Westbury Stud
Westbury Stud was formed in April 2000 through the joining of Watson Bloodstock and Westbury Farm. Watson Bloodstock is owned by highly successful businessman Eric Watson, whose distinctive blue and white colours were seen to advantage on the Group One winners Grand Archway and Little Jamie, while his first venture into racehorse ownership was the AJC Sire's Produce Stakes winner Alf. Watson also owns the New Zealand Warriors NRL professional league team, and Warriors manager Mick Watson and captain Stacey Jones along with other players are in a syndicate owning and racing filly Miss Monk, which has had a win and two seconds in four starts to date.
Westbury Farm began 15 years ago was developed by Russell and Lesley Warwick as a stud operation, standing four stallions including the very successful but ill-fated sire Gold Brose. Westbury Farm has met with success as one of New Zealand's leading thoroughbred nurseries, producing the Group One winners Khaptingly, Fire Arch, Centisle, Ruby Clipper, Buzz Lightyear, Cherontessa, Shindig, Able Master, Our Unicorn, and the 2003 champion 2YO Grout.
In September 2000, Westbury Stud began development on a new property at Karaka in South Auckland, and in December of that year relocated the first of the stud's stock to the new property. Only ten kilometres from New Zealand Bloodstock's Sales Centre, the new stud farm now offers breeders and owners a facility of international standard with a line-up of internationally recognised stallions.
After two years in the planning and nine months of construction the new Pukekohe Park training track was officially opened at a public ceremony at the facility on Thursday July 21.
The new Centre has been developed by an Independent Board comprising representatives of the Auckland and Counties Racing Clubs, with funding provided by the Auckland Racing Club and land provided by the Counties Racing Club.
'This multi-million dollar, purpose built facility is an important milestone for racing in New Zealand,' said the training track's board chairman, Ron Chitty. 'The new tracks have been established using leading edge technology that will provide the thoroughbred racing industry in the region with access to training surfaces that will be the envy of the rest of the country.'
The new Training Centre is a $2 million project, funded by a grant from the Auckland Racing Club. It features a 15 metre wide all-weather track, two grass surfaces and a plough track along with a dual lamp lighting system that provides trainers with the ability to consistently work their horses at a designated time.
Leading Pukekohe-based trainer Richard Collett said, 'I believe the new all weather track will put trainers in a situation where horses will be able to be trained all year round on a consistent surface.'
This sentiment was echoed by fellow trainer Russell Cameron who has recently settled at Pukekohe following training stints in Australia and Macau. 'I have worked horses on all-weather surfaces in Asia and Australia and this is the most consistent surface I have struck. When other owners and trainers see the results from the Centre they will want to have their horses trained here as well,' said Cameron.
The new track has been in operation for several weeks as local trainers and industry participants utilised the new surfaces to monitor any potential problems or issues. In this time a number of race winners have emerged from Pukekohe including the impressive Mandana at Avondale (Saturday, July 2), the first winner for Russell Cameron since his appointment to the Westbury Stud Stables at Pukekohe.
The development of the centre will be ongoing with the Counties Racing Club planning additional tie-up stalls, a veterinary clinic and stabling as demand requires. Russell Cameron is looking forward to the beginning of the new season, "We have got some nice young horses coming through and outside owners are starting to appreciate the excellent facilities we have got at Counties. The facility is on a par with the very best in Australia, while the new training track at Pukekohe is as good as anywhere I have been" said Cameron.
Cameron is training about 30 horses at the moment and expects to have a full stable of 40 within the next month or two, "While a number of the horses we have in work are owned by Westbury Stud and their associates, we are starting to get some enquiry from outside owners and I have around ten horses owned by Australian clients in the stable at present."
Russell Cameron took over the reins at the state-of-the-art Westburys Pukekohe training centre from April 1 having spent the previous two years in Macau. He took over the training from Westburys co-owner Russell Warwick.
There were about 25 applications submitted for the role and Warwick said he was thrilled that Cameron had shown interest. "It would be a very long time since a trainer of his ability has come to New Zealand to train. I think it was a combination of the impressive training establishment at Pukekohe and the exciting young stock we have to come through that really impressed Russell."
Cameron responded by saying: "Its not often an opportunity like this comes up and with the top quality set up at Pukekohe together with the chance to train some well bred individuals."
Cameron was a founding member of the successful Aquanita operation in Adelaide and about five years ago transferred to Melbourne before heading to Macau in 2003.
He has racked up nine Group 1 races with his star performers being Toledo and Bomber Bill. Toledo was a victor of the Stradbroke and Newmarket Handicaps and the Australian Stakes. Bomber Bill also won an Australian Stakes while Cameron"s other notable victories include the Adelaide Cup with Apache King and a Thousand Guineas with All Time High.
In recent months Westbury has focused its approach towards operating at the top end of the market and the appointment of leading trainer Russell Cameron to oversee the training of its bloodstock is an important part of the new strategy going forward. Cameron will have horses under his care by some of Australasias leading sires in Danehill, Zabeel, Stravinsky, Gold Brose, Faltaat, Lord Ballina, Align, Catbird, Dangerous, Elnadim, and Cullen.
Russell Warwick believes the new Pukekohe facility is the best for training horses in New Zealand, and Westbury has matched the investment in the track and facilities by the Auckland and Counties Racing Clubs with its own impressive stables. There will be room for 40 horses in the stables, all in training for racing. The stables and the care of these horses is more like the American, European and Asian style of indoor care all of the time, except when out on the nearby training track. In NZ many horses are still trained in the paddocks. At Westbury the horses have 5m x 4m boxes, exercise yards and a walking machine, all covered so that can be used without disruption from the weather or darkness. The complex also contains trainers office and owners lounge, where syndicate investors come to see their horses and the training programme.
