Little Avondale's motto "big on winning" was on show on Saturday when New Zealand's oldest family-owned stud farm celebrated a unique trans-Tasman stakes success with two exciting sons of boom sire Dundeel (NZ).
First it was 2-year-old gelding Yourdeel (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) providing reason to cheer with victory in the G3 Slipper Stakes (Matamata Slipper) at Matamata before Global Exchange (Dundeel {NZ}) announced himself as a G1 contender with an emphatic win in the G3 Autumn Classic at Caulfield.
Little Avondale has produced many champions throughout its glittering 78 year history, but, interestingly, neither of Saturday's stakes winners were foaled on the stunning 283 acre property.
Little Avondale's Sam Williams (right)
The farm has a reputation for first-class yearling preparation and it again came to the fore, with Yourdeel a weanling purchased by Little Avondale and pinhooked for sale and Global Exchange sold for breeders China Horse Club.
"Both of them grew up here on the farm and we aren't surprised they have gone on to win stakes races." - Little Avondale's Sam Williams
"Both of them grew up here on the farm and we aren't surprised they have gone on to win stakes races," Little Avondale's Sam Williams told TDN AusNZ. "We breed the majority of our stock, but we do have a few clients we prepare yearlings for and we do pinhook a few horses that we prepare for syndicate. We go by the motto, 'big on winning'. It's all about producing your next winner."
Group One plans
Global Exchange comes from Dundeel's first crop and was a $130,000 Karaka purchase in 2017 by Ciaron Maher, while Yourdeel was sold for $100,000 at Karaka last year. After Saturday's stakes success, both will take a step up in class next start, with the G1 Rosehill Guineas next on the agenda for Global Exchange and a start in the G1 Sistema Stakes likely for Yourdeel.
It was Yourdeel's first start since dead-heating for third behind stablemates Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) and Aotea Lad (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Karaka Million 2YO at Ellerslie last month.
“He’s a pretty exciting horse," trainer Jamie Richards said of Yourdeel. "He has always shown us a little bit of ability but was pretty colty in the spring. As soon as we got that out of the road, he has really turned the corner and become a racehorse."
Global Exchange's co-trainer Ciaron Maher said whatever his horse does this campaign will be a bonus but the big 3-year-old races are still on the agenda.
"He's that big, scopey type and so we just had to wait for him to grow into his body." - Ciaron Maher on Global Exchange
"He's that big, scopey type and so we just had to wait for him to grow into his body," Maher said. "You can see he is still going to furnish as a four-year-old. He's made the step and that race will mean he can get into whatever he wants now so I'll map out a campaign for him with a few targets in mind. "
"He may have opened up a path to the Rosehill Guineas. We always thought he was a derby-type horse."
Dundeel on a roll
The wins capped what has been an incredible month for Arrowfield Stud's stallion after exciting 2-year-old Castelvecchio won the inaugural Inglis Millennium and The Inevitable won the G3 CS Hayes Stakes at Flemington.
On Friday night Matt Cumani's Dunlani, another of Dundeel's first crop, put her name forward as a G1 Australian Oaks contender with a 2,040m win at Moonee Valley, but Saturday's dual-stakes success, from the same vendor, was hard to top for timing.
"It was a big few hours for us, that's for sure," Williams said.
Dundeel
Contrast but commonality
As types, Williams said the two stakes winners were quite different, and noted that raw physicality Maher noted with Global Exchange was even more obvious as a yearling.
"He was a big strong horse, quite a raw horse," Williams said .
In contrast, Yourdeel carried a more compact frame, like his sire, but both horses shared a common characteristic with their smooth-walking sire.
"Even though Global Exchange is big he is a beautiful mover and Yourdeel has that beautiful action too, he just floated, both of them were really good paddock movers."
"Even though Global Exchange is big he is a beautiful mover and Yourdeel has that beautiful action too." - Sam Williams
Williams first fell in love with Dundeel when he saw the then-racehorse being prepared for his successful G1 AJC Derby campaign at Warwick Farm and it was "the way he moved" that caught the horseman's eye.
"I first saw him when I was at Bjorn Baker's stables at Warwick Farm, when he first went over there with Murray, before I even saw him at the races, I've since seen him at Arrowfield, but I just love the way he moves," Williams said.
