Two new stallions are set to revitalise Northand's most famous stud farm.
The Totara Park Thorougbred Stud at Glenbervie has imported two American stallions, Drama Critic and Rusty Spur, whose services the owners believe will be be in hot demand.
But the new blood at the stud doesn't stop there.
Studmaster Les Donaldson
said the driving force behind bringing the horses here has come from his daughter Nicci and her husband Dirk Oberholster.
Dirk is a Whangarei GP and a former Northland golf representative but has taken to this new venture like a duck to water.
"He's become so knowledgable about pedigrees is such a short space of time, it's uncanny," Nicci said.
But really it's not so surprising with Donaldson teaching him the ropes.
Donaldson has been in the game for close to 40 years after he began learning about training horses from his father.
Les went to England to buy a stallion in 1972 and he has never looked back. During that time he has his share of success in a business he affectionately likens to "buying a ticket in a lottery".
The stud produced the famous New Zealand horse Uncle Remus from its broodmare of the year Tusitala and also stood Bandmaster, judged the country's leading sire in the 1977-78 season.
Donaldson said he was beginning to take his foot off the pedal at the stud farm but, fortunately, from the stud's perspective, that coincided with his daughter and her husband becoming keen to "crank things up again".
The purchase of Drama Critic in 2003 was the first step in that process.
The stayer out of Theatrical and Northern Dancer progeny Nureyev had a good year as a four year-old in the States earning on $US260,000 and his first crop of more than 50 foals are soon to be yearlings.
Rusty Spur had his first season in 2004 and also served 50 mares.
The big bay was a speedster over short distances, earning $280,000 in his career and running faster than the New Zealand 800m record on no less than eight occasions.
