Santa's present for us this year arrives a few days early with our new stallion Per Incanto (Street Cry-Papa Reale) due on the farm around lunch-time on the 20th of December. Reports are that he has taken quarantine in Auckland in his stride so we intend to show him at our annual parade of the Karaka bound yearlings here at the farm on Sunday 9 January, commencing at 10.30am. Pop this date in your diary.
Thanks to those who have taken shares in Per Incanto. The response from breeders was overwhelming and unfortunately some breeders were disappointed at missing out. Based on the media release and his photo in this month's New Zealand Thoroughbred he has already secured non-shareholder bookings for next season so 2011 is already underway!
Masterton hasn't escaped the warmer than usual spring weather enveloping most of the country and the yearlings are doing extremely well as a consequence. Sam got back from the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sale Series launch in Australia last week and if the level of interest at the functions is anything to go by then the signs for Karaka are exciting. it certanly helps with kiwi-breds having won eleven of the eighteen group one races contested in Australia so far this season.
Graduates of our drafts at the 2008 and 2009 Karaka Sales Series have had a great trot recently with the likes of Down Town, Mon Visage, Volgus, O'Reillys Prize, Stella Bella, Fantastic Guy, Trentham, Skittle, Shivaughan and Can't Keeper Down all winning over the last six weeks.
Towkay and Zed
Towkay averaged $118,000 to finish second behind O'Reilly on the sire averages at last month's New Zealand Ready to Run Sale, proving once again his tremendous versatility following on from his results from the Karaka Yearling Sale Series earlier in the year where he averaged $68,000 across all sessions. The Towkay - Sonia Blade colt purchased from our Karaka Select draft earlier this year by Keith Hawtin for $37,500 was re-sold at the RTR for $150,000.
Winners by Towkay over the last month include:
Rampant (Towkay-On Honeymoon) 1200m success at Rotorua on 18/11
Mystancia (Towkay-Conchelle) winner over 1400m at Tauherenikau on 20/11
Dora Young (Towkay-Young Pam) 1600m Ashburton win on 3/12
Towcutter (Towkay-Eva's Belle) winner over 1100m in Victoria
Shivaughan (Towkay-Vaughan) the Justice Lowell Goddard bred filly was successful over 1300m at Tauranga on 10/12
The sole Zed entry for the RTR, the trials runner-up Maranello Miss colt, was withdrawn and we understand he has been sold to race in Singapore and no doubt banking his owners a very nice profit. We still have a number of young Zed stock turning heads around the farm, with the latest being this stunning yearling colt from Day Tripper.
Karaka Yearling Sales 31 January €“ 7 February 2011
Sires represented amongst our draft of 13 Premier Sale yearlings are Darci Brahma, O'Reilly, Towkay, Keeper, Pins, Red Ransom, Keeper, General Nediym, Tale of the Cat and Not A Single Doubt.
One of the highlights looks to be Lot 330, a filly by leading two-year-old stallion General Nediym, sire of last year's Karaka Millions winner Sister Havana and Saturday's impressive Brisbane stakeswinning juvenile filly Midnight Grace, from the young Carnegie mare Generous Nature. Sam's comments; " She s a well muscled and powerful type but very athletic".
Actually our Premier draft this year offers buyers a wonderful opportunity to buy fillies with residual value, with a number of the farms better families represented. The Pins €“ Bondi Beauty filly is from the Sneetch, Gussy Godiva, Roman Emperor family while the O'Reilly filly from My First Fifteen presents a rare opportunity to buy into the family of former New Zealand Broodmare of Year River Century, and one responsible for the likes of Legs, Guyno, Sixty Seconds and its latest standout, recent Two Thousand Guineas runner-up He's Remarkable.
Our Select Sale draft of 12 yearlings is predictably more male dominated with colts by Towkay, Pentire, Iffraaj, Keeper and Falkirk. Lot 938, a Don Eduardo colt from the Prized mare Jabeske is a half brother to the promising O'Reilly's Prize whom trainers David Haworth and Matt Dixon have earmarked an NZ Derby campaign while lot 752, the Towkay colt from Chatto Creek is a half brother to Stella Bella who won at Awapuni on Saturday.
Ready To Run Sale
We may not have had our own draft at the Sale however the LA influence was pronounced throughout the two days of selling. Aside from the spectacular results for Towkay mentioned earlier the O'Reilly €“ La Serenissime colt who fetched $300,000 to be the second top priced lot of the Sale had been pinhooked from our Karaka Premier draft earlier this year for $150,000 while the three colts LA had prepared for the Sale by Lyndhurst Farm all sold well with the Pins-Eloa colt realising $180,000 to John Foote Bloodstock: the Fasnet Rock €“ Moonstrummer colt $65,000 and the Towkay-Outstripping colt $55,000.
Other News
Probably the most popular yearling amongst staff in our 2008 Karaka draft was the No Excuse Needed - Soneri colt, or affectionately known as Charlie. As well as been a real character he was a lovely looking colt who took the eye of David Haworth with the Levin trainer securing him for $60,000. After winning a trial for David as Bugati Veryon, the chestnut was sold and transferred to Hong Kong earlier this year. Renamed Just Fantastic, the four-year-old followed up a last start second to break his maiden status with a win over 1400m on International Mile night in November.
Other LA breds registering wins over the last month have included Amazing Kelly(Zabeel-Kelly Flinn), a winner over 1600m at Waipukurau on 5/12: Can't Keeperdown (Keeper-Ashley Downs) successful in the Manawatu Cup Trial on Saturday over 2100m and Danzano (Danasinga-Cinzano) a winner over 960m in Queensland on 20/11.
Sam, Catriona and all the team at LA wish you all a very Merry Xmas and New Year. We look forward to seeing many of you at the farm on 9 January 2011.
