Sweet Orange(USA), whose four career victories included the Gr.1 Hong Kong Classic
Mile, stood three seasons at Highview Stud before his recent transfer to
Queensland."I owned 25 per cent of him with Tony Tong, who raced the horse in Hong Kong and he owned the rest," Highview principal Brent Gillovic said.
"He decided the horse wasn't getting enough patronage so he's bought me out and Sweet Orange will be standing at Aquis Farm."
Sweet Orange's biggest book of mares during his Waikato tenure came in his first season in 2014.
"He had 50, but he's dropped to around 40 in the last two seasons," Gillovic said. "He's left some really nice types of horses with plenty of bone and muscle so it was sad to see him go, but the owner felt he wasn't getting the support he deserved."
Among the progeny of Sweet Orange at Highview, Gillovic has been particularly taken by a youngster whose family he knows well.
"I've got a half-sister to Wealth Princess that I won't be parting with, she's a really smart filly," he said.
Gillovic prepared Wealth Princess to win six races, including the Gr.3 Glenlogan Park Stakes at Doomben and Group One seconds in the Winter Stakes at Eagle Farm and the Waikato Draught Sprint at Te Rapa.
Elusive Quality's son Bullbars, a Group Three-winning half-brother to the multiple Group One winner Helmet, will be the sole stallion on the Highview roster this year.
"He's going well with some very promising three-year-olds like El Sicario, Mongolianlightning, Comin'through and Akoya," Gillovic said.
He has also enjoyed the recent Gr.1 ATC Sires' Produce Stakes success of the Snitzel colt Invader.
"We introduced the family to New Zealand when we imported the stakes winning Topsider mare Plans Awry in 1987," Gillovic said.
"She left Flame Of Atlanta, who I own with Duncan Grimley, who's the dam of Flame Of Sydney and she's left Not Listenin'Tome and now Invader."
Gillovic also has a Bullbars juvenile out of Flame Of Atlanta, who is currently in foal to Sweet Orange.
"Then there's Lady Atlanta, a daughter of Flame Of Atlanta, who's got a Bullbars yearling and she's in foal to him again," he said. – NZ Racing Desk.
