New Year’s Day at Ellerslie promises to be a big day for the Treweeks. As well as the Sistema Railway (1200m), the programme includes the Gr.2 Laser Plumbing Te Puke Avondale Cup (2400m) and the Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final (2200m).
“We could have runners in all three races,” Treweek said. “Kachhi, a mare we bred and race, is being aimed at the Avondale Cup and if she doesn’t run in that she’ll start in the Dunstan Final, which is the race Magic Chai is going for. They’re the only three horses we are racing at the moment.
“Kachhi is the last foal of our mare Barija. She died a couple of hours after having her and Kachhi was raised on a foster mare.”
Highlights the Treweeks have experienced as owners include the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) with Atlante, the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) with San Luis and the Grand National Hurdles (4200m) with Cool Water.
This year, they had a double interest in the 2000 Guineas with Ever Loyal (third) and Te Akau Shark (fourth) being horses they prepared for sales.
Their Lyndhurst Farm operation was the leading vendor by average at last month’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale and, in total, they have sold 10 Group One winners and at least 25 stakes performers.
It is very much a family concern with Mark and Shelley being joined in the day to day operation by their son Dylan, 25, while Nicole helps out during sales time.
Lyndhurst Farm will have a 13-strong draft in Book One at Karaka in 2018 with many of the leading sires represented, including Tavistock, Fastnet Rock, I Am Invincible, Written Tycoon, Sebring, Reset, Hinchinbrook and Iffraaj. Ocean Park and other young sires Charm Spirit and Brazen Beau complete the line-up.
“Most of them are our own, but we also have some for clients,” Treweek said. “It should be a good sale.”