Proisir gelding set for Hong Kong
In the lead up to the NZB Ready To Run Sale, Riversley Park’s Sam Beatson made no secret of the regard in which he held Lot 79, a son of Proisir (Choisir), and he was repaid for his faith in the youngster when Andrew Williams combined with Hong Kong Bloodstock to purchase the gelding for NZ$650,000.
Despite believing the two-year-old would be well found at the sale, Beatson admitted that both the price and the buyer took him slightly by surprise.
“Andy [Williams] caught me a little by surprise by buying the Proisir colt. He’s a good mate and, along with many other potential buyers, he did get the horse out for inspection but he didn’t do or say anything to indicate such a strong interest,” he told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“I thought he would make NZ$250,000- NZ$300,000 so that’s another surprise. Even better is that there were several others on him who missed out and I have more to sell.”
Catalogued as Lot 79, the gelding stopped the clock at 10.31 seconds for his breeze and he is out of Miss Vegas (Carlton House), herself a half-sister to the dam Listed scorer Gringotts (Per Incanto), who won the $3 million Big Dance (1600m) on November 5. The son of Per Incanto (Street Cry) will be out to pocket another big payday when he takes his chance in The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange this weekend.
Williams said the gelding would ultimately end up in Hong Kong, but the route he takes before he arrives in the jurisdiction is yet to be determined.
“Obviously Proisir is a very good sire, and there’s a very special horse in the family in Winx,” Williams said. “Gringotts has delivered some big results lately too, so there’s good horses throughout the family.
“But he’s just a beautiful individual. He’s been one of the standouts from when we started inspecting here on Sunday. We kept on gravitating back to the Riversley barn and seeing him. He is impressive. He did everything right from the moment we first saw him. He has size, a great walk, a great head and colour, all the characteristics we look for.
“He did everything well and, to me, really stood out on the sale grounds. He breezed-up beautifully as well, running a good time by himself, and he obviously vetted very cleanly.
“It’s just great to be able to buy a horse like this. He’ll go back to the paddocks in Cambridge now, have a bit of a break post-sale and grow out a bit. He may end up starting his racing career in New Zealand or Australia.
“His ultimate destination is going to be Hong Kong, but you never know – he could make a Karaka Millions or The NZB Kiwi horse beforehand.”