Vespa
Race Images Palmerston North
Group One-winning sprinter Vespa is seen as a great fit to Wellfield Lodge's stallion roster.
The champion two-year-old of his year will begin his stud career at the Palmerston North farm in 2016 following his retirement earlier this year.
"We're always looking for opportunities and when this one came along we had to take it – Vespa is an exciting horse who will ideally complement our other two stallions Alamosa and Road To Rock," Wellfield's Bill Gleeson said.
"Vespa was a Group One and Two winning sprinter and he also placed at the highest level over a mile. He was a precocious type of horse and when we put our mares over him there is every likelihood he will leave early types who can then develop into top three-year-olds and older horses.
The principals in the stallion will be Kevin Hickman, who bred and subsequently sold Vespa, Wellfield Lodge and Chris Rutten and John Norwood who raced the horse.
"We have all made a commitment to send good numbers of quality mares to the stallion in his first three years. We will be announcing the service fee next week," Gleeson said.
The winner of seven of his 18 starts and more than $915,000, Vespa was crowned champion two-year-old of 2014 after his victories in the Gr.1 Diamond Stakes and the Listed Karaka Million.
The following season he won the Listed Northland Breeders' Stakes, the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas and against the older horses he claimed the Listed Flying Handicap and ran a close second in the Gr.1 Easter Handicap.
He resumed as a four-year-old with a fifth placing in the Gr.1 Makfi Challenge Stakes before he was struck by illness and a large abscess was removed from his lung. Vespa returned for four further starts, including a second in the Gr.1 NRM Sprint, before his retirement.
He is a son of Elusive City, who has also sired the Southern Hemisphere Group One winners Xanadu, Famous Seamus and Perfect Fit as well as the French 1000 Guineas winner Elusive Wave, out of the Fantastic Light mare Miss Avalon.
It is an international family that features the hugely influential stallion Green Desert, a Group One-winning son of Danzig whose top-flight winners include the leading stallions Cape Cross, Invincible Spirit and Oasis Dream. – NZ Racing Desk.
The champion two-year-old of his year will begin his stud career at the Palmerston North farm in 2016 following his retirement earlier this year.
"We're always looking for opportunities and when this one came along we had to take it – Vespa is an exciting horse who will ideally complement our other two stallions Alamosa and Road To Rock," Wellfield's Bill Gleeson said.
"Vespa was a Group One and Two winning sprinter and he also placed at the highest level over a mile. He was a precocious type of horse and when we put our mares over him there is every likelihood he will leave early types who can then develop into top three-year-olds and older horses.
The principals in the stallion will be Kevin Hickman, who bred and subsequently sold Vespa, Wellfield Lodge and Chris Rutten and John Norwood who raced the horse.
"We have all made a commitment to send good numbers of quality mares to the stallion in his first three years. We will be announcing the service fee next week," Gleeson said.
The winner of seven of his 18 starts and more than $915,000, Vespa was crowned champion two-year-old of 2014 after his victories in the Gr.1 Diamond Stakes and the Listed Karaka Million.
The following season he won the Listed Northland Breeders' Stakes, the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas and against the older horses he claimed the Listed Flying Handicap and ran a close second in the Gr.1 Easter Handicap.
He resumed as a four-year-old with a fifth placing in the Gr.1 Makfi Challenge Stakes before he was struck by illness and a large abscess was removed from his lung. Vespa returned for four further starts, including a second in the Gr.1 NRM Sprint, before his retirement.
He is a son of Elusive City, who has also sired the Southern Hemisphere Group One winners Xanadu, Famous Seamus and Perfect Fit as well as the French 1000 Guineas winner Elusive Wave, out of the Fantastic Light mare Miss Avalon.
It is an international family that features the hugely influential stallion Green Desert, a Group One-winning son of Danzig whose top-flight winners include the leading stallions Cape Cross, Invincible Spirit and Oasis Dream. – NZ Racing Desk.