Stock Horses
Nonda Gaucho
NONDA GAUCHO
Sunday Knight – Nonda Lets Talk Later
Age: 4YO Bay Gelding (foaled 10/11/2005)
Height: 15 hh
Registration: ASHS 179384
Comments
Gaucho is exactly what his name suggests – a natural.
He is named after the Gauchos, the famous cowboys who live on the pampas in Argentina. They are descended from the families of great horsemen for hundreds of years and their relationship with a horse is one of the most natural in the world.
Gaucho was also bred to be a natural. His dam, Nonda Lets Talk Later was one of the great performance mares of her generation. Not only did she win the 2000 Warwick Gold Cup and some of the sports biggest events, but she also managed to achieve what do other horse in Australian has done so far: make the finals of the NCHA Futurity, the NCHA Derby, the NCHA National Finals as well as the finals of the Warwick Gold Cup, winning it on her second attempt.
Let’s Talk Later has a remarkable pedigree. Her sire, the legendary Doc’s Freckles Oak, gave his daughter his ability in the cutting pen, along with something of his raw athleticism that helped her to excel as a campdrafter as well.
Her dam Nonda Sweet Dreams is descended from Nonda’s finest family of mares who made their reputation in the cattle country of North West Queensland where they have been bred since 1923. They were tough horses bred to work tough cattle, and we always believed that the family could hold their own against the best horses the south had to offer.
Sweet Dreams is a daughter of Night Bird who was an outstanding competition mare in her own right. She was Junior Champion Working Horse of Queensland and later became the youngest horse to win the prestigious Station Hack at Brisbane Royal Show.
Night Bird was also a full sister to Nonda Native Son, a sire who left only 32 foals on the ground at the time of his untimely death. The list included Nonda Bebopaloopa, Champion Polocrosse Horse of Australia (ridden by Charlie Brook) and also Woodbridge Gazelle, Barastoc Horse of the Year.
Gaucho is by Sunday Knight, a thoroughbred stallion who stood at Plaintree Farms. Sunday Knight is by Sunday Silence, who is considered one of the greatest thoroughbred breed shapers in the world.
Sunday Knight also comes from a long line of brilliant Australian race mares. His dam Wrap Around was herself a Group 1 winner descended from the great Star Kingdom line.
The combination of Doc Bar, Jewels Leo Bars, Sunday Silence, Star Kingdom and Nonda’s finest campdrafting and polocrosse family has helped create a special performance horse.
Under Saddle
After we started Gaucho under saddle, we set him on the path to campdrafting so he could follow in the footsteps of his dam Lets Talk Later.
After a while, however, we discovered that his real flair lay in a different direction, one that was also very obvious to anyone who took a close look at his pedigree – polocrosse. His grandam Night Bird was, after all, a full sister to Native Son, the sire of Australian Champion Nonda Bebopaloopa.
We sent Gaucho to a polocrosse player to work and when he started to stick and ball him, the gelding shaped up as a natural. He later came home for a spell and has been turned out for a spell over the hot months of December and January.
Gaucho is now ready for the right owner or trainer to take him right to the top.
Pedigree
Sire
Sunday Knight (Sunday Silence – Wraparound)
Sunday Knight is the only Australian bred son of the international super-sire Sunday Silence in the world. He combines Sunday Silence with a double cross of the great Australian sire, Star Kingdom. Sunday Knight hails from an outstanding Australian colonial family of Group 1 winning and Group 1 producing mares.
It is an outstanding family of champion mares: his dam Wrap Around is a G1 winner, her half sister, Rose of Danehill is a G2 winner and another half sister Attire has produced the G1 winner Fashions Afield. Their dam Beach Gown is a G3 winner as well.
Sunday Knight’s first crop are now 3YO’s and they are showing plenty of ability (see News section) with 11 race wins and 17 placings. Three of his geldings, Marunouchi, Punch Up and Wullkuraka have chalked up 8 wins between them.
Sunday Knight is an outstanding near black stallion with an imposing presence. He is athletic and highly intelligent to work with.
As a yearling, Sunday Knight was offered by Arrowfield at the Australian Easter Yearling Sales and sold for $800,000, which gives some indication of his pedigree and conformation.
Sunday Knight is a true son of his sire Sunday Silence. He is black/brown, 16.2 hh, with a blaze and white sock. His colour and conformation gives him a real presence when he steps onto the parade ring. He has a typical Sunday Silence head and a very similar physique. He is a beautiful mover, and has a way of going through his gears with seemingly very little effort.
He has dominated his foals in exactly the same way that his sire, Sunday Silence did. The majority are blacks or dark browns with the customary running white blaze (or star and snip) and one of two hind white socks. There is an occasional dark bay with no white. This is the same colour patterning as produced by Sunday Silence. They are true to their sire in type and are particularly good movers.
