30 April 2026
Wrote heads Highview Roster
Highview Stud have announced the service fees for their quartet of stallions ahead of the 2026 breeding season, headlined by Group One sire Wrote, who will again stand for a fee of $12,000+GST.
A Group One winning son of High Chaparral, Wrote is the sire of Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) heroine Pulchritudinous, who trained on to win the Gr.3 Magic Millions Mile.
In the past 12 months highlight progeny have included multiple Group winners Wrote To Arataki and Midnight Edition, as well as the Dennis Yip-trained Group Three winner Fast Network, who has been Group One placed behind Ka Ying Rising on multiple occasions.
“He has had a Group winner in Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia this season and you’ve got to remember he has done it off some smaller crops,” Highview Stud’s Brent Gillovic said.
“His yearlings averaged $170,000 at the Karaka Yearling Sales and his winners-to-runners ratio is very high.
“His stock are particularly popular in Hong Kong where he has had nine individual winners from 14 to the races.
“We pondered whether to increase his fee, but given the state of the economy in Australasia, it is just a nice time to sit back and give breeders a chance.”
Barnmate Mr Mozart has been well supported in his first two years at stud, with the multiple Group winning son of Snitzel covering 91 and 82 mares respectively and will stand at $6,000+GST.
“Mr Mozart covered 173 mares in his first two seasons, so he gets every opportunity. Everybody's rapt with his first foals,” Gillovic said.
“Kurtis (Gillovic) and Dylan Ralph went around and inspected a good cross-section of foals by Mr Mozart. They were really impressed with the type he's left — good, strong, correct foals with fantastic temperaments.”
Associate stallions Divine Prophet and Santos will both stand at $5,000+GST, with Divine Prophet represented by Royal Ascot aspirant Generosity and Santos represented by in-form black-type sprinter Platinum Attack. - NZ Racing Desk
Von Hauke takes second shot at Golden Mile
Mornington-based horseman Cliff Brown is known for his patience, and he has needed plenty of it with Von Hauke (NZ) (Savabeel).
Brown had considerable success around Australia before moving to Singapore where he spent the best part of 15 years plying his trade.
Since his return, Brown has had a steady stream of winners and collected a Group 1 prize with Sepals (Calyx) in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield last spring.
Von Hauke has an abundance of ability right from when the gelding made his debut as a three-year-old in a rich maiden at Pakenham, leading him to the Future Stars series.
Von Hauke has rarely been too far from the money but was his own worst enemy, and it is only now, as a six-year-old, that Brown says the gelding as started to 'grow up'.
The Listed Golden Mile (1600m) at Bendigo on Saturday will see Von Hauke looking to get another win on the board and potentially book a ticket north to Queensland for the winter.
It will be the second time Von Hauke has run in the Golden Mile, finishing fourth last year.
"He didn't have a lot of luck last year, but he's that sort of horse," Brown said.
"When you get back, luck has to go your way.
"He got galloped on last year and then he had to go for a break, otherwise he would have gone to Brisbane."
Von Hauke won the Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley last spring and was put away for a break after contesting the Champions Mile on the final day of Melbourne Cup week.
He resumed with a fifth-place finish in the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on April 4.
"I thought his first-up run was excellent, but he peaked in the last bit," Brown said.
"At least now, he's grown up and we can run him over a little bit further, as in the past you couldn't as he would want to go too hard, so he's better in that aspect.
"He trialled up well after his first-up run but I still think there's improvement to come.
"He is only second up and I think the weight, which he was always going to get, is a negative and there are some lovely horses in this, but depending on how he goes, he might head to Queensland.
"He's not far off them (the better ones), so it will be interesting to see to where he gets to."
Von Hauke is bred by Waikato Stud and is out of the O’Reilly mare Tiara, who is a granddaughter of the Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) winner Royal Tiara. - NZ Racing Desk
Paul Vettise
Joshua Smith
Joshua Smith
