Mo’unga’s eye-catching brother sets Karaka benchmark at $1 million on day one
Neasham, Fung and Fogden win battle for Savabeel colt, whose progeny remain in high demand at 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale
Champion stallion Savabeel (Zabeel) dominated day one of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, supplying five of the top ten lots sold yesterday in what could be a pointer to the generation set to carry the potent stallion’s legacy well into the future.
The brother to Savabeel’s dual Group 1 winner Mo’unga, himself earmarked as a potential heir to the throne, stood out during the opening session in many buyers’ eyes, and sold for $1 million to Tony Fung Investments who were prepared to pay three times as much as they did for his older brother three years ago.
A further six yearlings by Waikato Stud’s long-time roster stalwart made $350,000 or more on day one, in another example of the reliance on the elite stallion by the New Zealand industry.
Overall trade was strong in the middle to upper level of the market, which was aided by the addition of expatriate Kiwi agents and trainers who were not at Karaka in 2021.
NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook believes yesterday’s session set the platform for another two days of strong Book 1 trade.
“The top 40 per cent sold really well, there was a lot of competition for the better lots, of course, and there was a lot of Australian interest from online, which is good, and we sold a million dollar horse, which isn’t that easy to do,” Seabrook told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We are really pleased with the first day and I think it will only get stronger over the next couple of days.”
Fourteen of the 126 yearlings sold in the opening session made $300,000 or more, which helped the aggregate close at $20,042,500 last night, climbing 28 per cent year-on-year, while the average also jumped a significant 20 per cent to $159,067. The median was last night sitting at $125,000, up from $100,000 at the same stage of the 2021 sale.
Importantly, the clearance rate also increased late in the day to 70 per cent, a figure which is expected to continue to improve over the next two days.
The figures are also above the pre-pandemic 2020 Karaka sale, which could be attributed to the record demand in Australia rubbing off on the New Zealand market.
Mo’unga’s $1 million brother heading to Australia
Competition for the day’s star attraction, the brother to Mo’unga, was not unexpected given his pedigree and conformation, but the $1 million mark appeared off-limits until the adrenaline rush of an auction kicked in and the heavyweights went head-to-head.
After an opening bid of $100,000 was made, New Zealand trainers Graeme Rogerson and Tony Pike, perhaps optimistically put up their hands, before the eventual underbidder David Ellis and Fung’s representative Kacy Fogden fought it out.
It initially appeared that the Waikato Stud-bred and sold colt would realise $950,000 but, as often happens at a live auction, Ellis made a last-ditch attempt to land the horse at $975,000, a move which forced Fogden to go to $1 million for the star yearling.
Until yesterday, million-dollar yearlings by Savabeel had exclusively been the domain of Ellis, having bought the only two yearlings by the Waikato Stud stallion to reach seven figures: a $1.4 million colt in 2019 and a $1.025 million colt at Karaka a year earlier.
TFI is currently fielding stud offers via auction house Magic Millions for rising five-year-old Mo’unga, who could run in the George Ryder Stakes (Gr 1, 1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday week, and the organisation could not resist adding his younger brother to its large-scale racing division, even at the dizzying heights paid for him.
New Zealander Fogden, who trains a number of horses on the Gold Coast for Fung, signed for the colt on behalf of her boss and Mo’unga’s Sydney-based trainer Annabel Neasham after a spirited bidding duel.
“Mo’unga is obviously a pretty special horse to us and we were prepared for it (price),” Fogden said.
“It is a bit scary when you have got David Ellis coming back at you round for round. I wouldn’t want to do that too many times.
“But he is a quality colt and you have got to buy the colt you want.”
The Savabeel-O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) cross, so prolific in New Zealand breeding over the past decade and carefully nurtured predominantly by the Chittick family, is responsible for 124 individual winners including 23 stakes winners, seven of them at Group 1 level, including Mo’unga.
“With a high-profile horse like this I do get a bit anxious with them,” Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick said.
“It’s not about how much they will make, but more about them being nicely sold as there was a lot of hype about him.
“He has been an absolute professional in both the outside and inside ring and it is nice when it all falls into place.
“There is a hell of a lot of time and effort that goes into all of these horses, it’s two years with a lot of hours and people involved.
“I have to take my hat off to everyone and especially my team at Waikato Stud as they put their life and soul into this and it is great that we can get a little result like this for them.
