Kevin & Shirley Farrier breed two winners from same mare in two countries – within 24 hours
By Duane Ranger
The younger brother and sister of the former ‘Prince of Palmy’ (Te Kawau), won in two different countries within 24 hours of each other this weekend (June 3 and 4).
Te Kawau, who won 12 of his 39 starts and placed in 14 others ($186,376) was known as ‘The Prince of Palmerston North’ or ‘The Manawatu Mauler’ during his racing days between 2013 and 2016.
Bri Express winning at Cambridge Raceway
(c) Chanelle Lawson / Cambridge Raceway
Te Kawau was the first and most successful of the nine foals so far out of the two-win 2004 Christian Cullen – Haylin Magpie (Holmes Hanover) two-win mare, Haylin Express.
Her seventh foal, the 4-year-old daughter of A Rocknroll Dance, Bri Express (1:56.5,) won the fifth race at Cambridge Raceway on Friday (June 2).
Then the following night – foal six, the 6-year-old American Ideal gelding, Taipo (1.53.7), won the first race at Tabcorp Park Menangle.
Taipo winning at Menangle
Breeders, Kevin and Shirley Farrier, who are semi-retired dairy farms at Glen Oroua – 20 minutes from Palmerston North, were delighted with the double success.
Kevin and Shirley Farrier
“I’m so pleased for the new owners. We generally breed our own horses so we can race them, but with these two we b got good offers we couldn’t refuse.
“The mare (Haylin Express) has done a wonderful job for us. She’s still at home and looks as good as ever. We only like to breed from our mares every two to three years and apart from this season, this is the only time she has failed to produce since Te Kawau in 2010,” Farrier (Shirley) said.
“She missed to Captain Crunch this time, but that’s to be expected, she’s 18 now and that was her first no return. Kevin said he would probably try again with the same sire next season,” she added.
Mrs Farrier said Haylin Express was closely related to the Peter Wolfenden (MBE) trained pacer, Agua Caliente, who won 24 races ($413,027) between 1996 and 2002, including two Group Ones – the 1997 New Zealand Messenger Championship and the New Zealand Free-For-All in 2000.
The unraced Haylin Magpie (by Holmes Hanover), who is Agua Caliente’s little half-sister, is also the dam of Haylin Express.
“We got into the breed via Haylin Magpie. Kevin bought a half share in the mare which was owned by Don Haydock.
“She never raced, but she left three foals – the third of which was Haylin Express, who was by Christian Cullen. Te Kawau was the first foal we bred outright from the family and now she has left us another eight foals since,” Mrs Farrier said.
She said the mare’s youngest foal, a Lather Up yearling gelding named, Manavue, had just been broken in by Stephen Doody, while next youngest, the 3-year-old American Ideal gelding was named Mannion.
“We co-own him and he has so far won one (Cambridge March 9) of his nine starts and placed in four others for Arna (Donnelly) who trains him in Cambridge.
“The next two youngest foals – Bri Express and Taipo we sold, Taipo was a lovely big colt, and although not as big, so was his sister, ” Mrs Farrier said.
Bri Express is trained by Steven Reid and Simon McMullen at Pukekohe. She is owned by John Curtin and was driven on Friday by Peter Ferguson. It was Bri Express’s fourth win in 19 starts. She’s also placed seven times.
As for Taipo, he is trained and driven by Brad Hewitt at Goulburn (NSW) and is owned by Mick Boots Properties Racing Pty Ltd. Taipo has so far won two of his four starts in Australia since being exported there in January this year.
Prior to his departure Taipo won seven of his 39 New Zealand races (13 placings) and banked $89,079 in stakes. He also recorded a slashing 1:53.7-mile rate when winning at Alexandra Park in October 2020.
Mrs Farrier then commented on Haylin Express’s second, third, and fourth foals – the ones between Te Kawau and Taipo.
She said foal two – the 2011 Mach Three colt – Janron, who won three races, was sold as a hack. Then came foals three and four – the unraced Oroua Express (2012 Art Major filly) and CD Express (2014 Bettor’s Delight filly) who placed three times.
“Sadly, Oroua Express died while foaling in 2020. She left one horse to the races – a Sweet Lou colt named Oroua, who won two of his six starts before getting injured.
“But we are still breeding from CD Express. She has left us two foals – a Vincent 3-year-old filly named Wyuna Bay Pipi and a Sweet Lou yearling colt named D K Louie. The filly is at home and has had her second prep, while the Sweet Lou has just been broken in and we will wait for another year.”
Mrs Farrier said the only other foal left by Haylin Express was the 2015 Bettor’s Delight gelding, Milner, who won three of his 42 starts, and placed in 11 others for trainer, Stephen Doody.
“Oroua was a parliamentary electorate in the Manawatu- Wanganui region of New Zealand from 1902 to 1938, and Milner is the name of the road the we live on,” she said.
The Farriers have been on their Glen Oroua dairy farm since 1981. Glen Oroua is about 20 minutes west of Palmerston North.
Mr Farrier said he had always been a farmer.
“I got my first horse when I was 19. David Ofsoski, who had a horse named Goldrick got me into racing in the 1970s. They had a property adjacent to ours near Otaki on the Kapiti Coast,” he said.