‘She’ll make a beautiful broodmare’ – High-class Kiwi filly Velocious set to be sold
Weeks after the end of the physical auction season, the broodmare sales market is in for a late and unexpected highlight this month when outstanding New Zealand filly Velocious (Written Tycoon) goes under the hammer.
Managing owners Go Racing have announced the rising four-year-old Australian-bred will be offered in the Inglis Digital July (Late) Online Sale as a breeding prospect, after a stellar career highlighted by her back-to-back juvenile triumphs in the rich Karaka 2YO Million (RL, 1200m) and Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Bought by Go Racing from breeders Inglewood Stud of NSW at Karaka for $190,000 in 2023, the Stephen Marsh-trained Velocious won four of six races at two and was named New Zealand’s Champion 2YO last season. She ended with six from 13 starts.
After a wind operation last spring, she returned for two handicap wins among four autumn starts in her homeland. That sealed a trip to Brisbane, but after she failed in last month’s Queensland Day Stakes (Listed, 1200m), it was discovered the sizeable mare had gone in the wind again.
Her owners took the decision to sell rather than try another operation. They’re confident Velocious will make appeal not only because of her racetrack ability but also as a daughter of Yulong’s flagbearing stallion Written Tycoon (Iglesia) out of the exciting broodmare Parmalove (Snitzel).
A daughter of the late four-time champion stallion Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), who’s beginning to emulate his stud deeds by making great strides as a broodmare sire, Parmalove has thrown four winners from four runners, also including the stakes-placed Penvose Lad (U S Navy Flag). Go Racing also owns Velocious’s two-year-old half-sister Alacritous (Dundeel), who won at her second start at Matamata on May 14.
“I think there’s a fair amount to come in the family,” Go Racing’s Albert Bosma told ANZ News. “Parmalove is turning out to be something quite special. She’s by a very good broodmare sire in Snitzel, and I think the pedigree is going to continue to upgrade.
“We’ve also got Alactritous who’s looking very good, and is on a Thousand Guineas path.”
Velocious is one of only three Group 1-winning two-year-old fillies by Written Tycoon – along with last year’s Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) heroine Lady Of Camelot and 2016 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) victor La Luna Rossa. The latter is now the dam of Hidden Achievement (I Am Invincible), who ran a top-tier second in last month’s JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m) at Eagle Farm.
“It’s pretty hard to get Group 1 two-year-old winning fillies, particularly by Written Tycoon, so she should make appeal,” Bosma said.
“Velocious has got a very interesting pedigree, and that should help ensure there’ll be good interest in her. But also the hidden value is how that page is going to keep developing.”
Velocious can be inspected at Vinery Stud ahead of the online auction, which runs from July 25-30.
Bosma said Velocious had taken her owners on “a wonderful ride”.
“We knew she was pretty good before she started her career. She then beat a pretty good field on debut from a wide draw, then won in Listed class in her second run,” he said.
“Going into the Karaka Million, I don’t think I’ve ever gone into a race as confident. We just believed she would win as she liked, and she did.”
Velocious won by 2.3 lengths and beat no fewer than six subsequent stakes winners including Damask Rose (Savabeel), Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) and Savaglee (Savabeel). She then became one of only six fillies to take the Sistema in the past 20 years.
“Her performance in the Sistema was exceptional,” Bosma said.
“On her way to the races she got caught in traffic for about five hours, and got to the track only 40 minutes before the race, so she pretty much only had time to get saddled and go out to race. That’s pretty hard to do for any horse, let alone a two-year-old, let alone in a Group 1.
“She was so dominant as a two-year-old, she had superior speed and class and that’s a powerful combination, that’s what makes an exceptional young horse.
“If we had brought her to Australia at two I have no doubt she would have measured up in Group 1 races.’’
Bosma said the decision to sell had been a tough but logical one.
“In her first start back after her wind operation she again showed her ability,” he said. “It was an open class race, there was a late scratching so she stood in the barriers for a long time, then missed the start by four lengths but still won by 1.3 lengths.
“But in Brisbane, she just didn’t let down, and we got her throat checked again and things had come loose again. So we thought instead of trying another operation, it might be a good idea to offer her for sale just ahead of the breeding season.
“She’ll make a beautiful broodmare. She’s a good-sized mare. She certainly didn’t look like your typical two-year-old, she was more a three-year-old type.
“She’s a good length, correct, she moves well. In terms of a type she’s really got it all. Anybody who looks at her is going to be very impressed with what they see.”
With no in-breeding in her pedigree, and only one appearance by Danehill (Danzig) as Parmalove’s third sire, Velocious is likely to be the focus of spirited bidding forcing her value well into seven figures. Yulong is tipped to be an eager participant, as usual, especially considering their interest in Written Tycoon.
Inglis Bloodstock sales manager and New Zealand representative Brett Gilding said securing Velocious for sale by Inglis was the result of a long-term plan.
“We’re hugely grateful to Albert and the Go Racing team to be afforded this opportunity to offer Velocious on their behalf,’’ Gilding said.
“I was at Ellerslie when she won the Karaka Million and fell in love with her when I saw her in the paddock before the race – she is a beauty and I think people will love her when they see her.
“She was a very natural two-year-old, winning twice before December 1, beating Bellatrix Star over 1000 metres on debut and then a stakes race over 1100 metres.
“People want to breed and race horses like her and I think major breeders are going to be excited by the opportunity to breed from a horse like her.”