Pencarrow Stud’s foundation mare, Romanee Conti (Sir Tristram-Richebourg, by Vice Regal), was immortalised with a sculpture created by New Zealand artist Michelle Farrell. The story of Romanee Conti begins in 1982 when the Vela brothers went to the Wrightson Bloodstock yearling sale and purchased a yearling filly from Chequers Stud. Full story as featured in Bluebloods, August 2024
Pencarrow’s broodmare marvel Huluava (NZ) (Pins) was credited with her third winner within the space of just six days when Branciforti (NZ) (Belardo) took out the inaugural $100,000 Martin Collins PolyTrack Innovation Race (1400m) at Awapuni on Friday.
“It’s a really, really under-rated family and it just keeps on keeping on,” Pencarrow manager Leon Casey commented this week. “Huluava was very lightly raced and talented, we did take her to Brisbane as a three-year-old but she pulled up sore.
Just over half an hour after Pencarrow graduate Jay Bee Gee (NZ) (Complacent) won the Group Three Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton, his half-sister Harmonious (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) capped the stud’s extraordinary start to the new season with her runaway victory in the $35,000 Group 1 Raceday 14 September Rating 65 (1600m).
Harmonious is still owned by Sir Peter Vela and is trained by Adrian Bull. The six-year-old collected the second win of her 13-start career on Saturday and lifted her earnings to $49,495.
The 2024-25 New Zealand racing season began on a perfect note for Pencarrow Stud on Saturday with Jay Bee Gee (NZ) (Complacent) winning the first black-type race on the calendar – the $110,000 Group Three Winning Edge Presentations 127th Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton.
Jay Bee Gee was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and was offered by Bradbury Park in Book 2 of Karaka 2019. He was bought for $26,000 by Harry Bull, who shares ownership with his father Adrian and late mother Robyn.
Bought through the Karaka sale ring and part-owned by Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela, classy two-year-old Public Attention (NZ) (Written Tycoon) kicked off his career on a perfect note in Saturday’s A$150,000 MRC Chairman’s Club Handicap (1200m) at Caulfield.
Public Attention was bred by Sir Peter Vela’s close friend, the late Sir Patrick Hogan, in partnership with wife Lady Hogan. Offered by Carlaw Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2023, he was bought by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $160,000.
A few days out from the official start of the new season on August 1, the busy foaling period at Pencarrow Stud sprung to life over the weekend with the arrival of the season’s first foal.
The colt was born at 1.11am on Sunday morning. He is by Ardrossan and is the first foal out of Ginsburg (NZ) (Iffraaj). The colt was bred by Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela in partnership with Dame Lowell Goddard. That pair also co-bred and share ownership of Ginsburg.
A runaway victory in Sunday’s Listed Prix la Sorellina – Chateau de Portets (1600m) at La Teste de Buch in France saw classy filly Pemba Bay (Blue Point) become the latest stakes winner bred by Pencarrow Stud.
Bred by Pencarrow in partnership with owners Haras D’Etreham, the three-year-old has had nine starts for two wins, four placings and prize-money of 95,397 euros.
A maiden winner at Le Mans in May, Pemba Bay stepped up to stakes level on Sunday and scored an emphatic win.
Talented Pencarrow mare Branciforti (NZ) (Belardo) added to her strong record on the Cambridge synthetic track with another emphatic victory in Wednesday’s $27,000 D & A Diesel (1300m).
The four-year-old mare has now had a total of 13 starts for four wins, a second and $60,475 in stakes. Three of those wins have come from only seven appearances on the all-weather surface at Cambridge.
An exciting opportunity has become available to join the Pencarrow Stud team in the role of Farm Manager at their Bellwood Farm property.
The unique farm is situated 15 minutes from Matamata, and 20 minutes from Cambridge. The property encompasses 100 hectares of rolling hill country, making it the perfect location for Pencarrow’s young stock to grow and develop throughout the spring and summer before heading to the trainers in autumn. It is also used to winter mares and occasional spelling for some of the racing team.
The successful applicant will have a wide range of experience in the horse industry and exhibit strong attention to detail.
Some general farming knowledge will be an advantage.
Pencarrow filly Unequivocal (NZ) (Eminent) capped a consistent run of form with a well-deserved and dominant victory in the $17,000 Riding for the Disabled Charity Day Maiden (2000m) at Cambridge.
The three-year-old went into Wednesday’s race winless in five career starts, but she had produced strong finishes on each occasion, dating right back to a pair of sixths in her first two appearances last spring.
Unequivocal returned to racing in the autumn with a fifth in April and two big late runs for second placings in May, and on Wednesday she broke through with an emphatic come-from-behind performance.
With an emphatic maiden victory at New Plymouth on Thursday, Dresse Par Joli (NZ) (Tavistock) hinted at a promising future for her breeder and part-owner Sir Peter Vela.
The four-year-old mare went into Thursday’s $17,000 The Underbelly Transport Ltd Maiden (2000m) with two seconds and two fourths to her name from her four previous starts, and she was sent out as a $2.40 favourite. She proved to be just as dominant on the racetrack as she was in the betting market.
The 2024 National Weanling Sale at Karaka features the first Pencarrow Stud weanling draft since 2016, and the bloodlines being offered by the internationally respected nursery are well worth the long wait.
