2019 News Archive
8th November 2019 - MELBOURNE CUP CARNIVAL WINNERS
The winners continued to flow freely for Limitless Lodge graduates over the Carnival with more to come on Saturday.
The graduates that have passed through Limitless Lodge who were successful during the week were headed by Exceedence and Kolding who won the two features at Randwick and Flemington on the weekend.
Exceedence - Team Hawkes – G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington
Kolding - Waller – $7.5m Golden Eagle at Rosehill
Other winners were
Plonka – Gavenlock
Outrageous – Team Hawkes
Asterius - Waller
Sure Knee – Waller
Pancho – Waller
31st October 2019 - PLANS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENTING SEASON
We’re getting towards the end of the year and the end of the competition eventing season. This has been a very successful year so far for my two best horses – Napoleon and Menlo Park. I have high hopes for their end of season goals. This weekend I will be taking four horses to Queensland to compete at Tambourine. Menlo Park and Napoleon will have a hit out as will Nevada Ned and Touch Heaven. I think it is worthwhile going to this event as they consistently produce good ground and good surfaces for our horses to compete on. NSW, although the leading state by numbers and success is way behind every other state in ground preparation. If it wasn’t for the efforts of Alex Townsend at all the Southern events in her district then we would be in a terrible predicament. This season I have travelled to Melbourne and Queensland to compete to find good ground and have been well rewarded for my travels. The following weekend I will take those same horses to SIEC for a dressage and show jumping protocol day as the final lead up to Adelaide. We leave for Adelaide on Monday 11th November.
This year at Adelaide I will have Napoleon in the 4* and Menlo Park in the 3*. An exciting addition to the team travelling to Adelaide is Billy (GV Billy Elliot). He will be jumping at Adelaide as it runs a show jumping show in parallel to the eventing. I am thinking and hoping, that Billy will be very competitive in the Mini Prix. He has had a few show jumping shows in the lead up and feels fantastic. When we get home from Adelaide we will have the following weekend at Jump Club and then a couple of days later head to the final event of the season – Wallaby Hill. My main hope at Wallaby Hill will be Napoleon in the 4*. Other rides for me there will be Nevada Ned and Touch Heaven and the recently arrived Cooley Gangster (from Ireland).
30th October 2019 - BRILLIANT WEEKEND WINNERS FROM LIMITLESS LODGE
We are very aware that we are lucky to work with the best horses, for the best trainers and the best owners but Saturday was a fantastic day for Limitless Lodge graduates.
In Sydney at Randwick on Saturday there were 9 races and Limitless Lodge graduates produced the winners of 4 including the trifecta in the $1M Bondi Stakes.
These horses have all been through the stables at Limitless Lodge in the beautiful Yarramalong Valley.
Diamond Thunder - Mark Newnham
Madam Rouge - Chris Waller
Master Of Wine - Team Hawkes
Kubrick - Chris Waller
Pancho - Chris Waller
Colada - Gerald Ryan
Romani Girl - Chris Waller
We are now looking forward to a big day of racing in Sydney and Melbourne on Saturday with Brutal (Hawkes) favourite for The Golden Eagle and Shadow Hero (Newnham) favourite for the Victoria Derby. Both horses started their competitive life at Limitless Lodge.
30th October 2019 - LIFE AFTER RACING FOR THOROUGHBREDS
The 7.30 report from a couple of weeks ago has been a much discussed topic everywhere and not just in racing circles. I have been dealing with the thoroughbred industry for 30+ years and found almost without exception that high flyers and battlers alike genuinely love their horses. It was horribly distressing to watch the footage and the contents of the report for all horse lovers.
My first champion horse was a horse called Waratah. He was a full thoroughbred bred in South Australia and we were lucky enough to travel to Europe to event and be part of the 1994 Australian World Championship Squad. Since then I have had many, many wonderful thoroughbreds who have evented to the highest level and gone on to competition homes all over Australia and all over the world. I have followed their careers closely and am often in contact with the new owners. I was fortunate enough to compete the champion Grand Armee for a number of seasons who was able to win up to 2* level. He is probably best known for defeating Lonhro in his final race start but was also himself a multiple G1 winner. He quickly adapted to jumping and very much enjoyed his life after travelling as part of my team. When he had reached his limit he was given a home until his final days were seen out at the farm.
More recently I am competing several thoroughbreds. I have very high hopes for Touch Heaven (T/B by Distorted Humour) and Nevada Ned (T/B by Quest For Fame).
Debbie Kepitis, best known as one of the owners of Winx is a fanatical horse lover and wants everything done to the highest level for her horses during racing and after racing. She is a fantastic role model. Debbie gets a huge thrill out of knowing that Broodwar and Loophole are going to be looked after for life at Limitless Lodge and will have fulfilling competition careers post racing.
