Champion stallion Savabeel dominated day one of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, supplying five of the top ten lots sold March 7 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 NZ$1 million (US$686,001) 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 NZ$350,000 ($240,100) 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% 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 NZ$300,000 ($205,800) or more, which helped the aggregate close at NZ$20,042,500 ($13,749,175) last night, climbing 28% year-on-year, while the average also jumped a significant 20% to NZ$159,067 ($109,120). The median was last night sitting at NZ$125,000 ($85,750), up from NZ$100,000 ($68,600) at the same stage of the 2021 sale.
Importantly, the clearance rate also increased late in the day to 70%, 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 NZ$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 NZ$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 (Lot 161) would realize NZ$950,000 ($651,701) but, as often happens at a live auction, Ellis made a last-ditch attempt to land the horse at NZ$975,000 ($668,851), a move which forced Fogden to go to NZ$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 NZ$1.4 million ($957,600) colt (Lot 192) in 2019 and a NZ$1.025 million ($753,375) colt (Lot 301) at Karaka a year earlier.
TFI is currently fielding stud offers via auction house Magic Millions for rising 5-year-old Mo’unga, who could run in the George Ryder Stakes (G1) at Rosehill on Saturday week, and the organization 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 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-cataloged 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 NZ$2.815 million ($1,931,093), while Savabeel averaged NZ$363,462 ($249,335) from 13 lots sold in the opening session.
Another colt bound for the Fung enterprise is Lot 18, a Lonhro colt out of the Mumm Wakeful Stakes (G2) winner Tiamo Grace, who was purchased by Fogden for NZ$425,000 ($291,550).
The Lonhro colt consigned as Lot 18 at the New Zealand Karaka Yearling Sale
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 New Zealand Bloodstock Ethereal Stakes (G3) as a 3-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 colt (Lot 41) from the Landsdowne Park draft for NZ$160,000 ($109,760) and a Zoustar filly (Lot 170) for NZ$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 NZ$600,000 ($411,601) investment late in the session for a Snitzel filly (Lot 217).
The Snitzel filly consigned as Lot 217 at the New Zealand Karaka Yearling Sale
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, a filly he and Baker trained to win two group 3s and run third in the 2016 Crown Oaks (G1) 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 3-year-old filly up to a mile, and perhaps an autumn 2-year-old, but has the scope, knowing what is on her dam side, to train on and get beyond a mile.”
The filly, cataloged as Lot 217, is the third foal out of Eleonora, a half sister to the group 2 winner Supera.
“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, making him a half sister to leading New Zealand Oaks (G1) contender Achieve, a Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained filly who ran third in Saturday’s McKee Family Sunline Vase (G3) at Ellerslie.
The Savabeel colt consigned as Lot 10 at the New Zealand Karaka Yearling Sale
The colt, who was cataloged as Lot 10, sold for NZ$575,000 ($394,451). He is from the same family as champion New Zealand 3-year-old The Jewel, recent Harcourts Thorndon Mile (G1) winner The Chosen One, and The Perfect Pink.
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, the sire of Saturday’s Vodafone New Zealand Derby (G1) winner Asterix and recent group 3 winner Flying Mascot, with Ellis forced to go to NZ$500,000 ($343,001) for the well-credentialed, Cambridge Stud-consigned yearling.
The third foal out of Ziffel, a half sister to star juvenile Amelia’s Dream , the stakes-placed Elimbari , and Youbolt, he is also from the same family as twice group 1-placed middle-distance horse Young Werther.
Ziffel’s second foal, a brother to yesterday’s eye-catching colt, was a NZ$230,000 ($165,143) 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 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 realization 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 NZ$440,000 ($301,840) for a colt (Lot 126) by the stallion out of two-time winner Bingo, who is from the same family as group 1 winners Aegon and Daffodil .
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 NZ$575,000 and a Tavistock for NZ$500,000 ($343,001) but we also purchased a Rip Van Winkle filly (Lot 74) for NZ$40,000 ($27,440), a Merchant Navy colt (Lot 85) for NZ$60,000 ($41,160), and an All Too Hard filly (Lot 89) for NZ$100,000 ($68,600),” he said.
“We have won the last six editions of the Karaka Million 2-Year-Old with horses purchased between NZ$57,500 ($39,445) and NZ$380,000 ($260,680), 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 NZ$4.020 million ($2,757,724) on day one at an average of NZ$251,250 ($172,358).
Day two starts today at 11 a.m. (NZ time).
