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 Pencarrow-bred Jay Bee Gee (NZ) (Complacent) won the $110,000 Group Three Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on August 3, his half-sister Harmonious (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) won a Rating 65 on that same afternoon, and another half-sister, Branciforti (NZ) (Belardo), took out the $100,000 Polytrack Championship (1400m) at Awapuni just six days later. That was a highly noteworthy achievement in its own right, but it didn’t take long for it to be completely overshadowed.

Group One Graduates

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.

Feroce was a $160,000 purchase from the 2023 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka. He has earned more than A$1.3m in a 10-start, three-win career, headed by a superb triumph in the A$1m Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington in March. He was also runner-up in the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in the spring and ran third in the Group Three Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) and CS Hayes Stakes (1400m).

Maison Louis was offered by Pencarrow in Book 1 of Karaka 2023, where syndicators Go Racing bought him for $250,000. He powered out of the pack to capture the A$1m Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm in June, signing off a seven-start season that produced four wins, a placing and A$679,750 in stakes.

Feroce and Maison Louis were among a quartet of Group One winners for their sire Super Seth, who has had only two crops of racing age so far. Pencarrow is a proud shareholder in the emerging superstar Waikato Stud stallion.

The dam of Feroce is Corinthia (NZ) (O’Reilly), an unraced half-sister to the Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m) winner De Beers (NZ) (Quest For Fame). Another half-sister, Lycia (NZ) (Montjeu), is the dam of Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos), a stakes-winning Pencarrow homebred filly in the 2024-25 season – more on her below. Feroce is a half-brother to the Listed winner and multiple Group Two placegetter Siracusa (NZ) (Sebring).

Maison Louis, meanwhile, is out of Cote D’Or (NZ) (Makfi), who won eight races in the Pencarrow colours including the Listed Matamata Cup (1600m). Cote D’Or is the dam of three winners from three foals to race. Maison Louis’ half-sister Dresse’ Par Joli (NZ) (Tavistock) has won twice in an 11-race career, including a victory at Wanganui at the end of May that brought up the milestone century of Pencarrow-bred wins for the 2024-25 racing season.

Big Black-Type Haul

Pencarrow graduates Jay Bee Gee, Mehzebeen (NZ) (Almanzor) and Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock) delivered a combined seven victories at stakes level in 2024-25.

The Pencarrow-bred Jay Bee Gee was bought for $26,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2019. He recorded a Group Three double within the first few weeks of the season, taking out the Winter Cup and the Metric Mile (1600m) to raise his career earnings to $240,960.

Mehzebeen, who was a $50,000 purchase from Pencarrow’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2021, proved herself to be one of New Zealand’s standout stayers of the season with a black-type treble in the $400,000 Group Three New Zealand Cup (3200m), the $120,000 Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) and the $100,000 Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m). Her 24-race career has amassed $558,468 in prize-money.

Another member of Pencarrow’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2021 is Tavi Time, who was bought for $60,000. He won the 2024-25 season’s A$250,000 Group Three Summer Cup (2000m) and A$200,000 Listed Scone Cup (1600m), and he was runner-up in the A$200,000 Group Three Lord Mayor’s Cup (1800m). Tavi Time has banked A$860,625 from a 22-start, nine-win career.

Homebred Heroines

The season also featured over 20 wins by horses carrying the distinctive blue and white hooped colours of Pencarrow’s racing team, including a pair of new stakes winners – Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) and Island Life (NZ) (Vadamos).

Tomodachi burst on to the black-type scene with a brilliant come-from-behind performance in the $100,000 Group Three Rotorua Stakes (1400m) in May. She has now had nine starts for six wins, two placings – including a flying finish for third in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m) – and $179,016 in stakes. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained mare has an exciting five-year-old season in store in 2025-26.

Tomodachi is by Tarzino (NZ) 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).

Meanwhile, Island Life made her mark in a three-year-old campaign that featured two wins, three placings and $223,425 in stakes from eight starts. She was an emphatic winner of the $250,000 Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m) in March, and she also finished second in the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m) and third in the Group Two Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m).

Island Life is by Vadamos out of Lycia (NZ) (Montjeu), who was mentioned above as a close relative to the Pencarrow-bred Australian Guineas hero Feroce.

Island Life is trained by key members of the Pencarrow Racing team, Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie, who racked up 11 winners and 19 placegetters from only 67 starters during the 2024-25 season. They already have two wins on the board in 2025-26 too, and the career total for their highly successful partnership now stands at 196.

Sales Successes

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.

The highest-priced member of the Pencarrow draft was Lot 274, the colt by Savabeel out of Scintillula (Galileo). He was bought for $375,000 by Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup on behalf of owner Mulberry Racing.

Prominent New Zealand-based operation Go Racing – the purchasers and syndicators of Maison Louis – teamed up with Blandford Bloodstock and paid $260,000 for Lot 199, a colt by first-season sire Sword Of State out of the Savabeel mare Peppino (NZ).

The same combination later went to $260,000 again to secure Lot 281, a colt by Proisir out of Seraphim (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle). Herself a four-race winner including the Listed Marton Cup (2100m), Seraphim is a daughter of the legendary four-time Group One winner Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm).

Pencarrow’s other yearlings in Book 1 of Karaka 2025 were bought by KPW Bloodstock, Patella Bloodstock, Proven Thoroughbreds/Pride Racing, Cambridge Stud, Jamie McCalmont, Mulcaster Bloodstock/Chris Waller Racing, Glenn Old, Pearce Racing, OTI Racing/Phill Cataldo Bloodstock/Pike Racing, and Bjorn Baker Racing/Clarke Bloodstock/Ridgmont.

Coolmore Syndicates

Another notable source of success for Pencarrow comes through Sir Peter Vela’s involvement in the Coolmore-headed ownership syndicates that race a number of top-class colts from the Sydney stable of champion trainer Chris Waller. They have teamed up for an outstanding run of successes that includes the Group One winners and valuable stallion prospects Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) and Shinzo (Snitzel).

The 2024-25 season saw some exciting additions to that honour roll, including Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) winner Switzerland (Snitzel) and Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) hero Private Life (Written Tycoon) – both of whom are now standing alongside Home Affairs and Shinzo at Coolmore Stud.

Another high-profile colt is Wodeton (Wootton Bassett), who was a spectacular four-length winner on debut in January and went on to finish second in the Group One Golden Slipper (1200m) and fourth in the Group One Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).