Domestic buyers stand tall in face of adversity during Book 1 at Karaka
Almanzor the new kid on the block as Seabrook believes ‘things are on the up’ for New Zealand industry
New Zealand Bloodstock managing director Andrew Seabrook’s immediate emotion was an overwhelming sense of relief after the curtain came down on Book 1 of the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale yesterday, the first staged without international buyers at the sales complex in almost a century.
Faced with immense uncertainty for more than six months with the country shut off from the rest of the world, NZB pushed ahead with its traditional January format amid agitation from some circles to delay the auction until April in the hope of a more favourable travel environment.
However, at the conclusion of Book 1, 74 of the 414 yearlings traded had sold for $200,000 or more, including a Savabeel (Zabeel) colt who fetched $720,000 during the third session to be the second highest-priced yearling of the sale behind a Zoustar (Northern Meteor) filly who made $800,000 on Sunday.
“For the past six months we’ve been building for these three days and we didn’t really have any idea how it would go,” Seabrook told ANZ Bloodstock News last night.
“I was confident that the New Zealanders would spend more given the economy here, and the confidence in the domestic racing industry, and they would step up, but probably not to the level they did. It was quite amazing.
“The big unknown, of course, was to what level the internationals would use the online system and bidding over the phone. Even I bid for ten or 12 Australians and I had to come off the bench just to do that.”
The Book 1 aggregate was $50.998 million at an average of $123,184 and a median of $95,000, the latter two measures down by 11 and 12 per cent respectively compared to 2020. A clearance rate of 81 per cent was up two per cent year-on-year.
The two decreased year-on-year metrics were in contrast to what was experienced at the recent record Magic Millions Gold Coast auction, but Seabrook suggested the New Zealand industry banded together to do its best to ensure a competitive marketplace in unprecedented conditions.
“The New Zealand agents and the NZB agents here really stepped up in terms of engaging with the overseas people, but their spend was always going to be down,” he reasoned.
“Was Australia going to spend the same amount as last year? Of course not given they couldn’t be here, but it was encouraging that the online system and the bidding over the phone was embraced.
“I am relieved and I am also very happy to be able to check an 81 per cent clearance. I would take that all day.”
NZB still has a two-day Book 2 offering starting today and an online Book 3 catalogue to complete the National Yearling Sale.
The leading buyer at Karaka for 16 years in succession, Te Akau’s David Ellis, added 11 yearlings to his portfolio yesterday, bringing his tally to 38 yearlings from Book 1 for a spend of $7.425 million at an average of $195,000.
New Zealand agents such as Bruce Perry, Phill Cataldo, Paul Willetts, Chris Rutten and Stuart Hale were also significant buyers.
“Look at Graeme Rogerson, Tony Pike, Roger James and others, it was really good,” Seabrook said.
“I genuinely believe that things are on the up here domestically and New Zealand is in a good place going forward because we have more to gain than most other countries in the world given our remoteness.
“I think the new digital space is going to stand us in good stead.”
The leading vendor by aggregate was Cambridge Stud, selling 45 yearlings for $5.7 million at an average of $126,666, ahead of Waikato Stud, which sold 34 yearlings for $4.33 million. On average, the leading vendor was Hallmark Stud, which sold 15 lots at $197,333 each, ahead of Trelawney Stud, which sold 13 yearlings at an average of $195,000.
Savabeel colt tops day three at Karaka
The most expensive lot sold on day three, a son of Savabeel from one of New Zealand’s most successful families, will head to Hong Kong after Ascot Farm’s Bruce Harvey signed for the $720,000 colt on instruction from the Jockey Club.
With strong competition for many of the higher-profile lots, Harvey was relieved to have struck for the Cambridge Stud-consigned yearling.
“We missed out on the top lot yesterday (Monday), the one that made $520,000 (Lot 367). I saw him (Savabeel colt) at the on-farm parade and I absolutely loved him, and I have loved him every time I have seen him,” said Harvey, who broke in the colt’s third dam, Group 1 winner and champion producer Tristalove (Sir Tristram).
