Going with their gut: How Totara Park’s unique breeding strategy delivered big results

Cover image courtesy of Peter Rubery (Race Images)

Dirk and Nicci Oberholster have experienced the highs and lows of racing through involvement in Totara Park Stud in Northland, New Zealand. They have bred horses, traded horses, stood stallions and invested money, sweat and tears into the game. Last weekend was definitely one to savour, breeding Group winners on both sides of the Tasman.

Vegas Queen’s gutsy Guineas win kicks things off

Saturday began with fireworks, when their homebred filly Vegas Queen (NZ) (Proisir) delivered a bold, front-running victory in the G2 Wellington Guineas at Trentham.

It wasn’t without tension. The tenacious filly held off the late challenges of Archaic Smile (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) and Dramatic Miss (NZ) (El Roca) in a nail-biting finish, only for the protest siren to sound shortly after, as runner-up Archaic Smile’s connections lodged an objection for alleged interference in the final 250 metres.

Fortunately for her jubilant owners, the protest was dismissed, and celebrations erupted.

“She deserved her chance,” said Nicci, beaming. “Mandy Brown deserves plenty of credit as she suggested the Guineas, and look at the result.”

Vegas Queen is raced in partnership by Dirk and Nicci with Matt and Mandy Brown under their Ngapuke banner and an entertaining group, The Magpies, which is run by Nicci’s son, Kurt Benney.

“The Magpies are a bunch of Kurt’s rugby mates, quintessentially Kiwi, they watch rugby, follow the races, have a punt and a beer,” Nicci laughed. “Originally, I probably tried to sway them away from it. I said, expect plenty to go out and not much to come in!, but they love it, and they’re having a lot of fun.”

While Vegas Queen led from start to finish, as she often attempts to do, that wasn’t the plan this time. “She goes well when things fall her way and is usually strong on the pace,” Nicci said.

Dirk followed, “The instructions were actually the opposite this time, but that’s what good jockeys do, so full credit to Wiremu Pinn.”

“She’s now a Group 2 winner by an outstanding sire from a solid family, so we’re thrilled,” Nicci added.

From Trentham to Rosehill: Gringotts delivers Group 1 glory

Still riding high while being looked after in the Presidents’ Room at Trentham, the Oberholsters turned their attention to Australia, where another of their horses they bred but went on to sell, Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}), lined up in the G1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill.

He was the only runner in the elite field yet to win a Group 1, but by the end of the race, he’d changed that.

In a gritty performance, Gringotts surged late to narrowly defeat a field stacked with top-tier talent, including Fangirl (Sebring) and Ceowulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), to claim a maiden Group 1 win in one of Australia’s premier weight for age contests.

“He is just amazing,” Nicci said proudly. “He’s a war horse and just turns up week after week.”

“He took some big scalps there, didn’t he? That race was the best of the best, weight for age. He is exceptional.”

Now a Group 1 winner with nearly $3.7 million in prizemoney, Nicci believes the gelding’s best may be to come.

“I also think there’s more in store for him. He has been beautifully placed to earn big money, but he’s only starting to hit the big time, he could easily keep improving.”

Reflecting on the whirlwind 24 hours, Nicci summed it up simply:

“It was a thrilling weekend. You always need some luck, but it was one we won’t forget.”

The early beginnings of Totara Park Stud

Totara Park Stud has a long and proud history, back in the 1960s, the late Les Donaldson (Nicci's father) laid the foundations of Totara Park, a boutique thoroughbred nursery nestled in Glenbervie, just outside Whangrei.

Over the years, Totara Park became home to several stallions, but none left a legacy quite like Bandmaster II (Ire), a son of Sovereign Path (GB) who would etch his name into New Zealand racing folklore.

Bandmaster II's defining moment came through his most famous progeny, Uncle Remus (NZ), a colt of exceptional talent and charisma. Officially bred by Donaldson’s mother, Grace Donaldson, and raced in partnership with fellow Northlander Kim Clotworthy, Uncle Remus captured the imagination of racing fans during the 1977–78 season under the expert care of trainer Colin Jillings.

That season proved to be unforgettable on multiple fronts. Uncle Remus was crowned New Zealand Horse of the Year, a fitting accolade for a colt who consistently rose to the occasion. His sire, Bandmaster II, was awarded the national Sires’ Premiership, and his dam, Tusitala (NZ) (Talismano {Ity}), earned the title of Broodmare of the Year. This rare trifecta underlined the strength of the breeding program curated at Totara Park.

Fast-forward to 2010, at the New Zealand Bloodstock Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka, Les Donaldson, along with his daughter Nicci and son-in-law Dirk Oberholster, were on a mission. They were keen to bolster the broodmare band at Totara Park Stud to support their newly announced stallion, Buffalo Man (Can).

“When we had just announced that we were standing Buffalo Man, Dirk and Dad had a plan to go to the Karaka broodmare sale to pick up some mares to support the stallion, and one of the things they wanted was mares by good sires, and a genuine bargain.” Nicci Oberholster recalls.

Armed with a shortlist of desirable broodmare sires, they focused on two young fillies, Operavega (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}) and Vegas Dancer (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}). Both were sisters by Stravinsky (USA), and both were bred by none other than Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan in partnership with Graeme Rogerson.

The price they purchased these fillies for was certainly right. Operavega was knocked down for just $700, while Vegas Dancer followed at $1,200, an actual bargain value given their pedigree.

