Client Spotlight - Warwick Sparks

When Warwick Sparks first fell in love with racing, it was his family ties that lit the fire and his friendships that stoked it. And it’s well and truly still burning.

Photo Credit with thanks to Race Images

A stock and crop farmer based in Pendarves, Mid Canterbury, Warwick has had a longstanding relationship with the Brown family of Wai Eyre Farm and the Dunns.

That relationship has had many fond memories and highlights over the years.

His early memories start back at high school boarding at Timaru Boys High School, as Warwick remembers always having a fight with some of the other students for the race page lift out of the paper every Friday.

“It’s funny looking back because I was at school with John Grice and Richard (Nifty) Norman.”

“We weren’t close mates then, we got along well but it’s interesting how much we all got into racing but we didn’t really realise at the time just how much we each loved it.”

“We just all knocked around with different people but we were all in the hostel together.”

“Even thought Nifty hasn’t lived here for a long time whenever he’s back in New Zealand I’ll catch up with him at the races.”

Warwick’s father Graeme had also always had a burning desire to be involved in racing, and luckily had some of his own family connections to live vicariously through.

“Dad’s uncle was Colin McLaughlin who trained Manaroa, and he would take me out there as a kid. I remember being lucky enough to lead Manaroa around, and letting him have a pick of grass.”

“I still have some of Manaroa’s old photos and dress rugs, they are pretty special.”

“Dad just loved going out to visit Colin, but he could never afford to have a horse of his own then.”

Warwick is best known for his association with the ‘Meddle’ line of horses, which started back when he was 17 years old and shearing sheep for his Uncle.

“My uncle was Peter Andrews and he always had a stallion standing at his place.”

“I told him that it was my dream to one day have a racehorse, and the next thing you know I’m arriving back home with a mare in foal.”

“Dad hit the roof, we had quite the barney over it. But as it turned out he ended up taking a share in the horse,” laughed Warwick.

“We also got my grandfather on my Mums side, Lionel, involved, he was a truck driver and he too had always dreamed about owning a horse and he never thought he’d have one. So it was really nice to share that with them.”

The mare that came home that day was Don’t Meddle, and was in foal to Mostest Yankee.

Don’t Meddle was an unraced Meddlesome mare, and the resultant foal was named Yankee Meddle.

Whilst that horse didn’t win it was still a special moment for the family.

“I still have a photo of us at Addington when it qualified, that was a cool moment.”

But it was her second foal, Another Meddle, who would become a key foundation mare for Warwick in his breeding journey.

Another Meddle was by JJ’s Cornell, who happened to be standing at Peter Andrews then, and won two races. She was a wonderful producer, leaving Make A Meddle (7 wins), Majhac Meddle (7 wins), Mr Meddle (6 wins) and Lionels Meddle (14 wins).

She also left Ashleigh’s Meddle, an unraced dam of Bryce’s Meddle (8 wins).

Make A Meddle produced Haydens Meddle (8 wins) and Cullens First Meddle (2 wins).

Cullens First Meddle has left Aimees Meddle (2 wins) and Hayleys Meddle (4 wins) – both of which are now at stud.

He also bought a mare named Awesome Speed (2 wins) who he raced and now breeds from, her first foal died and the second is a two-year-old Sweet Lou filly named Awesome Catherine.

Lionel’s Meddle holds a special place in Warwick’s heart, after a promising start to his career he suffered a horrendous race accident.

“Lionel’s Meddle won his first race as a two-year-old against older opposition, he had a huge wrap on him and I turned down some big offers for him.”

“We did what we felt was best and turned him out for a spell after that, but at his first start back he got squeezed up really badly and crashed.”

“I’ve never run on to a track so quickly in my life, I got to the horse and Johnny (Dunn) was picking himself up from the ground. Aimee Edmonds was also one of the first there and she was amazing.”

“Johnny and I were beside ourselves, horses were still racing around us, and Aimee calmed us down. It was an horrific injury, you could see the bone in the horses leg and we were wondering how on earth we were going to get him off the track – there was no horse ambulance then.”

“I don’t know how but we managed to get the horse up and back to the old stables. And we stayed there until late at night with Aimee and the vet cleaning him up.”

Remarkably the horse recovered well enough to race, but Warwick felt that he was never quite the same again.

“We just took it slow with him, and he actually won his first start back. He went on to win another 13 races including the Wyndham Cup after the crash, he’d show glimpses of his old self but we had to really manage him with short campaigns.”

Lionel’s Meddle was rehomed as a riding horse down in Southland by Geoff and Jude Knight and Genevieve Crawford.

