WS NEWS | A week of Fame, Freeze & Fillies
/Cup Week was one for the history books, as the best from Australia and New Zealand battled it out on the track for glory on one of the sport’s biggest stages. It takes immense dedication, careful decision-making, and breeder commitment to produce horses capable of competing at this level, so congratulations to everyone who had a horse representing them throughout the week.
Woodlands-sired progeny were particularly impressive, delivering standout performances across Australasia, and especially at the two feature race meetings at Addington Raceway. Read more about some of the key highlights below:
Photo: Freeze Frame as a yearling - NZB Standardbred
SIRES STAKES SWEEP
Woodlands Stud’s influence was on full display at Addington Raceway on New Zealand Cup Day, with its stallions siring the first six finishers in the Group 1 Woodlands Stud Sires Stakes Final for 2YO Colts and Geldings, a race the stud was also proud to sponsor.
Champion sire Bettor’s Delight once again led the charge, producing five of the top six placegetters, while fellow Woodlands stallion Downbytheseaside sired the remaining runner, an extraordinary clean sweep in one of New Zealand’s most prestigious juvenile pacing events.
Taking top honours was FREEZE FRAME (Bettor’s Delight), who powered home to win the $200,000 feature for trainers Cran & Chrissie Dalgety and also driver Kimberley Butt, securing her first Group 1 victory.
Adding extra significance to the result, Woodlands Stud also bred and raised Freeze Frame, who was sold through the 2024 NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales to Kentuckiana Lodge for $120,000.
Full Results – Group 1 Woodlands Stud 2YO Sires Stakes Final :
Freeze Frame – Bettor’s Delight
Allamericanplayer – Bettor’s Delight
Jumal – Downbytheseaside
Mystery Creek – Bettor’s Delight
Zeus Lightning – Bettor’s Delight
Incentivise – Bettor’s Delight
The result highlights Bettor’s Delight’s enduring dominance and consistency as a sire of champions, while Downbytheseaside continues to cement his reputation as one of the most exciting young sires in the Southern Hemisphere - he also claimed a winning double earlier in the meeting.
To not only sponsor but also sire, and breed the winner of the Sires Stakes Final underscores Woodlands Stud’s position as the powerhouse of standardbred breeding in New Zealand.
“It’s a result we’re incredibly proud of,” said Andrew Grierson.
“To see our sires fill the top six placings in a Group 1 event we sponsor, and to have bred and raised the winner, is a huge achievement for everyone involved.”
Woodlands Stud sired five winners across the card on the day, including a double for Bettor’s Delight and Downbytheseaside, reinforcing their standing as two of Australasia’s most influential stallions.
Photo: Downbytheseaside
ALL OF THE GLORY
Addington Raceway also saw an exciting juvenile showdown at Show Day on Friday, with ALL OF ME claiming victory in the Group 1 Dunstan Horsefeeds 2YO Fillies Final. The filly, by DOWNBYTHESEASIDE out of DREAM ABOUT ME (Bettor's Delight), adds another Group 1 win to a family long associated with feature race success across Australasia.
Congratulations to Woodlands’ Paul and Mary Kenny and the family of the late Charles Roberts for breeding and raising this exceptional filly, whose performance continues a proud tradition of producing top-level performers.
The win further cements Downbytheseaside’s status as a leading sire of juvenile talent in New Zealand, particularly with his 2-year-old crop this season, with three of the country’s top five performers sired by him: Jumal (1), Fugitive (4), and All Of Me (5). The remaining top spots are held by Bettor’s Delight progeny: Freeze Frame (2) and Allamericanplayer (3).
Photo: Bettor's Delight, sire of Leap To Fame
FAME, FORTUNE, FREE-FOR-ALL
LEAP TO FAME showed exactly why he remains one of Australasia’s elite pacers, bouncing back with a gutsy win in the Group 1 Allied Security NZ Free For All at Addington Raceway on Friday.
