Zepherin adds lustre to stud’s good record

Press, 30 January 1984, Page 23

Zepherin adds lustre to stud’s good record

By

J. J. BOYLE

“Breed the good colts and sell them — breed top fillies but keep some of them." That in essence is the philosphy of Mr Jack Lindsay, a former Cantabrian, who directs a close-knit family operation in the conduct of the Balcarres Stud at Matamata. Ben Lomond, Raajpoot, Stipulate, and Taras Bulba were some high-class colts sold from Balcarres Stud drafts. However, Balcarres has retained for racing, and as a future gem in its ranks of broodmares, the Zephyr Bay filly Zepherin, brilliant

winner of the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham on Saturday. Zepherin was odds-on favourite. and never gave her army of backers a second thought about the outcome. She was cruising in the hands of Greg Childs 800 m out. A moment later Childs was thinking: “I’m on a good horse sitting behind a slow horse — what am I doing here?” Childs, answered the question by taking Zepherin clear near the home turn. He confessed later he felt he might have gone too

early, only to find on looking behind him that there was only a struggling procession in sight. “This is a good filly, and she’s going to get better yet,” said Childs, who this year has completed a hattrick in New Zealand's premier race for staying three-year-old fillies. Immediate plans are to rest Zepherin, but Easter is late enough this year to allow the Matamata trainer, Jim Gibbs, to bring her back and go after the A.J.C. Oaks in Sydney. Gibbs, who also won the New Zealand Oaks with Maurita in 1982, said on Saturday that he had been

encouraged by Zepherin’s recovery powers after her placed run in the New Zealand Derby. Gibbs put two other runners into Saturday’s classic, and Duanatte’s Girl completed a memorable stable quinella by finishing fast for second. The Balcarres Stud bred Zepherin from Lucky Bid. which cost no more than $7OOO as a yearling, although she was closely related to the great race mare La Mer. “She ws the bargain of that sale. I thought so at the time, and now that's obvious to everyone,” Mr Lindsay said on Saturday.