Quality Art Major mare Fight For Glory has had her first foal – a filly by Bettor's Delight.
The foal was born last week at Ross and Robyn Jones Poppymalda Acres at Branxholmes in Southland.
"Ross says Fight For Glory is a great mum and both are doing well," said part owner of Fight For Glory Diane Cournane.
Cournane raced the filly with Dean Illingworth, Anne Gibbs, Lyn Tucker and John and Gay Tait.
From thirty three starts she won fourteen races and banked her connections $674,842. Her biggest season was at three when she won four Oaks races across Australasia.
Her biggest wins in New Zealand that season were The New Zealand Yearling Sales Series for Three Year Old Fillies and the New Zealand Oaks over 2600 metres when she beat another Southland bred filly Democrat Party who coincidently is also at Poppymalda Acres.
Fight For Glory won the 2015 $200,000 Group One New South Wales Oaks in what was then a world record of 2-50.3 for 2400 metres mobile. Other Australian wins included the Group Three Gold Coast Oaks and the Group One Queensland Oaks. She also ran third in the Queensland Derby.
At the end of that season she was named Australian Three Year Old Filly of the Year.
Cournane has entered three yearlings in next years sales in Christchurch: a colt by Art Major out of Breath Of Life which is a full brother to Fight For Glory, a lovely black filly by Better's Delight out of Nitouche Franco which is a half sister to All Star Man and an Art Major filly out the Christian Cullen mare Lady Of The Dawn.
Meanwhile quality trotting mare Poppymalda has been retired.
Poppymalda at home at Poppymalda Acres – Photo Ross Jones
In a limited career of just twenty five starts she recorded eight wins and banked $58,045 for her owners Barry and Pearl Dent, Nathan Williamson her trainer, and his parents in-law Ross and Robyn Jones.
The Armbro Invasion mare's biggest season was as a four year old when she won four of her ten starts. She ran third in the $100,000 Group One McMillan Feed Four Year Old Diamond at Ashburton that season.
Her connections haven't decided which stallion to send the seven year old mare to this season.
Bruce Stewart
Southland Harness Racing