Market Steady at Karaka Opener

New Zealand Bloodstock’s six-day yearling sale festival kicked off yesterday at Karaka with the first session of the two-day Premier sale. Figures dipped slightly but largely held steady from 12 months ago. A total of 153 lots changed for NZ$22,317,500, while last year during this session 157 were sold for NZ$23,761,500. The buyback rate was down just under 2% at 26%. The average dropped 3% to NZ$145,866, while the median dipped 8% to NZ$110,000. Whereas last year’s opening session saw three horses make NZ$500,000 or more, this year’s high price was NZ$470,000, paid by trainer Peter Moody for a colt by More Than Ready. 

Sir Patrick Hogan’s Cambridge Stud was the leading vendor at Karaka for 32 years up to 2012, and the operation has thus achieved legendary status as both a consignor and breeder. The strength of its stock shone through yesterday when Cambridge sent the two highest-priced lots of the session, from the same immediate family, through the ring consecutively. 

The first to step into the ring was lot 36, a first-crop daughter of Cape Blanco who became the most expensive filly of the session when knocked down to Graeme and Debbie Rogerson for NZ$450,000. The bay is out of Love Diamonds (Aus) (Danehill), and therefore represents the highly prolific Galileo over Danehill cross. The winning Love Diamonds is a full-sister to G1 Spring Champion S. winner Viking Ruler (Aus) as well as Group 2 winner Kempinsky (Aus); stakes winner and Group 2 producer Diamond Like (Aus) and Chimeara (Aus), the Group 3-placed dam of G1 Rosehill Guineas winner De Beers (Aus) (Quest For Fame {GB}). Love Diamonds is also a half to Group 2 winner Lovetrista (Aus) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Love Diamond’s best of six foals to race thus far is the Group 3-placed Lovetessa (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}). 

Cape Blanco stands Southern Hemisphere time at Cambridge. After three years at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky, he will stand Northern Hemisphere time in Japan this year. 

Lot 37, a More Than Ready colt out of Love Diamonds’s daughter Lovetrista, kept the excitement alive when hammering to Melbourne-based trainer Peter Moody for NZ$470,000. Moody is a regular visitor to New Zealand, inspecting many youngsters prior to sale time, and he noted that the progression of this colt caught his eye. 
“This particular colt took my eye when I looked at him on Wednesday,” Moody said. “I saw him on the farm as a young horse and I’ve seen how much he’s come on so I was very taken with him.” 

The bay is the third foal out of Lovetrista. 

“With a horse like this out of that wonderful family of Sir Patrick’s, we should be able to split him up with some clients and hopefully he’s going to have a few companions on the way home,” Moody added. The trainer ended the first session with six purchased for NZ$890,000. 

A Fitting Farewell… 
The session toppers weren’t the only yearlings that put Hogan in the limelight yesterday. Cambridge also offered the final yearling by its now-pensioned leading sire Zabeel (NZ) to be offered at public auction. Led through the ring by Hogan himself, the bay was sold to Marcus Corban Bloodstock for NZ$160,000. 

“It was an absolutely huge buzz and felt fantastic personally,” said Hogan, who was taking a horse through the ring for the first time in many years. “It brought back lots of memories from when I used to lead each and every lot through the ring at Trentham and then, in later years, at Karaka. It was so exciting and is the part of the industry I miss the most–I would love to still be leading each lot through the ring today.” 

Zabeel, who was pensioned in December 2013, is the sire of 44 Group 1 winners and 10 NZ$1 million-plus Karaka yearlings, including the NZ$3.6-million Don Eduardo (NZ), which was for 13 years an Australasian record price for a yearling. Zabeel is living out his days at Cambridge Stud. Click here for a TDN feature on Zabeel and Hogan from last January. 

“It is so lovely that Zabeel is still here at the age of rising 29 and left a Derby winner from his [most recent] 3-year-old crop,” Hogan said. “Today was all about him and his success and it felt like a great chance to honor him.” 

Waikato Still In The Lead… 
After Curraghmore Stud ended Cambridge’s leading vendor reign two years ago, the Chittick family’s Waikato Stud grabbed the torch last year, and that farm was the seller and breeder of the first of four youngsters to sell for NZ$400,000 yesterday–a filly by the recently deceased leading sire O’Reilly (NZ) catalogued as lot 47. Out of Make A Wish (NZ) (Pins {Aus}), the late-August foal was picked up by Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock. 

Waikato Stud is well on its way to defending its title after the first session, with 20 sold for NZ$3,625,000. Cambridge Stud has 14 sold for NZ$2,535,000, while Curraghmore has 12 sold for NZ$2,420,000. 

On the subject of leaders, David Ellis’s Te Akau Racing has been the leading buyer at Karaka for nine consecutive years. The operation is well on its way to making it 10 after signing for 13 for NZ$1.97 million to be the session’s leading buyer yesterday, including a pair for NZ$400,000: lot 58, a Snitzel (Aus) colt from the family of American Grade I winners Dream Empress (Bernstein) and Yonaguska (Cherokee Run) and lot 85, a Fastnet Rock (Aus) half-brother to G1 Doncaster H. winner Triple Honour (NZ) (Honours List {NZ}). 

The fourth horse to hit the NZ$400,000 mark was lot 216, a colt by Denman (Aus) from Little Avondale Stud. The bay is out of Tsukioka (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}), a half-sister to G1 Hong Kong Mile winner Glorious Days (Aus) (Hussonet). He was picked up by Stuart Hale and Co. of Hong Kong. 

Lot 92, a colt by Savabeel (Aus), is also headed East after being secured by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for NZ$360,000. Savabeel was also responsible for a filly hammered down to DGR Thoroughbred Services for A$350,000 (lot 154). 

The results of the second and final session of the Premier sale will appear in Wednesday’s TDN. For a video wrap of yesterday’s session, click here.