More and more racing owners are very interested in remaining connected with their horse through to the next stage of life whether that be in the competition arena or retired on a farm. It is important that these stories are heard.
If this 7.30 report makes that small percentage of people doing the wrong thing more accountable for their actions then it has been a worthwhile expose. The overwhelming vast majority of participants in this industry are extreme horse lovers. As we know, none of our fame or fun is possible without these majestic animals.
14th October 2019 – SHADOW HERO DOMINATES THE SPRING CHAMPION STAKES G1
The winners are flowing freely now for the top horses who have graduated from Limitless Lodge. Mark Newnham has become a very important client of the farm over the last few years and deserves all the success he is getting. Shadow Hero has come a long way but was always going to be a high class stayer.
Other graduates from the farm who won in Sydney on the weekend were:
Master Of Wine - Harolds Handicap 2000m - Team Hawkes
Colada – Stan Fox Stakes G2 - G Ryan
7th October 2019 - BIG DAY FOR LIMITLESS LODGE GRADUATES
As the Spring Carnival gets in to full swing, the big horses are winning the big races with the big trainers and it is very exciting for all involved. Chris Waller and Team Hawkes are two of our biggest supporters and they certainly had a very good day on Saturday.
Winning graduates from the farm on the weekend included:
Kolding G1 Epsom - Waller
Funstar G1 Flight Stakes - Waller
Brutal G2 Premiere Stakes - Hawkes
Haut Brion Her G2 Blazer Stakes - Waller
Dealmaker 1600m handicap – Waller
Other notable Limitless performers from the weekend were:
Finche 2nd in the Turnbull Stakes G1. Favourite for the Melbourne Cup - Waller
Te Akau Shark 2nd in the Epsom G1 and high up in betting for the Cox Plate. – Edwards
16th September 2019 - VIDEO COLLECTION OF MENLO PARK WINNING MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL CCI3-L
Menlo Park Cross Country at Werribee CCI3-L in June 2019
Menlo Park Showjumping at Werribee CCI3-L in June 2019
Menlo Park Dressage at Werribee CCI3-L June 2019
30th June 2019 - LIMITLESS GRADUATES CONTINUE TO EXCEL
The 2018/19 season has again seen the graduates of Limitless Lodge come to the fore in all major races.
Graduates in this racing season have won 13 Group 1 races and include the champion Winx, Trapeze Artist, Dixie Blossoms, Brutal and most recently, Invincibella.
This next statistic is something we are especially proud of, graduates from the farm on average, over the full racing season, will win three races every Saturday in the Sydney Metropolitan area. We are very aware and fortunate to work with the very best of the best trainers and owners including Chris Waller, Gerald Ryan, Team Hawkes and John Size who trust us with their very best horses.
30th June 2019 - 2019 EVENT SEASON SO FAR…
All in all, I am very happy with the way the season has progressed up until now for me and my horses. My goal was always Melbourne International Horse Trials for the first half of the year with Sydney as the main lead up. Menlo Park and Napoleon have been in outstanding form and have been regular winners so far. My big disappointment this year so far was the season ending injury for Cooley Down Under. I rate this horse extremely highly. He is, however, only seven and there is no rush with him. He will be a top level horse for sure. He ran second at the Equestriad in March in the CCI-S** class just before his injury.
It is now time to give the big boys some much needed time off as we work as a team on the young horses who will make appearances shortly in their first events after winter.
28th June 2019 - MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS SUCCESS
Melbourne has long been a happy hunting ground for me and my horses. I only took two horses this year. Menlo Park in the CCI-L*** and Napoleon in the CCI-L****. Menlo Park followed on his outstanding success at Sydney with another win at Melbourne in the long format. It is a long time since I can remember a horse that wins as often as this horse does. He is just lovely to ride in every way and has been a real boost to my team over the last twelve months.
Napoleon was in tip top shape and finished second in the CCI-L****. Napoleon almost always wins the dressage at this level and against these top horses but he was especially tricky which is most unusual and produced a test that was a long way off his best (only 4 points off the lead). Cross country he was absolutely brilliant and had an unlucky fence down on the last day in the show jumping to finish second in a very competitive class.
20th February 2019 – 2019 EVENTING SEASON KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND
Sydney Eventing hosts the first event of the season and I can’t wait. I am taking my three main horses who will compete in the 4* (Napoleon), 3* (Menlo Park) and 2* (Cooley Down Under). They have been in work for some time and will all run well after a couple of show jumping shows. The ground will be perfect as always and Sydney Eventing is always the perfect place to start a run into the 3DE season. At this stage all my three best horses will head towards Melbourne 3DE with as many as four runs in the lead up.
