Gerry Harvey has been a major force in the Australian racing/breeding scene for some time now, and with his ownership well and truly extended into New Zealand with the outright purchase of Westbury Stud in 2009, the results of this substantial investment are beginning to be seen on a regular basis.
The eldest progeny bred from Harvey's New Zealand venture are
just five years of age, and the success of Harvey's involvement is really
starting to flow which was highlighted in no small way in last week's Group 3
BMW Mr Tiz Trophy when the Swiss Ace colt Passing Shot scored an impressive win
from the fast finishing Red Giant filly Red Striker – both horses bred by Gerry
Harvey, and both by stallions imported to Westbury since Harvey took over the
ownership.
Passing Shot is the fourth foal from the Danehill mare Derrydane, and was a $50,000 purchase by Albert Bosma's Go Racing Syndications.
A good looking colt, Passing Shot is by the Oakleigh Plate winner Swiss Ace, and has shown immediate ability for trainer Stephen McKee from the time he went to the races.
His first few runs were thwarted by bad luck and wet tracks, but he gave an indication of what was to come when running fourth in the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes at his fourth start and then opening his winning account in impressive fashion when winning over 1200m at Trentham in a very smart 1:08.28 before ending his 2YO season with a close up fourth in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes. Passing Shot has now won on a further four occasions as a 3YO and has accumulated more $137,000 in stakes from his fourteen career starts.
Rocketing home for second in Saturday's Group 3 feature was the diminutive filly Red Striker, who like Passing Shot, has developed a very consistent record in her career to date with two wins and seven placings from her ten starts, and boasts form around the likes of O'Marilyn, Volkstok'n'barrell, Huka Eagle, Lady Royale and company. Red Striker is the second foal of the Encosta de Lago mare Megara, who was one of a large number of mares imported to New Zealand since Harvey's acquisition of Westbury. Red Striker looks to be a filly with real ability for Matamata trainer Jim Collett and is likely to head towards the Group 3 Windsor Park Breeder's Stakes at Te Rapa in April.
In Australia this season, Harvey's New Zealand operation has been represented by the Group winner Mywayorthehighway (by Swiss Ace) who won the $150,000 Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate at the Gold Coast before finishing close up in the $1,000,000 Gold Coast Guineas in January; while Huka Eagle is another of the Swiss Ace progeny bred by Harvey to have created a big impression, winning three of his first four starts and adding a Group 1 placing in the Levin Classic at Trentham at his last start – he is an extremely promising talent for the future.
The 2013-14 racing season saw a Gerry Harvey-bred product Miss Mossman capture a Group 1 feature in New Zealand for the training partnership of John Sargent/Hayden Allen scoring a dominant win in the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham. By the Vinery Stud sire Mossman, Miss Mossman was the sixth foal of the Danehill mare Dane Promise and she has now stamped herself as a valuable breeding prospect going forward.
The Travelling Man was one of the high quality performers to come out of the first crop of Harvey's New Zealand-bred progeny, winning the Listed Blue Diamond Preview as a two-year-old in Melbourne for Matt Laurie and going on to collect $168,000 in prizemoney.
Other black type performers to carry the
Westbury/Harvey flag with distinction recently are Telepathic (pictured Steve Hart) who finished a
good second in the Rough Habit G2 last season before winning impressively at
Randwick recently for her new trainer Chris Waller; Telepathic was trained in
New Zealand by Dean and Donna Logan prior to her last start.
The talented racemare Role Model is another bred and raised at the farm who has recorded Group 2 placings in the Matamata Breeeder's Stakes as a 2YO and then the Wellington Guineas as a 3YO before winning in Sydney recently for Gai Waterhouse.
With the likes of Burnt Orange, Cavallo (Sing.), Charlestown, Dreamer, Later Gator, Mossimo, and Niobe all having earned black type to date; and promising young horses such as Music Magnate, Oh So Assertive, Tiger Moss, Truly Ready, Idle Chat, Federer (Sing.), Glorious Avenue (HK), Mai Volks (Sing.), Clip the Ticket (Sing.), Halleloojah, Northern Boss (Sing.), Wawrinka, Funhouse, Landslide, Sabino Speed, Staccato, Capezzana, Chachi Arcola, Crystalight, Denis Denuto, Desterro, Don't Look Back, Elvera, Fiamette, Lucky Happy, One Direktion, Panno Rossa, Platinum Command, Poster Girl, Private Hero, Roselli, Smash Hit, Swiss Alps, Swiss Rock etc - there are a number of promising runners coming through to further enhance the reputation of Gerry Harvey as a breeder.
News from Westbury Stud
