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Pierro colt attracts plenty of attention late

The fireworks continued late on day three at Karaka when returning buyer Kevin Walls fought off the attention of an international audience to secure a Pierro colt that had plenty of admirers keen to secure him. Consigned by Cambridge Stud as Lot 621, the colt is the second foal out of the British-bred mare Subatomic, who is a half-sister to international stakes performers Worldly, Nice Danon and Donativum. The athletic colt strolled around the Karaka ring without a care in the world as a host of...

Emotional James sets the early pace on Day three at Karaka

It took trainer Roger James several moments to compose himself after he set the auction ring alight at Karaka on Wednesday when he went to $900,000 to secure a ‘once in a lifetime’ colt at the National Yearling Sale. One of the most experienced and respected judges of young horseflesh in the country had never before ventured into the rarified air that surrounds a yearling of the calibre of Lot 508, the colt from the first crop of champion Australian three-year-old The Autumn Sun out of the M...

Ellis buys ‘filly of the decade’

Te Akau principal David Ellis has bought plenty of quality fillies at Karaka over the years, so it was a bold statement when he labelled lot 410, the Fastnet Rock full-sister to Group One winner Unforgotten, as the best filly he has seen at New Zealand Bloodstock’s sales venue in a decade. “I have been coming and buying yearlings here since 1988 and definitely in the last five to 10 years I haven’t seen a filly of more quality or athleticism, and we were determined to buy her at any cost,�...

South Island success at Karaka

There were smiles, handshakes and even a few tears of joy on the afternoon of the second day of the National Yearling Sale at Karaka when a pair of South Island breeding operations struck gold with youngsters from their respective drafts. North Canterbury-based Beaufort Downs is an up and comer at Karaka, with this the fourth year they have presented a draft of yearlings and it was Lot 299, a No Nay Never colt from European mare Highly Valued that provided them with the highest price they have a...

Derby victors go back to Karaka well

The pairing that bought last Saturday’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Asterix went back to the Karaka well on Tuesday to try and replicate their success. Bloodstock agent Bruce Perry went to $450,000 to secure Asterix out of Curraghmore’s 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale draft for owner Sam Kelt and struck gold in the $1 million feature at Ellerslie on the weekend. Buoyed by that success, the pair went back to Karaka this week to try and find their next Derby contender a...

O’Sullivan and Scott in the thick of the day two action at Karaka

Fresh from their stunning Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) triumph at Ellerslie on Saturday, Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott were back in the limelight at Karaka on Tuesday. The pair purchased three individuals on the first day of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale and midway through the second day of selling had added two more youngsters to their haul including Lot 303, the US Navy Flag colt out of Fastnet Rock mare Honfleur from the Valachi Downs draft. The colt comes from a s...

The King reigns supreme at Karaka

Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis continued his domination of the auction ring at Karaka once again on the first day of the 2022 edition of the National Yearling Sale. Ellis, who has been crowned leading buyer at Karaka for more than a decade, struck early in proceedings picking up 12 of the first 100 lots offered including Lot 10, the Savabeel colt out of O’Reilly mare Thee Achiever offered through the Milan Park draft for $575,000 along with Lot 67, the Tavistock colt from Zabeel mare Ziffel fo...

Forsman invests in his future at Karaka

After a frustrating day of being an underbidder, Andrew Forsman finally got the filly he wanted at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale. The Cambridge trainer had put a $600,000 price on lot 217, the Snitzel filly out of Group One performer Eleonora, when inspecting Blandford Lodge’s draft, and that is exactly what he paid for the regally-bred filly at Karaka on Monday. Forsman trained her dam in partnership with Murray Baker, which gave added sentiment to the purchase. “She is ...

Waikato Stud hit million-dollar milestone at Karaka

Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick was beaming after reaching the $1 million mark for a Waikato Stud bred and consigned yearling for the second time at Karaka. Chittick had just seen the full-brother to Group One winner Mo’unga knocked down to the $1 million bid of Kacy Fogden who came out on top of a spirited bidding duel with Te Akau principal David Ellis, for the Savabeel colt, Lot 161 from the Waikato Stud draft. “That is our second $1 million sale after the Savabeel ex Make A Wish col...

