Cover image courtesy of Race Images South
Written by Paul Vettise
The growing trans-Tasman breeding operation of Barneswood Farm will unveil its latest well-related product when Angel Helena (More Than Ready {USA}) makes her debut at Canterbury Park on Wednesday.
Barneswood Farm principals Chris and Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer, who resides in Holland, have their broodmare band split between the home property in Canterbury and Royston and Catriona Murphy’s Sledmere Stud.
The top end, as far as commercial appeal goes, are permanent residents in the Hunter Valley which is home to Angel Helena’s dam and Barneswood’s foundation mare Planet Rock (Fastnet Rock).
Watch: Angel Helena trial
“We want to have a high-quality broodmare band and not just go into it for numbers. We were looking at a cap of maybe 10, but it’s going to get more than that,” Chris Green said.
“In a perfect world, we would just like to keep the ones with black type that we’ve raced ourselves. In today’s environment, it’s even more important to do that.”
“In a perfect world, we would just like to keep the ones with black type that we’ve raced ourselves.” – Chris Green
Planet Rock is a glowing example of that and following her NZ$290,000 purchase out of Wellfield Lodge’s draft at the 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale was placed with trainers Peter and Dawn Williams.
She did all concerned proud by winning five races, including the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, the G2 Eight Carat Classic and the G3 Lowland S.
Molten when sold as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Her first foal Molten (Street Cry {Ire}) made $650,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and Barneswood stayed in for 25 per cent of the subsequent six-time winner. Her next foal Lonrock (Lonhro) realised $250,000 has placed from a handful of starts.
Her third foal Angel Helena has been a trial winner for Peter and Paul Snowden and will step out in the Iron Jack H. at Canterbury Park with Kerrin McEvoy to take the mount.
“Unfortunately, we can’t go and watch her and under normal circumstances we probably would have gone over,” Green said. “She’s been going along well and they (Team Snowden) are quite happy with her.
“Planet Rock missed to I Am Invincible and has a Hellbent colt at foot and is in foal to Shooting To Win,” Green said. “We’re going through the motions now for this year and it could be Deep Field.”
Barneswood Farm, New Zealand
The matings are a joint effort, but it is a particularly favourite pursuit of Beemsterboer, a long-time friend and client of Green’s grain and seed exporting business.
“Ger is our racing partner and has 50 per cent in Barneswood and he is very keen on the breeding side of it. He has first look at it and sends them across and we have a bit of a chat about it, he loves his breeding,” Green said.
“Ger is our racing partner and has 50 per cent in Barneswood and he is very keen on the breeding side of it.” – Chris Green
Talaria (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), a stakes-winning sister to the Group 1 winner and sire Brutal (NZ) and the G2 Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic winner Vavasour (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) are also resident at Sledmere.
“Talaria has had two Iffraaj fillies, one we sold this year (for NZ$400,000), and one in Australia and she’s in foal to I Am Invincible,” Green said. “Vavasour has got an I Am Invincible colt, which is sitting at Sledmere, and she’s in foal to Dundeel.
“We usually sell the colts and keep the fillies, at least keep the first filly to carry on with and then there’s the other younger ones coming through the system.”
Media Sensation | Image courtesy of Race Images South
Notably among them is Media Sensation (I Am Invincible), who followed Planet Rock’s lead by winning the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas and also the G3 Soliloquy S.
“She’ll race on for another season and then think about a meeting in the spring of 2021,” Green said.
The Linda Huddy-bred Media Sensation was purchased out of Lime Country Thoroughbreds’ draft at Karaka for NZ$425,000. She is a daughter of Different To (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}), a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Dorabella (NZ) (Postponed {USA}).
