WS NEWS | Christmas Greetings
/MERRY CHRISTMAS!
The team at Woodlands Stud would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We hope 2026 brings you joy, good health, positive pregnancies, healthy foals and plenty of fast racehorses. Thank you for your continued support of Woodlands Stud, our stallions, and the horses we proudly breed and raise.
2025 has been a huge year for our farm.
Across the NZB Standardbred Yearling Sale in February and the Weanling Sale in June, we sold 64 horses, including the equal record-breaking top-priced yearling and the top two priced weanlings. We very much look forward to watching their racing careers unfold in the seasons ahead.
Our Woodlands Syndicate horses also enjoyed a terrific season. Our five racehorses combined for eight wins and 15 placings, including three Group 1 second placings (Princess Gracy x2, Lizzie Borden x1), and accumulated over $200,000 in stakes earnings.
With a month still to go, our breeding season is shaping up positively, with solid numbers across the board and Bettor's Delight, Sweet Lou, Downbytheseaside, Lather Up and Speeding Spur all in great health. While it was disappointing not to have What The Hill return this season, we are immensely proud of the impact his progeny continue to have on the racetrack.
We are also thrilled with the achievements of Woodlands bred and raised horses in 2025. Multiple Group 1 victories from the likes of Arafura, Freeze Frame, Ya Rite Darl and Fugitive, along with weekly wins across Australasia and even North America, continue to fly the Woodlands flag high, something we are extremely proud of.
With one more week remaining in the official season and plenty of great racing still to come, the results of our sires and their progeny continue to set the benchmark worldwide. Here are a few highlights from last week:
GOLDEN GAIT GLORY
Friday night at Alexandra Park was one to remember with the running of the Golden Gait Finals, a standout evening for our stud and stallion roster.
Our sires dominated the programme, winning six of the 10 races, with an incredible four winners bred right here at Woodlands Stud:
Words (Downbytheseaside) – Bred by Woodlands Stud, purchased for $4,000 as a 2021 weanling
Ya Rite Darl (What The Hill) – Bred by Woodlands Stud, purchased for $8,000 as a weanling
The Four Aces (What The Hill) – Bred by Breckon Farms
Sooner The Better (Bettor’s Delight) – Bred by The Radfords & D Richardson
Hillbilly Blues (What The Hill) – Bred by Woodlands Stud, sold as a $30,000 yearling in 2022
Cyclone Rebel (Bettor’s Delight) – Bred by a large group of breeders who largely remain in the ownership
Adding further depth to the performance, our sires were also responsible for 10 additional placings across the card.
Congratulations to all winning connections, and credit to Alexandra Park for hosting a fantastic night of racing.
Photo: Lather Up
ON THE UP
Lather Up continues to prove himself as one of the best value stallions on the roster, delivering results week after week across both sides of the Tasman.
His latest highlights included Basilisk Bob, who paced a career-best 1:52.9 mile rate at Albion Park to secure his ninth career victory, taking his earnings past $93,000 for his connections including Ross Patrick. A horse that continues to improve with age, he is a strong example of the toughness and progression Lather Up is stamping into his progeny.
Adding further momentum, Calexico also recorded his ninth career win at Melton for owner/breeder Verna El-Khishin, reinforcing the stallion’s ability to produce horses that can win repeatedly at metropolitan level.
Lather Up remains outstanding value at just $4,000 + GST in New Zealand and $4,400 inc GST in Australia, and he has backed that up this season with excellent fertility and strong in-foal rates, making him and his progeny an attractive option both on and off the track.
Photo: Sweet Lou - image from Diamond Creek
ON TOP - SWEET LOU
Never far behind Bettor’s Delight, and often even in front of him, Sweet Lou enjoyed another powerful week on the track with 17 individual winners.
His results included a treble at Gloucester Park and doubles at Globe Derby and Hobart, once again highlighting his ability to produce winners across jurisdictions, distances and conditions.
Last week he was crowned 2025 North American Pacing Sire of the Year for the third consecutive season, a testament to his global influence and sustained excellence. Demand for Sweet Lou remains exceptionally strong worldwide, and this season he has again attracted another large and high-quality book of mares in both New Zealand and Australia.
We are extremely fortunate to stand him in the flesh each season alongside our partners at Diamond Creek Farm and his ownership syndicate.
Photo: Bettor's Delight
DELIGHTFUL WEEK
A week wouldn’t feel complete without Bettor’s Delight delivering something special, and once again, he didn’t disappoint.
With 19 individual winners across Australasia, his week was headlined by Republican Party’s Group 1 Invercargill Cup victory when he overcame his 20 metre handicap to win nicely, a result that carried extra significance for Southland breeders John and Katrina Price, seeing one of their own capture Southland’s premier race.
Republican Party now heads north for the Auckland Cup on New Year’s Eve, continuing a season that has firmly established him among the elite.
Bettor’s Delight also produced a treble at Methven, including a quinella in the 2YO event where Franco Lomu impressed to collect the $12,000 bonus and head home a quinella for the sire.
These performances help cap off another dominant season, with Bettor’s Delight continuing to lead the many age group premierships in New Zealand, Australia and North America for 2025, a remarkable achievement at this stage of his career.
Photo: Downbytheseaside
DOWNBYTHESEASIDE
Few stallions have generated as much conversation in 2025 as Downbytheseaside, and his results continue to silence any doubters.
He recorded 10 winners last week, highlighted by Brighton, who captured the Listed 3YO Fillies Southern Cross Final after also winning the 2YO edition last season, a rare and impressive double.
Golden Gait winner Words further boosted his profile, while additional success at Cambridge reinforced the growing depth of his progeny.
From speed to toughness and consistency, Downbytheseaside’s stock are continuing to rise through the ranks, making him one of the most exciting stallions on the roster moving into 2026.
Thank you once again for being part of the Woodlands Stud journey. Your continued support means a great deal to our team, and we are proud to stand stallions and breed horses that continue to deliver on the biggest stages. With plenty of exciting racing still to come and momentum building into 2026, we look forward to sharing the next chapter with you.
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 for any inquiries:
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
