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Good times flowing for Grangewilliam
Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • December 10th, 2024 3:00 pm
Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North)
Grangewilliam Stud is continuing to set a merry pace with strong results on and off the track.
Mark and Jane Corcoran’s farm bred and sold high-class performer Ladies Man, who won Saturday’s Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham where recent purchase Utopian Wine was also successful.
On the auction front, resident Grangewilliam sire Derryn enjoyed a strong Ready to Run Sale at Karaka last month with his top lot realising $420,000 while his homebred daughter Kiwiesque was recently a smart debut winner in Victoria.
The half-sister to multiple Group winner Hezashocka was a $140,000 Karaka graduate and was successful for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr at the first time of asking at Kilmore.
Derryn’s new associate sire Hilal has also received a warm welcome from breeders in his first season with the Group Two-winning son of Fastnet Rock attracting a book of both quality and quantity.
The Allan Sharrock-trained Ladies Man has now struck twice at the elite level with victory in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) also on the son of Zed’s CV.
“He’s obviously a very good horse and was the first one we bred out of the mare,” Mark Corcoran said.
His late dam Just Polite won eight races including the Gr.3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) and also produced the 2018 Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) winner Ladies First.
“Bernie Myers had bought the mare and ended up breeding some showjumpers before he kindly gave her to me,” Corcoran said.
“Unfortunately, she’s now deceased. She was quite old (25) and after foaling a colt by The Bold One last spring she went downhill, and we had to have her euthanised.
“I own him and he’s a really nice colt. He’s out in the paddock here with eight other colts and he’s the biggest, strongest one.
“I would have loved to have had a filly out of her, but (father) John has one by Cape Blanco called The Second Lady and she’s quite a nice mare and left a good sort by Derryn last year.”
Ladies Man was sold at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $60,000 with Sharrock signing the ticket.
“We also had Ladies Man’s brother and sold him privately to the same syndicate and he’s in work with Allan Sharrock, he’s a nice horse as well,” Corcoran said.
Meanwhile, Corcoran and his father have welcomed an early winning return on their investment in the Pierro mare Utopian Wine who accounted for her Rating 65 rivals at Trentham.
Utopian Wine is out of the Group-winning Redoute’s Choice mare Dystopia, a sister to the Gr.1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) winner and sire Stratum and was purchased for A$70,000 at the Inglis Digital Sale in August.
“She was trained by Chris Waller and we gave her one start with him and she finished fourth without much luck, she got back and flew home before we brought her back here,” Corcoran said.
“She’s shaping up really nicely and we’ll keep her racing for as long as we can.
“We’ll try and have a crack at the ($350,000) Remutaka Classic (2100m) at Trentham, she’s qualified for that, the distance should be right up her alley.”
Utopian Wine was specifically bought to go to Hilal and is in foal to the Grangewilliam newcomer.
“We’re rapt with Hilal, he had a really good book of mares and ended up serving more than 120 so he’ll get every chance,” Corcoran said.
