Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Order Again, now a 7-year-old, added to his successes in the 2017 G3 Grand Prix S. and 2019 Lord Mayor's Cup, with his fast-finishing victory on Saturday, taking his career record to eight wins from 37 starts. It was his first stakes win for Chris Waller, having previously saluted in Group races for Brian Smith.
The son of Iffraaj (GB) was bred on Goodwood Stud at Palmerston North, as part of a long-term partnership with ex-pat Kiwis, the Stewarts, who run a successful seafood business on the Sunshine Coast.
"He's owned by some good friends of ours, based in Noosa, Cam and Chas Stewart. They have a few horses on the farm which we breed together," Goodwood Stud studmaster William Fell told TDN AusNZ.
"We bred Order Again together. They had Glass Half Full, his dam, and we had shares in Iffraaj, so we bred him together and I sold my share to them as a yearling. They have carried on with and raced him through and had a fair bit of fun with him."
Fell recalls Order Again as a 'typically nice son of Iffraaj' growing up on the farm, who has just gone from strength to strength since heading to Australia.
"He (Order Again) was always a nice horse. He didn't go through the yearling sales and Chas and Cam normally race all their horses. I would rather race fillies, so they bought me out." - William Fell
"He was always a nice horse. He didn't go through the yearling sales and Chas and Cam normally race all their horses. I would rather race fillies, so they bought me out," he said.
"He was always a good, strong horse, well grown. He was broken-in in New Zealand, did a bit of work over there and crossed the ditch to Australia."
A stakes winner as a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, Order Again seemed to lose form early in his 6-year-old season before transferring to Waller just over 12 months ago.
He was stakes-placed in two races through last winter and highly competitive in several other black-type races through his first preparation for Waller.
His first win for the stable came at Randwick in January, while this campaign he was placed first-up in the Listed Scone Cup and then third in the Listed Winter S. last month before his barnstorming late surge under Hugh Bowman on Saturday.
His latest victory was cheered on by Fell across the Tasman at Goodwood Stud.
"It’s great to see that. Success in Australia is a big thing and it's a competitive environment. We've been lucky with horses like Gingernuts, who have flown the flag for us in recent times and it’s great to have any winner over there," he said.
Mare a reason for optimism
Glass Half Full (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy {USA}) is still on Goodwood Stud along with three or four other mares of the Stewarts, which they breed in partnership.
"They have been long-time friends of my father's and we have carried on the relationship. They are great, great mates and are great to deal with," Fell said.
William Fell | Image courtesy of William Fell
"It’s good fun breeding with them. We have got a few fillies coming through which we will race with them. Hopefully, they are good enough to get to Australia."
One of them is Order Again's sister, a rising 3-year-old with the Iffraaj filly making a positive impression so far.
"She's with Ashley Meadows at the moment and will do a bit of work here, have a race or two and obviously head over to Waller's. All reports are that she is quite smart and I am looking forward to seeing how she progresses."
All reports are that she (Iffraaj filly) is quite smart and I am looking forward to seeing how she progresses." - William Fell
Waller also trains the half-brother Skagerak (NZ) (Niagara) for the Stewarts and the 4-year-old recently broke his maiden at Ipswich, while another half-brother, Top Me Up Again (NZ) (Nom De Jeu {NZ}) races in the Stewart Tartan for trainer Brian Smith and resumed from a spell at Doomben on Saturday.
"It's been a good family, Cam and Chas raced Glass Half Full's half-brother Jetset Lad, who won the Brisbane Cup, so it’s been a really good family for them," Fell said.
Waller is also likely to end up with the current weanling colt by Waikato Stud's Ocean Park (NZ), and while Glass Half Full missed to that stallion last year, she is likely to head back there again this year.
The Stewarts' broodmare band complements what Fell is trying to achieve with Goodwood Stud since downsizing things a few years ago.
"We run about a dozen mares. We have cut back from previous years. We have stood stallions in the past but we are running a bit of a smaller, boutique operation. That size suits our system. We sell a few yearlings and race a few fillies and it’s a good little model," he said.
