Group 1 Levendi to star at Magnum Park

by Renée Geelen

The first yearlings for classic winner Levendi (Pierro) are nearly here, and it’s an exciting time for the teams at Broadmarsh Stud and Magnum Park.

“Broadmarsh Stud and Brendan McShane have many years of experience in both racing and breeding thoroughbreds, and Magnum Park are the owners of Levendi and we operate as a feeder farm,” explained Alexis Beadman. “We kept the weanlings for the upcoming yearling sales to specifically target those sales with his first crop. It means we’ve been able to work with them ourselves and understand them. They are fantastic horses, very smart and quick to learn, they aim to please and want to work with us, which is always gratifying. Their movement across the ground is effortless, much like their sire who is an impressive horse in the flesh. We knew Levendi was special, and we hoped that his qualities would be passed on to his progeny, and they clearly have. We are delighted by the quality and consistency of his offspring. The foals are the complete package and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

A winner of five races, Levendi will enter his third season in Tasmania in 2023. “People’s budgets are tightening in this economic climate, and so we’ve dropped his fee a bit this year to help breeders out,” said Beadman. “We think Levendi’s worth a higher fee but this gives more people a chance to breed a Levendi. Sending a mare to Tasmania is easy and the process is incredibly smooth, and we’ve never had an issue sending our mares back and forth from the mainland to Tassie.”

The son of Triple Crown winner Pierro was first seen on debut as a late two year-old where he won over 1200m. Levendi returned at three to win first up, and then was sent on an ambitious campaign with eight starts all in group company. He won the Gr3 Carbine Club Stakes in the spring, and in the autumn, he won the Gr1 Australian Derby and Gr2 Tulloch Stakes while also placing in the Gr2 Alister Clark Stakes. A pelvic injury meant Levendi missed his four year-old season but he did make a return to the races after a long layoff, adding a third in the Gr3 JRA Cup to his record. “The fact that he got back to the races after such an injury is an amazing feat by his team and the horse.”

Levendi’s Derby win showed his absolute class, coming from the rear of the field to hit the lead with Gr1 Victoria Derby winner Ace High. The two colts pulled six lengths clear of the rest of the field with Levendi putting his nose in front on the line. To beat a dual Gr1 winner in a head to head battle showed Levendi’s fighting spirit, and if he can impart that to his stock, he’ll be an exciting stallion. “It was huge – the second fastest Derby ever – the only one that was faster was Levendi’ great grandsire Octagonal.”

Previous colts to have won the Gr1 Australian Derby include top class sire Dundeel, as well as Nom De Jeu, Starcraft, Don Eduardo, and Octagonal who all left Gr1 winners at stud. Since Levendi’s win, both Quick Thinker and Hitotsu have retired to stud, as has the winner from the year prior, Jon Snow.

Champion 2YO in Australia in 2011/12, fivetime Gr1 winner Pierro (Lonhro) retired to stud in 2013 and now has 34 stakes winners including Gr1 winners Levendi, Pierata, Arcadia Queen, Regal Power, Shadow Hero, and Pinot. Pierro’s yearlings in 2023 sold up to $1.75million, highlighting how commercially successful he is. Pierro had his first Gr1 winner as a damsire this season when Jacquinot won the Gr1 Golden Rose and Gr1 CF Orr Stakes.

Levendi’s dam, Lipari (Redoute’s Choice) showed plenty of ability without winning and was placed at three in the Listed Morphettville Guineas. She’s been able to transmit that ability to her foals with her first three foals all being group winners. Her first foal is Gr3 winner Wu Gok (Sebring), Levendi is her second foal, while her third foal is Gr3 winner Marcel From Madrid (Sepoy). Her next two foals include city winner Too Much Lippy (More Than Ready) while her current three year-old has placed this season.

Levendi is from a very strong colonial family with his second dam being Gr1 Australasian Oaks winner Tully Thunder. As well as leaving the stakes placed dam of Levendi, Tully Thunder left the winning dam of stakes winner Duplicity. Levendi’s third dam is Gr2 winner Fleur de Chine and this is the family of recent stakes winner and Gr1 placed Princess Kereru among others.

“Levendi has got an A++ nick where we’ve got the Pierro sireline over a Redoute’s Choice mare… If you’re starting out with a broodmare and you’re trying to upgrade them… it’s a very good thing to start off with a stallion that’s already an A++ on the sireline.” said stud master Brendan McShane from Broadmarsh Stud. “I’m expecting his foals will progress and become two year-olds because Levendi himself had his first start as a two year-old over 1200m and literally bolted in.”

A Derby winner by a Triple Crown winning juvenile and top class sire from an excellent family, Levendi has much to offer breeders in Tasmania and abroad.

Levendi standing at Broadmarsh Stud in 2023. Contact: Alexis on 0407 056 926 or Brendan 0409 211 155