Paul Moroney goes to $185,000 for son of Vadamos
Rich Hill Stud sires stole the show on the second day of Book 2 selling at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale yesterday, as sons of first season sire Vadamos (Monsun) and dual-Group 1 runner-up Proisir (Choisir) topped proceedings, selling for $185,000 and $180,000 respectively.
International bloodstock agent Paul Moroney has been particularly taken by the progeny of Rich Hill’s new Group 1-winning resident Vadamos, securing the sale–topping Lot 859 for $185,000, a colt out of the well-related mare Silke Top (Librettist).
“Vadamos is an internationally bred and performed horse,” Moroney said. “He’s top-class from a Monsun line, which I am a great fan of. They have been really good types across the board.
“I rated this horse as the best mover I saw on the sales ground of any sale across the board.
“He just used himself everywhere. He’s medium-sized, but he’s balanced and just had great shoulder movement. He used his hindquarters and he was clean and correct. He’s just a gorgeous colt.”
The colt will remain in New Zealand under the care of Paul Moroney’s brother Michael at his Matama stables, and the bloodstock agent believes he could be a horse for the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) or New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) in time.
“He has been bought for Mike’s New Zealand stable and he will go into the system there,” Paul Moroney said.
“I think he could get up and make an autumn two-year-old and potentially be a Guineas and Derby horse. That’s what he struck me as and he will get every opportunity to get there.”
Moroney said he had been impressed by a number of first season sires at Karaka, but none more so than Vadamos and Waikato Stud’s Tivaci (High Chaparral).
“Vadamos and Tivaci are the two who have impressed me the most. Both are leaving good-bodied, athletic horses,” he said.
“Tivaci is leaving big, strong horses that trainers should be able to train, while Vadamos is leaving slightly more elegant types with a bit more European quality about them.”
Tivaci was the leading first season sire in the Book 1 session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale, with 28 yearlings sold for an aggregate of $3.5 million at an average of $124,821, while Vadamos was close behind with 21 sold for a total of $2.6 million, averaging $121,818.
Offered by Valachi Downs, the colt is the fourth foal out of the winning mare Silke Top, who is out of the stakes-winner Zaza Top (Lomitas), making her a half-sister to champion three-year-old and champion older male in Germany, Zazou (Shamardal).
Brent Schumacher of Valachi Downs credited Rich Hill for getting Vadamos to New Zealand and said the session-topping colt could have made Book 1 of the sale.
“Kevin (Hickman) is a major shareholder in Vadamos and encouraged Rich Hill to bring him to New Zealand,” Schumacher said.
“To stand a stallion in Germany is a tough and rigorous process. Stallions have to be perfect to stand there.
“We are also really pleased for Rich Hill.
“This colt would not have looked out of place in Book 1 but in Book 2 was a standout. We are pleased that decisions we made in 2017 have panned out and this sale confirms them.”
Goldsburys celebrate Proisir pinhook
Second top lot on day two of Book 2 at Karaka was a Priosir colt, who is set for a career in Hong Kong after being purchased by Upper Bloodstock for $180,000.
It was a terrific result for pinhookers Anne and David Goldsbury of Beckam Equine, who bought the colt as a weanling for $40,000 at the Karaka May Sale.
“Me and my husband David are simply delighted with how the sale went,” Anne Goldsbury said.
“The colt is the only lot we brought to the sale and the price was unexpected. We thought from the interest that he might make close to $100,000.
“He has been a lovely colt all the way through. We bought him here last May. He can be a little too clever for his own good sometimes but has a nice temperament.
“David is a licensed trainer but I love the babies. We like to buy them as weanlings then take them through to January. If they don’t sell, David can take them further and on to the Ready to Run.”
The colt is the first foal out of of the winning mare Works Wonders (Darci Brahma), who is out of the stakes-placed Flowers (College Chapel), making her a half-sister to MVRC Vase (Gr 2, 2040m) runner-up Buffett (Danasinga). He was catalogued as Lot 963.
Ross Lao of Upper Bloodstock said the colt would remain in New Zealand to be educated by Ben Foote before making the trip over to Hong Kong to continue his career.
“He is a lovely type with lots of quality,” Lao said. “He really stood out in Book 2 and I actually thought he should have been in Book 1.
“He will stay here for another 12 months with Ben Foote, who will get him educated in trials, and then go to Hong Kong.
“He hasn’t yet got an owner or trainer yet, but we will soon find out if he is any good. A lot of people liked him in the ring. Everyone is on the same horses, but that was nearly our budget.”
With one more Book 2 session to go at Karaka this morning, Highview Stud are the leading vendors by aggregate, selling 16 horses for $732,000.
The average has increased from day one, with the current figure at $37,353, but that metric is still down five per cent from last year’s average of $39,606, as turnover has reached $7,993,500.
A total of 214 of 473 lots have sold at a clearance rate of 68 per cent, down from last year’s clearance rate of 73 per cent.
There are 109 Book 2 yearlings still to come under the hammer as the final Book 2 session commences at 11am local time today. A total of 114 yearlings are set to go through the ring in Book 3 this afternoon.