Tavistock rockets to lead in Second Season Sires Premiership

Gun young stallion Tavistock was the talk of the Australasian racing and breeding industry yesterday when landing a stakes double at Ellerslie with first crop three-year-olds and is now a clear leader in the NZ Second Season Stallion Premiership.

Tavistock's classy filly Avisto (ex Miraculous Miss, by Exceed and Excel) made it three Listed Race victories in a row with an emphatic victory in the Allied Workforce Soliloquy Stakes (1400m).  The Roger James-trained filly is now a $6 second favourite for November's Group One NZ 1000 Guineas.

Less than an hour later Volkstok'n'barrell (ex Volkster, by Volksraad) exploded into NZ Derby contention with a huge win in the Manuka Doctor Bonecrusher Stakes-Gr.3 (1400m).  The gelding looked hard-pressed at the top of the straight but suddenly found a kick which saw his winning margin and ever-increasing 4.3 lengths at the line.

To top Tavistock's day off, across in Sydney his son Diamond Valores (ex Special Diamond, by Zabeel) became his sire's first black type performer in Australia when running second in the Group Three Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill Gardens.

Tavistock stands at a fee of $7,000 + gst (LFG) and is suddenly looking the best value stallion, not only in New Zealand, but Australasia wide.