"Sir Peter Vela has been trying to get me here for 20 years or more and I'm thrilled to have made it," said the chief executive and racing manager for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Godolphin operation.
"I've loved every second of New Zealand and while it's not got the biggest thoroughbred population, it's one of the best and it has been great to have been part of that at last."
Under the Godolphin banner, Ferguson signed for three Savabeel fillies during
the Premier session – one out of Banchee for $750,000, the daughter of Sitting
Pretty for $350,000 and the other from Croix du Sud for $120,000."I arrived 10 days before the sale and I was able to have a look around some farms and went from Taupo to Queenstown, it's been wonderful," the Newmarket-based Ferguson said.
"I was here to buy a couple of New Zealand-breds and we got three lovely fillies."
Ferguson also announced that the internationally-successful blue racing silks of Godolphin could be seen in New Zealand in the not too distant future.
"We would love to have runners here from our Newmarket stables," he said.
"We are serious about it and as a result of this trip I will be talking to Sheikh Mohammed when I get back.
"Charlie Appleby, one of our Newmarket trainers, won some lovely races in Melbourne in the spring and as far as international travel of horses goes, the Sheikh was the first to do it on a larger scale.
"Australia and New Zealand are a massively important part of the thoroughbred world to us."
As Ferguson's responsibilities with the Godolphin organisation have increased, he has had to forego other endeavours.
"I trained for four years, under National Hunt (jumpers) rules for three years, but I don't have the time now," he said.
"Apart from Europe, we have 220 and 250 horses in work at any one time in Australia. John O'Shea is doing a fantastic job and we always knew he could train, it was just a matter of giving him time to get used our system."
Ferguson flew out of New Zealand on Tuesday night and has vowed to return on future Godolphin buying and racing expeditions.
"It's been a fantastic experience and Karaka is the best facility in the world, no doubt about that," he said. – NZ Racing Desk.