Westbury Farm began 15 years ago was developed by Russell and Lesley Warwick as a stud operation, standing four stallions including the very successful but ill-fated sire Gold Brose. Westbury Farm has met with success as one of New Zealand's leading thoroughbred nurseries, producing the Group One winners Khaptingly, Fire Arch, Centisle, Ruby Clipper, Buzz Lightyear, Cherontessa, Shindig, Able Master, Our Unicorn, and the 2003 champion 2YO Grout.
In September 2000, Westbury Stud began development on a new property at Karaka in South Auckland, and in December of that year relocated the first of the stud's stock to the new property. Only ten kilometres from New Zealand Bloodstock's Sales Centre, the new stud farm now offers breeders and owners a facility of international standard with a line-up of internationally recognised stallions.
After two years in the planning and nine months of construction the new Pukekohe Park training track was officially opened at a public ceremony at the facility on Thursday July 21.
The new Centre has been developed by an Independent Board comprising representatives of the Auckland and Counties Racing Clubs, with funding provided by the Auckland Racing Club and land provided by the Counties Racing Club.
'This multi-million dollar, purpose built facility is an important milestone for racing in New Zealand,' said the training track's board chairman, Ron Chitty. 'The new tracks have been established using leading edge technology that will provide the thoroughbred racing industry in the region with access to training surfaces that will be the envy of the rest of the country.'
The new Training Centre is a $2 million project, funded by a grant from the Auckland Racing Club. It features a 15 metre wide all-weather track, two grass surfaces and a plough track along with a dual lamp lighting system that provides trainers with the ability to consistently work their horses at a designated time.
Leading Pukekohe-based trainer Richard Collett said, 'I believe the new all weather track will put trainers in a situation where horses will be able to be trained all year round on a consistent surface.'
This sentiment was echoed by fellow trainer Russell Cameron who has recently settled at Pukekohe following training stints in Australia and Macau. 'I have worked horses on all-weather surfaces in Asia and Australia and this is the most consistent surface I have struck. When other owners and trainers see the results from the Centre they will want to have their horses trained here as well,' said Cameron.
The new track has been in operation for several weeks as local trainers and industry participants utilised the new surfaces to monitor any potential problems or issues. In this time a number of race winners have emerged from Pukekohe including the impressive Mandana at Avondale (Saturday, July 2), the first winner for Russell Cameron since his appointment to the Westbury Stud Stables at Pukekohe.
The development of the centre will be ongoing with the Counties Racing Club planning additional tie-up stalls, a veterinary clinic and stabling as demand requires. Russell Cameron is looking forward to the beginning of the new season, "We have got some nice young horses coming through and outside owners are starting to appreciate the excellent facilities we have got at Counties. The facility is on a par with the very best in Australia, while the new training track at Pukekohe is as good as anywhere I have been" said Cameron.
Cameron is training about 30 horses at the moment and expects to have a full stable of 40 within the next month or two, "While a number of the horses we have in work are owned by Westbury Stud and their associates, we are starting to get some enquiry from outside owners and I have around ten horses owned by Australian clients in the stable at present."
Russell Cameron took over the reins at the state-of-the-art Westburys Pukekohe training centre from April 1 having spent the previous two years in Macau. He took over the training from Westburys co-owner Russell Warwick.
There were about 25 applications submitted for the role and Warwick said he was thrilled that Cameron had shown interest. "It would be a very long time since a trainer of his ability has come to New Zealand to train. I think it was a combination of the impressive training establishment at Pukekohe and the exciting young stock we have to come through that really impressed Russell."
Cameron responded by saying: "Its not often an opportunity like this comes up and with the top quality set up at Pukekohe together with the chance to train some well bred individuals."
Cameron was a founding member of the successful Aquanita operation in Adelaide and about five years ago transferred to Melbourne before heading to Macau in 2003.
He has racked up nine Group 1 races with his star performers being Toledo and Bomber Bill. Toledo was a victor of the Stradbroke and Newmarket Handicaps and the Australian Stakes. Bomber Bill also won an Australian Stakes while Cameron"s other notable victories include the Adelaide Cup with Apache King and a Thousand Guineas with All Time High.
In recent months Westbury has focused its approach towards operating at the top end of the market and the appointment of leading trainer Russell Cameron to oversee the training of its bloodstock is an important part of the new strategy going forward. Cameron will have horses under his care by some of Australasias leading sires in Danehill, Zabeel, Stravinsky, Gold Brose, Faltaat, Lord Ballina, Align, Catbird, Dangerous, Elnadim, and Cullen.
Russell Warwick believes the new Pukekohe facility is the best for training horses in New Zealand, and Westbury has matched the investment in the track and facilities by the Auckland and Counties Racing Clubs with its own impressive stables. There will be room for 40 horses in the stables, all in training for racing. The stables and the care of these horses is more like the American, European and Asian style of indoor care all of the time, except when out on the nearby training track. In NZ many horses are still trained in the paddocks. At Westbury the horses have 5m x 4m boxes, exercise yards and a walking machine, all covered so that can be used without disruption from the weather or darkness. The complex also contains trainers office and owners lounge, where syndicate investors come to see their horses and the training programme.