The New Zealand Thoroughbred breeding industry lost one of its trailblazing female breeders recently with the passing of Lorraine Jameson.
The proprietor of Cardoness Stud, on the outskirts of Masterton, Jameson hit the headlines as a breeder when she topped the 1970 National Yearling Sale at Trentham with a record price at the time of $60,000.
Four years later she did it again, sharing the honour with neighbouring Wairarapa breeder Nancy Williams when they both sold colts for a record breaking $100,000. The colts were by Oncidium who stood at the Williams family Te Parae Stud and the earlier record-breaking colt was by his fellow stallion Agricola.
Both colts were out of the classy racemare Chantal that Jameson raced to win nine races including the Epsom Handicap, George Main Stakes and the WRC George Adams, all at Group One level.
According to long-time family friend and Wairarapa breeder Buzz Williams, Nancy’s son, Cardoness was a boutique stud and Lorraine never wanted to get too big.
“She wanted quality stock on a small farm, and she did them very well. She kept it really select and bred bloody good horses,” he said.
“Lorraine always ran the stables and was very particular how she bred her horses and how she fed them. She did extremely well and presented her horses in great order, and she knew her pedigrees.”
Chantal proved to be a very valuable broodmare, her two expensive colts both achieving at stakes level. The first by Agricola was purchased by Bart Cummings and raced as Hampton’s Pride and won six races including the Listed VATC Stanley Plate while the Oncidium colt was purchased by Colin Hayes and raced as Inceptor. He won eight races including the Gr.3 SAJC West End Stakes and the AJC Cumberland Handicap, WATC Premier’s Cup and Werribee Cup, all Listed events.
She was the dam of 10 foals, seven to race and six winners, who all achieved black type. Her unraced daughters also proved to be successful at stud, with a host of stakes performing descendants, including stakes winners Yelgyn Dawn, Chagemar, and Karla Bruni.
Former Singapore Champion Three-Year-Old Countofmontecristo, who is still performing at stakes level as an eight-year-old, is also a descendant of Chantal.
This year’s Wellington Cup and St Leger winner Waisake was one of the last horses bred by Lorraine from a family she had nurtured for the last 50 years, that also includes the stakes winners Monachee and Wage Freeze.
“She stopped breeding horses a few years ago,” Williams said.
“Sam still has a few of her breed. She never sold under Cardoness Stud at Karaka, she would put them through Little Avondale’s draft simply as the property of Miss L Jameson.
“She was a very successful small breeder and was particularly sassy about the small things, her paddocks were perfect with no weeds, she would grub them out.
“Her battens were always straight, her stables immaculate. She Loved animals and had dogs, cats and even goats.
“Lorraine was a very generous person and lived out her years with her friend Rob Rutherford who helped Lorraine with the horses and shared the same passion and work ethic.”
Lorraine was born in the Wairarapa one of four daughters of Joe and Catherine Jameson. She inherited her love of racing from her father who was a keen racing man, being involved as an owner, breeder and for a time President of the Masterton Racing Club.
