Boomer seeking Hong Kong’s next M Unicorn
The brother to the dual Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed entire Forgot You (Savabeel) is bound for Hong Kong as is the brother to rising star Orchestral (Savabeel) after the Jockey Club added to its wide-ranging portfolio of Karaka-acquired yearlings.
Boomer Bloodstock’s Craig Rounsefell, the Jockey Club’s southern hemisphere agent, has bought seven yearlings so far, with prices ranging from $160,000 to $650,000 and yesterday’s activity included three colts by New Zealand’s champion stallion.
First was a $160,000 colt from Little Avondale Stud’s draft 16 lots into the day and mid-afternoon Rounsefell went again for the Waikato Stud-bred brother to the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Forgot You, who fetched $620,000.
Rounsefell also paid $310,000 for the stylish brother to the Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained Orchestral, the filly who brilliantly won Saturday’s Karaka Millions 3YO (RL, 1600m) at Ellerslie, a performance that stamped her as a future Group 1 performer.
The Jockey Club’s most expensive of the Savabeel trio is from a deep Waikato Stud family, being the fourth living foal out of the Melbourne-placed winner Simply You (O’Reilly), herself a three-quarter sister to the stakes-winning trio Rare Insight, Bonny O’Reilly and Escadaire.
“I think he’s a horse that’s going to improve with time, which is what we’re looking for – those horses that continue to get better with age,” Rounsefell said.
“He looks very clean-limbed and vetted very clean as well, so he looks sound and hopefully he does well for the trainer he ends up with in Hong Kong.”
Savabeel’s progeny have been enjoying success this season, none more so than the Caspar Fownes-trained M Unicorn who won again on January 17.
“Savabeel’s had a few good horses in Hong Kong and we’ve got a good one up there right now, M Unicorn, who we bought out of this sale and has won four this season,” the agent said.
“But at the end of the day, he’s a champion stallion, and this horse looks spot on for what we’re looking to buy.”
Asked specifically about the diversity of the Jockey Club portfolio, Rounsefell explained: “A lot of buyers in the market at the moment want horses that are going to go earlier. We’re looking for a different style of horse – a horse that’s going to be durable, sound and like the conditions in Hong Kong.”
Hong Kong-based trainer Jamie Richards also continued his spending spree on day two, going to $500,000 for a colt by the Asian jurisdiction’s champion sire Per Incanto (Street Cry) out of the European-bred mare She’s Apples (Redoute’s Choice) and from the family of dual Group 1 winner and successful stallion Tavistock (Montjeu), providing vendor Riversley Park with a huge pinhook result in the process.
The sire’s abilities as a stallion were thrust back into the spotlight once again over the weekend when Belclare (Per Incanto) won the Westbury Classic (Gr 2, 1400m) at the Karaka Millions meeting on Saturday.
“Per Incanto is a wonderful stallion up in Hong Kong. He’s a wonderful stallion everywhere, really. He does a good job in Australia – Blue Diamond winners [Little Brose] – and does a good job here,” Richards said.
“He had another winner there on Karaka Millions night. He’s a big, strong, powerful horse that should suit the environment.”
Consigned by Riversley Park’s Sam Beatson as Lot 397, the noted pinhooker paid $150,000 for the colt out of the Brighthill Farm draft at last year’s NZB National Weanling Sale.
Richards’ father Paul, who is training at Matamata, will take care of the colt for his early education.
“We’ll just see how things progress – whether he goes up as a PPG or whether he races here, I’m not sure,” the trainer said.
“But he’s a horse that’ll appreciate a bit of time and should be a very nice horse up there as a three, four and five-year-old.”