Ista Kareem, winner of the $A725,000 Sydney Cup at Randwick on Saturday, was bred by Janet Hepi, of Auckland.
She sold him as a foal at foot with his dam Princesses Touch to Wayne Burke, of Pukekohe.
Ista Kareem was re-sold to an Australian owner and he is now trained by Colin Little at Caulfield.
Little took over the training of Ista Kareem after he finished third in the Adelaide Cup three years ago.
Now an 8yr-old, Ista Kareem was having his 61st start.
He won the 2008 Launceston Cup.
"My brothers told me to downsize the horses I had when I sold Ista Kareem and Wayne, who grazes my horses, bought him as a favour," Mrs Hepi said.
Hepi bred Ista Kareem from a mating of Germano and Princesses Touch.
Germano, a group three winner over 2000m in England, stood in New Zealand from 1999 until 2004 when he was exported to Ireland.
Hepi said the son of Generous (winner of the English and Irish Derbies) was now used for breeding sport horses.
Princesses Touch, who did not race, was also bred by Hepi. Ista Kareem is the fourth of five foals left by Princesses Touch, by Touching Wood.
Hepi races Prized Touch, the winner of six races from the Pukekohe stable of Richard Collett.
Prized Touch ran fourth fresh up at Tauranga on April 18.
He was away from racing for 13 months with a bone fracture in a leg.
Hepi has the racing colours of her father, Lou Fisher, who raced the outstanding mare of the 1950s, Yahabeebe, winner of the Railway Handicap in 1958 (as a 3yr-old filly) and 1959.
• Glen Boss was suspended for six meetings for careless riding on Joe Blow at Randwick on Saturday, AAP reports.
The suspension begins after Morphettville next Saturday.
Boss has the mount on Larry's Never Late in the South Australian Derby.
He may ride again on May 16.
Boss was ruled to have crowded Universal Colours in the early stages.