Beyond the sireline, what caught the teams attention was their older half-sister, Vegas Showgirl (NZ) (Al Akbar), a quality filly developed by Rogerson into a seven-time winner, including Listed victories in the Soliloquy Stakes and the Avondale 2YO Fillies Stakes.

Dirk vividly remembers her. “A tough filly that kept on running good races. I recalled seeing her at the 2008 Magic Millions National Broodmare Select Session and thought, she’s a lovely mare, the Aussies may not respect her New Zealand form, and I might get her.” ultimately, Vegas Showgirl was knocked down for $455,000 to Colm Santry Bloodstock, a price that made Dirk chuckle years later. “I was more than willing to say I got that wrong.”

And then, of course, came the twist of fate that would change everything. In 2011, Vegas Showgirl foaled a filly by Street Cry (Ire), a highly regarded Darley shuttle stallion. That filly would become none other than the legendary Winx (Street Cry {Ire}).

“Winx came along at an incredible time for us, and we got a big thrill out of watching her race,” Dirk recalls. “She helped kick-start our branch of the family.”

From setback to stardom: The remarkable rise of Miss Bluebell

She never made it to the races herself, but Miss Bluebell (NZ), an unraced Savabeel mare out of Operavega, has become a shining light for Totara Park. Her broodmare career is exceptional, with three foals to race and three winners, including a Group 1 star.

The origins of how she came to be in the Oberholsters’ broodmare paddock is an intriguing tale in itself.

“One day, Mark Chittick rang me out of the blue and said, Did you see that?” recalled Dirk. “I had no idea what he was talking about.”

“He said, Did you see that Savabeel (Hampden) bolt in by seven lengths in Queensland? I said no. He said It’s out of your mare and by Savabeel—shall we do a foal share? I said yes pretty quickly.”

That filly turned out to be Miss Bluebell. Trained by Matt and Mandy Brown, she showed promise, but unfortunately had a heart issue that ruled her out of having a racing career.

“I had to ring Mark about it,” Dirk continued, “and he said, If she can’t race, you can have her, I’ll sign her over. Fair game to him; he gave us a crack, and now we’re reaping the benefits.”

Miss Bluebell’s progeny have all gone on to win, showcasing versatility and class:

Millefiori (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) was a consistent and tough competitor who chalked up seven victories, including valuable black-type when placing in the Listed Great Easter Stakes. Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) has become the headline act, now a 10-time winner, Saturday was his day where he broke through at the elite level with victory in the G1 George Ryder Stakes, adding to earlier success in Listed company and lucrative wins in big-money races, The Big Dance and The Gong.

Dan Vegas (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) kicked off his career with two stylish wins in New Zealand before being sold to Hong Kong interests for good money.

Going back to Gringotts, he was originally purchased as a yearling by Simon and Katrina Alexander’s Kasa Bloodstock, Gringotts was then presented at the 2021 NZB Ready to Run Sale, where he failed to meet his $450,000 reserve.

“Gringotts was such a beautiful yearling,” Dirk said. “Nicci did a great job selecting the mating, using the same Street Cry cross as Winx and we had high hopes for him at Karaka. But he hardly got a bid.”

“He had a low-risk x-ray issue, but buyers obviously saw it as high risk. He ended up selling outside the ring. $100,000 was still a profit and good on the Alexanders for taking a punt on him. Everyone took a chance and it has paid off.”

Gringotts’ post-sale trial win at Te Awamutu was visually very impressive, it quickly caught the eye of high-profile Australian owner Ozzie Kheir, and the rest is history.

The mare’s commercial appeal remains strong and will only strengthen. Earlier this year, a Proisir filly from her was sold for $250,000 to Clarke Bloodstock at the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale, offered through the draft of Highline Thoroughbreds.

She currently has a Satono Aladdin (Jpn) colt at foot, who Nicci describes as 'fabulous' and while she, unfortunately, missed to Per Incanto last spring, it may be hard to persuade Nicci to go else where, as she hunts a full sister to Gringotts.

Cutting your teeth in the stallion game

When Dirk was questioned about whether his experience in the stallion game has helped influence their breeding focus and the way they do things, he was pragmatic in his response.

“Experience is crucial, and you learn from experience. We thought we had a couple of promising stallions, but it just didnt work out, the Rusty Spurs only wanted 800 metres, and the Buffalo Man progeny were just straight-out hot.”

“You have to look to improve faults in your mares and work out the right combinations. It’s not that easy.”

When asked how the duo works as a team when deciding matings, Dirk and Nicci both said that they feel they complement each other nicely.

Nicci commented, “I like to go and look at them; Dirk likes the pedigree aspects and the performance. In essence, he does the donkey work.”

“We enjoy working together on it and are doing okay now.” Dirk pitched in with the comment, “Nicci likes picking good-looking, sexy stallions; I don't even know what that really means.”

Nicci mentioned, “I do like using a crystal ball. I really like Noverre as he has that sexy profile, and we have a couple in foal to him,we have gone outside the square in the past and used Carlton House (USA) as it was another way of using that Street Cry line, and that ended up being Miss Vegas, who is Vegas Queen's dam.

“We had used Proisir before he was expensive, the same with Satono Aladdin, and we used Iffraaj early on; you have to back your judgement as once they turn out very good, they are just too expensive, so you do have to chance your luck, and it can pay off.”