Trevor Delroy and his team at Wyadup Valley Farms have been looking forward to that famous First Tuesday In November since his talented stayer Zakouma earned himself an automatic place in the Melbourne Cup by winning the Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes at Flemington in mid-May.
Though the big race had already been in Trevor's thoughts and not just recently as the highly successful Western Australian based owner/breeder always has major staying contests in his mind when planning his matings.
Raised in a family with racing connections, Trevor has had a "long-standing fascination with bloodlines and elite female families," one which "extends back to my childhood."
For over three decades breeding horses - admitting that he enjoys that challenge much more than the actual racing - Trevor along with wife Terrie oversee two arms to their operation with properties in Western Australia and at Lancefield, Victoria.
During that time they have a number of Gr.1 winners.
"I've placed a particular emphasis on staying pedigrees and the development of horses capable of performing over Classic and middle to long distances," he said.
This fascination with staying types has led to a number of memorable moments at the track, the Delroy pale blue and green hooped silks carried to big race wins by the like of Cedarberg (the Tancred Stakes), Ethiopia (ATC Derby) and Gondokoro (Queensland Oaks).
Also breeders of the South Australian Derby winner Zabeelionaire, Wyadup have already been represented by three Melbourne Cup runners - Ethiopia injured in the 2012 edition but a game seventh off a wide run from a tricky gate twelve months later whilst Zabeelionaire faced a task when unplaced from barrier 24 that same year.
Ethiopia and Cedarberg were both sons of the triple Gr.1 (VRC Derby, Caulfield Guineas, Rosehill Guineas) winning Australian Champion 3Y0 Helenus who Wyadup stood at stud.
"He was an especially important influence on our breeding programme," Trevor said, still saddened by that outstanding horse's death at the age of just 13.
"He was a significant source of staying ability within our operation and it was tragic that he died as a young, emerging stallion having sired two Gr.1 winners in the two years prior to his death."
Trevor still has a trio of Helenus mares, bred to his philosophy of preserving and enhancing proven families. Helenus descends from the Epsom Oaks winner Carrozza (his fourth dam) from the influential family of Sun Chariot and Blandford.
Wyadup has a number of descendants from the regally bred Darshaan mare Shana acquired in 2007.
Bred by renowned breeder Kirsten Rausing of Lanwades Stud, Shana from the famed Simon's Shoes family had produced some nice types for Dr Bill Riches including a Carnegie filly consigned by Dr Riches who caught Trevor's eye at the 2005 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Securing her for $67,500, with the specific purpose of mating her with Zabeel, he named her Kisumu after a Kenyan city, racing her to a couple of stakes placings including a brave third in the Gr.2 Angus Armanasco Stakes won by Miss Finland in a short career before commencing stud duties.
Wyadup bred the Gr.1 siblings Zabeelionaire and Gondokoro out of Kisumu’s first two foals, selling the former for $250,000 at the Inglis Easter sale and retaining the latter.
Continuing on with the theme of African names, the Delroys named one of Kisumu's daughters Dar Es Salaam. That daughter of Zabeel and full sister to Gondokoro didn't make it to the track but she was also kept as a broodmare and her first live foal is... Zakouma.
"It's a family that underlines the long term nature of our breeding programme," Trevor noted, adding that other Wyadup successes also hail from proven, deep profile international families.
"Zakouma is from the dynasty that produced Sadler's Wells, Nureyev, Fairy King and Val de Loir whilst Ethiopia tracked back to Cinna - the taproot mare for Dulcify and Sunday Silence."
The Blue Denim family is another one of note and from it the Delroy’s have bred the lightly raced and promising gelding Buthelezi, a member of the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman stable who was shaping well prior to incurring an injury in the Queensland Derby... but he will be back!
Needing an Eeastern States presence for logistical reasons, the Delroys set up another Wyadup base on 1000 acres at Lancefield - on land "rich in volcanic soils"which has been carefully redeveloped over the past ten years.
Wyadup Victoria is currently home to Johannes Vermeer, the Gr.1 winning Galileo horse who Trevor describes as "a well-bred stallion from Shirley Heights' family bred on the same Galileo/Danehill cross as Frankel and Teofilo."
A Gr.1 winner at two in France over 1400m, Johannes Vermeer put on display his stamina and quality with brave performances at his four Melbourne runs... second in the Gr.1 Caulfield Stakes, third in the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup, second in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup and a close up fourth in the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes. Importantly he possessed a very good turn of foot.
The first Johannes Vermeer foals bred by Wyadup have just turned two and Trevor is confident that they will be making an impact - "We could not be happier with the types he has been siring," he said.
Trevor is also optimistic about the prospect of a second very well bred overseas stallion joining the Wyadup Victoria ranks next spring with an announcement that will have local breeders excited soon to come.
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In the meantime he has been happy with the progress of Zakouma this spring, the Grahame Begg trained six-year-old recording good late sectionals doing his best work late in each of his three Caulfield runs this preparation with his trainer confident that Flemington is where he can show his best.
A Melbourne Cup win would be a just reward for decades of study, planning, patience and patience.
