‘I had the bit between my teeth and fillies like that are quite rare’
Roger James takes shine to $200,000 daughter of Churchill as first Book 2 session produces pleasing metrics at Karaka
Prominent trainer Roger James’ admiration for champion European racehorse Churchill (Galileo) combined with South Island breeders’ foresight to buy a mare from Australia in foal to the Coolmore shuttle sire has paid a big dividend, with the resulting youngster topping the first Book 2 session at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale yesterday.
Robert Wellwood, James’ co-trainer, identified the filly during on-complex inspections and his senior partner gave the tick of approval to go to the session-high $200,000 for the Berkley Stud-bred-and-consigned filly.
She was one of nine lots to make $100,000 or more on a day in which the quality yearlings stood out and drew domestic and international competition, leading to an average of $43,240, up 25 per cent on the same session last year.
James described his latest acquisition as “a star filly”.
“I haven’t got an owner for her yet, but that is the next job, trying to find one,” he said.
“She has got everything. She is by a great racehorse and she has got the ability to be a Karaka Million horse.
“I only saw her this morning. Robert stayed up last night and he did the shortlist.
“I didn’t think I would have to pay that money for her, but I had the bit between my teeth and fillies like that are quite rare.”
James, who was underbidder on $1.85 million worth of yearlings in Book 1, is well aware of the racetrack credentials of Churchill, a European champion two-year-old and dual Guineas-winning miler.
“I followed his whole career,” the trainer said.
“He was a very fast horse for a Galileo. People normally associate Galileos with a bit of time, but he was a great two- and three-year-old and he held a world ranking at some stage.
“They don’t get that without being pretty special.”
Catalogued as Lot 725, the filly is the first foal out of five-time winner Astrid (Pins), herself a half-sister to talented Australian-raced, Listed-winning filly Astronomia (King’s Best). The filly’s second dam, Astralita (Kenny’s Best Pal), was also a Group 2 winner in Adelaide.
The session-topper’s price tag was a big result for Berkley Stud’s Edwina Morris and Alan Jones, who bought Astrid in foal to the sire from Willow Park Stud at the 2019 Inglis Great Southern Sale.
“We bought the mare, one of two we got in Melbourne. We have always liked Pins mares and she has a lot of quality, a big eye and is very tidy,” Morris said.
“She was in foal to Churchill and we liked his chances too, being a fast son of Galileo. I think we got her for A$50,000.
“There was huge interest in the filly. She is going to be bigger than her mother and her x-rays and scope were excellent.
“We thought she’d make $50,000 to $60,000 and she has gone to a great stable, so we are delighted.”
Proisir colt makes $180,000
Meanwhile, a colt by Rich Hill Stud’s Proisir (Choisir), the sire of four stakes winners including the Group 1-placed and Saturday’s impressive Westbury Classic (Gr 2, 1400m) winner Levante, also came in for strong competition yesterday, with Cambridge trainer Alex Oliveira winning out at $180,000 for the Highline Thoroughbreds-offered yearling.
The highest-priced yearling ever sold by Highline Thoroughbreds’ Cam and Eva Heron, the colt is the third foal out of All Can Party (All American), whose pedigree boasts Hong Kong Group 1-winning sprinter Inspiration (Flying Spur), Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m)-winning sire Wandjina (Snitzel), Lucky Unicorn (Redoute’s Choice) and three-time elite-level scorer Dracula (Quest For Fame). He was offered as Lot 713.
“It’s a big day for us,” Cam Heron said.
“It is not an easy game to be in and we are chipping away and trying to build a reputation around our business.
“We are proud of the job that we do in preparing these yearlings, so it’s justification for all the hard work that we put in.
“Eva and I started Highline and our first horse went through the ring seven or eight years ago, but this is our sixth sale.
“We put one through and gradually built up until this year, where we have 11. Four Book 1 fillies, and seven Book 2 colts and fillies.”
Oliveira linked with Tartan Meadow Bloodstock to buy the colt.
“He will probably go up to Hong Kong. We will play it by ear and see how it goes,” Oliveira said.
“We work closely with the guys up there, they will be buying him with me – Paul Chow (Tartan Meadow Bloodstock) and we might have another client or two.”
Olveira has a rap on Proisir, who he believes can continue his rise through the New Zealand stallion ranks.
“I am a big fan of Proisir. I have had a few,” he said.
“I first saw (Lot 713) him up here a couple of days ago. He is a precocious, strong, correct colt, and has a lovely walk on him.
“He was one of my top lots of the day.”
Solid day for Little Avondale’s stallions
Progeny of New Zealand’s current leading stallion Per Incanto (Street Cry) and his Little Avondale barnmate, freshman sire Time Test (Dubawi), were also popular yesterday, with both sires responsible for two six-figure lots apiece.
Understandably, Little Avondale has a strong hand with yearlings by Per Incanto and a filly out of the unraced Bellerama (Fusaichi Pegasus) held top billing among that quartet of six-figure offerings when she sold for $170,000 to Kiwi owner Gary Harding.
Her dam is a half-sister to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Sarrera (Quest For Fame) and the stakes-placed Detroit Song (Carnegie). She was catalogued as Lot 735.
Harding currently races last-start Levin Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Bonham (Per Incanto), a three-year-old filly who has won four of her five starts for trainers Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard.
“I thought this one was the filly of the sale and I thought I got her for a reasonable price,” Harding said.
“Initially, I thought I might get her for a little less but after seeing the interest in her today I thought she might be up around the $200,000 mark.
“Sometimes having competition like we did on her is a good thing as it helps vindicate your opinion of the horse.”
