NOVARA PARK

by Renée Geelen

35 Gorton Road, Karapiro, Cambridge; Ph: 0800 2 DERBY (0800 233 729); Bookings and Contracts, Don Edwards: 027 827 4995; Farm Manager, Tony Mudgway: 021 053 3066; Email: info@novarapark.co.nz; Website: www.novarapark.co.nz

Novara Park will stand four stallions in 2023 with Australian Gr1 winner Press Statement joining exciting young sires Staphanos, Sweynesse, and King of Comedy.

Staphanos

Staphanos has done what every stud master dreams of and sired a Gr1 winning two yearold with his first crop. Pignan (StaphanosHirondelle, by Sepoy) won the 2023 Gr1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes to take her record to two wins and four thirds from six placings. Given Staphanos’ race record and breeding, this bodes well for the future, since the expectation would be that his progeny will improve with age.

Typical of the Japanese stock, Staphanos was a tough racehorse with over thirty starts across six seasons of racing. A winner at two, and a group winner at three, Staphanos was Gr1 placed as a four, five and six year-old in both Hong Kong and Japan.

Staphanos is by nine-time Japan Champion Sire Deep Impact, himself a dual Horse of the Year by Sunday Silence. Sire of 196 stakes winners, Deep Impact has several young sire sons at stud in Australasia including Real Impact, Mikki Isle, Saxon Warrior and Tosen Stardom. With Gr1 winners Hitotsu and Profondo retiring to stud this season, there is surely more to come. From the family of successful stallion Poet’s Voice, Staphanos’ dam, Kokoshnik, was winner in Japan and also left two year-old winner and Gr3 placed Finift (Deep Impact). A two year-old Gr1 winner is the best start to a stud career that a stallion could make, and Staphanos looks to become a major player as his progeny develop.

Sweynesse

Triple Gr1 winner Lucky Sweynesse (SweynesseMadonna Mia, by Red Clubs) has given his sire a season to remember. The quality sprinter equalled Beauty Generation’s record for number of wins in a season in Hong Kong with eight and is the world’s top rated sprinter for 2023.

Sweynesse is not a one trick wonder with six stakes winners, including Gr2 The Roses winner Only Words, Gr2 winner and Gr1 placed Dragon Queen, Gr3 Rough Habit Plate winner Special Swey, Gr3 Taranaki 2YO Classic winner Bonita Aurelia, and Listed winner Brix. A Gr3 winning, Gr1 placed son of Lonhro, Sweynesse won four of his thirteen starts and was competitive with the likes of First Seal, Shooting to Win, and Hallowed Crown. His sire, Lonhro, is emerging as a sire of sires with the likes of Pierro (25 stakes winners). Out of a winning Singspiel mare, Sweynesse is a half-brother to group winning filly Rimraam (Commands), from a strong American family.

King of Comedy

With the recent win by King Colorado by Kingman in the Gr1 JJ Atkin Plate, yearling buyers will be looking forward to seeing the first crop of King of Comedy also by Kingman. As a three year-old, King of Comedy flashed home down the outside in the stallion making Gr1 St James Palace Stakes to miss the win by a head. Timeform rated King of Comedy the best three year-old in Europe after that performance. King of Comedy was a two yearold winner, who won the Listed Heron Stakes at three, as well as placing in the Gr1 St James Palace Stakes, the Gr2 Joel Stakes, and was fourth in the Gr1 York International Stakes. A son of Horse of the Year Kingman who has left 64 stakes winners including Champion 3YO Colt Palace Pier and his oldest crop are only sevenyear-olds. King of Comedy is a half-brother to Gr1 winner Star of Seville and Gr2 winner and Gr1 placed English Ballet.

Press Statement

Proven sire Press Statement will stand his first season at Novara Park in 2023, and he is a nicely credentialled Australian Gr1 winner to complement the rest of the roster. Sire of six stakes winners from his first four crops, Press Statement has a strong winners to runners ratio and many of his horses have been competitive in the tough Australian city racing system. His four year-old mare Roots won the 2023 Gr2 Emancipation Stakes, while promising two year-old Pier Pressure ran third in the Gr1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes this year. A Gr1 winner at two and three, Press Statement is by Fastnet Rock sire Hinchinbrook from a tough racemare who won nine races, and also left Press Statement’s Gr1 winning sibling Pressday (Domesday), as well as the dam of this season’s stakes placed winner Maurice’s Medad. This is the family of The Mighty Lions and Lion’s Roar.

Novara Park 2022 Roster

King of Comedy (IRE) (Kingman-Stage Presence, by Selkirk), NZ$7,000.

Press Statement (AUS) (HinchinbrookKaaptive Empress, by Kaaptive Edition) NZ$6,000

Staphanos (JPN) (Deep Impact-Kokoshnik, by Kurofune), NZ$15,000.

Sweynesse (AUS) (Lonhro-Swansea, by Singspiel), NZ$10,000