Karaka – Six Of The Best
Here, in lot order, is a look at some of the hot lots at this year’s Karaka Yearling Sale.
Lot 40
B f – Dundeel – Ardeche
The Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight) family is one of New Zealand’s most famous, with – at last count – at least 35
stakes-winners and 89 stakes wins coming from descendants of the great mare, Verry Elleegant (Zed) and Melody Belle (Commands) among them.
And this filly from Cambridge Stud’s 40-strong draft presents the chance for buyers to tap into the family in a powerful way, with New Zealand’s Broodmare of the Year in 1995-96-97 coming in straight along the female line, as the fifth dam.
Out of the stakes-placed Ardeche (Dehere), and by surging sire Dundeel (High Chaparral), the filly is a three-quarter sister to Mongolian Marshal (High Chaparral), a Group 3 winner in New Zealand and Listed victor in Melbourne.
Second dam Diamond Like (Danehill) won at Listed level and produced two stakes winners in Forever Loved (High Chaparral) and Zephyron (Zabeel), while third dam was the superb Cambridge product Tristalove (Sir Tristram), joint top filly of the 1993-94 Australasian 3YO Classification, who won two Group 1s in the Sires Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m).
“This is a great opportunity for someone looking to buy into the Eight Carat family,” says Cambridge’s head of sales and nominations Scott Calder.
“She’s a three-quarter sister to a Group 3 winner, and bred on the same cross as Castelvecchio, in Dundeel over a Dehere mare.
“So she’s a stand-out from a pedigree aspect and just a great type, with a huge amount of quality about her; not overly big, but with a really good depth of girth. So, people might wonder why we’re selling her! But we’ve been lucky enough to keep the last two daughters of Ardeche, so we’re happy to give someone else the opportunity.
“A lot of people have been seeing the benefits of buying a well-bred filly, from the residual aspect, and this is a great chance in that regard. One of the themes of the Magic Millions sale was that, especially for syndicators, people can buy a filly and be confident that regardless of what they do on the track, they can have great value as broodmares later on. And of course, if you do get a good one, their value can go through the roof.”
Lot 337
B c – Super Seth – Mary d’Or
Renowned breeder Lib Petagna’s Elsdon Park has made great strides since setting up on the former Valachi Downs property last year. They’re excited about their 16-lot draft in Book 1, and especially this strapping colt by Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth (Dundeel).
He’s from a strong French family, out of a dual stakes-placed mare in Mary d’Or
(Verglas), a full-sister to Stormy River, winner of four stakes races to 1600 metres including a Group 1, and a three-quarter sibling to Silverware (Silver Frost), winner of five stakes races including at the top tier.
The grey Mary d’Or has had six winners from six to race, including Australian-bred
pair Frosted Gold (All Too Hard), a triple stakes-winner in South Africa up to Group 2, and Sunshine Mighty (Murtajill), a Listed winner in Macau.
This late-August colt is set to continue the buzz around Waikato Stud’s first–season sire Super Seth,
whose seven Magic Millions lots sold at an average of $231,000, with a peak of $450,000.
While any first–season sire comes with the unknown quantity tag, Super Seth’s ability to leave his mark has impressed many seasoned judges.
“You definitely want to see a first–season sire stamp their stock,” Elsdon’s general manager Kerrie Cox says. “When they do, it’s like you see the strength of the genetic qualities coming through, rather than have a sire whose stock might be a bit all over the place. You look at the Savabeels – they’re all peas in a pod, plus they can run well as well.
“Super Seth has certainly done it with his first crop. Anyone you talk to says they can pick the Super Seths from a mile away: big, strong imposing types, and very forward.
“And this colt is certainly a typical Super Seth. He’s strong, very muscular, and looks like he would get up and go nice and early. He’s got a beautiful temperament, and he’s just a very striking, good-looking horse, and one who’s been very nice all the way through. Some yearlings can go through a bit of a rough stage, but he’s been on the up all the way along.”
Lot 424
B f – Proisir – Piazza
Tough six-year-old gelding Riodini (Proisir) has been one of the top handful of trans-Tasman success stories of recent years. After a Group 3 win and Group 1 placing at home, the gelding joined the Waterhouse-Bott team in 2020 to become a million-dollar winner, with two Group 1 placings, followed by his breakthrough victory in the $1m The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange last November.
Now, Rich Hill Stud offers his three-quarter sister, a filly who’s struck the farm’s owner John Thompson as a stand-out specimen.
She’s by the stud’s NZ general sires’ table runaway leader, Proisir – sire of outstanding sprinter Levante and her burgeoning stablemate and winner of November’s New Zealand 1000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), Legarto, among others – the filly has been catching the eye of many keen judges at Karaka this week.
“She’s very much in the mould of the good Proisir fillies like Levante and Legato – strong bodied, they all have that very quick look about them, and the same colouring as well,” Thompson says.
“And this one is just a beautifully balanced filly, very correct, a nice, medium-sized type, and for a filly born on November 14, it’s quite amazing how well–developed she is. But perhaps the thing that most stands out is her great attitude. She’s got great intelligence about her, she’s taken everything in her stride, and she’s settled into things so well at the sales complex.”