Mo’unga’s brother tops Day One at Karaka

There was a big smile on the face of the team at Waikato Stud as they watched the full-brother to Group One winner Mo’unga hit seven figures at Karaka on Monday. The Savabeel colt, lot 161, was expected to attract plenty of interest after the deeds of his Group One winning sibling on the track, with the level of interest being realised in the ring. Kacy Fogden went toe-to-toe with Te Akau principal David Ellis, but it was the representative of Tony Fung who came out on top with her final bid o...

Australian interest high early on Day One at Karaka

Australian interest in the quality New Zealand horseflesh on offer during the New Zealand National Yearling Sale was high early on the first day of selling with many familiar names featuring on the results page. Agents representing trainers such as Chris Waller, Danny O’Brien, Henry Dwyer and John O’Shea were all part of the early buying action, however, it was Tony Fung who headed the pack under his TFI banner as his on-site representative Kacy Fogden went to $425,000 to secure Lot 18, a Lo...

Excitement building at Karaka for Koru Thoroughbreds

Koru Thoroughbreds are gearing up for a busy week at Karaka where they will offer 13 yearlings at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales. Farm principals Kevin and Julie Taylor are heading to the South Auckland sales venue for the fifth time under their Koru Thoroughbreds banner and they are looking forward to seeing how the sale unfolds. “As a breeder we have been coming for about 25 years, but in our own right we have been coming for five years,” Kevin Taylor said. “Our draft...

Huge week looms for head of Haunui

With Karaka 2022 sandwiched between two stellar days of racing at Ellerslie, Mark Chitty is set to be a very busy man over the next 10 days. Chitty is the managing director of Haunui Farm, who will offer another quality consignment of 27 yearlings in Book 1 and 35 in Book 2. But he is also the deputy chairman of Auckland Thoroughbred Racing, who are staging the Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) on Saturday and the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) the following Sunday. “It’s...

Savabeel at the peak of his powers in Karaka countdown

Waikato Stud’s seven leading vendor titles at Karaka since 2014 have been underpinned by relentless demand for the progeny of Savabeel, and the all-conquering sire’s remarkable run of racetrack results this season has the respected nursery confident of another big sale in 2022. A permanent fixture at the top of Karaka’s leading sires by aggregate since 2014, Savabeel continues to go from strength to strength and boasts statistics this season that tower over all others on both sides of the ...

Karaka 2022 ready to kick into action

A steady influx of ex-pat Kiwi trainers and Bloodstock Agents that have arrived at the Karaka sales complex in the past 24 hours has put a bigger smile on the face of New Zealand Bloodstock Director of Sales, Danny Rolston. The easing of border restrictions that allow offshore-based Kiwi’s to return home without having to undergo a COVID isolation period has provided a timely boost to the prospects of another bumper edition of the National Yearling Sale that kicks off at Karaka at 11am on Mond...

Japanese Encephalitis

Japanese Encephalitis is endemic throughout SE Asia but in Australia, usually found only in northern Queensland (Torres Strait) and potentially due to wet summer conditions, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has been detected in piggeries in NSW, southern Queensland and northern Victoria.  JE is transmissible to horses and humans, via certain genus of mosquito.  While chronic illness from infection is rare, the disease is potentially fatal and is therefore a concern.   Australia’s...

Syndication a winner for Little Avondale

Syndication is proving an invaluable tool in aiding Little Avondale Stud’s ongoing commitment to build on the quality of its broodmare band. The Bjorn Baker-trained Belluci Babe is the latest success story for the Masterton farm following the dependable five-year-old’s victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Wenona Girl Quality (1200m) at Randwick. Belluci Babe never saw an auction ring and was syndicated with the aim of adding race performance to her pedigree, as was Roch ‘N’ Horse, also by stud r...

