In a triumph for the smaller breeder, Palmerston North (Braeside Lodge) dairy farming couple Braeden and Caroline Whitelock took out the 2017/18 season “The Breeders” Breeder of the Year Award. Earlier they had been winners of North Islands Awards for Breeders; Owners; Two Year Filly of Year and Filly/Mare of Year (both Princess Tiffany).
Other nominees for the national Breeders Award were major industry participants Breckon Farms Ltd (twenty three individual winners; four Gp 1’s, one Gp 2 – Elle Mac, Luby Lou) and Woodlands Stud (twenty six individual winners; five Gp 1’s, one Gp 2 – Another Masterpiece, Jesse Duke, Speeding Spur) both of whom would have provided strong competition.
Other breeders worthy of mention for their progeny’s performance’s during the latest season included Spreydon Lodge (thirty two winners), Tony and Anne Parker (eleven winners including Chase Auckland), Studholme Bloodstock Ltd (fifteen winners including Lazarus), Charles Roberts (twelve winners including Utmost Delight), Ken and Anne Spicer (eight winners including Sheriff) and Graeme Hulston (five winners including Temporale).
The Whitelock’s were the breeders of eight winners (three NZ Group One’s and one in Australia, one Group Two and one Group Three) during the season. These were : Beachbabebeauty (three wins from five NZ 3yo starts, 1:57.6, for Steve Thompson and Grant Dickey, exported to Australia), Chaaat (one), Cheerful (Whitelocks trotter, one win from three 2yo starts, third Jewels Ruby, out of Gp 1 mare Superbowlcheerleader), Funatthebeach (five wins from fourteen 3yo starts, 1:55.5 for Trevor Casey, Neil Pilcher , deceased and Peter Hailes), Hicori (winner of only 3yo start), Kayla Marie (three wins from seven 2yo starts, 1:54.7), Kingmaker (winner of only 3yo start) and Princess Tiffany (unbeaten 2yo filly, six wins in NZ, three in Australia).
This year’s unique quinella of breeding and racing the two leading two year fillies in Princess Tiffany and Kayla Marie takes some beating.
Unbeaten in NZ and Australia from nine starts, Princess Tiffany (Art Major/Dancing Diamonds, second foal, bred by Whitelocks) marked herself an exceptional filly. Jointly owned with long-time friends Phil and Margaret Creighton, like all of the Whitelocks horses over the past decade she was trained by Mark Purdon (together with Natalie Rasmussen). Natalie drove her to five NZ successes (Michelle Neilson, Breeders Crown heat walkover) with Mark undertaking the driving duties in Australia. Named after son Adam’s partner Tiffany whose father is Brett Naylor, former NZ Commonwealth and Olympic Games swimmer.
Three of her wins came at Alexandra Park – her first start, a heat of the Young Guns fillies series (1:56.5, 1700m) on GN Oaks night together with wins in Gp 2 Delightful Lady Classic and the Gp 1 Caduceus Club Fillies Classic. Between these two Group race successes, she prevailed in a NZ Sires Stakes 2yo Fillies heat at Addington. Scratched from the final after suffering an infection when standing on a nail and puncturing her hoof during her Caduceus Club Classic victory.
Princess Tiffany’s NZ season pinnacle came in the Harness Jewels 2yo Diamond at the end of May at Cambridge Raceway winning comfortably by 5¼l in a career best 1:54.2 for the mile. The overall winning margin for her five NZ victories was ten and a quarter lengths, all in sub two minute mile rates (1 mile to 2200m). A walk over success in a mid-July Australasian Breeders Crown heat at Addington confirmed an Australian campaign. Starting started with an easy win at Menangle in the first week of August followed by an effortless victory in a Breeders Crown semi-final at Bendigo two weeks later, both in sub two minute times.
The race ending her two year old season was the Australasian Breeders Crown 2yo Fillies final at Melton in late August. Despite being parked in the death for the majority of the race, Princess Tiffany managed to come away from the rest of the field in the final 50 metres, recording a 1:55.3MR for 2240m. This completed a clean sweep of her nine 2yo starts over an amazing six month period.
Seasonal record : NZ – six starts, six wins, 1:54.2, $209,000; AUS – three starts, three wins, 1:55.3, $160,400; total : nine starts, nine wins (all sub two minute mile rates), $369,400, 1:54.2.
The Whitelock’s other star two year filly was Kayla Marie (Bettors Delight/Braeside Star), bred and raced on their own account. Braeside Star was from Tuapeka Star, the second of three foals bred by Whitelocks when the mare was aged twenty to twenty two years old. Kayla Marie, the tenth foal of Braeside Star is named after son George’s wife, Kayla (Sharland), a former NZ hockey representative.
Often playing second fiddle to her stablemate, Kayla Marie’s initial season yielded three wins from seven starts including the Group One NZSS 2yo Fillies final (Princess Tiffany injured) at Alexandra Park in a career best and national 2yo fillies record of 2:01.2 (1:54.7, 1700m, lowering Elle Mac’s record), as well as an NZSS heat at Addington and Group Three Caduceus Club of Southland/Alabar Fillies Classic at Ascot Park.
Placed efforts included a second in Cheviot HRC’s Leonard Memorial and placings behind her stablemate Princess Tiffany when third in a NZSS heat at Addington, second in the Caduceus Club Classic at Alexandra Park and an unlucky fifth in the Jewels Diamond.
Seasonal record : seven starts, three wins, two seconds, one third, 1:54.7 (1700m), $128,015, third leading 2yo filly stake earner (one race winner Havtime, $134,198).
