Wootton Bassett colt leads the way as Karaka kicks off
Freedman, Magnier and Wallace combine to snap up session topper by the super shuttler for $725,000
Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) fever hit Karaka early on the first day of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale with two colts by the sire selling for a combined figure of $1,325,000.
The rush to buy the Coolmore super shuttler’s stock began when trainer Michael Freedman teamed up with Tom Magnier and Mick Wallace to buy a colt by the sire for a session-topping $725,000.
Bred by Nearco Stud and offered by Curraghmore, the colt was the sixth lot through the ring and he is out of the stakes-placed winner Il Affare (Dundeel), who is herself a half-sister to Hong Kong Group 3 scorer Full Of Beauty (Darci Brahma), with the pair both being out of dual stakes winner Pennachio (Align).
Freedman said the colt reminded him of another son of Wootton Bassett, the Anthony Gow Gates-raced Pallaton, who made a winning debut for the trainer at Randwick on December 21.
“He was a lovely athletic type and he reminded me a bit of the horse I have at home, Pallaton,” he said.
“We liked him when I saw him when I got here a couple of days ago and we went and relooked at him this morning. I was keen to try and buy him and was happy to partner up with Coolmore to buy him.”
On the new partnership with Coolmore, Freedman said: “Tom [Magnier] and I have been talking for a while about trying to team up on a colt and he liked the horse and it’s by one of their stallions. Michael Wallace comes from America and does all my shortlisting for me and we’ve been working together for 20 odd years now – it’s a partnership that seems to work alright.”
Wootton Bassett has made a ferocious start with his first runners in the southern hemisphere siring three winners from eight starters, including the talented stakes-placed Gallo Nero and Wodeton, whose debut victory at Rosehill on January 18 propelled him into poll position in the betting for the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m).
Curraghmore enjoyed a brilliant day at the sales, selling all six of their offerings for $2,140,000 and the Wootton Bassett colt was their highlight result.
“He is a quality, very athletic colt from a well performed and well bred young mare and was identified very early in the week by a number of good judges,” said Gordon Cunningham. “When you put Wootton Bassett into the equation he had every reason to be popular. Anything is possible when they have those credentials.
“He was bought by very good judges Michael Wallace and Michael Freedman in conjunction with Coolmore so has a very good chance to be a very good racehorse. I wish them luck. His price did not surprise me but we are delighted.”
A little later on in the afternoon, Mick Price, who trains in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr, got his hands on a colt by Wootton Bassett, paying Windsor Park Stud $600,000 for the youngster.
“I liked it when I looked up and saw A$540,000 [on the bidding board],” said Price, in reference to the exchange rate.
“I think he [Wootton Bassett] is an amazing stallion. We watched the whole story on him – the guy [Bobby O’Ryan] buys him for $200,000 and as a 12-year-old Coolmore buy him for $50 million. It can only be one thing – because his stock goes well.”
Price’s interest in the colt was elevated given the fact his Group 3 winner Ayrton (Iffraaj) featured further down the page, and he believes his purchase has the potential for a future career at stud.
“He is a beautiful colt, and Ayrton is in the family,” Price said. “He is a beautiful stud-type of colt if we can get the right form with him.
“One of my owners, Greg McCarthy, who bred Ayrton, bred him. I haven’t spoken with him yet, but I believe he is keeping ten per cent, Tom Magnier is keeping ten per cent, so we have got 80 per cent to go.”
Windsor Park’s Steve Till told ANZ Bloodstock News that the interest in the colt was sky high, so he expected him to be well received.
“We knew we had major interest,” he said. “When you have strong players involved, something good is bound to happen.
“The colt has a nice temperament, is correct, has great balance and looked the part, all the ingredients necessary. He is by a stallion who is firing everywhere, so all the stars aligned.”
Price was also pleased to secure a son of his dual Group 1 winner Tarzino (Tavistock), for $180,000 out of Westbury Stud’s draft.
“He [Tarzino] was one of my boys, I was very fond of him,” Price said. “I have spoken with Westbury [Stud, who stand Tarzino] about how to breed that horse, and I think if you breed Tarzino to the sharper mares you get a better horse.
“Jungle Magnate [Group 1 winner] we bought off Gerry [Harvey, Westbury Stud principal] for $75,000 and he’s out of a mare that had a bit of a turn of foot. I think they are the right Tarzinos, so I was happy to have him.