“He was just a quality colt and he moved so well. He was our first pick of the sale, he ticked all the boxes for us.”
Carrying the potent Savabeel-O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) cross, which is responsible for four Group 1 winners and 20 stakes winners at a 14 per cent strike rate, the youngster is the fifth foal out of the Group 3-placed Lovetessa, a half-sister to Group 2 winner Queen Of Diamonds (Savabeel). He was offered as Lot 520.
The colt was Harvey’s third purchase for the HKJC after buying colts by Reliable Man (Dalakhani) and Per Incanto (Street Cry).
“The Hong Kong Jockey Club, they want to buy quality horses,” Harvey said.
“That is the standard they want. It is about quality over quantity, and he was the pick of the sale.”
Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre welcomed the result, which potentially marks a turning point for owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay, who bought the historic New Zealand farm and bloodstock portfolio from Sir Patrick Hogan in 2017 with a takeover in 2018.
Since then, Cambridge Stud has been bereft of good luck with the loss of stallions Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), Burgundy (Redoute’s Choice) and Tavistock (Montjeu).
“The mare was good to Sir Patrick and even better for us. The Savabeel over the mare is a great combination,” Plumptre said.
“He has a great temperament and so does she. The colt is very uncomplicated and has always looked the part.
“A most pleasing aspect was that Brendan and Jo have poured plenty in, so this is a nice return for a change.
“After the horror year (2019), apart from Probabeel (winning), they deserve a change of fortune for the stud.”
Almanzor talk at fever pitch right to the end
Competition in the ring was evident right until the death, with the last lot of Book 1 selling to prolific agent Bruce Perry, who has been one of many industry experts relied on this week to assist international buyers.
Perry went to $560,000 – the fourth most expensive yearling of the sale – for the Hallmark Stud-consigned Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) colt, who is a half-brother to the Golden Pendant (Gr 2, 1400m) winner Subpoenaed (Rip Van Winkle).
He was one of seven yearlings the Masterton agent has bought over the past three days by the Cambridge Stud shuttle sire.
“I was acting for Brae (Sokolski), who is one of the main owners in the colt’s half-sister Subpoenaed and Chris Waller,” Perry said.
“I was doing the work for them, so I had a look at him and just loved him.
“They were very strong on him, as it was a good fight to secure him, but I had Brae on the phone talking with me the whole way. I really just hope the Almanzors can run now.”
Respected judges on both sides of the Tasman have endorsed the first crop stock by Almanzor and Perry was not surprised he had to dig deep to buy the colt, the fourth foal out of five-time winner Notice Received (O’Reilly), despite the sale being in its twilight hour.
“I knew this horse would be a $500,000-plus buy as he was a lovely type and mover, so the mare has done a good job,” he said.
“Brae and Chris had him on their radar, so I just did the legwork for them.”
Hallmark Stud’s Mark Baker described the colt, catalogued as Lot 578, as the “perfect specimen”.
“The way he handled the pressure, right from when we got him all the way to ring, was incredible,” Baker said.
“We are grateful to be chosen to prepare him for Wayne and Vicki Pyke. It really was a pleasure.”
The Book 1 closer was one of a number of Almanzors to sell well yesterday, with the first, a Waikato Stud-consigned colt catalogued as Lot 416, being the third foal out of Savabeel mare Genius, a four-time winner, who has already produced Hong Kong winner Breeze Of Spring (Pins).
Perry bought the colt on behalf of long-time client Lib Petagna.
“I saw him a long time ago at Mark’s (Chittick, Waikato Stud principal) in the paddock,” Perry said.
“He is a beautifully balanced horse with a lovely temperament. There is a lot of Savabeel (dam sire) about him, and at the same time he had a few Almanzor traits as well.
