All but one of his 19 starts were in Australia, and Arrowfield Stud now has a firm grip of his passport, but Kiwis remain rightly proud of Dundeel as a superstar born on their side of the Tasman. Not forgetting that he was bred, trained & ridden by New Zealanders, and mostly raced by them too.
Tomorrow the Waikato Racing Club will honour the six-time Group 1 winner with their Celebrating Dundeel Raceday at Te Rapa. Dundeel’s Hawke’s Bay owners, headed by his breeders Murray & Jo Andersen, are supporting races in the name of the champion’s strapper Emily Murphy, trainers Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman, his dam Stareel, Coolmore Stud (home of his sire High Chaparral) and Arrowfield.
Dundeel belongs to two illustrious lists, of champions born in the Waikato region, and Australian Group 1 winners trained at the Cambridge track. The former group includes Australian Horses of the Year Sunline, Might and Power, Octagonal, Bonecrusher, Red Anchor, Gurner’s Lane & Surround.
The latter group features Melbourne Cup winners Empire Rose, Jezabeel & Ethereal, brilliant sprinter-miler Our Westminister, Champagne (LKS MacKinnon Stakes), Domino (Australian Oaks), Giovana (Queensland Oaks), Prized Gem (Brisbane Cup), Nom du Jeu (Australian Derby), Sangster (Victoria Derby) and Lion Tamer (Victoria Derby & Underwood Stakes).
Three of the major players in last month’s $4 million ATC Queen Elizabeth S. G1 were prepared at Cambridge: Dundeel (1st), Sacred Falls (2nd) & Silent Achiever (4th).
Dundeel stands his first season at Arrowfield at a fee of $27,500 inc. GST.