‘Refresh’ bloodlines:

AS Paul Moroney watched Igraine bolt away with the Counties Cup he saw the future.

Moroney has been buying horses, predominantly as an agent, for so long Igraine’s win in Saturday’s $100,000 Cup at Pukekohe was his 120th individual stakes winner.

He has bought 228 stakes performers, horses who have been at least placed at stakes level, and Igraine was his third Counties Cup winner.

These days Moroney, brother of top transtasman trainer Mike, spends much of his life travelling from one thoroughbred sale to the next, trying to find others a star of the track or yearling sales.

But he was home to watch Igraine’s convincing win over Mongolian Marshal.

Igraine is the first New Zealand stakes winner for champion European stallion Galileo and from one of the hottest families in Germany, yet Moroney was able to secure her last year from the Tattersalls sales in England for Trelawney Stud in Waikato.

She cost about $130,000, so it was closer to $160,000 once landed in New Zealand. She is now worth several times that and Moroney believes she is an

the example of what New Zealand breeders should be doing.

‘‘We need to invest in these elite European families to keep updating our breeding industry.

‘‘I believe the families and bloodlines in Europe are the best in the world and we are now seeing the consistent success they are having in Australia at the highest level.

‘‘The most common complaint I have had from Australian buyers in the last decade is they think some of the New Zealand families are getting stale and I honestly believe we need 4050 wellbred mares coming in a year to refresh it — especially the good staying families.

‘‘The Australians are very aware of how good that blood is now... so if we can buy into these families and breed from them it will be huge for us because the Australians, and other buyers, will still come here to buy stayers.’’

Moroney bought his first German broodmare more than 30 years ago when the industry was flush with prestockmarket crash money from breeding partnerships.

‘‘Back then we saw some investment at that level but after the crash it dried up and I firmly believe it is what our industry needs.’’

I believe the families and bloodlines in Europe are the best in the world and we are

now seeing the consistent success they are having in Australia at the highest

level

Cambridge Stud, Valachi Downs and the Sunlight Trust have also imported fresh bloodlines this year.

Moroney is off to his next sales in England and France at the end of this week and while he might have a vested interest in promoting the European product, it is hard to argue with his logic.

Igraine herself makes a pretty