Talented Pencarrow mare Fosse (NZ) (Darci Brahma) put a frustrating spring behind her with an emphatic victory in the $40,000 Kelly & Co Handicap (1600m) at Otaki on Sunday.
Fosse has now had seven starts for two wins, two placings and $57,125 in prize-money.
Karaka 2026 will mark 100 years of the National Yearling Sale Series, and Pencarrow Stud are pleased to offer another outstanding draft of 24 yearlings for their 31st year of selling under their own banner.
Following the paths of graduates like Darci Brahma, Burgundy, Maison Louis, Tavi Time, Mehzebeen, and many more, 18 yearlings will sell across Book 1 that takes place Sunday 25 and Monday 26 January 2026, while 6 yearlings will be offered in Book 2 on Tuesday 27 January.
A striking colt by Satono Aladdin has arrived from black-type mare Rasa Lila (NZ) (Iffraaj), wrapping up the 2025 breeding season. 41 foals - 22 colts and 19 fillies were welcomed at Pencarrow Stud's nursery.
Rasa Lila’s influence continues to shine through her current performers, with Toa Haka (NZ) (Ifraaj) in excellent form, delivering a notable double during NZ Cup Week at Riccarton. Meanwhile Sattriya (NZ) (Super Seth), a filly retained by Sir Peter Vela, made her debut last week. Despite settling well back, she produced a powerful finishing run and was narrowly beaten.
Pencarrow trainers Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie reached a career milestone when Passiflora (NZ) (Farnan) led all the way to win Saturday’s $40,000 Happy Hire 3YO (1200m) at Wanganui.
The win brought up the pair’s 200th training success, all of them in the blue and white hooped colours of Pencarrow Racing.
“It’s a real buzz for us to train 200 winners for Sir Peter Vela,” Ramsay said. “He and his late brother Philip have given us incredible support through our careers.”
The first two days of the New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton have produced two impressive wins for Pencarrow's Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent).
The promising five-year-old captured the $65,000 Road Metals Premier (2000m) on the opening day of the carnival last Saturday, then backed up four days later, stepped up into open class and delivered a repeat result in Wednesday’s $65,000 Wuhan Jockey Club Premier (2000m).
The Kevin Myers-trained Sunset Boulevard has now had 19 starts for seven wins, four placings and $179,055 in stakes for owner-breeder Sir Peter Vela.
Sunset Boulevard was ridden on Wednesday by Tina Comignaghi, who took up a handy position in fifth and one off the rail. The pair briefly found themselves boxed in at the top of the home straight, but Comignaghi worked her way into the clear and asked Sunset Boulevard to extend.
Sunset Boulevard warmed into his work and strode to the lead with 100 metres remaining, going on to win by three-quarters of a length.
Pencarrow’s Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent) added a sixth win to his highly promising record when he took out the $65,000 Road Metals Premier (2000m) on the opening day of the New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton on Saturday.
The Kevin Myers-trained five-year-old has now had 18 starts for six wins, four placings and $141,680 in stakes.
Sunset Boulevard began his career as a three-year-old two seasons ago, recording a win and two placings from three appearances. He added another three wins during an 11-start season in 2024-25, and is now a two-time winner from four races this spring. He holds a nomination for next Saturday’s $450,000 Group Three Martin Collins 162nd New Zealand Cup (3200m). That time-honoured staying feature was won by the Pencarrow-bred Mehzebeen (NZ) (Almanzor) last year.
Sunset Boulevard was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and is raced by Sir Peter Vela. He is a son of Sir Peter’s multiple Group winner and Group One placegetter Eminent, who stands at Brighthill Farm.
Saturday looms as a big afternoon at Randwick for a pair of Pencarrow graduates who made their mark at Group One level last season.
Australian Guineas (1600m) winner Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) will line up in the A$10m Golden Eagle (1500m), followed 35 minutes later by Queensland Derby (2400m) hero Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth) in the A$750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m).
