Counting down
The NZB Karaka Yearling Sale catalogue is out and the countdown to the 2025 or 99th National Sale begins. Over the next eight weeks stakes races may impact, particularly sires, as well as pedigree pages as the results unfold and last Saturday’s New Zealand racing got the ball rolling.
Buyers often react to current fashion and sires that are running hot get more attention. One such sire might be Cambridge Stud’s Embellish (Savabeel) and the stud should be encouraged with recent results achieved, as last Saturday marked the second in succession that the young sire delivered a stakes winner, on top of Luberon’s Counties Bowl (Gr 3, 1100m) success.
Having her fourth start, Hitabell became the third individual stakes winner for Embellish and she really gave her opponents little chance in the O’Learys Fillies’ Stakes (Listed, 1340m) at Wanganui. Her wide draw (ten of 11) did not have much effect as she pinged the gates to share the early lead then took over before they reached the end of the back straight.
She was able to relax around the turn, but into the home straight she hugged the rail and shot clear soon after. Approaching the 100 metres she was travelling strongly and as she passed that marker there was no way she would be caught, going on to register her second win.
A trial winner in September, she won using identical tactics on debut at Taupo last month then was stepped up to stakes class two weeks later in Ellerslie’s Soliloquy Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m). Her run that day was very good as she never gave up and was not that far away in fifth at her first attempt right-handed.
On Melbourne Cup day at Ellerslie she ran into trouble when pocketed all the way up the straight only to get going when the race was over. She definitely has some ability and it will surprise if she doesn’t add to her record.
Hitabell is the third winner from Anahita, a Stravinsky (Nureyev) half-sister to New Zealand Filly of the Year Shikoba (Chief Bearhart). The latter won the Eight Carat Classic (Gr 2, 1600m), Royal Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) and Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic (Gr 2, 2000m) in succession. At Karaka last week the writer ran into Micaela Murray, co-owner of Shikoba, who reports that the mare, now 22, is in fine fettle and recently foaled to Satono Aladdin.
Shikoba’s dam is a half-sister to juvenile stakes winner Cloister (Marauding), dam of the top-class sprinter and dual Group 1 winner Melito (Redoute’s Choice). Cloister’s dam, Group 3 winner Pampas Fire (Prince True), is a half-sister to the champion sprinter, five-time Group 1 winner and former leading sire, Zeditave (The Judge).
NZB will offer 12 by Embellish in January, all of which are in Book 2.
Twenty and climbing
Proisir (Choisir) has his work cut out to match the $1.6 million sale-topper of the 2024 sale but his numbers have increased markedly. In 2023 there were 19 lots catalogued in Book 1 and 30 in Book 2. In 2024 he was represented by 35 in Book 1 and three in Book 2. This year those numbers are 53 and ten, reflecting his Champion Sire title of 2022-23 and associated high profile as one of the country’s most in-demand stallions.
Stakes winner 20, Saturday’s Wanganui Cup (Listed, 2040m) scorer Whangaehu, is from Proisir’s third crop. Recording his seventh win, much of the credit can go to Lily Sutherland who not only saved ground until moving off the fence at the 500 metres but also found a sweet run in the straight to lead at the 100 metres, before holding on gamely.
The six-year-old gelding began his career at three in New Zealand, breaking his maiden at Awapuni at start two then was sent to Australia where from Chris Waller’s stable he won twice in Sydney, at Canterbury over 1900 metres and at Randwick’s Kensington track over 2400 metres, early in 2023. By the end of the year he was back home scoring at Trentham, Hastings and Tauherenikau. Saturday’s win was second–up this prep and brought his career earnings to more than $270,000.
He is the third winner from three to race out of Pinot Grieve (Pins) , a four-time winner. Pinot Grieve is one of six winners out of Memphis Minnie (Blues Traveller), also the winner of four races.
Pinot Grieve was found by Whangaehu’s owners the O’Learys at the 2018 NZB May Mixed Sale. Their outlay of $1,000 for the mare carrying Whangaehu has turned out to be an inspired purchase. Proisir’s service fee in 2017 was $7,000. The mare was originally sold as weanling in 2005 for $30,000 and her first foal made $135,000 at the 2014 NZB Karaka Select Yearling Sale.
Never again
Checkmate (Mongolian Khan) looks to have a bright future, judging from his record so far, which now stands at three starts and two wins following his success in Saturday’s Armacup Stakes (Listed, 1500m).
Big and raw but highly talented, Checkmate has ‘Derby’ written all over him after his impressive performance which saw him break free from the pack at the 150 metres then bound away. He was much too good. On debut at Te Rapa in late September he finished strongly from well back for second, then followed that with an easy victory at Te Aroha, coming away late but with plenty in hand.
