By Jonny Turner
New Zealand bred champion Lazarus will stand his first season at stud in the Southern Hemisphere, this spring, under a landmark deal in New South Wales.
Industry rumours were confirmed on Tuesday, when it was announced the two-time New Zealand Cup winner would stand at Yirribee Pacing Stud, near Wagga Wagga.
Though New Zealand based studs missed out on the rights to the Bettor’s Delight stallion, he will be available to breeders here for a stud fee of $10,000+GST.
Lazarus will stand for a fee of A$10,000, including GST, in Australia, where he will stand beside fellow New Zealand-bred, Tin Tin In America.
In a ground-breaking result, it was not an Australian stud that beat out its New Zealand counterparts in securing the Down Under breeding rights to Lazarus.
The Interdominion winner has been backed by the New South Wales Harness Racing Club, which operate Menangle raceway.
Yirribee Pacing Stud studmaster, Rod Woodhouse, said he was delighted to be able to stand one of the best pacers in Australasian history on behalf of the club.
“He is certainly an exceptional animal.”
“When someone like Mark Purdon says he is an absolute champion, and I don’t use champion lightly, you realise how good he must be.”
“We will have an open day when he gets here and let everyone have a good look at him.”
Woodhouse said one of the major benefits of the newly secured deal was that the profits Lazaurs’ service fees would be injected back into New South Wales harness racing by the New South Wales Harness Racing Club.
“The big thing is that Menangle will reinvest any profits they make in to the industry, it is not going to America or anywhere else.”
“We are very lucky that we have had support from Menangle Park.”
Lazarus would have a limit placed on the amount of mares he would serve across Australasia this spring, but that number is yet to be set.
It would be formalised once the horse arrives in Australia from New Jersey in August.
“Until he gets here and [veterinarian] Angus McKinnon from Goulburn Valley has a look at the semen we won’t know,” Woodhouse said.
“We haven’t really decided what our cut-off will be, but we will have a number on him.”
“We don’t want to not be able to supply people.”
Reports from North America, where Lazarus has started his Northern Hemisphere stud career, suggest his semen is as potent as he was on the racetrack.
“They say his semen is fantastic, it is unbelievable,” Woodhouse said.”
“He has served a full book up there in the US and I am expecting the same down here.”
“He has had a great book of mares in America, they are some of the best mares running.”
Bookings to Lazarus for New Zealand mares would be handled by experienced breeding administrator, Peter O’Rourke, Woodhouse said.
It is understood though New Zealand based studs missed out on securing Lazarus, it was not through a lack of trying.
Those bids ultimately failed when Lazarus’ North American owners recently signed with the New South Wales Harness Racing Club.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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