“It verifies that we are doing the job right.”
The Lot 161-catalogued colt is the fifth live foal out of the Group 3-placed Chandelier, a sister to Group 2 winner Irlanda.
“(The colt) really is a quality animal with a lot of attractiveness about him and all the way through from a foal to a weanling, he stood out,” Chittick said.
“Even when he was an early yearling and you went down the farm and saw them running in their groups, he was the one that caught the eye.
“His family goes right back to the days when we were based in the Wairarapa, 30 or 40 years ago. Like a lot of our families, they are turning out great results in the sales ring and the racetrack.”
Fogden suggested there were similarities between Mo’unga and his yearling brother beyond just his increasingly impressive pedigree page.
“He is a lot like his brother at the same stage,” she said.
“The way he comes out and does his job and Mo’unga is a bit the same. He is very straightforward, has a good temperament, and is very athletic.”
Waikato Stud sold 11 yearlings on day one for an aggregate of $2.815 million, while Savabeel averaged $363,462 from 13 lots sold in the opening session.
Another colt bound for the Fung enterprise is Lot 18, a Lonhro (Octagonal) colt out of the Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Tiamo Grace (Monaco Consul), who was purchased by Fogden for $425,000.
The colt, who was consigned by Curraghmore on behalf of Australian breeder Jason Abrahams, is the second foal out of the mare who was also runner-up in the Ethereal Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) as a three-year-old.
Gold Coast trainer Kacy Fogden returned home to New Zealand for the Karaka sale, taking advantage of the abandonment of the isolation rules, and she was immediately taken by the Lonhro colt.
“I actually got in quite late, but we had done our homework on him,” Fogden said.
“I think he probably deserved to make what he brought in the ring as he is obviously a nice colt.
“He is definitely an improving type and going in the right direction.
“We quite like the Lonhro colts and we had been back to see him three or four times.”
Fung uses a number of trainers, led by Neasham and Fogden, and a decision about who will prepare him will be made later.
Fogden also bought an Ocean Park (Thorn Park) colt (Lot 41) from the Landsdowne Park draft for $160,000 and a Zoustar (Northern Meteor) filly (Lot 170) for $150,000 from Cambridge Stud.
Fung’s horses are likely to remain in New Zealand to take advantage of the better weather with much of NSW and Queensland currently battling severe flooding.
Forsman keen to make a Baker-free statement
As the curtain comes down on the career of iconic New Zealand racing figure Murray Baker, his training partner Andrew Forsman demonstrated his intent to remain a leading force in the industry with a high-stakes $600,000 investment late in the session for a Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) filly.
After missing out on a few lots earlier in the day, Forsman and expatriate agent Andrew Williams resolved to go hard in the hope that the daughter of Eleonora (Makfi), a filly he and Baker trained to win two Group 3s and run third in the 2016 VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) at Flemington, would join his Cambridge stable.
“She is very similar to her mother. That is a nice trait because she was a very good racehorse and a horse we have had a lot to do with,” Forsman said.
“By Snitzel, and with a pedigree behind her, she has a lot of residual value heading forward.
“I am rapt to secure her. We missed out on a couple earlier today and that was the number we settled on, so we are lucky to get her.
“She will be sharp and should get up and going as a spring three-year-old filly up to a mile, and perhaps an autumn two-year-old, but has the scope, knowing what is on her dam side, to train on and get beyond a mile.”.
The filly, catalogued as Lot 217, is the third foal out of Eleonora, a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Supera (Savabeel).
“This is the only one of the day, we have missed out on a couple of really nice ones,” Forsman said.
“It could have been a really good day, we were close but it is a nice way to end it. I have to have a go of it on my own. It is a little bit daunting, but it is nice to have good people behind me to support me.”
Te Akau adds to stable’s stocks for incoming Walker
Ellis may have missed out on the day’s two top-priced yearlings – the $1 million Savabeel colt and the $600,000 Snitzel filly – but the Te Akau principal is determined to ensure returning champion trainer Mark Walker has the firepower to immediately make his mark in the New Zealand ranks when he takes over from the Hong Kong-bound Jamie Richards in the next few months.
Yesterday, Ellis acquired 16 yearlings and 12 of the first 100 lots, putting him on the path towards a 17th straight year as the Karaka sale’s leading buyer, with the promise of more to come across the two remaining Book 1 sessions and the three Book 2 days.
