26/01/2025
What a night!
BARNESWOOD FARM GO BACK-TO-BACK IN AOTEAROA CLASSIC
By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Barneswood Farm Ltd have made the $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) their own, winning last year’s inaugural running with Desert Lightning, and backing that up as breeders of this year’s victor Orchestral.
The pair gave Barneswood Farm’s Sarah and Chris Green, and business partner Ger Beemsterboer, their biggest moment in racing when recording a memorable double in the Aotearoa Classic-Karaka Millions 3YO double at the Karaka Millions meeting last year, and they were rapt to see farm graduate Orchestral continue their dominance of the Aotearoa Classic on Saturday night.
“What a proud moment – two years in a row,” Sarah Green said.
“To see Orchestral get the three-year-old last year and carry on to do what she has done, she is an absolute class act.
“It was very emotional, it couldn’t have been more exciting if we owned her ourselves. It was spectacular, we had friends and family watching and cheering on (trainers) Robert (Wellwood) and Roger (James). It was very special to watch that for them.”
Out of their Group Three performer Symphonic, Barneswood Farm offered Orchestral through Haunui Farm’s 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft where she was purchased by James and Wellwood for $625,000.
Saturday’s win was timely for the farm, who are set to offer Orchestral’s yearling full-sister at Karaka, where she will go through the sales ring as lot 345 on Monday.
“That is pretty exciting,” Green said. “She has had a lot of interest, as you would expect.
“I didn’t want to sell her, but that is just the way it is. She is a beautiful filly and she has been nice and correct, and big and strong since she was born. I think she has got a good future in front of her.
“We have got another full-sister to Orchestral at foot. We will keep the foal, so the line keeps going.”
Adding further interest to the sale is the Savabeel filly is a full-sister in blood to three-year-old sensation Savaglee, who has won five of his six starts this season, including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November.
As a slot holder in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), Green has followed Savaglee’s career with great interest, and she said being a part of the inaugural running of the slot race is giving her family great enjoyment.
“We haven’t filled our slot yet, so it’s always interesting watching all of the three-year-olds,” she said.
“My son, Harry, who lives in America, he is 22 and spends all his time doing sectionals in Australia and New Zealand. He is obsessed with it, and it’s great bringing younger ones into the game.
“There are a few good three-year-old races coming up, so we have got time to fill that slot.”
Barneswood Farm have had a lot of success buying out of Karaka, with Group One winners Desert Lightning, Media Sensation, Planet Rock, and Orchestral’s dam Symphonic just a number of their purchases.
Their former trainers Peter and Dawn Williams played an integral part in their yearling selections, and they will once again team up with the husband-and-wife duo to try and replicate their success.
“Hopefully we will come away with one or two,” Green said.
“Peter and Dawn are with us. They have got such a good eye for picking a horse that you can’t not have them with you. They are great people and great friends.”
Barneswood Farm will also be offering a handful of yearlings at Karaka as vendors, with their offerings going through Haunui Farm’s draft.
“We have got four in Book 1 and one in Book 2,” Green said.
“It is exciting to sell them, but I am completely different to my husband, he is a seller and I am a keeper, but you can’t keep them all.”
📸 Orchestral winning Saturday's $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