Fresh from a tremendous second-place finish in the NZ Cup earlier in the week, the son of BETTOR'S DELIGHT didn’t skip a beat. Even with the long season behind him, he surged to the front and held off challengers Republican Party (Bettor's Delight) and Merlin (Art Major) to take home the lion’s share of the $200,000 purse.
This wasn’t just a consolation prize, the Free For All is a prestigious Group 1 sprint over 1980 metres, and Leap To Fame’s victory underlines his class and toughness.
Trista Dixon, a main part of the day-to-day care of Leap To Fame, said afterward how much it meant: “It is lovely to pick up this race and show everybody he still has it, which we never doubt.” Despite the fatigue of the Cup trip and returning form, Leap To Fame showed heart, strength, and old-school pace.
The win is also a credit to his trainer-driver Grant Dixon, who engineered the race after working to the front, and speaks to Leap To Fame’s resilience and high-quality conditioning throughout a campaign full of feature races.
Afterwards, the team made it clear that Leap To Fame’s work isn’t done, the plans include a flight back to Sydney this week and a rest before his next target.
Leap To Fame's win helped to top off a successful week for Bettor's Delight with 11 winners in New Zealand alone and 19 across Australasia.
Photo: Paul Kenny (left) and Andrew Grierson (right) accepting plaques from Dunstan Horsefeed's David Smith (middle)
NZSBA FUNCTION REWARDS SUCCESS
The NZ Standardbred Breeders’ Association Cup Eve Function is always a highlight of Cup Week, a night celebrating the breeders, horses, and bloodlines shaping the future of harness racing.
This year, Woodlands Stud and sister-operation Charles Joseph Ltd were front and centre, with multiple Group race wins and Australian Group 1 successes. Their achievements reflect decades of investment in elite broodmares, world-class sires, and a steadfast commitment to producing champions. Many of our loyal clients were also rewarded for backing our sires with their broodmare bands.
ome of the award recipients:
Sweet Lou: Arafura (Northern Oaks Gp1), Mantra Blue (Mares’ Spring Sprint Classic Gp2), Jolimont (Founders Cup Gp3), Christopher Dance (WA Derby AU Gp1), Duchess Megxit (NZ Pacing Oaks Gp1 & Queen Of Hearts Gp1)
Downbytheseaside: Pinseeker (Autumn FFA Gp3), Aardiebytheseaside (Westral Mares Classic Gp1), Coastal Babe (Victoria Oaks Gp1), Jumal (Diamond Creek Farm 2YO Classic Gp1)
Bettor’s Delight: Mo’unga, Marketplace, Republican Party, Stella Rouge, and more across NZ & AU Group races
What The Hill: Bet N Win (Fred Shaw Memorial Gp1, Rowe Cup Gp1) and Frazzled (Northern Trotting Oaks Gp3)
Mary & Paul Kenny continue to steward the legendary Charles Roberts bloodlines. Highlighted by Beside Me (Downbytheseaside × Dream About Me) the Ladyship Stakes Group 2 winner, their broodmares remain at the forefront of producing top-class standardbreds.
Woodlands Stud continue to work towards strengthening the industry, bringing World Class bloodlines to Australasia and helping to shape the next generation of champions.
Cup Week 2025 was a reminder of the incredible talent, dedication, and breeding excellence that Woodlands continues to deliver. From 2YO champions to open-class winners, our sires were front and centre across the week, and we couldn’t be prouder of their achievements. Here’s to the next generation of stars and doing it all again in 2026!
When you breed with Woodlands, you’re not just breeding a horse, you’re choosing the best chance of success.
Contact our friendly team today if you have any bookings or queries regarding our sires for the 2025-26 season.
Cameron Grant (NZ): +64 22 096 1897 or cameron@woodlandsstud.co.nz
Mark Hughes (AU): +61 451 650 707 or mark@woodlandsstud.co.nz
Office: +64 9 292 8250 or office@woodlandsstud.co.nz
