Vinery secures controlling interest in Warwoven as Kia Ora keeps its stake

Vinery Stud has agreed to acquire a controlling interest in dual Group 1-winning three-year-old Warwoven, with the Bjorn Baker-trained colt to stand at the farm when he retires and his breeder, Vinery shareholder Kia Ora Stud, retaining its interest.

Speaking to The Straight, Vinery general manager Adam White noted the deal required careful negotiation, despite existing ties between the parties.

“And it was the thing was with Ole Kirk when we secured him, although he was partly owned by (then Vinery shareholder) Neil Werrett, it’s not just a straightforward thing to happen so we had to do a lot of work on it,” White said.

“Kia Ora are going to retain their percentage in the horse, which is fantastic, because they’ve got an outstanding broodmare band across the river and that broodmare band is going to support this horse in bucket loads, as well as the other stallions so it’s fantastic from that respect.”

Managing owner Ridgmont Farm’s Mitch Cunningham will also retain equity in Warwoven when he retires to stud, either in 2027 or the year after.

The agreement comes less than three weeks after Warwoven won the Caulfield Guineas, adding to his Golden Rose win. The son of Sword Of State rounded out his brilliant spring campaign by taking on older horses at weight-for-age in the Cox Plate last Saturday, finishing seventh.

Before the Guineas, Cunningham said connections would wait until the end of the spring preparation before entering stud negotiations, with Jim Clarke to run the process and table offers.

Kia Ora and Vinery merged ownership entities in January 2023, and in April this year announced they would run a single stallion roster across the neighbouring Hunter Valley properties.

For Vinery, the addition of Warwoven fills a strategic need.

“It’s massive for our farm. We’re competing at a very strong level and it’s a roster that’s going to be very attractive to a lot of breeders at a lot of different levels,” White said.

Warwoven joins a young Group 1-performed group that also includes Ole Kirk and Hawaii Five Oh, and Vinery said the mares of the farm and its shareholders give it one of the largest and highest-quality bands in the country.

White pointed to the stud records of the two previous winners of the Golden Rose–Caulfield Guineas double since the Golden Rose became a Group 1 in 2009, The Autumn Sun (2018) and Ole Kirk (2020).

“Stallions such as The Autumn Sun and Ole Kirk have shown us what these horses that win both the Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas can do at stud, but what also excites me personally is knowing how brilliant he was at two,” White said.

Warwoven won his first two starts, over 1000 metres at Randwick in December and 1200 metres at Eagle Farm and was the short-priced favourite for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic before being scratched on race morning.

He went on to win the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes in March and finished sixth as third favourite in the Golden Slipper after racing wide from an outside draw on a seven-day backup.

This spring he became the first horse to win the Group 2 Run To The Rose, the Golden Rose and the Caulfield Guineas.

Vinery said he recorded the fastest winning time in each leg among horses to complete the double and that his Timeform rating of 123 in the Golden Rose equals Beiwacht and Bivouac as the race’s highest in 10 years.

Offered by Kia Ora as lot 716 at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Warwoven was bought for $380,000 by Ridgmont, Bjorn Baker Racing and Clarke Bloodstock.

Discussing the colt’s pedigree, White highlighted the depth behind the sire, Snitzel’s son Sword Of State, and his dam, the Group 2-winning Makfi mare Needle And Thread, herself a sister to three times Group 1-placed colt Savile Row.

“He’s got great blood in him. I don’t need to tell you what Snitzel did as a stallion. He was just an incredible champion stallion and the fact that his mother was a good Group-winning mare too, she had plenty of ability,” White observed.

White was particularly taken by the horse’s physical presence when he inspected him recently.

“He was an exceptional looking colt. Obviously, Jim Clarke buys some really nice horses,” he said.

“He’s just a lovely horse. When I saw him at the stable a few weeks ago, I was just so impressed with his physique. He’s got such a great colt head on him. He’s got great strength. He’s got a massive amount of bone underneath him. He’s got great movement. You can see why he’s such a talented athlete.”

While an autumn campaign has not been mapped out, races like the Randwick Guineas and Doncaster appear logical targets. White is confident that the horse can add to his Group 1 record before he’s retired to stud.

“We’re really looking forward to the autumn… It sort of takes me back to the All Too Hard time when we bought him,” he said.

“In the autumn, he won three Group 1 races for us. That’s why it’s extremely exciting going into next year. We’re looking forward to it.”