Dam
First Dam
Nonda Lets Talk Later (Doc’s Freckles Oak – Nonda Sweet Dreams)
Performance Record
- Won the 2000 Warwick Gold Cup (ridden by Terry Hall)
- The only horse in Australian history to ever make the finals of the Warwick Gold Cup (Terry Hall) and the NCHA Futurity and the NCHA Derby (Robert Mackay)
- Finalist 2000 Canning Downs: highest aggregate Gold Cup/Canning Downs. Ran the fastest round in 2000 Canning Downs (22 seconds)
- Also won the Walcha Golden Gate, the Proston Golden Spurs, 2nd Pearl of the North etc
- From Nonda’s finest family of great camp mares tracing back to 1923
Pedigree Notes
Sire: Docs Freckles Oak (Docs Oak – Freckles Fancy)
Nonda Let’s Talk Later is an own daughter of the late Docs Freckles Oak who is a legend in his own lifetime. Many great judges regard him as “the best quarter horse to ever come to Australia”.
The influence of this horse on the Australian working horse industry is already significant and will further increase in future decades. He has sired the winners of every major camp draft in the country as well as multiple cutting champions, reining champions, Cloncurry Stockmen’s Challenge Finalists and placegetters and polo ponies.
He is now proving to be a champion broodmare sire as well, and his daughters remain in great demand commanding very high prices.
Second Dam
Nonda Sweet Dreams (Docs Boab – Nonda Night Bird)
Pedigree Notes
Nonda Sweet Dreams produced a Warwick Gold Cup winner in her very first foal. That fact alone has distinguished her as one of the most successful stock horse broodmares in Australia. She has produced a number of very talented horses in her 6 live foals to date:
Performance Notes
Sweet Dreams was started once for a fourth placing in the 2YO class at Widgee Futurity. She was trained by Ian Francis who had a high opinion of the mare. She was retired to stud and bred Lets Talk Later as a 3YO
Breeding Record
- 1992: NONDA LETS TALK LATER: (Docs Freckles Oak)
Ridden by Terry Hall:- won 2000 Warwick Gold Cup, Finalist Canning Downs (fastest round: 22 seconds) Won highest overall aggregate in Warwick Gold Cup and Canning Downs. She was only competed twice at Warwick: the first time she made the final and once again set a new course record for the Canning Downs Draft.
- Lets Talk Later also won Walcha Golden Gate, Proston Golden Spurs, and ran second at the Pearl of the North in Darwin. In her cutting career (as a 3Y0 and 4Y0) she was a Finalist in the NCHA Futurity, Finalist in NCHA Derby and second in the Novice at the NCHA Finals. She is the only horse in Australia to have achieved the distinction of being a Warwick Gold Cup winner and a NCHA Futurity and Derby Finalist.
Third Dam
Nonda Night Bird (Nonda Skywatch – Nonda Cuddles)
Pedigree Notes
Nonda Night Bird was an exceptional type of mare. This original taproot family was developed by the Brown family in 1923 at Nonda Downs station, Julia Creek N.W. Qld. They were an outstanding line of camp drafters, station stock horses and all-rounders with tremendous heart and stamina.
Performance
Nonda Night Bird was shown by champion trainer Ian Francis.
- 2YO: Junior State Champion Working Horse of Qld at the State Championship Show.
- 3Y0: won the Station Hack Class at Brisbane Royal Show (youngest horse in history to do so): second at the 3YO Widgee Futurity
- 4Y0: Retired to stud where she produced 5 daughters until her untimely death.
Stud Record
Her foals include:
- Nonda Bounceback (Rivoli Rex)
Sold by Nonda as a 2Y0 and drafted by Peter Cominsky. This mare placed second in the Novice Draft at the ACA National Titles (by one and a half points) Peter Cominsky had a very high opinion of this mare. She was later re-purchased by Nonda to join their brood mare band where she proved extremely successful. Her progeny include:- Nonda Military Cross (Acres Destiny) sire owned by Mr David Rathie and successfully campaigned by Mick Connelly
- Nonda Spider in the Swag (Nonda Swag) successful sire in Western Australia
- Nonda Undoolya (Beaver Doc) Multiple halter and show winner for her owners.
- Nonda Sweet Dreams (Boab) See above.
- Nonda Allnightlong (Docs Freckles Oak) Not shown due to injury. At stud she has produced the outstanding and widely respected Open campdrafter ONE DARK NIGHT (Acres Destiny) owned by the Hick Family, of St Elmo Julia Creek, NWQ
- Nonda Happy Ever After (Docs Freckles Oak) Drafted by Terry Hall before she returned to the Nonda broodmare band. She has produced a number of quality colts.
Price
For Private Sale
Photo Gallery
Sunday Night
Lets Talk Later, three-quarter sister to Nonda Allnightlong
Lets Talk Later, 2000 Warwick Gold Cup (ridden by Terry Hall)
Lets Talk Later – NCHA Futurity
Heather Pascoe (nee Brown) on Lets Talk Later, NCHA Derby finalist
Docs Freckles Oak
Nonda Sweet Dreams ridden by Ian Francis as a 2YO
Nonda Night Bird cutting (ridden by Ian Francis)