Cover image courtesy of Glenn Lee Thoroughbreds
Rod and Mikayla Day’s Glenn Lee Thoroughbreds will take on the role of vendor for the first time when it presents a 13-strong draft at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale at Riverside Stables from February 7-9.
A glowing endorsement of its evolvement in such a short space of time is that its consignment includes a number of youngsters to be offered on behalf of powerhouse New Zealand nursery Waikato Stud.
Glenn Lee was established a little over a year ago, but there is no shortage of experience behind the sales preparation, spelling, rehabilitation, agistment and weaning and handling operation based at Bell View Park Stud.
“We started in 2019 and we look after Bell View’s mares as well and this will be our very first draft,” Mikayla Day said. “This is our big intro so we’re pretty excited."
Day has been immersed in the thoroughbred industry since finishing her education.
“I did three years at Bell View Park as a stud hand and then I went to Newhaven Park as the Yearling Manager and following that did a year at Lime Country Thoroughbreds as Yearling Manager again,” she said.
“I was back at Newhaven for a couple of months before we started up Glenn Lee Thoroughbreds.”
Mikayla and Rod Day | Image courtesy of Glenn Lee Thoroughbreds
The name of the property is taken from family ties – Mikayla’s father is Glenn and Lee the father of Rod.
“Rod was always into motor sports and we’ve been together for five years and got married early last year and he’s had a one-stop education with horses. We’re both totally hands-on and Rod can do everything I can so we make a good team,” Mikayla Day said.
“We’re both totally hands-on and Rod can do everything I can so we make a good team.” - Mikayla Day
“Seven of our draft are from Waikato Stud, we’re doing two for Edinglassie Stud, one for a client and three of our own.
“Mark Chittick’s horses arrived on December 11 and have done really well. I’ve never met Mark and we’re grateful for the opportunity he has given us.
“I know Waikato Stud’s Yearling Manager Jaimee Gowler and I know Mike Rennie (Business Manager) quite well and it’s a shame Mark can’t be here.”
A son of the Matamata farm’s resident stallion Tivaci, Lot 239, has made a strong impression on Day.
“He’s my favourite and he’s a lovely type with a great body and he’s going to be a good racehorse going forward,” she said.
Lot 239 - Tivaci x Popular (NZ) (colt)
The colt is the first foal out of the winning Savabeel mare Popular (NZ) and she is out of a sister to the four-time Group 1 winner and late sire Sacred Falls (NZ).
Popular is also a three-quarter sister to the G3 Thoroughbred Club S. winner Splashing Out (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), who has produced Group winners Splurge (NZ) (Savabeel) and the siblings Shopaholic (NZ) (Pins) and Packing Pins (NZ).
“The Waikato Stud horses are a great bunch, they're well put together and all have excellent attitudes,” Day said.
“The Waikato Stud horses are a great bunch, they're well put together and all have excellent attitudes.” - Mikayla Day
They include two other Tivaci colts with Lot 474 out of a sister to Group 2-winning siblings Vigor (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) and Joey Massino (NZ), while Lot 559 is the first foal of the stakes performer Date Night (NZ) (Savabeel).
Lot 14 is a son of Savabeel and also the family of Sacred Falls and recent Listed Gingernuts Salver winner Milford (NZ) (Savabeel) and Lot 39 is by Ocean Park (NZ) and from a half-sister to G1 Queensland Derby winner Lachlan River (Desert King {Ire}).
Savabeel’s son is Lot 69 and he is a grandson of G3 Frances Tressady S. winner Breezy (NZ) (Pins) while Lot 575 is by Sacred Falls out of the G2 Kewney S. winner Do Ra Mi (NZ) (Savabeel). She is a half-sister to G1 Australasian Oaks winner Marju Snip (NZ) (Marju {Ire}).
“We’ve also have got two mares and Lot 646 is out of one of them and we pinhooked a Nicconi filly, Lot 4, and a Jukebox filly, Lot 651,” Day said.
Lot 646 is by Smart Missile out of Kamili (Bernardini {USA}) and is from the family of Group 1-winning half-brothers and sires Arazi (USA) and Noverre (USA).
Pinhooked fillies
The daughter of Nicconi is a half-sister to a winner and their dam Gibraltar’s Gift (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) is from the family of The Cloisters (Godswalk {USA}), winner of the Listed Keith Mackay S. and twice Group 1-placed.
The filly was purchased for $25,000 out of Rosari Farm’s draft at the Magic Millions Weanling Sale where the daughter of Jukebox was bought from Aquis for $15,000.
She is out of the Group performer Kyria (Encosta De Lago), dam of two multiple winners, and the family of the G1 VRC Derby winner and sire Benicio, whose half-siblings Romneya (Red Ransom {USA}) and Roheryn (Lonhro) are Group winners.
Lot 648 is a Shooting To Win filly to be sold on behalf of a client and is from the family of dual Group 1 winner Malaguerra (Magnus).
Glenn Lee will also offer Lots 717 and 763 on behalf of Edinglassie with the former a Foxwedge colt out of a half-sister to Listed Bel Esprit S. winner Office Bearer (Officer) and the latter a Shooting To Win colt, a grandson of the G2 Eight Carat Classic winner Alagant Satin (NZ) (Al Akbar {NZ}).
