Aerovelocity and Might And Power. It’s a very exciting time to have Ka Ying Rising rated as the highest sprinter in the world at the moment.”
“We’ve been very lucky over the years. We’ve produced three world champions with So You Think, Aerovelocity and Might And Power. It’s a very exciting time to have Ka Ying Rising rated as the highest sprinter in the world at the moment.” - Rodney Schick
Homebred Mustang Valley (NZ) (Vanbrugh) won the 2022 G1 Livamol C. and the 2023 G1 Arrowfield Stud Plate, and the aforementioned Coventina Bay (NZ) was passed in by Windsor Park Stud at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale and sold privately to her racing owners.
“It’s Business Time is an exciting prospect in our racing team. She won five in a row in New Zealand and is now in Melbourne with Te Akau Racing. She had a minor injury but has come back strongly and won a jumpout this morning.” It’s Business Time (NZ) (Turn Me Loose {NZ}) hasn’t raced since running third in the 2023 G3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile.
Gallery: Some of Windsor Parks high-class graduates, images courtesy of Trish Dunnell
“Opening Address, we sold as a yearling and retained a quarter of him, he won a stakes race on Cup day and is about to kick off again soon.” Sold by Windsor Park Stud for NZ$160,000 to Liam Howley Racing, Andrew Williams Bloodstock, and Bevan Smith Bloodstock at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, 3-year-old gelding Opening Address (NZ) (So You Think {NZ}) won the Listed TAB Trophy on Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington to take his record to two wins from five starts and earnings over $190,000.
Strength of market to continue into NZB
Schick thinks the strength of the market shown at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale and the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale will carry on into the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale which kicks off on Sunday.
“It’ll be strong enough. The Gold Coast sale proved that the right horses were making money. New Zealand is a little different as the Australians come here to buy middle distance horses, and Hong Kong buyers should kick in pretty strongly too. We are hoping the market continues the same way, and for the right horse the money should be there.”
“New Zealand is a little different as the Australians come here to buy middle distance horses, and Hong Kong buyers should kick in pretty strongly too. We are hoping the market continues the same way, and for the right horse the money should be there.” - Rodney Schick
Windsor Park Stud have a big draft of over 50 yearlings spread between Book 1 and Book 2. “It’s a varied draft this year, from first season sires to proven horses. We have five Shamexpress yearlings who should be sought after as there isn’t a lot of them, and there’s a strong mix of stallions, about 13 different ones. We have some by Wootton Basset, St Mark’s Basilica, So You Think, and Satono Aladdin who is going great here. There are some nice yearlings by first season sires Sword Of State and Noverre, and of course several by Circus Maximus who is in his second year.”
Circus Maximus (Ire) has 107 2-year-olds in his first crop and 52 yearlings in his second crop. A dual Group 1 winner at three, Circus Maximus added another Group 1 at four, and is a son of the esteemed Galileo (Ire). “We’ll see some of his first crop debut in the autumn and are excited to see them later in the season. He won at two and was a Champion at three and four. The word has been good on them, they have great temperaments and physiques.
Circus Maximus (Ire) | Standing at Windsor Park Stud
“There’s enough word that if people like the type (of the yearling at the sale), they’ll buy them. If it’s an Australian based sire, who hadn’t had runners at this point, buyer will have put the line through them already. But over here, stallions can get to middle of their first crop’s 3-year-old season before people talk about if they are good or not. New Zealand has had several stallion who have had slow starts who’ve been very good stallions, especially Classic types like Zabeel and Savabeel who both started slower with their 2-year-olds. Once the 3-year-old hit the races, then you can see what they are like. It takes the pressure off, and if trainers have them (in their stable) and like them, they’ll take a punt on the second crop.”
Circus Maximus had five winners in his first Irish crop of 2-year-olds, led by Green Storm (Ire) who ran second in the G1 Critérium de Saint-Cloud. So far down under, he has had two runners, led by Towering Vision (NZ) who was third on debut in mid-December.
Armory to debut his first crop
The first season sires for this crop of yearlings are light on the ground with only four stallions making their debut in 2022. One of those is Group 1 placed Armory (Ire) who is a son of Galileo (Ire). “He was a good 2-year-old, and a Champion three and 4-year-old who ran second in a Cox Plate. Between ourselves and Mapperley Stud, we own him 50 per cent each, and he’s stood at Mapperley Stud.”
Of the nine Armory yearlings in Windsor Park’s Book 1 draft, Schick picked out his two favourite types.
Armory (Ire) | Standing at Mapperley
“We have a very good colt from Zuma. He’s from the family of It’s Business Time, and Star Satire. The mare is by Mastercraftsman and she’s doing a great job as a broodmare. He’s a cracker, a well made type who should operate at two and carry on at three and four.” Lot 424 is the fourth foal of Zuma (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) who was a winner at a mile. Her first two foals are both winners. Zuma is a half-sister to Windsor Park graduate Group 3 winner and G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' S.-placed Soubrettes (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}), and to Risque Business (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}), the dam of It’s Business Time.
“The filly from Arboreal is a half to Trobriand, who we sold. She’s really well made, and out of a Lonhro mare from a good Australian family.” Lot 451’s half-sister Trobriand (Kermadec {NZ}) was sold by Windsor Park Stud at the NZB National Yearling Sale in 2022 to David Ellis for NZ$260,000. Now a 4-year-old gelding, he won his first three in succession at two including the G2 Eclipse S. and was third in the R. Listed Karaka Millions 2YO. He’s still in work and has five wins from 16 starts with earnings over NZ$320,000. Lot 451’s second dam is Listed Cinderella S. winner Koala Bear (Exceed And Excel).
Gallery: Schick’s favourite Armory lots offered in Book 1, images courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
“There’s an old saying that the bull makes the herd. We support all our stallions with a continually improving broodmare band, both through our race fillies and we buy at the major broodmare sales across Australia. But a young stallion can get all the best mares and still not make it. It’s a hard business, and the ones that succeed put their own hand up.”
Windsor Park Stud know a lot about finding the ones ‘who put their hands up’, having a long history of standing top class sires with the likes of High Chaparral (Ire), Volksraad (GB), Montjeu (Ire), Thorn Park, Star Way (GB), and Kaapstad (NZ).