The Pencarrow-bred and part-owned Dresse’ Par Joli (NZ) (Tavistock) got her six-year-old season off to a winning start in the $18,500 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1600m) at New Plymouth on Friday.
Dresse’ Par Joli boasts valuable bloodlines, being a half-sister to the Pencarrow-bred Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth), who won the Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) in June.
Three of the most prominent names in New Zealand thoroughbred racing had cross code success last Friday when pacer Captain Moonlight (NZ) (Always B Miki) scored his maiden victory at Alexandra Park.
The three-year-old gelding carries the silks of Pencarrow Stud and New Zealand Bloodstock principal Sir Peter Vela, who shares in the ownership of the horse with Daniel Nakhle and Greg Tomlinson, who operates under his Nearco Stud banner.
The trio decided to join forces at Karaka two years ago at NZB Standardbred’s National Yearling Sale and entrusted northern horseman Brent Mangos to select them a standardbred to race.
Pencarrow five-year-old Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent) made a stylish return to racing with a first-up victory in the $40,000 Otaki Tyre Repairs Handicap (1600m) at Otaki on Friday.
Trained by Kevin Myers for owner-breeder Sir Peter Vela, Sunset Boulevard has now had 15 starts for five wins, three placings and $99,705 in prize-money.
A dominant win by Powerofpersuasion (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) at Waverley on Sunday was a fitting end to a successful weekend for Pencarrow.
The blue and white hooped colours had previously been carried to victory by Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent) at Otaki on Friday, while Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela also shares in the ownership of Saturday’s strong-finishing A$1m Group One Golden Rose (1400m) runner-up Wodeton (Wootton Bassett).
The Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie-trained Powerofpersuasion showed promise with a maiden win as an autumn three-year-old last season, and Sunday’s $18,500 Harry Bull Stout Roofing (1650m) suggested even better things could be in store at four.
A few days after rising star Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) carried the Pencarrow colours into third place in the Group One Proisir Plate (1400m), another exciting member of the racing team announced her arrival with a winning debut at Cambridge on Wednesday.
The $18,500 NZ Horse Ambulance (970m) was the raceday debut for the beautifully bred three-year-old Passiflora (NZ) (Farnan), who was ridden by Jasmine Fawcett for trainers Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie.
Passiflora is the first foal out of homebred Pencarrow mare Lilikoi (NZ) (Charm Spirit).
Since Passiflora was foaled in 2022, Lilikoi has produced a colt by Turn Me Loose (NZ) and a colt by Super Seth. The son of Turn Me Loose will be offered at the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka in November, where he is catalogued as Lot 432.
The 2024-25 racing season was one of the most successful in Pencarrow Stud’s proud history, with over 100 wins for horses raced and/or bred by the internationally renowned nursery – 11 of them at Group or Listed level.
The first nine days of the season set the tone for the dream year that was to follow, with a quick-fire treble for Pencarrow broodmare Huluava (NZ) (Pins).
The biggest headline acts of the season were the Pencarrow-bred three-year-olds Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) and Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth), who were both Group One winners in Australia.
Pencarrow graduates Jay Bee Gee, Mehzebeen (NZ) (Almanzor) and Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock) delivered a combined seven victories at stakes level in 2024-25.
Pencarrow presented its customary high-class selection of yearlings at Karaka 2025, where 15 members of the draft sold for a total of $2.33m and an average price of $155,666.
It was a case of third time lucky for Pencarrow mare Life Of Riley (NZ) (Turn Me Loose), who opened her winning account in style in the $17,000 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1400m) at Rotorua on Wednesday.
The five-year-old mare left maiden ranks at her third attempt, having finished second on debut at Matamata in April and then third at the same venue in May.
The well-related Life Of Riley is forward enough for a bold bid at a deserved victory when she returns to action at Rotorua.
The daughter of Turn Me Loose has required patient handling and will attempt to break her maiden at her third appearance when she runs in Wednesday’s Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1400m).
