Pandaia Paying Her Way in NSW
By Peter Wharton
Woodend Beach breeders David and Catherine Butt have every reason to be glad they held onto Pandaia — a daughter of Downbytheseaside — after initially putting her on the market as a qualified three-year-old.
“We tried to sell her after she qualified, but no one made an offer,” explained Catherine. “So we decided to keep her. She was just too well-bred to let go for nothing.”
It proved a shrewd decision.
Named after a Hindu goddess, Pandaia kicked off her career under the guidance of the Butts’ son, Bob, where she showed early promise — winning two of her first four starts at three and placing in both of her four-year-old appearances.
Recognising her raw speed and the potential for a fast mile time, the Butts sent Pandaia to the powerful Rickie Alchin barn in Menangle.
“We thought the Australian style of racing would really suit her. She’s a high-speed mare, and the mile races at Menangle seemed a perfect fit,” Catherine said. “Eventually she’ll come back home and be bred from here in New Zealand.”
Since making the move across the Tasman, Pandaia has exceeded all expectations. In 25 starts in Australia, she’s notched up five wins — four of them at Menangle — and 10 placings, while amassing a tidy $130,348 in stakes. Among those wins are three sparkling sub-1:52 miles, stopping the clock in 1:50.2, 1:50.5 and 1:51 respectively.
Her biggest moment came on April 26, when she turned in a career-best performance to outsprint some of Australasia’s elite mares — including Steno, Tay Tay, and Rakero Rebel — in the Group 3 $50,000 Sibelia Stakes at Menangle.
Pandaia and Ashleigh Delosa winning the G3 Sibelia Stakes at Club Menangle
That victory not only underscored her quality but also secured her a start in the $200,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Mile on May 10 — a dream opportunity for any breeder-owner.
The Butt family, under the Birchbrook Breeding banner, originally purchased Pandaia’s dam, Pearl White, for $30,000 at the 2016 Christchurch Yearling Sales.
“We were drawn to her pedigree — she’s by Artsplace, and we’ve always been fans of that line,” said Catherine. “She suffered a leg injury early on, so rather than push on with a racing campaign, we opted to send her to stud.”
That first mating produced Pandaia — and she’s proven to be worth the wait.
Pearl White’s second foal, Applied (by Sweet Lou), is also now racing in New South Wales. After qualifying in New Zealand, he’s picked up five wins to date and holds a mark of 1:53.8.
More recently, Pearl White’s Rocknroll Hanover colt Troubadour qualified in New Zealand and has since been exported to Western Australia, where he’ll race in partnership with leading trainers Greg and Skye Bond.
“We sold half of him to the Bonds and kept the other half ourselves,” said Catherine. “It’s a similar setup to what we’ve done with Minstrel, who they also race in partnership with us.”
PANDAIA | SIBELIA STAKES REPLAY
Pearl White has since produced a weanling full brother to Pandaia and is now in foal to Bettor’s Delight. She is currently in the care of family friends Marty and Vanessa Smith from Culverden.
“We’ve scaled back a bit on numbers, and since we’ve got Pandaia to breed from in the future, we were happy to let Pearl White go to good hands,” Catherine said.
Pandaia boasts a superb American maternal line.
Her dam, Pearl White, is out of Western Hanover mare West End (1:52.4), who was imported to New Zealand by Robert Famularo of Dancingonmoonlight Farm. West End produced four winners, including Albion Park victor Micky Blue Eyes (1:56.4).
The line traces back to Grand Lady, a USA Hall of Fame Immortal, whose progeny banked over $4.5 million. Among them was the brilliant Glowing Report (1:49.4), a 23-time winner and $2 million earner who claimed the Little Brown Jugette among her many Group 1 victories.
With her on-track performances and deep bloodlines, Pandaia is poised to become a valuable broodmare when she returns to New Zealand — but not before she chases a Group 1 title on Australian soil.