Derby winner highlights another bumper day for Curraghmore

On the eve of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales Curraghmore’s Gordon Cunningham was again pleased to see the farm’s past-graduates do the talking on the track, no doubt paving the way for further confidence for the product he will present at auction this week. The Karaka Sales will commence from 11am on Monday and pedigree updates don’t come much bigger than offering a full-sister to a Derby winner. But that is exactly the position Cunningham finds himself in following th...

War Decree off the mark with smart Wingatui winner

Two-year-old debutant Turf War (War Decree x Shuffled) showed plenty of courage as he held off all challenges to register the first victory for his sire War Decree when taking out the opening event at Wingatui on Saturday. Bred and raced by Gus Wigley and his wife Bianca under their Inglewood Stud banner, Turf War is from the first crop of Gr.2 Goodwood Vintage Stakes (1400m) winner War Decree, their current resident stallion who is a son of internationally acclaimed stallion War Front. Prepared...

Bellatrix Black stuns rivals in Sunline Vase

Lightly raced filly Bellatrix Black (Redwood x Dark Arts) ($17.20) upset the applecart at Ellerslie on Saturday when she stepped up from a maiden victory at Tauranga at her last start to take out the Gr.3 McKee Family Sunline Vase (2100m). The Catherine Cameron-trained daughter of Westbury Stud stallion Redwood relished every step of the 2100m journey as she bullocked her way through the middle of the pack to down pacemaker Mustang Valley and Achieve in a desperate finish to the contest. Ridden ...

Family affinity to the fore with Reputabelle

With a dominant performance at Wingatui by a rising star of the South Island’s three-year-old ranks, Michael and Matthew Pitman have added some black-type glow to a highly successful family association. The Riccarton trainers saddled Reputabelle (Pins x Really Reputable) for a runaway victory in Saturday’s Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m), powering clear in the hands of Tina Comignaghi to beat runner-up Irish Red by five and three-quarter lengths. Reputabelle was bred by Waikato Stud and...

Asterix delivers Derby double for O’Sullivan and Scott

Twelve months after living up to expectations with a Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) favourite, Matamata trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott went back-to-back with a very different kind of triumph at Ellerslie on Saturday. In contrast to their 2021 Derby hero Rocket Spade, who came into the classic as a $4 favourite with outstanding lead-up form under his belt, O’Sullivan and Scott were well and truly under the radar in 2022 with last-start maiden winner Asterix (Tavistock x M...

Controlled Annavisto a dominant Frances Tressady winner

Four-year-old mare Annavisto (Reliable Man x Avisto) was electric first-up at Flemington on Saturday when leading throughout to land the Gr.3 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m) for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr. The daughter of Reliable Man relished the sting out of the ground on the Soft 6 surface and has potentially set herself up for a lucrative target in Sydney. Winning jockey Jamie Kah is perfectly suited to the talented mare, getting her to relax outside the leader Electric Girl w...

Inspirational Girl nabs All-Star Mile start

Inspirational Girl (Reliable Man x Be Inspired) grasped the opportunity to land a berth in the A$5 million All-Star Mile field when she narrowly defeated favourite Zaaki in a thrilling edition of the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. The Group One winning daughter of Reliable Man was having just her third start in 15 months due to injury, and put the writing on the wall with a good fresh-up sixth in the Gr.1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) last start. Prepared by Danny O’Brien for o...

Belluci Babe gets deserved Group victory

Bjorn Baker has capped an outstanding day at the office by taking out the final race in Sydney, pledging to donate his percentage of Belluci Babe’s (Per Incanto x Savamor) prizemoney to the flood appeal in Australia. The popular trainer won feature races in two states on Saturday, capturing the Inglis Sprint and Bob Hoysted Handicap at Flemington with Overpass and Malkovich respectively, before adding the Gr.3 Wenona Girl Quality (1200m) at Randwick with Per Incanto mare Belluci Babe, who spor...