Meanwhile, the team’s top-rated performer Island Life has begun her build-up toward her four-year-old campaign.
Pencarrow’s Sesimbra (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) was a stakes performer as a three-year-old last season, and she kicked off her four-year-old campaign on a winning note in Friday’s $17,000 TCL Earthworks (970m) at Cambridge.
The Rating 67 sprint was the third win of an eight-start career for Sesimbra, who has placed on another two occasions including a second to Pivotal Ten (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) in the Listed Southland Guineas (1400m) in February. Sesimbra has so far earned $70,695 in stakes.
The dam of Sesimbra is the unraced Aveiro (NZ) (O’Reilly).
Aveiro is the dam of two winners from two foals to race. Sesimbra’s year-older half-sister Arcachon (NZ) (Pierro) was won once from a three-start career to date.
Aveiro foaled a colt by All Too Hard in 2023 and a filly by Staphanos in 2024. She was subsequently served by New Zealand’s leading first-season sire of 2024-25, Hello Youmzain.
A stylish victory by Shavasana (NZ) (Super Seth) at Cambridge on Wednesday provided a fitting end to a season that produced over 100 wins for Pencarrow graduates.
Wednesday’s Cambridge card was the final race meeting of the 2024-25 New Zealand season. Shavasana added her name to Pencarrow’s roll of honour with an impressive front-running performance in the $17,000 Marsh Racing (970m).
Pencarrow Stud’s select offering of four broodmares proved to be the star attraction in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus on Wednesday, earning the two highest prices of the sale.
Pencarrow’s draft achieved an aggregate of $288,500 and an average price of $72,125, including the two mares in the catalogue that broke the six-figure mark.
The 2024-25 season has been one of the best ever for Pencarrow Stud, and some of the renowned bloodlines that have underpinned that success are now available for purchase in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus.
Bidding is open in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus with the first lot closing from 7pm (NZT) on Wednesday 9th July.
Pencarrow mare Unequivocal (NZ) (Eminent) collected the third win of her promising staying career in Wednesday’s $17,000 Cambridge Equine Hospital (2000m) on the Polytrack at Cambridge.
The four-year-old has now had 15 starts for three wins, four placings and $70,050 in stakes.
The royally bred Central Coast (Wootton Bassett), part-owned by Sir Peter Vela, stamped himself as a black-type contender of the future with a stylish maiden win in Wednesday’s A$60,000 Myplates Handicap (1250m) at Canterbury.
Pencarrow Stud has bred and sold the winners of two Group One classics for three-year-olds in Australia this season – Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) in the A$1m Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington in March, and now Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth) in the A$1m Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Maison Louis was offered by Pencarrow in Book 1 of Karaka 2023, where syndicators Go Racing bought him for $250,000. He has had seven starts for four wins, a placing and A$679,750 in stakes.
“He came off Pencarrow Stud in New Zealand. We always rush to New Zealand each year to participate in their sales, and we've been well-rewarded, because the second horse comes out of one of their sales as well.”
Pencarrow reached a century of winners for the 2024-25 season when Dresse’ Par Joli (NZ) (Tavistock) took out the $35,000 Wanganui Insurance Brokers (2040m) at Wanganui on Saturday.
The 100 wins by Pencarrow-bred horses this season include no fewer than 10 at Group or Listed level.
Two of those stakes successes have come with homebreds racing in the Pencarrow colours – three-year-old filly Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos) in the $250,000 Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie in March and four-year-old mare Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) in the $100,000 Group Three Rotorua Stakes (1400m) in May.
The Pencarrow-bred Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock) doubled his black-type tally with an impressive performance in Friday’s A$200,000 Listed Darley Scone Cup (1600m).
Previously the winner of the Group Three Summer Cup (2000m) at Randwick on Boxing Day, Tavi Time has now had 21 starts for nine wins, five placings and A$823,625 in stakes. He was offered in Pencarrow’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2021, where Kiltannon Stables bought him for $60,000.