As successful breeder’s, the Whitelocks appear to have perfected the ultimate “multis” combo with this seasons quinella of leading two year fillies in Princess Tiffany and Kayla Marie going hand in hand with three of their sons being the first trio of brothers to represent the All Blacks (Barrett brothers have now joined them in this achievement). All Black sons are Sam (recent centurion, one of only nine to have played one hundred games for the All Blacks achieved in first test of this year’s Bledisloe Cup series), George and Luke. In addition, the family quadrella comes with their other son Adam having played for the All Black Sevens team. All four sons have played for Canterbury and Super Rugby for the Crusaders with Luke now representing the Highlanders. Cousin Ben Funnell has played for Canterbury and the Crusaders.
It is hardly surprising when one considers the rugby lineage involved with this family – their father Braeden himself was a former Junior All Black and their grandfather (Caroline’s father) George (Nelson) Dalzell was himself an All Black representing them in twenty two matches with five internationals between 1953 and 1954.
Nelson Dalzell was a breeder, owner and trainer of Standardbreds, training thirty three winners over a twenty year period (1967 – 1987). His standout performance was cup class pacer Diamond Moose (bred/owned), winner of thirteen, all but one he trained (other win for Robin Butt). Robin Butt drove him to success on nine occasions with brother Murray doing the steering on four occasions. Diamond Moose’s major victories were two Kaikoura Cups, Junior FFA and second in an Easter Cup.
Dalzell bred, owned and trained Lord Moose to nine wins, at a level just below Cup Class, third in Junior FFA. He was driven by Robin Butt in six of these victories and to a single win by Murray Butt, Wes Butt (Murray/Robin’s father) and Maurice Skinner. Diamond Moose and Lord Moose were half-brothers, their dam Lady Moose (unraced) was bred by Dalzell for whom she left a full sister to Diamond Moose in Lady El. Lady El, owned by Robin Butt and Peter Andrews won eight races and was named 4yo Pacing Mare of Year.
Golden Moose (half-brother of Lady Moose), bred, owned and trained by Dalzell won six races for driver Robin Butt including the Welcome and Champion Stakes.
Braeden and Caroline Whitelock are therefore no strangers to Standardbred breeding having carried on the Dalzell tradition. Being breeders therefore for well over three decades, they have established a very commercial broodmare band. The Whitelocks experienced considerable success in the 2009 – 2013 period with their first Group One winner Meredith Maguire plus Dancing Diamonds, O Baby and Minnie Moose, the latter three all key factors in their current breeding stock.
Since then a plethora of colts, in fact all colt foals resulted in them having no stock racing until this season as they sell all their colts. The latest season saw a return to the racetrack racing not one but two classic pacing fillies plus a well-bred winning two year trotting filly.
Group/listed winners raced (all trained by Mark Purdon, together with training partners Grant Payne or Natalie Rasmussen) and/or being bred from comprise their first Group One performer Meredith Maguire, Christian Cullen filly, who won five in NZ including NZSS 3f Championship; seconds Ladyship Stakes/GN Oaks; thirds NZYSS 3f/NZ Oaks/Jewels Diamond 3f, 1:55.7, $223,809, 1:50.2US;
Dancing Diamonds, Bettors Delight filly, bred by Phil Creighton and Stewart Gillan, winner of nine of 21 starts, 1:57.8, $343,276 – American Ideal Stakes (Leonard Memorial), NZYSS two and three year old Fillies Championships; seconds in Caduceus Club Classic/Jewels Diamond 2f, dam of Rock Diamonds, 1:54.7, WA 4yo Championship and Princess Tiffany, first two of four foals to date to race, nominee for NZ Pacing Broodmare of Year 2018 (won by Bethany);
O Baby, Christian Cullen filly winner of eight in NZ, 1:54.8, one in AUS, 1:57.5, $391,273 – four Group Ones, NZSS 2f, Nevele R 3f, Jewels Diamond 3f, Queensland Oaks; thirds in Jewels Diamond 2f/Ladyship Stakes and NZ Oaks, three year old Pacing Filly of Year, dam of one to race, winner Beachbabebeauty (refer earlier) together with this seasons latest Group One winners Princess Tiffany (Caduceus Club Classic, Jewels Diamond 2f, Australasian Breeders Crown 2f) and Kayla Marie (NZSS 2f Championship) as outlined earlier.
Other previous years successes for the Whitelocks as breeders and/or owners include two Tuapeka Star foals – Braeside Seel Star with eighteen AUS wins and Braeside Star with six wins and eleven live foals including Kayla Marie and Paddy Brown (five wins, two winners of single race each to date); Classical Art, five NZ/eight AUS wins, 1:52.4; Magic Moose, winner of four and dam of three winners including Minnie Moose, seven NZ/one AUS wins, 1:55.9, $142,791, second in 5yo Diamond Jewels to Bettor Cover Lover and dam of Funatthebeach (see earlier); Zingara, was leased out winning five and now dam of winner Laredo Torpedo, one NZ/five AUS wins.
The Whitelocks are currently breeding from Bettors Delight mares Dancing Diamonds, 10yo (Asabella), Minnie Moose, 11yo (Magic Moose) and Christian Cullen mares O Baby, 10yo (Braeside Lady) and Zingara, 11yo (Corbie).
There is little doubt that with the premium horseflesh the Whitelocks will have racing or in the broodmare paddock, further success is just a matter of time.
NB : stats to end of 2017/8 NZ and Australian seasons.
Peter Craig
21 Nov 2018
** article first published in NZ Breeders November 2018 Breeding Matters magazine.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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