Wellfield Lodge A Work In Progress
Tuesday, 17 August 2010:  | | Winter King |
Wellfield Lodge has since developed into a significant 300 acre stud operation standing three sires and supporting a notable broodmare band.
“When we arrived, the plan was to keep the farm as it was. As a result we concentrated on developing and growing our broodmare band,” Gleeson said.
“My own racing interests were growing at this point to no longer being of hobby proportions, so when the farm next door became available, we decided to buy it.
“Shortly after we purchased the farm, we got the opportunity to stand Handsome Ransom and 18 months after that, we all agreed it would be a great decision to stand Alamosa.
"It wasn't planned, but when we heard Road To Rock was available this year, we decided this was too much of an opportunity to turn down and this is pretty much how our stallion interests took hold.”
Wellfield's female focus also continued to grow.
“We had done some market research and it showed as that when you look at the model of the very best studs in New Zealand, they all had significant broodmare bands to support their stallions with,” Gleeson said.
Wellfield Lodge has spent the last three years buying young fillies and mares with black-type race records.
“We now have some stunning young mares in our 60 strong broodmare band. When we were buying these mares a proven black-type race record was a must and they also had to be very good physically,'" said Gleeson.
Wellfield Lodge's young femme fatales include mares such as Everswindell, St. Jessie, Penny Florence, Elfonze, Elegant Emerald, Mya, Zatiger, Zeta Black, Out of Align, and You Beauty.
The stud is also the fortunate owner of a daughter of the Diamond Lover mare Peruzzi, Something Special – the dam of last weekend's Rosehill Starlight Stakes winner Winter King.
The stud is also in partnership as the owners of Cold Shoulder, a half sister to G1 Melbourne Cup hero Efficient and to the Windsor Park Stud sire Guillotine.
“We sold a Cold Shoulder-Zabeel colt to Graham Rogerson at Karaka this year for $420,000.
“He is destined for the Williams family's Macedon Lodge, who know this family well.
“In 2010 she will be represented there by a grey Zabeel filly, who like the colt just mentioned, is a three quarter sibling to Efficient," Gleeson said.
“Winter King's dam Something Special didn't have a foal in 2009, so she won't have anything at Karaka this year but we are very much looking forward to the Alamosa foal she is due to have in three weeks.”
Wellfield has a rigorous selection criteria for sending horses to sales.
“We will only take a horse to the sale that is best positioned for them in that marketplace. We've gone to sales with 11-12 horses and left as many as we've taken at home.
“It's not that they won't be good racehorses, it's just that they weren't sales type horses,” said Gleeson.
"Last year, for example, we had a Darci Brahma half-brother to Winter King, who we didn't take due to him having a minor x-ray issue.
“He will be fine to race, but he just wasn't a 'sales' horse.”
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