What will never happen again is another mating of Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Empire) and Signorina (Conatus). That is because Mongolian Khan is in China, having been exported in 2023.
In winning on Saturday, Checkmate became his third individual stakes winner. His first was Bankers Choice, from the stallion’s first crop of 2017. Checkmate and Bankers Choice are brothers and their breeder had the good sense to send the mare back to Mongolian Khan four years later, but that decision was based merely upon two trials wins as Bankers Choice’s maiden success did not come until June 2021. Checkmate was not foaled until the following October.
Bankers Choice found top form soon after, adding four more wins, including Trentham’s Anniversary Handicap (Gr 3, 1600m), which was part of a hat-trick, then he was off to Australia. There, he lined up against the best and has the Ballarat Cup (Listed, 2000m) to show for it, plus five high-class placings, including the Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m). He has banked more than $1 million in prize-money.
What was Windsor Park Stud supposed to do? The black type results were not happening and breeders dropped the stallion like a hot potato after averaging more than 100 mares for his first five seasons. In 2021 Mongolian Khan attracted just three mares and in 2022 the same. It’s a long way to send a mare to China to get another brother or sister.
A winner, Checkmate’s dam Signorina (Conatus) was sold at the NZB May Mixed Sale carrying seven-time winner and Group 2 placed Jodelin Gal (Swiss Ace), fetching $6,000. Her first foal, In Fiore (Postponed) also won seven, which puts Signorina in good company as a producer.
The closest Group 1 winner in Checkmate’s immediate family is Magic Flute (Adaan), whose half-sister Graceful Dancer (Avaray) is Singorina’s great granddam. Magic Flute was a splendid mare, winning eight times, including the Doncaster Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) and Caulfield’s One Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).
Murphy’s law applies to horseracing more often than we’d like to admit and it wouldn’t be the first time a stallion has stuck his tongue out at breeders. It would be no surprise if Checkmate goes on to bigger and better things, like the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m). Watch this space.
No slow boat
Following a first rate effort by Tuxedo (Tivaci), in last week’s Wellington Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m), many may be surprised to learn that, like Mongolian Khan, Tuxedo’s sire Tivaci (High Chaparral) has been exported to China. Similar to Mongolian Khan, Tivaci lost favour with breeders in 2023, attracting 31 mares compared with an average of 111 mares through his first six seasons.
His ratio of winners to runners stands at 50 per cent however Tuxedo was just his fifth individual stakes winner and breeders noticed.
Nevertheless, Tuxedo is well above average and his win at Otaki was pretty gutsy, as he was shuffled back to second-last when they straightened. When the gaps opened he found them and kept up a strong run to the line to overhaul the leader a couple of strides from the line to remain unbeaten in two starts.
A $70,000 purchase at NZB’s 2023 Karaka Yearling sale (Book 1), Tuxedo is the only foal to race out of Ball Gown (O’Reilly). His Sydney-winning granddam is a half-sister to Group 2 sprinter-miler Sports Illustrated (Fast ‘N‘ Famous) and his great granddam is a Group 2 placed half-sister to international star Starcraft (Soviet Star). Tivaci has 16 lots at Karaka next month, nine in Book 1 and seven in Book 2.
Meet Twain
In the old days it was called “running out his hack nominations”, referring to a horse in super form, clearly open class, with nominations for restricted class races still to take place. Although added weight is the penalty, many top liners can cope as it’s comparatively easy money against those you have already beaten.
Such is the case with Twain (Per Incanto) whose four wins and two thirds in six starts has propelled him to open class. Carrying top weight of 60 kilograms in a Rating 75 (1100m) at Ellerslie on Saturday and trapped three wide until the straight, he seemed flat approaching the 300 metres. However, from the 200 metres he grabbed the bit and charged hard to get up. He’s a racehorse. Next for the four-year-old is the weight-for-age Telegraph (Gr 1, 1200m) on January 4 and he is a worthy chance against New Zealand’s top sprinters.
Should he follow in the footsteps of his dam, Fleur De Lune (Stravinsky) and bag a Group 1, his sister, Lot 616 in Book 1 of the upcoming NZB Karaka Yearling Sale, will be in even greater demand.
Fleur De Lune won six times, including the 2013 Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) having landed the previous year’s Foxbridge Plate (Gr 3, 1200m), and was five times Group 1 placed. Her two foals to race, both by Per Incanto (Street Cry), are winners. Twain could have been purchased at NZB’s 2022 Ready to Run Sale but failed to reach his $200,000 reserve.
Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto has enjoyed many top–class results over the past couple of seasons. His big earner Gringotts is in great form at present, as is Belclare, two of 18 winners in the month of November. He is represented by 31 yearlings at Karaka, 29 of which are in Book 1.