Yearling Sales Preview – Lazmai by Lazarus – Whitershadeofpale - Lot 206 Filly

Yearling preparers, breeders and buyers are in for a big three weeks as we count down to the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales, this year to be held at Karaka on Monday 16 February and the Canterbury Agricultural Park on Wednesday 18 February.

We are proud of the Wai Eyre stallion offerings and are as always grateful to those who support them.

We will highlight some of those up for auction as we build into the biggest week on the standardbred sales calendar in New Zealand.

The yearling sales are a time of many emotions for everyone involved in the process.

From the yearling preparers and sales co-ordinators, to buyers and agents – it’s a long build up to sale day and the time spent inspecting conformation and pedigrees only becomes more intense.

But for those selling their yearlings it can be exciting, yet emotional in many ways.

Adele Dawkins is the co-breeder of Lot 206, a filly by Lazarus out of Whitershadeofpale. And for Adele, it can be hard to say goodbye.

“It can be bittersweet when you sell them. I usually end up with a few tears on the way home. We spend so much time with them they become like family,” Adele admits.  

Lot 206 Lazarus x Whitershadeofpale

Adele and Lindsay Dawkins have had a great run breeding from the mare, after she was gifted to them by their friend John Crosbie.

“The mare was given to me by John Crosbie. He said I could have the pick of his mares, and I liked the look of her the best. We have raised all of her foals, including the first one that John bred out of her.”

Whitershadeofpale (by Changeover) won nine races, including eight in Australia. She is a full sister to Darkershadeofpale, who won 36 races, 26 of which were in the USA where she had a best mile mark of 1.51.8.

She is also the half-sister to River Black and Luella.

River Black raced consistently from age two to eight-years-old and won ten races. He competed at the highest level, placing third in the Yearling Sales Final as a two-year-old, second in the Group Three Invercargill Cup and Group Three Northern Southland Cup.

Luella won four races here in New Zealand before being sold to Australian interests, she won a further four there.

Further back in Lazmai’s pedigree, her third dam is Samantha Franco, and unraced full sister to Smart Son and Vanderel and a half sister to Impish.

Smart son won 41 races, 40 in Australia, while Vanderel won 14 and competed at the highest level, winning the Forbury Park 4 and 5YO Championship.

Impish won six races and competed against the best fillies in feature races at age two and three. She placed third in the Sires Stakes Fillies Championship, and second in the Cheviot 2YO Stakes.

Whitershadeofpale has been a consistent producer as a broodmare for the Dawkins.

She has left a winner in Is He Watching Me, and also Hezasweetie (4 wins to date) and Huxton (3 wins to date).

“The dam has done a great job, we’ve had three to the races so far out of her for three winners,” Adele said.

“I’m really impressed with what the mare has left. They are lovely looking animals.”

“Hezasweetie is doing a great job in Australia, and this filly is probably very similar in type to Huxton – though not as dark as he is. They are all really tough horses typically.”

Adele has had comments on the filly from a young age from those who have been around here, even at the stud farm.

“She is gentle, but she can move. They said to me at the stud when we picked her up that they’d put money on her being able to run just on the way she got around the paddock.”

Lazmai presents a double up of In The Pocket through Lazarus and Changeover, with the Direct Scooter line something the Dawkins have always looked for in the breeding selection process.

Huxton also present the In The Pocket cross, being by Lather Up, who is out of an In The Pocket mare.

The Dawkins are going to the sale happy with the filly the present to prospective buyers.

“She’s got a lovely nature, and so easy to handle. We’ve really enjoyed having her with us,” Adele said.

“She’s a nice looking horse with some good size to her.”

Prepared by the Holmes Stable, who also previously trained Huxton in New Zealand, Robbie Holmes said that the filly has arrived at his property in great condition and well handled.

“She’s lovely to work with, and she has arrived here well prepared,” Robbie said.  

“She accepts anything that we do with her. She has a very strong chest on her too and is a great mover in the paddock.”

Balancing preparing yearlings and running a racing stable can be a busy process, but Robbie says it does have benefits for the young stock as well.

“I think it helps for them to be around the racehorses, we just work around the race horses and then put prep work in with the yearlings. But I think it’s good for them being in the stables with all the other horses in the barn.”

The full sale info can be found here for Lot 206: https://www.nzbstandardbred.co.nz/sales/26syc/206