Trelawney Stud facts for kids

Trelawney Stud is New Zealand's oldest commercial farm for Thoroughbred horses. It was started in 1930 by Seton Otway near Cambridge, New Zealand. This famous farm has been home to many top horses, including important stallions like Carnegie.

Seton Otway began building his stud farm by buying several mares (female horses) from very successful horse families. He couldn't always buy the most famous mares, so he bought their half-sisters, who still came from great lines. Some of his first horses, like Persis and Lady Marie (both born in 1923), helped create families of major race winners in both New Zealand and Australia.

The Farm's Home

The place where Trelawney Stud is today was chosen when Seton Otway bought a large, run-down dairy farm. This farm was about 300 acres (1.2 square kilometers) and was located right by the Waikato River on the North Island of New Zealand. This land became the famous Trelawney Stud, which would later raise some of the best Thoroughbreds and racehorses in Australia and New Zealand.

Famous Stallions

In 1935, Seton Otway brought a special male horse, a sire, named Foxbridge (GB) to Trelawney Stud from England. Foxbridge was a good racehorse there. He cost £2,625, which was a lot of money back then! Foxbridge became one of New Zealand's most successful stallions, meaning he produced many winning offspring. He was also a great "brood-mare sire," meaning his daughters became excellent mothers of racehorses, for eleven years in a row.

Another very successful stallion at Trelawney Stud was Alcimedes (GB). He was a winner in races of different lengths. Alcimedes' first group of foals included Prince Grant, who won the VRC Derby, and Galilee, who won the famous Melbourne Cup. Many of Alcimedes' children raced in Australia, including Divide and Rule and Silver Knight. Silver Knight also won the Melbourne Cup and later became the father of Black Knight, who won the Melbourne Cup in 1984. Alcimedes' offspring also won 20 races in South Africa.

Melbourne Cup Winners

The Trelawney Stud brand is famous because seven horses raised there have won the very important Melbourne Cup race. These winners are:

• Foxzami, who won in 1949.
• Hi Jinx, who won in 1960.
• Galilee, who won in 1966.
• Hiraji, who won in 1947.
• Macdougal, who won in 1959.
• Polo Prince, who won in 1964.
• Silver Knight, who won in 1971.

The champion racehorse Tulloch, who was incredibly famous, also spent his early life at Trelawney Stud.

Changing Owners

For a short time, Trelawney Stud was owned by an Australian businessman named Robert Holmes à Court and his own farm, Heytesbury Stud. Then, in the early 1990s, the Taylor family bought Trelawney Stud from Robert Holmes à Court.

In 2006, Trelawney Stud was home to a top young horse named Van Nistelrooy (USA). This horse was a "yearling" (a one-year-old horse) that had been sold for a huge US$6.4 million!

Trelawney Stud also sold its first "million dollar yearling" in 2009. This young horse, a son of the famous stallion Redoute’s Choice, was sold for A$1.5 million at a sale in Sydney, Australia.