Champion NZ sportsmen and their ‘Cyclonic’ success

Former All Black Ant Strachan and Blackcap Kyle Mills and their mates have enjoyed an amazing run of success with their ‘Cyclone’ breed over the past 15 years. And they are far from finished yet!

A pair of homebreds in Cyclone Jordy, a three-year-old by Art Major, and his younger sibling Cyclone Rebel (by Bettor’s Delight), have hogged the headlines recently with stunning performances on either side of the ditch.

Cyclone Jordy extended his winning sequence to eleven when he soundly trounced a smart field in the Listed $35,000 Battle Of Bunbury, one of the key lead-up events for the $200,000 Western Australian Derby to be held at Gloucester Park on October 31. The gelding has now won 13 of his 15 lifetime starts including four at Group/Listed level and $298,772 in stakes.

Meanwhile, Cyclone Rebel took out the opening heat of the Woodlands Stud Sires Stakes at Alexandra Park on September 5 in a slick 1:56.3 rating at his racetrack debut. He is being fitted for a tilt at the $200,000 Sires Stakes Final at Addington on Cup Day.

Cyclone Jordy and Cyclone Rebel are grandsons of the Presidential Ball mare Eyre To The Throne who Strachan, the Mills brothers Kyle and Heath, Mark Lyon and former top trainer Gareth Dixon bought at Ian Dobson’s dispersal sale in 2009.

“She won three and was placed once from only five starts but I think she was a bit unsound,” Strachan said.
“We paid $32,000 for her sight unseen and brought her up from Christchurch to breed from.”

Eyre To The Throne produced eight foals and seven were winners, with six inside 2:00. Her only non-winner, Cinco Amigos, became the dam of none other than the Inter Dominion, Miracle Mile and Eureka champion Don Hugo.

“Cinco Amigos was unsound and never even got to the qualifying stage,” Strachan stated. “We sold her to Australia as a broodmare.”

“Cyclone Prince won a Group 1 as a two-year-old and Artemis and Senora Rapido both won in metropolitan company in Australia, but Cyclone Kate was the best of her progeny. She won over $350,000 racing against the best mares in NZ and Australia.”

At stud, Cyclone Kate has a 100 percent record with four foals of racing age for four winners, three of whom have gone inside 2:00. Besides Cyclone Jordy and Cyclone Rebel, she is the dam of the six-time Perth victor Cyclone Charlotte and the recent Menangle winner Cyclone Bella.

“We put Cyclone Jordy through the sales ring but we ended up buying back into him and retaining a 25 percent share with Frank and Anne Cooney having 75%. He won the Group 1 Cardigan Bay Stakes at Auckland and we got offered good money for him from WA,” Strachan said.

Cyclone Miki, an Always B Miki colt out of Cyclone Kate, was knocked down for $80,000 at the NZ National Yearling Sale at Karaka in February.

“We’ve got a rising yearling colt by Bulldog Hanover who really looks the part and is entered for the yearling sales next year,” Ant said.
“The last four foals from Cyclone Kate have been colts. She’s in foal to Bettor’s Delight and we’re hoping that it’s going to be a filly to continue her legacy.”

Cyclone Kate was recognised for her achievements in the breeding barn by being voted the North Island Broodmare of the Year in 2024, while Cyclone Jordy received the 2YO of the Year award.