Koru Thoroughbreds is owned and operated by Kevin & Julie Taylor and was established in 2017.
The stud offers a wide range of services including breeding, pedigree analysis, foaling, weaning and sales preparation, as well as breaking in yearlings and pretraining. Their long-term staff are experienced horsemen and women who have a passion for horses and the thoroughbred industry… they all exercise particular care and attention to detail.
Kevin & Julie Taylor have been involved in the thoroughbred business since 1993 when Kevin worked for a very successful small breeder based at Karaka. Both took the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the industry in the four years that they were on the farm. In 1998, they purchased Kia Ora Station, a large sheep and beef farm just outside of Dannevirke. An iconic farm owned by Sir Keith Holyoake.
They purchased their first broodmare, Bali Sugar in 1999 and quickly established a very good reputation in the industry for breeding quality yearlings, growing into proven racehorses. The legacy that Bali Sugar has left can still be seen in the current broodmare band they breed today with daughters, granddaughters and a great granddaughter. They also bred G2 winner and G1 placed Viennetta and her son G3 winning Golden Archer who became a stallion.
The broodmare band had grown to eight mares when they decided to focus solely on breeding thoroughbreds. The farm was sold in 2016 and the operation moved to Ohaupo just south of Hamilton… and Koru Thoroughbreds was established.
Three years ago, they purchased a beautiful Thoroughbred Stud property in Ohaupo consisting of 75 acres. Offering tranquillity, space and high-quality pasture enabling the mares and their foals to grow to their full potential.
Their philosophy… and Julie’s mantra, is to build their broodmare band of mares with strong female families. It is proven consistently that progeny with a strong pedigree are more likely to perform at the highest level on the racetrack. They aim to carefully match their mares with the best stallions. With ideal genetics in place, the probability of breeding a successful racehorse is greatly improved. This is reflected in Koru statistics… 83 horses bred, winning 162 races. These figures will improve exponentially with circa 20 of those 83 horses coming into racing in the next 6-18 months. What makes these statistics even more impressive is Koru progeny have been bred from a very small broodmare band.
Kevin & Julie are excited to work directly with Jeff & Virginia Poole of Aha Racing and their ‘Family & Friends Group Ownership’ program. Their groundbreaking Multiple-Horse model is mitigating loss and maximising upside, providing thrills and fun for owners. Jeff & Virginia’s fine eye for horses and outstanding management of ‘Ownership Groups’ greatly increases the chances of success for all.
Kevin & Julie hope to see you at the races in the future with Jeff & Virginia and their growing family of excited and happy owners.
Kevin & Julie Taylor
Kevin & Julie Taylor
