First Arrival At Hadlow Stud

Cathy Martin of Hadlow Stud has given us an update on First Arrival at Hadlow Stud and the mighty mare’s daughter who has joined her, currently in foal to Visionaire.

Both mares are owned by Anne and Bruce Nicholas of Hallmark Thoroughbreds.

First Arrival is worthy of a Broodmare Of The Year accolade – the smart Northern Guest mare is the type that every breeder wishes to have standing in their paddocks, having produced two Group horses that were exported amongst them – that in itself an impressive feat.

Her daughter, The Party’s On (by Muhtafal) is in foal to Gr1 Kings Bishop winner Visionaire and has a Duke Of Marmalade yearling colt at Hadlow. She has bred three winners to date by Jay Peg and Pathfork, and already the grand dam to a winner.

First Arrival, herself no slouch on the track and earning Spey Bridge Champion 3YO Filly in 1999 with 6 wins including two Gr3’s, has produced 10 runners and 10 winners, 7 of them achieving Black Type.

They include Let’s Rock And Roll, a full brother to The Party’s On, voted Equus Champion 3yr old male sprinter in 2006 and include a Gr1 win in the Golden Horse Sprint. The next foaling produced Beat Patrol, another by Muhtafal who was Gr3 placed with 6 wins, and the next to impress was a 2008 colt by Western Winter, Rock The Country, who managed to win Zimbabwe’s major features including the Castle Tankard.

First Arrival produced a Jet Master filly in 2010, aptly named In The Fast Lane, trained in South Africa by the Snaiths. She would also provide another Equus Award for her dam, voted Equus Champion 3YO Filly in 2014, with 5 wins including 2 Gr1’s – the Woolavington 2000 and the Cape Fillies Guineas. She was exported to Great Britain.

Light The Lights, a full brother to Rock The Country, followed after that and won the Gr2 Peninsula Handicap for Glen Kotzen. The gelding was sold on to race in Dubai, where he has won three races including a Gr3 and a Listed in the care of Mike De Kock. He has since changed hands, trained by S Seemar for owner Sean Ewing.

Two more Black Types followed – a filly and a colt by Philanthropist respectively, Gr3 placed Party Crasher and Gr1 placed Pack Leader.

Wendy Whitehead was chosen to give Keep On Dancing a hands on approach, a beautiful daughter of Silvano. Wendy says after winning at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, “We went the extra mile for this girl as she had a severe injury as a youngster which left her claustrophobic, which caused her to box walk (run) her stable. Jane Thomas, thank you for your trust in me – we built her a paddock outside with a shelter roof and we haven’t looked back, she is happy and produced this fantastic result for owners Bruce and Anne Nicholas Hallmark Stud!” It appears we may see more from Keep On Dancing when racing makes a return in SA.

Jane Thomas has a 2yo colt in pretaining named Summa Cum Laude (by Vercingetorix) and First Arrival’s last foal is a yearling filly, another by Vercingetorix who has made a deep impression already in his young stud career.

The top priced yearling sold for First Arrival was Light The Lights, knocked down for R1,2-million at the 2014 National Yearling Sale. Her progeny averaged R494 444 each for 9 babies sold at auction in her lifetime.

Congratulations to the Nicholas family for a mare that has brought them plenty of success and joy, and may First Arrival enjoy her retirement in Mooi River.