The filly has the potential to succeed over some distance, with her dam Piazza, a
four-time winner up to 2000 metres, being by Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner Sir Percy. Piazza herself is a full sister to Hawke’s Bay Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m) winner Sir Andrew, with their four-time winning dam Biennale (Royal Academy) also throwing three-time winner Giardini (Heartbreak), dam of Riodini.
Lot 505
Br c – Per Incanto – Sharvasti
Little Avondale’s “Italian Stallion” Per Incanto (Street Cry) continues to excel, as another three winners in Hong Kong this week attest – and the stud has high hopes that this colt will be another of his star performers.
Per Incanto, American-bred, but having shone on the tracks of Italy, has had his name put up in lights by a host of sprinter-milers recently, including last year’s dual Flemington 1200-metres Group 1 winner Roch ’N’ Horse, and star Sydney sprinter Lost And Running.
This Danehill-free colt brings the promise of extra distance, being out of Avondale
Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Sharvasti (Montjeu). Some mightn’t remember that cup win, coming as it did in 2006, by a dual Group 1-placed mare born in 2002. But the fact she’s now 20 is definitely no cause for concern, according to
Little Avondale’s Sam Williams.
“It’s worth remembering that from Per Incanto’s first crop, his two star–yearlings at Karaka were out of mares who had them at age 19 in Cent From Heaven, and at 22 in Sound Lover,” Williams says.
Cent From Heaven’s (Centaine) colt was Dal Cielo, who won the ARC Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), and Sound Lover’s (Stylish Century) was Magnum, an NZ Listed winner who became a top performer in Singapore, with four wins and three Singapore Listed placings.
“They were both really nice horses out of older mares,” Williams says. “I just think it shows that Per Incanto is such a versatile, pre-potent stallion who manages to upgrade mares. But also, I don’t believe in the old mare syndrome. Some good mares are always good mares.
“And I think this colt is superior to those two. He’s a magnificent horse; he’s got a great walk, great attitude, fantastic muscle definition, and he just looks like a racehorse. He’s one of my favourites and one of the obvious lots of the sale.”
Lot 515
B f – Tarzino – Showileo
It’s a basic rule of thumb: New Zealanders go to Australia for their speed, while Australians cross the Tasman for stamina.
This filly looks the archetypal example from the latter category: a daughter of a Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare who has the potential to continue VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500) winner Tarzino’s (Tavistock) early knack of siring Classic horses, according to Westbury Stud’s Russell Warwick.
“She looks an Oaks filly through-and-through,” Warwick says. “Tarzino’s had a South Australian Derby winner (Jungle Magnate) and a Queensland Oaks winner (Gypsy Goddess) from his first two crops, and this filly looks like she’ll be in that sort of mould when she becomes a three-year-old.
“She’s got a lovely head on her, she’s athletic, and for those who know how to train a staying filly – and to look after them, and visualise what they’re going to be like when they’re three – she’s a great specimen.
“A lot of Australian trainers are not coming here to buy speed horses. They want nice horses who can get up and run a trip, hopefully for a Derby or an Oaks. This filly’s pedigree and her type suggest she can do that.”
The filly is from an immensely strong female family with a distinct staying bent. Dam Showileo, by the all-time-great Galileo, was only placed, but has produced four winners from five foals to race including Showbeel (Savabeel), winner of Trentham’s Desert Gold Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m).
And the filly’s second dam was the outstanding Showella (Lord Ballina), another South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) winner who also took the New Zealand Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), and was her home country’s Champion Older Female Stayer of 1999-2000, and Australia’s Champion Older Horse (International) that season. She also passed
on her abilities to three stakes-winners in Showcause (Giant’s Causeway), Safwan (Encosta Da Lago) and Safwa (Danehill).
Lot 515 boasts a 4Sx3D cross of the great Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer), via Montejo-Tavistock-Tarzino at the top, and being out of a Galileo mare.
Lot 560
B/br f – Savabeel – Style By Design
Waikato Stud presents this second foal of dual stakes-placed Iffraaj (Zafonic) mare Style By Design, by their all-conquering stallion Savabeel (Zabeel).
It’s a mating which has seemed to work exceptionally well. This lot’s full sister made the top dozen from last year’s Karaka sale, bought by Te Akau’s David Ellis for $525,000, while Waikato’s Mark Chittick reports a third full–sister is now on the ground, “and all three of them have been to die for”.
The twice stakes-placed Style By Design is out of the High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) mare Chaparella, an eight-time winner, including in two NZ Listed events who’s also thrown a Wanganui Listed–winner in Riva Capri (Artlante).
While Chittick is proud of “an extremely even” 60-lot draft from Waikato this year, the plentiful early lookers have backed his contention that this filly is a standout.
“She’s just a lovely, very athletic, strong Savabeel filly,” he says. “We’ve all seen plenty of good Savabeel fillies, and good racehorses, and she’s got everything that they’ve got. She totally fills the eye, as one of those dark horses who
looks fast and looks a racehorse.”
The filly is bred on the same Savabeel-Iffraaj cross as the Listed winner and dual Group 1-placed Te Akau gelding
Brando, and boasts a dual-female 4Sx4D cross of the great Nureyev (Zamazaan).