Oaks placegetter Myakkabelle retired and offered as broodmare prospect on Gavelhouse Plus

New Zealand Oaks placegetter Myakkabelle has been retired after a recurrence of a tendon injury and is being offered as a broodmare prospect on Gavelhouse Plus, with bidding closing from 7pm on Monday.

The five-year-old War Decree mare, trained by Ben and Ryan Foote, won two of her 19 starts and placed seven times for more than $210,000 in stakes.

Her black-type form came in a run of three-year-old placings, all behind Leica Lucy. She ran third in the Group 2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic and second in the Group 2 Lowland Stakes. She then finished third in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks at Trentham, a length and a quarter behind runner-up Dubai Gold, after being crowded and steadied shortly after the start.

Part-owner Jim Bruford bought her for $55,000 from Inglewood Stud’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2023. He told NZ Racing News that the injury first interrupted her four-year-old programme and flared up again after a managed return.

“It’s not major at all, but it’ll affect her if we try to race her. We decided the best option was to retire her rather than break her down or cause any more significant problems,” he said.

Myakkabelle is out of the unraced Lawman mare Myakka Park, a half-sister to But Beautiful. But Beautiful is the dam of Group 2 winners Bella Waters and Immediacy, whose Caulfield Autumn Classic win led him to the Sydney autumn carnival. Myakkabelle’s third dam, Beverly D Stakes winner Fire The Groom, produced multiple Group 1 winner Stravinsky.

“I think she’ll make a lovely broodmare prospect. It’s just a pity that we had to retire her from racing. I was expecting her to go on to be prominent in Cup races here in New Zealand and potentially in Australia too,” Bruford said.