By Peter Wharton
The Bettor’s Delight horse Ohoka Punter, who is again standing at Egmont Park stud, Queensland, is a young sire – he was foaled in 2009 – already well on the way to proving a success with his first crops racing.
Ohoka Punter has made a splendid start to his stud career. In his first season he left 36 foals, and of these he had 22 to the races half-way through their three-year-old season, and 16 were winners. Only 10 of Ohoka Punter’s first crop were not winners or placed.
Of five two-year-old starters this season, two were winners including the Albion Park winner Sporty Zara (1:54.7).
From his first crop he sired a smart gelding in Ellis Street (1:52.3), a winner of 10 races including the $52,000 Redcliffe Yearling Sales Series 3YO Final, the QBred Triad 2YO heat winner Missed Consequences (1:56.4), Gem Punter Pete (1:55.1), Rockon Rocky (1:55.7) and a top filly in Firebolt (1:55.3), whose four successes include the $32,000 QBred for Life 2YO Final.
Ohoka Punter was a top racehorse himself, winning close to $1.2million, and he was a dual Derby champion and a nine-time Group winner.
On the score of blood Ohoka Punter lacks nothing. His sire Bettor’s Delight (1:49.8) was a champion with stake earnings of $2.5million and has been the leading sire in both hemispheres for some time. He figures as the sire of two of Australasia’s greatest pacers in Lazarus and Leap To Fame.
Millwood Minisota, the dam of Ohoka Punter, has been one of the gems of the New Zealand stud book. She is the dam of eight individual winners, five of whom took records of better than 2:00, including Our Millwood Maizie (1:51.4), Ohoka Le Bron (1:55.8) and Captain Kobe (1:58.1).
An unraced sister to Ohoka Punter in Millwood Ivy is the dam of one of NSW’s leading three-year-old fillies this season, Millwood Bliss (1:53.2).
Millwood Minisota was by the great Christian Cullen (son of In The Pocket) from Millwood Annie, by Falcon Seelster and tracing to the NZ Oaks winner Ar Miss, whose family has come to the forefront as one of the leading broodmare lines in both Australia and NZ.
This is the family which has produced the outstanding racemare and NZ Cup winner Armalight, Excel Stride (NSW Derby), the Hunter Cup winner Honolua Bay, Arma Xpress (2YO Filly of the Year) and the Miracle Mile hero Spankem (1:47.7).
Ohoka Punter has stood his entire career at the Egmont Park stud, of Kevin and Kay Seymour, Biddeston, who have a wealth of royally-bred young stock by him and in-foal mares.