Harding had previously added three yearlings from Book 1, colts by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), Pierro (Lonhro) and Lonhro (Octagonal), to his expanding racing interests.
“Johno and Hollie are doing a great job for me, so I’m very pleased with them. It is a big decision to send horses so far away from home, but I think it is the best thing I have ever done,” Tirau-based Harding said.
“They are honest and straightforward, which is all I ever ask for.
“The whole team is going well at the moment and we have some young ones coming through over the next month or so that I’m very excited about.”
Harding’s purchase was also the first yearling sold by Little Avondale for George and Lucy Williams, who are shareholders in Per Incanto.
“She’s a cracking filly from a mare I bought off Sir Patrick Hogan a few years back. She was empty at the time and I needed a couple of extra mares for Per Incanto,” Little Avondale proprietor Sam Williams said.
“I paid nothing for the mare. She was a half-sister to a Group 1 winner from the same family as Beau Zam, Balmerino and Surround. George wasn’t convinced until I said if you don’t want her, I’ll take her. It was a good decision by him.”
Per Incanto sits atop the 2020-21 New Zealand stallion premiership by winners with 37 individual victories, six ahead of nearest rival and champion sire Savabeel (Zabeel) and eight in front of Tavistock (Montjeu) and Swiss Ace (Secret Savings).
He also leads the current Hong Kong sires’ table with 11 individual winners from 21 runners.
Agent Robin Tai also bought a Per Incanto colt on behalf of a Singapore-based client.
“The pedigree is what attracted me to him and he also appealed to my father William, who is in Hong Kong,” Tai said.
“We start by looking at pedigree and he is from a nice family. The Per Incantos go very well in Hong Kong. He is one the leading sires there and gets lots of winners.
“I didn’t see him until I got here to the grounds and he is a lovely colt. He was on our shortlist quite quickly, especially after I sent a video to my father.”
Catalogued as Lot 664 and offered by Highline Thoroughbreds, the colt is the third foal out of the New Zealand stakes-placed mare Special Draw (Falkirk), who is a half-sister to the Group 2 runner-up Glorious Beijing (Per Incanto).
The colt was bred by Nita Herbst after sourcing Special Draw from Highden Park carrying the colt.
“As a shareholder in Embellish I was looking for a mare to send to him and Cameron Ring of Cambridge Stud found Special Draw for me,” Herbst said.
“Cameron found her at Sam and Libby Bleakley’s Highden Park and said I need to get a mare that could run. It’s that old adage, ‘if mum can run, that’s a plus’, and she could run.
“She has a filly by Embellish at foot and is back in foal to him.”
Highline Thoroughbreds’ Cam Heron added: “We got him from Nita in November and I could tell from day one that he was going to develop into a nice individual.
“He took everything in his stride, handled the pressure well and nothing was too much of a problem.”
The most expensive Time Test, a four-time Group winner in Europe when trained by Roger Charlton, sold to a top of $130,000 yesterday after realising up to $220,000 in Book 1.
The colt was knocked down to Pam Gerard of Ballymore Stables New Zealand, who was left to do the bidding on behalf of her co-trainer, Victoria-based Mike Moroney, and his agent-brother, Paul Moroney.
Offered by Wainui as Lot 710, the colt is the first foal out of the placed mare Affrettando (Iffraaj), who is a half-sister to the Listed-placed Look At Moiye (O’Reilly).
“Paul and Mike have been putting a lot of work into the sale, looking at videos and photos and getting all the information they can and this colt was one they chose,” Gerard said.
“The colt was pretty laid back in his box, but once near the ring he really upped his game, so I called Paul and Mike and said he is getting better all the time.
“They were pretty keen to take one home by Time Test. They like the stallion’s chances.”
Vendor Richard McKenzie has been associated with the colt’s family for three generations.
“He has natural strength and if we had to take him home I wouldn’t have been too upset. I would have gladly raced him myself,” he said.
“We bought the granddam, Facing The Music, as an older mare and Affrettando was her last foal. She missed in 2019, but is back in foal to Time Test.”
Time Test’s sire, Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), is also the sire of Darley’s exciting stallion Night Of Thunder, who has sired 20 individual winners, including three stakes scorers, from just 58 live foals in his single southern hemisphere crop of mares covered in 2016.
Williams believes yesterday’s trade held up well.
“We had Lot 580, a Per Incanto filly, she sold for $60,000 and another Per Incanto filly (Lot 735) sold for $170,000 late in the piece,” he said.
“People still need horses in their stables and a lot of people had missed out as Book 1 was really strong, with a clearance rate of 81 per cent.
“NZB have done a fantastic job with their new platform and trying to get as many people involved as possible and gather information.”
As well as the increased average yesterday, the median climbed nine per cent to $30,000 compared to the $27,500 recorded in 2020.
“The momentum from Book 1 has continued through to the first day of Book 2 with a higher-priced top lot than 2020 and an increase in average,” NZB bloodstock manager Danny Rolston said last night.
“The local trainers were strong – Paul Moroney, Roger James, of course, with the top lot – Go Racing, Phill Cataldo for New Zealand clients and overseas, and the online bidding was flat out again today with a number of lots going to Hong Kong, Singapore and even Japan.”
The last session at Karaka starts at 1pm local time today. A Book 3 sale will be conducted on Gavelhouse.com, starting tomorrow.
Sale statistics – Book 2, day one
2021 2020
Catalogued 170 150
Sold 96 (68%) 90 (71%)
Aggregate $4,151,000 (+33%) $3,113,500
Average $43,240 (+25%) $34,594
Median $30,000 (+9%) $27,500
Top Lot $200,000 $160,000