Hong Kong beckons for Harry Angel colt
As expected, the brother to Group 2-winning sprinter Arkansaw Kid (Harry Angel) garnered plenty of attention at the Ready To Run Sale and the colt’s future looks set to be in Hong Kong after bloodstock agent Morgan Carter purchased the youngster for NZ$520,000.
Offered as Lot 372, the two-year-old was bought by Ohukia Lodge’s Jamie Beatson for $300,000 from Treen and Royston Murphy’s Sledmere Stud draft at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale earlier in the year when his Lindsay Park-trained brother had only two wins, including the Inglis Banner (RL, 1000m), on his CV.
Our original assessment was somewhere around the $400,000 range, but after seeing how strong the sale has been, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy
But since Beatson’s investment, Arkansaw Kid has continued to add more black type to the page, finishing third in the Blue Diamond (Gr 1, 1200m) a few weeks after the sale. This season he has continued to upgrade the pedigree further, adding victories in the Bobbie Lewis Quality (Gr 2, 1200m) and Regal Roller Stakes (Listed, 1200m) since the catalogue went to print.
“We knew he’d sell well. He’s gone to a good establishment. That’s always good,” Beatson told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We had him on the market at $350,000 but you never know until they go into the ring if they make their money but this turned out well.”
Ohukia Lodge finished the sale having sold 21 lots for an aggregate of NZ$4,670,000, a total which was bettered only by Beatson’s cousin, Sam Beatson’s Riversley Park’s draft, who sold 35 juveniles for a sale leading aggregate NZ$6,945,000.
Carter said he had to stretch over the NZ$400,000 he had originally thought he would have to pay for the son of Harry Angel.
“We knew we’d have to go strong on this colt,” Carter said. “Our original assessment was somewhere around the $400,000 range, but after seeing how strong the sale has been, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
“We’re very happy to have bought him. He looks like the type of horse who’s not going to take long. He’ll have a couple of weeks in the paddock now, and then we’ll assess him and make a plan for him from there. He’ll eventually end up in Hong Kong.”
The colt was one of just two progeny of Darley Stud stallion Harry Angel to go through the Karaka sale ring during the Ready To Run Sale this week. The other was Lot 306, a Kilgravin Lodge-consigned colt, who fetched NZ$400,000 when knocked down to South Australian-based Koolman.