“I paid a little more for him than I would have liked, but he is a late foal, and he is staying here [New Zealand].”
All four lots offered on the first day of the sale by Wootton Bassett sold, with David Ellis paying Landsdowne Park $320,000 for a filly by the sire, while another of his daughters realised $340,000.
HKJK makes a splash
Some of the biggest stars in Hong Kong have been sourced in New Zealand and the Jockey Club’s southern hemisphere buying agent Craig Rounsefell was back at Karaka on the hunt for the jurisdiction’s next headline act, purchasing three yearlings on the opening day for a total of $1,310,000.
Rounsefell kicked off proceedings by purchasing a colt by New Zealand’s nine-time champion sire Savabeel (Zabeel) for $625,000.
Offered by Trelawney Stud, the colt is the third foal out of the three-time Listed winner Indecision (Per Incanto), who is herself a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Viadana (Towkay).
Rounsefell, who operates under his Boomer Bloodstock banner, said he was taken by the colt during inspections and he believes he is an ideal prospect for Hong Kong.
“I think it is a strong start to the sale. It is a good bunch of horses here and fortunately for us we had one of our top picks come up early in the sale,” Rounsefell said.
“He is a Savabeel colt who is ideal for our program. He is a late November type, a later maturing type. He is off a great farm in Trelawney, one of the best farms in New Zealand.
“We just loved him on type. He is a very athletic, sound looking horse with a great temperament.”
The colt will now cross the Tasman to undergo his early education in Australia before heading to Hong Kong where he will be offered through the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s international sale.
“He will head over to Australia to Limitless Lodge and he will get trained up there,” Rounsefell said. “He will head up to Hong Kong in two years for the international sale and then go into full work up there once he has been through the sale.”
Indecision’s two previous foals have both been winners, including Storm Front (Snitzel) who Trelawney sold to Tony Pike for $400,000 at last year’s edition of the same sale. The son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) made a winning debut at Ellerslie on October 26.
Trelawney Stud’s Brent Taylor was delighted with the result.
“How can you not be pleased with that result? Good value I would have thought. He is a good moving colt out of a lovely mare and she was also a good racemare who won three Listed races. Storm Front, her two year old, looks very promising,” he said.
“He was a late foal but through his prep he just kept improving all the along. He stood out at our stud parade and stood out here.
“Savabeel has been a long–time friend of the farm and the colt will get every opportunity in Hong Kong.
Later on in the day, Rounsefell was back in the thick of the action, splashing $525,000 on a colt by Satono Aladdin (Deep Impact).
Consigned by Rich Hill, the stallion’s residence during his time in the southern hemisphere, the colt is out of No More Doubt, an unraced daughter of Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), making him a brother to Hawke’s Bay Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m) winner Lantern Way.
The stallion was provided with his tenth individual stakes winner when Tumuch proved too strong for his rivals in the Timaru Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Riccarton on Saturday, while in Hong Kong Satono Aladdin’s nine runners have yielded three winners and Rounsefell told ANZ Bloodstock News that the colt looked to have the profile for the Asian jurisdiction.
“[Satono Aladdin] has proven that he’s a good stallion out here. That horse he’s just the physical I’m looking for.
“He’s bang on, like he’s just a beautiful, good looking horse that is sound, and looks fast. The mare is already proven and with that cross. So, he was definitely one of the main targets here after all their work and he vetted really good.
“I thought that’s where it was gonna go because he was just too nice a horse. He to me, when you go through it just on pure physicals, is up there with as good as anything in the sale so far this year.
“He’s one that, in our program, they’re not going to be racing until their later three or four year old years and then we’re hoping they’ll have multiple seasons. So you need those horses that are going to go on, so we thought he was just perfect for our system and just a really clean vetted horse.”
Rich Hill principal John Thompson expressed his satisfaction with the result, but said he was expecting a good price given the colt’s popularity during the inspection.
“He is a very elegant colt. We heard comments that he was one of the best types in the catalogue.
“On Thoroughworks – a site which compares parades – he had the second–highest number of views and on that he was much sought after and sold accordingly. I was ho ping he might make $350,000 to $400,000 so he exceeded that.”
Rounsefell also paid $160,000 for a colt by Per Incanto (Street Cry), who was offered for sale by Elsdon Park.