Oilman’s stud stake could change course of NZ breeding

Blood Lines by Dave Bradford

Eighteen months ago, Texas oilman Nelson Bunker Hunt walked through the lush Waikato pasture of Matamata’s Balcarres Stud and announced he wanted some just like it for his own.

Today he has-360 acres about a mile down the road which has been transformed from a dairy farm to one of New Zealand’s leading horse and cattle breeding establishments.

And of prime importance for the New Zealand thoroughbred breeding industry, it has become, in the last few days, the new home of the 1966 English Derby runner-up, Pretendre.

Pretendre cost Mr Hunt $425,000, making him the most expensive stallion to stand at stud in New Zealand and already he has developed a truly international character.

By Doutelle, Pretendre represents the Rose Prince line of St Simon.

As a racehorse he was a galloper of the highest class, winning four races at two, to be England’s top stake-winning and staying colt of his age.

His wins included the Dewhurst Stakes and the Observer Gold Cup.

At three he confirmed his staying ability by winning the Blue Riband Trial at Lingfield by seven lengths and the King Edward VII Stakes (12f) by two and a half lengths.

In the English Derby he lost by only a neck to Charlottown and it was at the end of his three-year-old career he was bought by Mr Hunt.

Pretendre began his stud career in America and his oldest progeny are two. Of three runners two have won in America and another 13 are in training in France.

He also has a crop of yearlings being reared at Claiborne Stud, Kentucky, and 35 of the 40 mares he covered during his quarantine period in Ireland on the way to New Zealand are reported in foal.

He has been brought to New Zealand because Mr Hunt believes this country provides the best natural environment to breed horses.

He hopes to prove his point by breeding Pretendre to selected imported and New Zealand mares to Northern Hemisphere time and later ship a batch of at least six two-year-olds to race in Europe.

If these young equine ambassadors do measure up to the toughest overseas competition a whole new horizon could be opened up for the New Zealand thoroughbred.

And, it is fortunate for local breeders that a person of such vast wealth as Mr Hunt has been able to take on the expensive [venture] lone-handed.

Through New Zealand eyes it is difficult to appreciate just how great Mr Hunt’s involvement with racing is.

But in cash terms it adds up to the fact that he maintains his racing strings in America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, plus his stallions and broodmares. It cost him $3000 a day.

But it is an interesting sidelight that as an international horse spender he is nonetheless quite overshadowed by the precious metals millionaire Charles Engelhard.

At the Keeneland Summer Sales in Kentucky in July, Engelhard set a record on yearlings. The same sales saw Mr Hunt also spend a large sum on 14 yearlings.

Hunt, who has the greatest respect for Engelhard, later quipped: “It takes an awful lot of courage to spend a million dollars on horses in a single day.”

But it goes without saying that horsemen in this part of the world would be only too pleased to give Mr Hunt a “purple heart” for courage, too.

Five-hundred and ninety thousand dollars isn’t kid stakes.

And, it’s no sissy who sends 60 broodmares to Claiborne Stud to be boarded at a cost of $7 a day each.

This is why Nelson Bunker Hunt could well reshape New Zealand’s breeding industry and in no way harm established breeders, as Hunt breeds to race, not to sell.

He has already indicated that he plans to bring other stallions to join Pretendre.

The Bold Ruler colt he paid $120,000 for at the Keeneland Sales could well wind up in New Zealand as a sire.

And other possibilities are Sir Wiggle (by Sadae from Australian speedster Wiggle), who won $76,000 at two and who finished sixth in the prestige Preakness Stakes; and Derby Day Boy (by Our Babu), a stakes winner who recently scored at Del Mar over six furlongs in 1.09⅘.

And, further stud prospects for New Zealand could come from the 75 yearlings he has yet to name.

Twenty-two of the 40 shares in the $3m syndication, Vaguely Noble, are also held by Mr Hunt, and his bloodstock manager for New Zealand and Australia, Jim Shannon, believes some of this horse’s progeny will eventually reach New Zealand.

The way this would be worked, says Shannon, is for a mare in foal to Vaguely Noble to be shipped to England, where she would foal during quarantine and be mated with an English stallion.

Then the mare would travel on to New Zealand with her foal.

Like all breeders Mr Hunt has some of his own pet theories. One of these is that he believes pasture, rather than elaborate buildings, produces champions.

Consequently, the buildings at his Matamata property — yet to be named — are functional rather than ornamental.

But there is extensive roading and what must run into miles of railed fencing.

Development operations have been handled by Tom Troughton, a member of one of Matamata’s best-known farming families.

He is also in charge of the 700 beef cows who are currently producing New Zealand’s biggest crop of Charolais calves.

Eventually these will probably find their way to the “two or three million” acres Mr Hunt runs cattle on in the Northern Territory of Australia.

In America the Hunt Charolais herd runs to 4000.

The Matamata stud manager is Peter Keating, who is assisted by Dick Rothwell (head groom) and Rick Hadlow.

Pretendre, and the seven mares who travelled with him, arrived in New Zealand in excellent condition after a calm trip.

He will begin covering mares almost immediately at a fee of $1750 and his book for 1970 is already full.