Boom WA colt from old NZ fa
Graeme Iggo
mily
By Peter Wharton
The Sweet Lou colt Lusaka, who is undefeated in four starts in Western Australia this season and is regarded as Derby material of the highest order, is the result of a breeding program that began in New Zealand more than 40 years ago.
The plan was hatched at a Christchurch mixed sale in 1977 when brothers Graeme and Phillip Iggo shelled out $7,000 for the Brahman mare Hindu Star, in foal to the NZ Derby winner Willie Win.
The resultant foal, Naivasha, was unraced and was later sold to Queensland, leaving six moderate winners.
The following season Hindu Star, the dam of the Inter Dominion heat winner Canis Minor and broodmare gem Sakuntala, was joined to the Tar Heel horse Armbro Del.
“We wanted to get a sister to Sakuntala, who was already showing signs of being a good broodmare,” Graeme said.
Kinshasha, the result of the mating, won only one race but she established the Hindu Star family to some purpose, though not to the same magnitude as her sister.
Kinshasha produced eight individual winners including the record-breaking 1992 NZ Sires’ Stakes 2YO Championship winner Kisumu, who, in turn, produced six winners headed up by the 2004 Nevele R Fillies’ Series and Queensland Oaks victor Turkana.
Rafiki, a New York Motoring mare out of Kisumu, left nine winners including Freedom Fighter, who took a record of 1:52 in America, the Albion Park winner Friend and Tamarind, who became the dam of the multiple Menangle winner Tamanisha, dam of the APG 3YO Consolation winner Tamanisha Terror, the Gloucester Park winner Hasani and Batini (by Bettor’s Delight), the dam of Lusaka.
“Batini”, the dam of “Lusaka”, with her “Sportswriter” filly foal which was sold as a yearling at this year’s (2023) Christchurch Yearling Sale to Colin DeFilipp
Besides Lusaka, Batini, who won twice, produced the NZ, Victorian and Tasmanian winner Kenya and recent Banks Peninsula winner Tanganyika.
Lusaka was knocked down for $24,000 to Dunsandel horseman Greg Payne at NZ Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale at Christchurch in 2021. The colt won at his first attempt as a two-year-old at Addington in July last year before being sold to clients of Greg and Skye Bond’s stable in Perth.
From seven starts in WA Lusaka has notched up five wins and a close third in the $150,000 Golden Slipper from seven outings.
Since producing Lusaka in 2019, Batini has left a Sportswriter filly named Masindi, who was bought by Canterbury trainers Colin and Julie DeFilippi for $10,000 at this year’s National sale, and a Sky Major colt, Swahili, who will be offered at the 2024 sales.
She is carrying a positive test to Vincent.
“Lusaka” as a yearling, taken prior to the Yearling Sales in 2021
Iggo is also breeding from four close relatives of Lusaka. They are Mashika (Mach Three-Rafiki) and her daughter Manzini (by Art Major), Pangani (Mach Three-Christian Watch) and her daughter Keisha (by Sportswriter).
“People have told me that I should be tapping into other families, but I’m happy to go along just as I am,” Graeme Iggo said.
He said that Turkana and Kisumu are the two best horses he’s bred so far.
