Written by Paul Vettise
Preferment (NZ) has quickly made up for lost time and his outstanding racing record, rich pedigree and good looks have him building on a solid start to his residency at Brighthill Farm.
The impressive bay son of Zabeel (NZ) retired to the Waikato stud in 2017 and was greeted with a strong book on arrival. “He came onto the place a bit late so horses like Tarzino and Vadamos, who are similar quality high-class horses, had a six-month jump on us,” Nick King said. “He still got 116 mares, which was great.
“He’s an imposing, impressive horse and a bit more short-coupled than people expected. He’s got foals on the ground now and they have been very well received. All the best foals, of course, as we studmasters say! They are strong, correct looking foals.”
"He’s an imposing, impressive horse and a bit more short-coupled than people expected.” – Nick King, Brighthill Farm
Preferment at Brighthill Farm
Preferment will suffer no second season blues with a quality book for 2018. “He’s flying and he’ll breed more this year, at this stage it will be 130-odd,” King said. “There’s a great selection and a couple that really stand out are Queen Boudicca and Sabia.”
“He’s flying and he’ll breed more this year, at this stage it will be 130-odd." Nick King said
A Group performer herself, Queen Boudicca (NZ) (Perfectly Ready) is the dam of the G1 Thousand Guineas winner Aloisia (NZ) (Azamour {IRE}). Azamour served at Brighthill before his untimely death.
“Queen Boudicca is a good mare to get,” King said. “It wasn’t necessarily because of the Azamour thing, but Preferment is a high quality middle distance horse and physically not dissimilar to Azamour.
“Lorna Moore is sending Sabia, the dam of Lizzie L’Amour. She has been a big Zabeel fan and was a share-holder in the horse.”
Dual Group 1 winner
Lizzie L’Amour (Zabeel {NZ}) is the two-time Group 1 winner of the Herbie Dyke S., and the New Zealand S,.
“Preferment has got great owners and Debbie Kepitis, Christine and Frank Cook and Linda and Graham Huddy were all in the original ownership and they’ve kept half,” King said. “Mr Zhang of Yulong Investments bought 10 shares and they are sending over a number of mares from Australia by the likes of Street Cry, Exceed And Excel and Commands.
“Breeders like Mike Moran and Chris Chamberlain are involved, Tony Ryder, Valachi Downs and the Duchess of Bedford so there’s a good cross section and they are all extremely supportive. In three years the horse will have nowhere to hide off the back of his good books.”
Preferment - Vuela
A quality Waller graduate
Preferment was sold through Cambridge Stud’s 2013 Premier Sale draft at Karaka where champion trainer Chris Waller went to $190,000 to secure the colt.
Placed as a 2-year-old, he blossomed the following season and broke his maiden with victory in the Gr.1 VRC Derby and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas. As a 4-year-old, he won the Gr.2 Hill S., and at his next time out claimed top honours in the Gr.1 Turnbull S,.
In the autumn of 2016, Preferment returned to Flemington to claim the Gr.1 Australian Cup and then back to Sydney to add the Gr.1 The BMW to his impressive CV. He retired as the winner of five races and more than $3.6 million in stake earnings.
A brother to the Gr.3 SA Fillies’ Classic winner Rezoned, Preferment is a son of the Flying Spur mare Better Alternative, who is a half-sister to the Gr.2 Villiers Stakes winner Dances On Waves (Anabaa {USA}). It is also the family of the Gr.1 Salinger Stakes winner Ancient Song (Canny Lad).
