Strong New Zealand ties will see Lime Country’s Jo and Greg Griffin venture into new territory as first-time vendors at the Inglis 2020 Ready 2 Race Sale on October 20.
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“This is not a sale that we would typically be active at, however, with COVID 19 restricting the ability for Kiwis to be present at the sale, we decided it was a time to lend a helping hand,” explained Jo.
“We had discussions with Champion New Zealand breeder Trelawney Stud and with proven Ready 2 Run specialist Regal Farm, as to how we might be able to help and as a result of this, Greg and I are now throwing our hat into the Ready 2 Race ring for the first time.”
For Trelawney Stud’s Brent Taylor there were a few important considerations for targeting this sale.
“The strong appeal for us of this sale is the international buying bench and the fact that it is going to be a live sale," he said.
"We’ve known Jo and Greg for a while and have always been impressed by their presentation, integrity and ability as consignors, so it was a no brainer to send these horses to them.
Interestingly, all four of Trelawney's colts are making their sale ring debut.
“All four of our colts are being offered at sale for the first time. The Ocean Park ex Lagonissi colt was always destined for a Ready to Race Sale, the Savabeel ex Dubonnet colt had a maturity issue that prevented him from going to Karaka and our other two colts by Lonhro ex Okahu Bay and Savabeel ex Lady Sayyida are among the cream of our crop,” said Taylor.
“These two colts were all set to shine at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. They were up with the best we offered at Karaka this year and we thought they were going to be really well received by the market. Unfortunately, with COVID curtailing the ability to have a live sale, these horses were subsequently unsighted, so the decision was made to withdraw them until a later time.”
For Shane Crawford and Kara Waters of Regal Farm, the Sale represents another successful chapter in the Cambridge breaking, pre-training and training operation’s development.
“Our motivation for sending our four colts to this sale is that we are trying to diversify. The colts that we are sending over were bought in Melbourne and Sydney specifically for this sale,” explained Crawford.
“We are very excited about them as they are all good, athletic types and are by the right stallions. Deep Field is going well in Hong Kong. Pierro is a super sire with a record that speaks for itself. I have been really impressed with the Shalaa’s – everyone I saw I loved and our colt is a nice advertisement for him. Then as for Vancouver, he looks like a young sire about to make his mark, something that was pointed to about a week ago when Night Raid became his first stakes winner."
With eight quality colts such as this, and the confidence of knowing the integrity and skills of the horse people behind them, it was an obvious decision for Lime Country to agree to act on behalf of these two noted vendors.
“It is widely recognised that Kiwi farms have led the way as specialist two-year-old consignors. As a consequence of this and the calibre of stock that Trelawney Stud and Regal Farm are entrusting us with, Greg and I are very much looking forward to Lime Country’s ‘Ready 2 Race’ debut,” said Jo.
