Southland Strength

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32067, 15 August 1969, Page 9

Southland Strength

Southland has long been recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading standardbred nurseries, and hardly a year has gone by without at least one of the top performers in New Zealand coming from that province. A number of new studs has sprung up in Southland, one of the most recent

uue ox uie mosr recem being that of C. T. Woodward at Edendale, which is ideally situated. Woodward will this spring have Tempest Hanover at the stud, and by November at the latest he hopes also to have Butler Byrd, the second son of the champion, Adios Butler, to go to Southland. Tempest Hanover arrived too late to do a full season last year, but he was mated with a number of mares in the late summer and autumn and is practically fully booked for this season.

Woodward, one of the youngest studmasters in Southland, is well known throughout New Zealand as a relnsman, and in the tost year or two as a trainer. Woodward was with the southern trainer, P. M. Tapper, when he trained the fine pacer, East Dome, and later, for about eight years, he was with C. H. Baynes. In addition he had shorter terms with C. C. Scott and L. F. Norman. Among the best horses with whirh ho hac haan

with which he has been associated are Raven’s Song, Merry Morning, Southern Rev and Tryout Woodward is establishing his stud on 119 acres of extremely rich land, and by the time he has finished all the planned improvements he should have a model establishment. As well as a number of bones, the property is carrying 450 ewes at present. Woodward is a son-in-iaw of the prominent Winton trainer and studmaster, H. W. Cox, who has Van Hanover, another imported stallion, on his property. Not far from Woodward’s property is the stud of O.

J. Crooks, and almost inside the boundary of Invercargill G. R. Shirley and A. G. Thomas have established the Ascot Stud. The number of imported stallions available to southern breeders has seldom been greater than at present and with a number of well-performed New Zea-land-bred horses also at the Stud, broodmare owners have a wide selection of pedigrees of a very high standard.