It is always a pleasing experience when the stud and our stallions receive positive publicity. Last month witnessed a couple of very flattering articles published in the Thoroughbred media, with passages taken from one such item beginning this month’s newsletter…

Under the title ‘Money For Jam With Marwina’, Bluebloods editor David Bay dedicated some of the title’s August issue to Riverdene’s tremendously reliable son of Marscay.

As we have come to expect, MARWINA has begun another new season in prolific manner and looks to be on course for another racing year packed with plenty of winners.

Bay began his article by pointing out: “With eight winners so far this month, including three-year-old Power Princess who won by 4-1/2 lengths in Perth on debut on Wednesday (1000m in 58.48), Riverdene’s “Mr Consistency” Marwina has made a solid start to another season.”

Bay continued: “People like to refer to this Gr.1 placed son of Marscay and the Vain mare Orwhina as a “bread and butter sire” but perhaps that should be “bread, butter and jam” as he’s sire of 288 winners from 471 starters (61.6%) from just 543 named foals (that’s 53% winners from named foals, a very good strike rate) since his first foals hit the ground in 1997.

“His 11 stakes horses include Marwin Gold (dam by Yeats) with 20 wins and earnings of $638,000; Hillston Exchange (Sir Samuel), nine wins and $427,000; Paris Rhyme (Salieri), 14 wins and $153,712 and the dual Gr.1 placegetter Blinded (Row of Waves) 12 wins and $361,000, a very good return indeed on his modest fee (this year set at $5500).

Bay concluded: “Although Marwina has never had fashionable mares, he’s done a sterling job for Riverdene’s owner and resident veterinarian Dr Kevin Pendergast as his stock conceived on the Wagga Wagga stud have won 885 races and $10,847,196.

“A powerfully built sprinter, Marwina is a perfect foil for big, scopey mares and his pedigree — he has a 3mx6f cross of Star Kingdom and his dam is 2mx4f to Wilkes, responds very well to further linebreeding to Hyperion.”

Clients of the stud would do well to heed Bay’s advice. The son of champion sire Marscay has little more to prove after a distinguished stud career. And while MARWINA is set to cover another healthy book of mares in 2009, we can always accommodate more.

Another article that proved to be highly complimentary was penned by Merissa Borg and appeared in the latest issue of Breeding & Racing Magazine.

One particular passage of the essay explains what the stud is all about and it is very timely to repeat our modus operandi at the beginning another new covering season.

Melissa put it this way: “The success of Riverdene Stud is hinged on its comprehensive service to broodmare owners and the facilities which they are able to provide. Whether owners want to breed to race or sell, Riverdene takes care of every aspect including getting the mare in foal, foaling, weaning, sales preparation and racehorse spelling.”

Melissa closed the article by stating: “Essentially, Riverdene keeps the dream alive for so many breeders, whilst the dedication to their longstanding core values, coupled with their tried and true formula, has produced a win/win scenario.”

We could not have put it better ourselves!

We feel it is worthy of pointing out that Riverdene Stud delivered no fewer than 61 foals during August.

Though we were delighted to get the new season off on such a positive note, the volume is unprecedented and represents something in the region of a dozen more foals than the norm.

One likely reason for the upsurge is a very real possibility that 2008 presented the stud with more empty mares than in previous seasons due the Equine Influenza outbreak the year before. Consequently, our stallions covered a greater volume of mares in September 2008 and now have the result to show for it.

Sixty-plus August foals is also validation of the policy we adhere to at Riverdene Stud of encouraging maiden or dry mares are put under lights for a six-week period leading up to the start of the new covering season. As clearly illustrated by the number of August foals, the policy greatly assists us in achieving such an advantageous result for broodmare owner and studmaster alike.

Considering the concerns all industry players had at the beginning of the year, season 2009 is shaping up in relatively positive fashion.