Confidence in Wootton Bassett hits Karaka
Camilleri-bred filly by Coolmore shuttler sells for $800,000 on final Book 1 day of NZB sale
Agent Damon Gabbedy’s 15 years of experience in Europe instils huge confidence that proven northern hemisphere sire Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) can transfer his potency Down Under.
As New Zealand Bloodstock’s (NZB) Book 1 National Yearling Sale came to a close yesterday – with almost $80 million traded across three days, and the most since 2018 for the main offering – Belmont Bloodstock principal gave his considered opinion on the sire Wootton Bassett after he purchased a beautifully bred daughter for $800,000, the highest price on the final day of Book 1.
The agent held off fellow agent Andrew Williams the might of Coolmore’s Tom Magnier to secure the John Camilleri-bred filly on behalf of a new Hong Kong client.
Gabbedy described the Curraghmore-consigned daughter of Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett, who is a half-sister to Saturday’s Concorde Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m)-placed Petrucci (I Am Invincible), as a “beautiful filly from a proper pedigree”.
The filly is out of Camilleri’s Via Napoli (Fastnet Rock), a sister to Listed winner California Turbo and a half-sister to Group 3 scorer Florentina (Redoute’s Choice) and Perth Group 1 winner Gathering (Tale Of The Cat).
Florentina is the dam of three-time US Grade 1 winner In Italian (Dubawi) and the Sydney stakes-placed two-year-old Villa Carlotta (Street Cry).
“I go to France with my role with Arqana every year, so I’ve seen a lot of good Wootton Bassetts, and this is one of the most outstanding types I’ve seen,” said Gabbedy, who has been the Australia and New Zealand representative for Arqana since 2008.
“And I think the pedigree speaks for itself. She’s closely related to a champion, In Italian, and from a proper pedigree with good depth.
“She’s from a great breeder, John Camilleri, and raised at Segenhoe, so hopefully we’ll have a bit of luck with her.”
While Wootton Bassett’s first southern hemisphere-bred crop of yearlings are going through the ring this year, the rags-to-riches rise of the stallion has been in full force in the northern hemisphere.
From humble beginnings at Haras d’Etreham in France he has sired 40 individual winners, including nine at Group 1 level with shuttle sires Wooded and Almanzor, the latter among his first crop of just 23 foals. That success prompted Coolmore to acquire the proven stallion in 2020.
Gabbedy said: “He’s a proven stallion already, so I think he’s a no-brainer. He’s a champion stallion, and I reckon he’ll do the same down here as he’s done in the northern hemisphere, for sure.”
The filly will be left to grow out in New Zealand before a decision is made on who will train her in Australia.
NZB sold 25 more horses in Book 1 this year, pushing the aggregate to $79,585,500, up 14 per cent on the $70.063 million traded in 2023, while other key metrics such as the average, which was recorded as $168,257, was also up 11 per cent.
The median of $120,000, however, was down $10,000 year-on-year, indicating buyers’ thirst for quality. The clearance rate last night closed at 78 per cent.
NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook in the lead up to Sunday’s Book 1 session put on the record that he was confident that the company could exceed the figures produced in 2023, the first post-pandemic Karaka sale.
All three key buying regions – Australia, Hong Kong and the domestic New Zealand investors – all increased their respective spends year-on-year which contributed to the Book 1 results.
“At the start of the week I would have taken the results and run. Australian spend was up $7 million on last year – and remember they were up $9 million on the previous year – so right across the board the strength of the Australians from the country trainers to the metropolitans was strong, so that was wonderful to see,” said Seabrook.
“The New Zealand spend was also up $2 million. It was just a really great, positive week … with everyone talking about the positive racing scene here.”
While there were some big results across the three days, some vendors found the middle to lower end of the market challenging to get horses sold, although that trend was also evident at the recent Magic Millions sale and could very well be the case at upcoming east coast Australian yearling sales.
“You’ve got to come here with the horse, you’ve got to have the right product,” Little Avondale’s Sam Williams said.
“At Little Avondale there’s only been two that haven’t sold, so personally it’s been a really good sale.”
David Ellis, the leading Karaka buyer for 19 consecutive years, finished Book 1 with a spend of $6,045,000 on 28 yearlings, while Waikato Stud claimed its ninth leading vendor (by aggregate) title’s in the past ten years, having sold 59 of their draft for $8,730,000.
“Waikato Stud is enormously proud to be the leading vendor. This the ninth in ten years, led by Savabeel. For him to achieve leading sire honours is extremely satisfying,” Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick said.
“The highlight for me was the Karaka Millions race night. Having Ellerslie back and the new series to bookend future sales is huge. On that note, we have had a great sale and the support from our local trainers and syndicators has been massive.”
Rich Hill’s reigning New Zealand champion stallion Proisir (Choisir) had 27 yearlings fetch an aggregate of $7,410,000, which saw him finish with an average of $274,444 for the Book 1 sale, once again underlining his prominence at the top of the results sheet which is reflective of his growing appeal.
Last year, he had 19 yearlings sell in Book 1 and finished with an average $188,947.
Proisir provided the sale’s top lot, the $1.6 million sister to Prowess and another $600,000 filly on day two, while minutes into the third session China Horse Club added a filly by the sire to its portfolio for $460,000.
The Phoenix Park-sold and Dennis brothers’-bred filly, a half-sister to the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) placed The Lustre (Darci Brahma), is out of the Listed winner The Pearler (Volksraad).
Cambridge Stud’s first-season shuttle sire, Hello Youmzain (Kodiac), had 34 lots sell for a total receipts of $5,825,000 at an average of 171,324, which saw him crowned the leading freshman stallion by aggregate, while his average was only better by one other first crop sire in Wootton Bassett, who ended Book 1 with an impressive average of $328,571.