By his own admission, Brent Gillovic is back on the treadmill working his rear-end off.

Fit already from numerous golf outings, this is of course a typically colourful metaphor for his Highview Stud operation, rather than any admission of gluttony.

The past few months have marked an unprecedented period of success for the Hamilton-based operation. A remarkable fact, given that just months earlier, the plan had been to kick back a little by downsizing the operation.

“The plan was for us to move to a more boutique-style operation, with no stallions. But since the decision to retain Align, Danroad and Kashani, things have never gone better,” said Gillovic.

“I could be wrong, but I think Align is the first stallion to sire the respective Champion 2YO colts in New Zealand, thanks to Fully Fledged (NZ) carrying on from Nightlign (NZ) last year.

Danroad sired his first Gr.1 winner in Australia the other day with his first crop representative Rockdale scoring in the TJ Smith and Kashani’s still producing the winners. He’s just had good winners in both Singapore and Flemington.

Remarkably, on the same day as their resident sire Danroad achieved his first Gr.1 winner with Rockdale (NZ), Highview Stud was also to the fore as the successful dam breeders of: the Brisbane Cup winner (Viewed), its runner up (Fulmonti), and with the winner of the Listed Phil Sullivan Hcp (Rags To Riches)

Detailing this success to a prominent NZ breeder at the trials this week, Gillovic was asked as to whether he had any of these mares still on the farm, the laconic Hamilton studmaster responded: ‘Not one of them!’