“He’s doing cavalcades now, which is pretty awesome. I’m just so happy he’s having a good life after racing.”

One win that sticks out in his memory was when Bryce’s Meddle won the 2024 Geraldine Cup.

“Dad used to race a horse with a man named Graham Bray who was a former President of the Geraldine Club. And Dad had always wanted to win the Geraldine Cup, for him that was the ultimate.”

“It was the anniversary of Dad’s passing, and on our way down there Mum said to me that the race was on Dad’s bucket list. It was a pretty emotional day already, but then when we won we were just overcome with emotion.”

“I mean the chances of that race, being on the anniversary of his death and then winning it? Just unbelievable, it was such a special win.”

“That’s racing for you though, you just can’t script that stuff.”

When it comes to choosing one horse in particular as a favourite though, that’s a hard call.

“Make A Meddle was pretty special, and Haydens Meddle did a good job too.”

“He’s got a great life now down at Five Star Beef Farm, they have a big feed pad and use the horses to ride through the pens and make sure the cattle are ok. They do that every morning with them.”

“I was actually down at Five Star today and saw him being ridden through the pens, so it’s really nice that I still get to see him and he’s got a happy life. They look after them really well.”

One of his latest additions has been named Paige’s Meddle, a tribute to dedicated stable hand and Dunn stable team member, Paige - a filly out of Hayley’s Meddle.

“Paige is a wonderful person, I brought her down to the farm here to check it out as she had never been on one. She was blown away by the size of all the machinery and all the stock.”

“She does such a great job helping out at the stables, and she just loves the horses so much. I thought it would be a nice thing to do for her, to name one after her.”

The connection with Wai Eyre started when Warwick’s father was good friends with Allan Dunn, father of Robert.

“Robert grazed his horses at Wai Eyre when they were spelling, and that’s when Dad met Mike (Brown). They raced their first horse together with Allan Dunn then.”

“It was all on from then, they just clicked as a group. Mum and Dad would always head off together on trips to Nelson or the Coast to follow the horses, they just loved it.”

“I remember Dad being on the phone to Mike at night for hours, they would just talk horses and where they should head next with them and which stallion they should go to next. It’s what they loved and bonded over, you could never get them off the phone. They would chat away like old hens.”

“I was shearing then and I’d need to use the phone to call people for the next morning, but I’d never get the phone until about ten o’clock at night.”

“I used to love standing back and listening to the three of them talk when they got together. I’d listen and learn, and man there were some stories. Gosh they were funny together.”

The relationship with the Dunn family only grew from there, with Warwick entrusting them to train his horses.

“I couldn’t go anywhere else now, they’d stop talking to me,” laughed Warwick.

“I trust them completely, they’ve done such a great job with my horses over the years and I enjoy having my horses in their stable.”

And all but the first two foals Warwick bred have been born at Wai Eyre, with that connection to the Brown family leading to a lasting loyal journey as a customer.

“I’ve had my ups and downs and lost horses, as you do. But I’ve just had such great service over the years from Wai Eyre.”

“Nicole at Wai Eyre was a big part of that, and I know the staff there now are extremely good at what they do, but Nicole was a big part of the early stages of my horses lives and I appreciate all she did for them.”

“Wai Eyre has always been a part of our breeding and racing story, and it’s nice to keep that going with Darryl now leading the team.”

For Warwick the human connection of racing has been felt deeply over the years.

“Mike always treated me like an equal, I really respected that about him. Even after my father passed away he would still call me to talk about stock and horses, and attend sales with me.”

“Dad had always sent Mike along to keep an eye on me when buying stock as he knew I was sometimes impulsive, but Mike would gently steer me to the best purchases without telling me outright I was wrong. He was a great man and I really enjoyed his company.”

Mike and Warwick had a bit of a tradition when it came to winning races as well.

“If either one of us won a race, we’d be the first person to call the other and congratulate them. Sadly, sometimes I had to call Mike more than he called me,” laughed Warwick.

“We’d always say, it’s your turn to call me next.”

“Now Dad and Grandad have passed it’s nice for my Mum, Una, to become involved in the ownership. She still attends the races whenever she can to watch them.”

“Even though she wasn’t initially that interested in the horses she has made some great friend and memories over the years. I love sharing it with her.”

Warwick and Una with Bryce's Meddle Photo Credit with thanks to Race Images

A story of a friendship that led to a loyal connection. The Sparks and Wai Eyre story continues a new chapter, and many good yarns to come no doubt.

But what is the goal for Warwick Sparks as a breeder?

“My dream as a breeder is to win a Group One race, any Group One would be amazing. But obviously the New Zealand Cup would be the ultimate.”