Ellis’ first high-priced purchase was the Milan Park-sold, Dennis brothers-bred, son of Savabeel out of Thee Achiever (O’Reilly), making him a half-sister to leading New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) contender Achieve (Pierro), a Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained filly who ran third in Saturday’s Sunline Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m) at Ellerslie.
The colt, who was catalogued as Lot 10, sold for $575,000. He is from the same family as champion New Zealand three-year-old The Jewel (O’Reilly), recent Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) winner The Chosen One (Savabeel) and The Perfect Pink (Savabeel).
Waikato Bloodstock’s Bryce Tankard, who bought two yearlings on day one, was among those making a play for the Savabeel colt but he could not match the strength of Ellis.
“We’re pretty stoked with David supporting us. He’s bought horses off us before, but we’re very, very happy and he was an outstanding colt,” Milan Park’s Tony Rider said.
“Obviously we have (the half-sister) Achieve, but we’ve also got The Perfect Pink heading to the Oaks on that day as well, so it is going to be very interesting.”
Later in the day, Te Akau also struck for a colt from the final crop of Cambridge Stud’s late stallion Tavistock (Montjeu), the sire of Saturday’s New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Asterix and recent Group 3 winner Flying Mascot, with Ellis forced to go to $500,000 for the well-credentialed, Cambridge Stud-consigned yearling.
The third foal out of Ziffel (Zabeel), a half-sister to star juvenile Amelia’s Dream (Redoute’s Choice), the stakes-placed Elimbari (Fastnet Rock) and Youbolt (Exceed And Excel), he is also from the same family as twice Group 1-placed middle-distance horse Young Werther (Tavistock).
Ziffel’s second foal, a brother to yesterday’s eye-catching colt, was a $230,000 purchase at last year’s Karaka sale by agent Duncan Ramage and Randwick trainer John Thompson. Named Earl Of Devon, he had his first public barrier trial at Randwick on March 3.
Agent Paul Moroney was the underbidder while Ramage also attempted to buy the horse having bid online.
“He was the best Tavistock in our draft and a lovely colt bred on the classic cross,” Cambridge Stud’s Henry Plumptre said.
“Tavistock has had a phenomenal year in Australia, he sired the New Zealand Derby winner on Saturday, and there is the realisation that there are no more of them and buyers are awake to that.”
Ellis, who has previously bought top horses by Savabeel in Embellish, Noverre and Probabeel as yearlings, had to go to $440,000 for a colt by the stallion out of two-time winner Bingo (O’Reilly), who is from the same family as Group 1 winners Aegon (Sacred Falls) and Daffodil (No Excuse Needed).
Ellis had Walker and Richards, as well as the respected Joe Walls and Marcus Corban, among those in his corner to the right of the sales ring, Te Akau’s traditional area when bidding at Karaka, and the Te Akau chief believes they were invaluable throughout the selection process.
“We bought a lovely Savabeel for $575,000 and a Tavistock for $500,000 but we also purchased a Rip Van Winkle filly for $40,000 (Lot 74), a Merchant Navy colt for $60,000 (Lot 85) and an All Too Hard filly (Lot 89) for $100,000,” he said.
“We have won the last six editions of the Karaka Million 2YO (RL, 1200m) with horses purchased between $57,500 and $380,000, so the winners come in all shapes and sizes.
“We have bought across a variety of price ranges so everybody can afford to have a horse with Te Akau.”
Ellis spent $4.020 million on day one at an average of $251,250.
The first yearling through Karaka by first season sire Eminent (Frankel), Sir Peter Vela’s European Group 2 winner and Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) placegetter for trainer Sir Mark Todd, immediately made an impression.
The Wentwood Grange-bred colt, the half-brother to the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) runner-up Let’s Karaka Deel (Dundeel), sold for $250,000 to agent Guy Mulcaster and trainer Chris Waller. He was catalogued as Lot 6 and is the second foal out of Tegwin (O’Reilly).
Novara Park’s Staphanos (Deep Impact) (up to $200,000), US Navy Flag (War Front) ($190,000), Ace High (High Chaparral) ($160,000), Waikato Stud’s Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice) ($150,000) and Cambridge Stud’s Embellish (Savabeel) ($80,000) were also among the first season sires to have yearlings sell at Karaka yesterday.
Day two starts today at 11am (NZ time).