Moroney finds classy filly by Turn Me Loose in Book 2 for client Wyborn
Paul Moroney was not afraid to back his judgment on day five of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, declaring a horse by Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj) from the potent Eight Carat family to be far and away the best filly available at Karaka this year.
The renowned Kiwi agent, who made the trip home late last month in readiness for the NZB auction, convinced his client Mark Wyborn “to have a good crack” at the Windsor Park Stud-offered filly who will be sent to Australia to race.
She was one of ten yearlings to sell for $100,000 or more during the second of three Book 2 sessions where competition from domestic buyers was not enough to achieve trade comparable to last year’s sale, let alone replicate the increases which were made at the Book 1 sale.
The clearance rate for the Book 2 sale hovered at 64 per cent last night with the aggregate at $6,667,500, down 25 per cent year on year, while the average fell seven per cent to $38,991 and the median held firm year on year at $30,000.
Moroney, who has bought ten yearlings from Book 2 for various clients, has no doubt the daughter of Turn Me Loose would have made good money no matter what sale or session she was offered in.
“From the time I saw her here when Book 2 horses arrived on the ground it was pretty clear to me that she was the best filly I’d seen in the catalogue, Books 1 and 2. She was an absolutely great-bodied filly, everything I look for in a horse,” Moroney said.
“She has big ears, for a start, which I believe all good fillies have. She had bold, bright eyes, was wide between the eyes, a great jowl and her length of rein, length of back and length of hip all matched. She had length of forearm, deep girth, great gaskins on her, really correct and, more importantly, she really moved well.
“To me, she had a lot of Eight Carat about her, through Diamond Lover and Diamond Lover’s the dam of Don Eduardo (the filly’s dam sire).”
Catalogued as Lot 954, the filly is out of Nightofpassion (Don Eduardo), an unraced half-sister to dual Group 1-winning mare Danzdanzdance (Mastercraftsman) who is also from the family of top mare Lucia Valentina (Savabeel), a three-time Group 1 winner in Australia.
Moroney believes the filly’s sire Turn Me Loose was also beginning to make his mark having produced two stakes winners and four other stakes-placed horses from two crops of racing age, and made her a priority for Wyborn.
“I just fell in love with her, I just thought she was the best filly on the complex,” said Moroney who was instructed to find a filly with the attributes which could see her compete over 1600 metres at a high level in Australia.
“Mark had spoken with me and was looking to change his strategy slightly,” Moroney said.
“In recent times he has wanted to buy horses that he feels are slightly sharper and could compete at the highest level at a mile, while having sufficient pedigree to perhaps get over further.
“She certainly struck me as that type of filly, and she is from a family with two of the best fillies that have raced here and in Australia in the last few years.
“When I told him about her, I obviously convinced him, and he has had a real crack at her.
“I’ve been also helping out some other people over the course of the sale and I know they were also aware that she was a very nice filly, so it was no surprise to see how popular she was.”
Windsor Park Stud’s Rodney Schick was delighted the filly had been well sought after.
“She is a beautiful filly and Paul is one of the best judges in the game,” he said.
“Mark Wyborn is a great friend of our family and I hope she goes on to do the job for him.
“She was very popular, but we weren’t sure what level she would reach.
“It’s also great for Turn Me Loose as he is doing the job and he deserves a sale like that which is the highest price he has fetched for a yearling.”
Turn Me Loose has two runners in today’s Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Ellerslie, last-start Group 3 winner Alabama Gold and impressive debut winner Lickety Split.
Also on day two of the Book 2 sale, Alex Oliveira, acting for Paul Chow’s Tartan Meadow Bloodstock, bought a colt by Proisir (Choisir) who could head to Hong Kong, but he won’t be rushed into making any rash decisions with the $150,000 yearling.
“I saw the colt about six weeks ago doing the rounds of the farms with Bruce Harvey,” Olivera said.
“I loved his walk and have always been a fan of the Proisirs. I have had some success with a couple. He will take a bit of time but we are not in any hurry. He will be a different horse in 18 months.
“It was a tough buy as there were plenty on him, but I was of the mind that I wasn’t going to stop, within reason, although I am no David Ellis. We were just very keen to get him.
“We will do all his early education here (in New Zealand) but he will probably end up in Hong Kong.”
Offered by Rich Hill Stud, where Proisir stands, the Lot 894-catalogued colt is the fifth foal out of Knockout (Pins), a mare who is from the same family as Singapore stakes winners Titanium (Tavistock) and Nandowra (Savabeel) as well as Astimonti (Kinjite), a Group 3 winner in New Zealand prior to his export to Hong Kong where he was also successful in stakes company.
“The colt was well inspected and we had a gut feeling he would make six figures. The market is good for good colts,” Rich Hill’s John Thompson said.
“We have so much to look forward to next year with Proisir as he covered 150 mares two years ago of a lot better quality and will likely have 20 horses in Book 1, whereas until now he has been surviving on five or six in Book 1.
“I think he is a real asset for breeders and one of the upcoming stars of the industry.”
Oliveira had been extremely active during the Book 1 sale, securing 12 yearlings for Chow, while this colt represented his second purchase in Book 2 after laying out $40,000 for a Derryn (Hinchinbrook) colt (Lot 840) from the Grangewilliam Stud draft earlier in the day.
“Paul and I have been working together for about 11 years now,” Oliveira said.
“Pretty much everything we buy comes back to my place for education and a trial and then they will either be sold to go up to Hong Kong or directly there for clients that we work with already.
“We have had a lot of luck with the Proisirs and I am a big fan of the stallion, so that is why we were keen on this colt.
“I think we have around 14 we have bought this week and may be looking for one more before we finish up.
“I have been really impressed at the stock on offer this year and I think the later sale date has contributed to that.”
Oliveira made good on his promise as he went to $130,000 to secure Lot 941, the colt by Waikato Stud’s first season sire Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice), who was consigned through the Prima Park draft.
“We’ve always bought at Karaka, not only because our farm, Kaipira Lodge, is in New Zealand, but more importantly due to the depth of its quality,” Tartan Meadow’s Chow said.
“We’ve produced many good horses over the years from our Karaka purchases that have shone through in Hong Kong such as Pingwu Spark, Packing Victory, Duke Wai and Winning Dreamer. I’m sure there will be more than just a few future Hong Kong stars from this year’s draft.”
Also yesterday, experienced trainer Allan Sharrock provided an insight into Little Avondale Stud’s Time Test (Dubawi) when buying a filly by the shuttle stallion for $120,000.
The New Plymouth horseman reasoned that the southern hemisphere-bred progeny of Time Test will excel as stayers and that is his hope with the second crop filly he will be training.
Bred by Chris Grace, the family is the second live foal out of Endeavour (Faltaat), a four-time winner who is a three-quarter sister to Rich Hill Mile (Gr 2, 1600m) winner Fears Nothing.
“She is our Oaks filly and is the one we wanted. The good judges were on her and my guy on the phone said to keep going,” Sharrock said.
“Mum won up to 2300 metres and I think the Time Tests will get over ground.” The filly was sold by Little Avondale as Lot 812.
“She is the nicest Time Test filly here and she caught the eye of several Book 1 lookers and was well inspected since she arrived,” Little Avondale’s Sam Williams said.
“On my trip to Chris’s Surrey Farm last year I thought she had a beautiful top line. A stylish filly and the mare has a cracking sister at foot.”
The third and final Book 2 session begins at 11am (NZ time) today.