Zeditave bows out at Newhaven

Australian racing lost one of its enduring champions when Zeditave died, just short of his 25^th birthday, late last week.

Zeditave (ch h 1985, The Judge-Summoned, by Crowned Prince (USA)) was euthanased after suffering a serious colic attack at Newhaven Park Stud, Boorowa, near Yass in south-west NSW – his home of 21 years.

Zeditave’s passing also ends a long and successful association between Newhaven Park and champion stallions. Newhaven’s Richard Kelly said Zeditave is the last stallion to stand at the famous farm, which will now concentrate on its future as a private broodmare farm.

Newhaven Park has been associated with champion stallions Wilkes (FR), imported in 1954, and more recently the Golden Slipper winners Luskin Star and Marauding (NZ).

“I think it’s fair to say Zeditave’s death is the end of an era for us,” Richard Kelly told AAP.”We decided some time ago not to stand stallions anymore because it has become quite expensive. It costs 10 to 20 million dollars now to secure a top stallion.”

Last season, Zeditave covered 25 mares at Newhaven, but Kelly reports that the horse has “probably his best crop of foals” rising two after the stud used him on all its quality mares – 43 in total – during the equine influenza lock down in 2007.

Zeditave’s stud record is as imposing as his race performance – he won 15 of his 17 starts, including five Group 1 races. At stud, he has sired 35 Stakes winners, which is an outstanding result for a horse that stood away from the major breeding region of the Hunter Valley, and also considering not once in 21 seasons did he cover more than 91 mares – in fact, he averaged only 62 mares a season in his stud career.

Zeditave’s Group 1 winners are Assertive Lad (Doncaster Handicap) and his sister Assertive Lass (Flight Stakes and Coolmore Classic), Strategic (Australia Stakes), Typhoon Zed (The Galaxy and Manikato Stakes), Sports (Oakleigh Plate and Lightning Stakes), Chlorophyll (Coolmore Classic) and Ruffles (Newmarket Handicap).

His sons at stud – Strategic, Magic Albert and Zedrich – are continuing the legacy of the sire line, while he is the sire of the dams of champion gallopers Reset (Zabeel-Assertive Lass) and Sacred Kingdom (Encosta De Lago-Courtroom Sweetie).

Zeditave was the last great horse trained by the legendary Melbourne horseman Angus Armanasco, who also fostered the racing careers of champion stallions Biscay (by Star Kingdom (IRE)), Bletchingly (Biscay) and Zeditave’s underrated sire The Judge, a son of Showdown (GB).

Newhaven Park was founded in the 1940s by the Kelly family and in 1986 listed on the Australian Stock Exchange under the ownership of the Kellys and the Ingham brothers, Jack and Bob.

In 2003, the Newhaven partnership sold its stud and bloodstock interests to concentrate on his hotel and leisure businesses. Fred Kelly and his family took a majority of the hotel side of the enterprise, while Richard Kelly and his son John acquired Newhaven as a family-run thoroughbred and livestock entity.

The Kellys now have around 50 mares on the property, which will continue to be bred to the best stallions in the country.