“If I’m wrong (about Almanzor), I won’t be here in a year or two.”
Chittick says it was not just the fact the colt was by Almanzor but his dam, the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Genius, was a stakes performer who ran a close-up fifth in the 2015 Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m).
“The pleasing thing about the sale of this colt is that Bruce and Lib recognised just how good this colt is,” the studmaster said.
“His dam was much better than her record looks on the page. She ran a terrific race at Group 1 level without gaining black-type but she had plenty of ability.
“Lib has supported us very well in the past and it is great to see him back at the well.”
Fellow New Zealand agents Cataldo and Paul Moroney, trainer Graeme Rogerson and Te Akau’s David Ellis have also been strong in their views about the capacity of European champion Almanzor to deliver much-needed new blood to the New Zealand stallion ranks through the physical and mental aptitude of his first crop yearlings.
Pike buys The Bostonian’s half-sister for Karreman
Later in the day, Tony Pike went to $420,000 for Lot 474, a filly by Almanzor who is a half-sister to the Cambridge trainer’s three-time Australian Group 1-winning sprinter The Bostonian (Jimmy Choux).
Pike was called on by The Oaks Stud owner Dick Karreman and general manager Rick Williams to source quality fillies who could eventually be added to the Cambridge farm’s broodmare band.
“On type and pedigree, she was the star of the show,” Pike said. “She is a lovely walking filly with a great attitude, and I know the family well with The Bostonian.
“It is a fantastic result, and I am really looking forward to getting the filly in the stable.
“She is very similar to her brother. I personally thought she may have made a bit more, but we valued her at about the $400,000 mark and we went one more bid to get her.”
Also consigned by Waikato Stud for breeders David and Di Archer, the filly is the seventh living foal out of Keepa Cheval (Keeper), a winning half-sister to dual New Zealand Horse of the Year (King) Mufhasa (Pentire).
“She’s a belter of a filly. She’s a classic and top-drawer filly and she has been that way since she was a foal all the way through to the sale ring. She’s a very professional filly,” Chittick said.
“The mare has an Ocean Park filly at foot and she is of the same level, but they left the mare empty this year as it was a bit late.”
Of Almanzor’s arrival, Seabrook said: “We are very lucky to have a horse of his quality come into the country and the money was spread around a lot of farms, so let’s hope they can do it on the track. It would be great for Brendan and Jo Lindsay for him to be successful.”
Almanzor had 42 first crop yearlings sell for $8.13 million at an average of $193,571.
Satono Aladdin colt with North Pacific connection makes $360,000
Another yearling by a first season sire to sell well yesterday was Rich Hill Stud’s Satono Aladdin (Deep Impact) colt, who is from the same family as exciting Australian Group 1-placed three-year-old North Pacific (Brazen Beau). He made $360,000 to the bid of Pam Gerard, who was acting for Ballymore’s Mike Moroney and his agent-brother Paul.
The colt is the second living foal out of the unraced Inthespotlight (O’Reilly), a sister to the dam of the Hawkes Racing-trained North Pacific. He was offered as Lot 451.
“When a first crop sire brings a price like that it’s great for everyone I think,” Rich Hill Stud principal John Thompson said.
“The Japanese will be watching on with interest and seeing one of their horses being so well received down here will be very positive.
“There was huge action in the ring and I’m delighted for the Moroneys as we have had a wonderful relationship over a number of years, probably tracing back to when we bred and sold them Penny Gem, who was by Pentire.
“They also have had Xcellent from us, so I’m delighted to see him go to the stable as I already know they have some very good Melbourne clients set to be involved in this horse.”
Thompson continued: “It was fairly obvious from when we got here that this colt was going to be the top of our draft. The staff told me at one stage he had been out for 45 minutes parading without a break.
“That was a measure of his popularity and it translated into the result we saw in the ring.”
