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New Zealand’s Barneswood Farm experienced a most memorable day at Riccarton on Saturday.
“It’s a day I will never forget and to be there to share it with family and friends was just spectacular,” Green said.
It was the second victory in the 1000 Guineas for the Barneswood Farm-Williams combination after winning the race previously with Planet Rock in 2011.Green said she has a long association with the Williams’ and it was great to experience a number of highs with the training partnership last week.
“I’ve known Peter and Dawn since I was a little girl and for the last 12 years we have had horses with them. Over and above everything else we consider ourselves great friends with them. They are just wonderful people and have done a fantastic job.“It was also very special for Dawn to bring up her 1000th win as a trainer earlier in the week with another one of our horses (Jip Jip Rock).”
Not only do the Williams’ train the majority of the Barneswood Farm racing team, they also play a major role in the acquisition of racing stock for the Green and Beemsterboer partnership from New Zealand Bloodstock’s Yearling Sales.“I have such utter faith in what they choose for us and we couldn’t be happier. It is a big outlay ($425,000 for Media Sensation and $290,000 for Planet Rock) but we have had the results.”
Green and Beemsterboer have been active at the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales in recent years with an eye to expanding their broodmare band in the future.They continued that trend this year, purchasing a Sacred Falls filly for $210,000 and a Zoustar filly for $650,000.
“We probably have only five broodmares, but going forward when we go to the sales we only look at fillies. We only purchase one, maybe two a year to race and in the hopes of getting black-type then being able to breed in the future.”While traditionally Barneswood Farm have been buyers at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka Sales complex, they will try their hand as sellers this week at the Ready to Run Sale of two-year-olds.
Media Sensation (I Am Invincible x Different To by High Chaparral) was offered by Lime Country Thoroughbreds and is the first G1 winner in NZ and sixth overall by her leading NSW-based sire, joining Brazen Beau, Hellbent, Viddora, I Am A Star and Oohood.
Media Sensation has won five of her six starts including two at stakes level for NZ$248,875 prizemoney.She is the first foal out of Different To, a half-sister to dual G1 winner Dorabella (Postponed) who also won the 1000 Guineas.
Media Sensation’s two-year-old half-sister by Hinchinbrook was sold for $200,000 at this year’s Australian Easter Yearling Sale by Lime Country Thoroughbreds and has gone to WA trainer Simon Miller.Different To returned to I Am Invincible last year, producing a sister to Media Sensation in August.
Media Sensation is now at the top of the leaderboard in the NZB Filly of the Year Series with 12 points after two races, five clear of Valalie.I Am Invincible was also front and centre at Sandown in Melbourne on Saturday when his 2YO filly Steal My Kisses won the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes.
Aquis Farm and Blue Sky Thoroughbreds enjoyed the result after outlaying $100,000 for the filly’s dam The Fairy’s Kiss at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale.Steal My Kisses (I Am Invincible x The Fairy’s Kiss by Elusive Quality) is one of three foals to race out of the G3-placed The Fairy’s Kiss including five-time winner and stakes-placed gelding Unselfish Trust (Wanted).
Steal My Kisses’ second dam is the talented four-time Group winner and G1-placed mare Ballet Society (Stravinsky) from the family of G1 winner Cent Home (Lord Ballina) and G2 winner Studebaker (Lord Ballina).The Fairy’s Kiss was purchased in foal and has a yearling colt by Smart Missile with is due to foal to Choisir.
Steal My Kisses is the third juvenile stakes winner by I Am Invincible this season joining Gimcrack Stakes winner Catch Me and Inglis Banner victor Espaaniyah and becomes the 39th stakes winners by the stallion.I Am Invincible had another stakes success when his 5YO son Most Important won the Listed Keith Noud Quality at Doomben for trainer Tony Gollan.
Most Important is from the second crop of I Am Invincible with the Huddys going to $260,000 to him at the 2014 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale. He has now won almost $1 million prizemoney.Queenslanders Linda and Graham Huddy bred and sold Media Sensation, they race Most Important and they bred and race Saturday’s Sandown winner I’m A Princess (High Chaparral).
Originally based in Mt Isa, the Huddys shifted to a property north of Brisbane named Peachester Lodge in 2014 where they have been able to indulge their huge interest in racing and breeding stemming from their success with four yearlings they purchased in 2008.Shoot Out, a High Chaparral colt, cost only $15,000 and won the AJC Derby, Chipping Norton Stakes twice, George Main Stakes, Randwick Guineas and over $3.2 million.
It’s worth noting that they bought a yearling for $250,000 at the same sale as Shoot Out and it only won $500 on the track.The Huddys subsequently managed to secure Shoot Out’s dam Pentamerous along with two Ferocity fillies.
One of the fillies, Silver Tiara, produced the High Chaparral filly SIlvera who won the Morphettville Guineas and is now among 20 broodmares kept by the Huddys along with a team of 25 racehorses in work with various trainers.