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.
There has been a changing of the guard in Pencarrow’s racing team this autumn, with Group One performer Pearl Of Alsace (NZ) (Tavistock) retiring to stud while exciting new talent Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) announced her arrival on the big stage.
Tomodachi claimed the first black-type win of her career with a brilliant performance in Saturday’s $100,000 Group Three Rotorua ITM Stakes (1400m) at Arawa Park. The super-talented Pencarrow homebred has now had nine starts for six wins, two placings and $179,016 in stakes.
Tomodachi is out of Quintessentially (NZ) (High Chaparral), who is a daughter of the Group One-placed Uberalles (NZ) (Giant’s Causeway) and a granddaughter of the champion Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm).
Race sponsor Kevin Myers earned his money back at Waverley on Monday when Pencarrow’s Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent) won the $17,000 Kevin Myers Racing (2100m).
Myers took over the training of Sunset Boulevard earlier this year, and Monday’s Rating 75 race was the four-year-old gelding’s third win from five starts out of the Wanganui stable.
The dam of Sunset Boulevard is North of Sunset (NZ) (Red Ransom), who is a half-sister to the stakes winner and Group One-placed Pencarrow mare Wildflower (NZ) (Keeper).
Group One-winning colt Private Life (Written Tycoon), who is part-owned by Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela, will join the star-studded stallion roster at Coolmore later this year with an introductory service fee of A$19,250.
Bought for A$650,000 as a yearling, Private Life has earned more than A$2m on the racetrack with three wins headed by the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in October. In that renowned stallion-making classic, he defeated the subsequent Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) winner Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth), the multiple Group One winner Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot) and the multiple Group winner Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto).
The Pencarrow-bred Mehzebeen (NZ) (Almanzor) secured her third major staying prize of the season with another powerhouse performance in Saturday’s $120,000 Listed Valley D’Vine Restaurant Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) at Trentham.
Previously the winner of the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) and Group Three New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton in November, Mehzebeen has now banked a total of $556,218 from a 23-start career that has produced six wins and four placings.
Three-year-old Pencarrow filly Powerofpersuasion (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) kicked off her career with a smart victory in the Pioneer P9400 (1400m) at Waverley on Thursday.
The Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie-trained Powerofpersuasion had six trials to prepare her for raceday debut, including a win at Te Rapa in September and a second at Ellerslie on March 11.
Pearl Of Alsace came desperately close to a fairytale finish to her racing career, with the Group One performer retiring off the back of a second placing in Saturday’s Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m).
“We tried with Proisir last season, but she’ll go back into the bundle now and we’ll go through all of the stallions that are available to her. We will see which one we feel will make the best mate and keep our fingers crossed.”
Pearl Of Alsace will join Irion in Pencarrow’s broodmare band, with the dam visiting Cambridge Stud’s shuttle stallion Chaldean in her most recent mating.
“He has a beautiful pedigree and was a lovely racehorse, we’re very lucky to have him in New Zealand,” Vela said.
A change of scenery has worked wonders for Pencarrow’s Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent), who brought up his second win from just three starts for new trainer Kevin Myers when he took out Saturday’s $40,000 Wanganui Motors (2040m) at Wanganui.
The gelding showed early promise for his original trainers Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie, collecting a win and three placings from nine starts. Since his shift into Myers’ Wanganui stable, he has recorded a win in the $25,000 Ecolab (1650m) at Waverley, a close fourth at Trentham and Saturday’s success on his new home track.
The dam of Sunset Boulevard is North of Sunset (NZ) (Red Ransom), who is a half-sister to the stakes winner and Group One-placed Pencarrow mare Wildflower (NZ) (Keeper).
A close relative to last weekend’s Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) winner Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth), promising Pencarrow filly Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos) capped a big week for the family with victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Group Three Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Sunline Vase (2100m) at Ellerslie.
Island Life is out of the unraced Lycia (NZ) (Montjeu), whose half-sister Corinthia (NZ) (O’Reilly) is Feroce’s dam.
An outstanding week for Pencarrow Stud and young stallion Super Seth ended on a winning note with Sprezzatura (NZ) at Te Aroha on Friday.
Sprezzatura’s victory in the $18,500 Saddlery Warehouse (2200m) came six days after the Pencarrow-bred Feroce (NZ) triumphed in the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.
The dam of Sprezzatura is Sopra Tutto (NZ), whose daughters Supera (NZ) (Savabeel) and Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi) were both Group winners and Group One placegetters.
Feroce’s stunning Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) victory was celebrated in several of New Zealand’s most prominent stud farms over the weekend.
Bred by Pencarrow Stud, Feroce was narrowly beaten by Private Life in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) back in October, but there was no denying the gelding at Flemington on Saturday, outmuscling fellow Kiwi-bred colt Savaglee to take the three-year-old feature by three-quarters of a length.
Leon Casey, stud manager at Pencarrow, was thrilled to see the gelding earn his redemption after such a narrow miss at Caulfield.
“It was a massive thrill, he’d just been beaten in the Caulfield Guineas and you’re never sure whether you’re going to get into that position again, to win a Group One race,” he said.
The feeling of seeing sale-ring purchases go on to stardom on the racetrack is nothing new for Johnny McKeever, but the respected European bloodstock agent took special satisfaction from Feroce’s triumph in the Gr.1 Howden Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
“Another special aspect of this story is that Feroce was bred by Sir Peter Vela. I’m very fond of Sir Peter. He’s been up to Newmarket a lot and we’ve got to know each other well.”
Pencarrow Stud’s proud history of breeding and raising Group One winners gained a new chapter on Saturday when Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) triumphed in the prestigious A$1m Group One Howden Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.
Feroce is a graduate of the 2023 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, where he was offered by Kilgravin Lodge. He was bought for $160,000 by McKeever Bloodstock Ltd and Sutton Racing. Feroce has now had nine starts for three wins, three placings and A$1.3m in stakes.
Corinthia is the dam of three foals to race, all of them winners. Feroce is the second of her foals to win at stakes level, joining the Listed Karaka Classic (1600m) winner and multiple Group Two placegetter Siracusa (NZ) (Sebring).
Pencarrow three-year-old Sonata (NZ) (Charm Spirit) opened her winning account on Wednesday with a smart front-running performance in the $25,000 NZB 2025 National Online Yearling Sale 1 April (1400m) at Taupo.
Sonata is trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie at Matamata and went into Wednesday’s race with a fourth and a third from her only two previous appearances.
Pencarrow’s Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) continued her rise through the grades with another win on Saturday, this time against open-class opposition in the $75,000 Horizon By Skycity (1200m) at Ellerslie.
Tomodachi won three of her five starts as a three-year-old last season, and her perfect record as a four-year-old now stands at two from two. She resumed with a spectacular last-to-first performance at Tauranga in January, which she followed up with another impressive come-from-behind victory at Ellerslie.