Ordinarily, expatriate Kiwis Mike and Paul Moroney would be at Karaka but due to Covid-19 the pair have been stranded in Australia, so it was left to Gerard to undertake the physical inspections of the yearlings.
“Paul and Mike have seen the videos online and were keen for me to see what his nature was like,” said Gerard, who indicated the colt would join Mike Moroney’s Flemington stable.
“We have had a good look over him at least three or four times. He is very similar to his sire. Paul and Mike really liked him, so they wanted to give it a decent crack.
“It is probably once in a lifetime for me (bidding) because of the way things are. That one was a bit nerve-wracking.”
Trainer Andrew Forsman, one half of the successful Murray Baker partnership, was the underbidder.
Meanwhile, the way in which the first crop progeny of War Decree (War Front) was received by the market also pleased Inglewood Stud’s Gus Wigley after selling fillies to agents Guy Mulcaster and Bruce Perry for $85,000 and $55,000 respectively on day three.
“We’re rapt with the way they have been received and he has been bought by some really good judges,” Wigley said.
“The thing with a young stallion is to get them into good stables. He’s averaging around $70,000 for $6,500 (fee), ten times his service fee, so there’s a good margin there.
“Certainly, it’s been disappointing not being able to put them in front of an Australian buying bench but to be fair, the Kiwis have really stepped up to the mark. They are all here and they have all wanted to buy, there’s money there.”
Duchess buys son of her gun Tavistock
The breeder of the late Cambridge Stud sire Tavistock, Henrietta, the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, was determined to ensure she could achieve the dream of racing one of his sons in England before the opportunity passed.
To ensure that goal potentially becomes a reality, the Duchess’ representative Berri Schroder was entrusted with the role of bidding on Lot 487 and it took a bid of $440,00 to land him.
“It has been Henrietta’s dream to buy a Tavistock from Sir Patrick (Hogan) that could go to England to race to complete the circle for her,” Schroder said.
“If the planes are going, he will be sent over to the northern hemisphere in either June or July.
“While he will be six months older than his competition he will race in open races as a maiden two-year-old in the autumn.
“We looked at every Tavistock in the catalogue this year as we wanted to select the one that would be best suited to that plan and this one fits the bill.
“It was a great battle in the ring and I wasn’t confident we had him until the gavel went down.
“We had heard that there were at least four people on him and I think it was Roger James who was the underbidder.”
Tavistock was bred by the Duchess at Bloomsbury Stud (NZ) in 2005 before he was sold at the Karaka sale in 2007. He won twice at Group 1 level in New Zealand before he was sold to Sir Patrick Hogan, who was principal of Cambridge Stud at the time.
The colt, offered by Woburn Farm on behalf of his breeder Sir Patrick, is the second foal out of La Belle Beel (Zabeel), a half-sister to the Singapore Listed winner Intercept (Zerpour). Further back is New Zealand’s champion stayer of 1999-2000, dual Group 1 winner Second Coming (Oak Ridge), who is out of the colt’s third fam Superior Miss (Bassenthwaite).
Woburn Farm’s Adrian Stanley, who placed a $120,000 reserve on the yearling, did not have enough plaudits for the star colt.
“I have worked with quite a few Tavistocks in my time and he qualifies as my pick of them all. He just kept improving and developing into a standout since we got him in September. He will be something at three,” Stanley said.
On Sunday, Woburn Farm also sold a Written Tycoon (Iglesia) colt for $625,000 to Te Akau Racing on behalf of Sir Patrick.
The first of two Book 2 sessions starts at 1pm local time today.
Sale statistics – Book 1
| 2021 | 2020 | |
| Catalogued | 579 | 677 |
| Offered | 503 (-15%) | 620 |
| Sold | 414 (81%) | 484 (79%) |
| Aggregate | $50,998,000 (-24%) | $67,130,000 |
| Average | $123,184 (-11%) | $138,698 |
| Median | $95,000 (-12%) | $107,500 |
| Top Lot | $800,000 | $900,000 |