The Pencarrow draft is made up of three fillies and two colts. Their sires are a diverse range of stallions from across Australasia, while the dams represent many of the top-class families that have underpinned Pencarrow’s decades of racetrack and sale-ring success.
Buyers will have a rare opportunity to purchase weanling stock from one of New Zealand’s leading thoroughbred nurseries when Pencarrow Stud presents a five-lot draft during next month’s NZB National Weanling Sale at Karaka.
A smart performance at Warwick Farm on Wednesday hinted at bigger and better things next season for well-bred colt Private Life (Written Tycoon), who is part-owned by Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela.
A highly successful week for Pencarrow’s racing team continued at Ruakaka on Wednesday with a maiden victory by promising three-year-old Sunset Boulevard (NZ) (Eminent).
That latest win followed on from a notable trans-Tasman double on Saturday by exciting three-year-old fillies Waikato Girl (NZ) (Savabeel) and Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino).
Sunset Boulevard’s victory in Wednesday’s $17,000 Ruakaka – NZ’s Best Bet in Winter (2100m) was a step or two below that level, but nevertheless hinted at a bright future for the emerging stayer.
Exciting Pencarrow filly Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) recorded her third win in a row with another impressive performance in Saturday’s $35,000 Aon Insurance Brokers 3YO (1600m) at Te Rapa.
A third placegetter on debut at Taupo on February, Tomodachi has been flawless ever since with victories at Taupo on March 8, Matamata on March 27 and Te Rapa on Saturday.
Tomodachi is trained by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, and Saturday’s result was a fitting one after a moment’s silence was observed mid-race following the recent loss of O’Sullivan’s legendary father Dave.
One of Pencarrow Stud's most exciting families was enhanced by a Listed win in Brisbane on Saturday by Waikato Girl (NZ) (Savabeel), who is also part-owned by Sir Peter Vela.
The Savabeel filly is out of Scintillula (Galileo), who was a Group Three winner and Group One placegetter in Ireland, and she is the dam of four winners from four foals to race. Waikato Girl's full-sister Butter Chicken (NZ) (Savabeel) placed at Group Two level, while four-time winner Stella Splendida (NZ) (Zoustar) recently sold for $410,000 on gavelhouse.com.
Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela might have another future black-type contender on his hands after Imperial Force (Snitzel) cleared maiden ranks in style in Sydney on Wednesday.
The Chris Waller-trained colt headed into the A$60,000 James Squire 2YO Handicap (1250m) at Canterbury as a second placegetter in his only previous start, and he took his promising career up by several notches on Wednesday with a dominant performance.
With a maiden victory at Otaki on Monday, three-year-old filly Uplifting (NZ) became the fifth winner sired by former high-class Pencarrow racehorse Eminent. More significantly, she became the first Eminent winner to race in those same blue and white hooped colours of Sir Peter Vela.
Uplifting is trained by Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie and cleared maiden ranks at her fourth career start in Monday’s $18,500 The Tele Otaki Maiden (2100m). She had recorded a second and a fifth among her three previous appearances and was sent out as a $3.10 favourite for Monday’s race.
Part-owned by Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela, blue-blooded colt Kandinsky Abstract (Zoustar) collected the second win of his short career in Monday’s A$65,000 Kia Ora Prague Handicap (1200m) at Warwick Farm.
A smart winner on debut over the same distance at Canterbury last May, Kandinsky Abstract finished a close sixth in the Group Three San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill in his second career start. He also took on the Listed Poseidon Stakes (1100m) and Group Two Danehill Stakes (1100m) later in the spring of his three-year-old season.
Having already shown real talent on dry ground, emerging Pencarrow filly Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) mastered a gruelling heavy track at Matamata on Wednesday to continue her impressive progress through the grades.
The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained three-year-old collected the second win of her three-start career with a determined come-from-behind performance in the $25,000 Kilgravin Lodge (1400m).
Talented Pencarrow homebred Aequus (NZ) (Iffraaj) completed a remarkable week for her dam Equanimity (NZ) (More Than Ready) when she won Saturday’s $40,000 World’s End Bar and Restaurant (1200m) at Tauranga.
Saturday’s win came just two days after a maiden victory at Ashburton by Equanimity’s three-year-old daughter Tranquila (NZ) (Iffraaj), who is a full-sister to Aequus.
Pencarrow mare Pearl Of Alsace (NZ) (Tavistock) produced a bold audition for a Group One assignment in her next start when she won Saturday’s $90,000 Westbury Stud Royal Descent Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie.
The exciting mare won all of her first five career starts last season, culminating in the Group Three Cuddle Stakes (1600m) at Trentham. Her first taste of defeat was an unlucky fourth in the Group One New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) – a race that is firmly in her sights again 12 months later, with the 2024 edition set to be run at Te Aroha on March 30.
Pencarrow principal Sir Peter Vela’s hopes of back-to-back wins in the A$5m Group One Golden Slipper (1200m) received a boost at Randwick on Saturday from exciting colt Switzerland (Snitzel).
The rising star of the Chris Waller stable scored a brilliant win in the A$300,000 Group Two UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m) and will take an unblemished record into the Golden Slipper at Rosehill on March 23.