Pencarrow Stud is internationally renowned for its countless stakes-performed homebred fillies and mares, most famously the mighty Melbourne Cup (3200m) and Caulfield Cup (3200m) heroine Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm), but the respected nursery is also an outstanding source of talented colts, and buyers will have access to 19 of them among Pencarrow’s draft for Book 1 of Karaka 2024.
Since making its sale-ring debut in the late 1980s, Pencarrow rapidly grew into one of New Zealand’s most respected yearling vendors. The Pencarrow drafts have produced a long line of colts who have gone on to significant success on the racetrack and at stud.
One of the biggest success stories is Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill), who was bought by Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis for a sale-topping $1.1m in 2004.
By Danehill out of Group One-winning Pencarrow homebred Grand Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel), Darci Brahma won 10 of his 19 starts and more than $1.2m, including Group One victories in Brisbane’s TJ Smith Classic (1600m) and the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Otaki-Maori WFA (1600m), Telegraph Handicap (1200m) and Waikato Sprint (1200m). He placed in another five Group One races including the Australian Guineas (1600m), and was named New Zealand’s Champion 2YO and Champion 3YO.
Since retiring to The Oaks Stud in 2007, Darci Brahma has sired 560 winners from 787 runners including 57 individual stakes winners. Nashville (NZ), Julinsky Prince (NZ), Recite (NZ), Catalyst (NZ), Risque (NZ), Artistic (NZ), Irish Fling (NZ), Devise (NZ) and Kahma Lass (NZ) have all won at the highest level in New Zealand, with Gust of Wind (NZ) and Sierra Sue (NZ) doing so in Australia, along with D B Pin (NZ) in Hong Kong.
Darci Brahma has been champion sire in Singapore six times, champion sire in Malaysia, and a two-time champion sire of three-year-olds in New Zealand. He has finished second or third on the New Zealand sires’ list in six of the last nine years.
Darci Brahma’s half-brother Burgundy (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) is another notable graduate. He was bought by Ellis for $1.3m from the 2010 Premier Sale at Karaka, and he won seven of his 12 starts including the Group Three Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and four Listed races. He also placed in the Group One Telegraph (1200m) before retiring to stand at Cambridge Stud.
In a career cut short by his untimely death in 2019, Burgundy has sired 134 winners from 236 runners. His 10 individual black-type winners include Group One winners Belle En Rouge (NZ) and Maven Belle (NZ).
Another notable Pencarrow graduate, albeit indirectly, is Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj). He was bred and sold by George and Maryanne Simon’s Mana Park, but is a son of the Pencarrow mare Indomitable (NZ) (Danehill).
Turn Me Loose won seven races and more than $1.7m, including Group One triumphs in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Emirates Stakes (1600m) and Futurity Stakes (1400m). He later retired to stand at Windsor Park Stud, and he is the sire of 61 winners from 155 runners including seven stakes winners. His daughter (She’s) Licketysplit (NZ) won the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old and placed in the Group One Thousand Guineas (1600m) in Melbourne the following spring.
Notably, Pencarrow will offer a half-brother to Turn Me Loose at Karaka 2024. The colt by U S Navy Flag is catalogued as Lot 139 in Book 1.
There have been six other Group One-winning males sold through Pencarrow drafts at Karaka.
- Dunkel (NZ) (Dundeel) was bought for $40,000 in 2021. His 10-start career has so far produced seven wins, two second placings and A$769,375 in stakes, headed by a win in last year’s Group One South Australian Derby (2500m).
- De Beers (NZ) (Quest For Fame) was a $750,000 yearling purchase in 2004. He won the Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m), placed in the Group One Australian Derby (2400m) and banked close to A$1m in prize-money.
- Allez Suez (NZ) (Canny Lad) was bought for $110,000 in 1997. He won five races and more than A$600,000, including the famous Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.
- Linesman (NZ) (Touching Wood) cost just $26,000 in 1993. He broke the A$1m barrier in his 43-start, eight-win career, most notably winning the Group One Sydney Cup (3200m).
- Star Dancer (NZ) (Star Watch) was a $30,000 purchase in 1992. He won 14 races and more than A$690,000, headed by the Group One Futurity Stakes (1400m) and two editions of the race now known as the Zabeel Classic (2000m).
- Tethys (NZ) (Kings Island) was bought for a mere $1,600 in 1989. He earned more than $205,000 with eight wins, most notably the Group One Avondale Cup (2200m).
Pencarrow’s 19 colts in the Book 1 catalogue for Karaka 2024 all boast eye-catching credentials for racetrack success.
- Lot 7 is by Frosted out of Deliciano (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who won six races and placed in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2500m). Deliciano is already the dam of two winners, and she is a daughter of Group Two winner Santagostino (Giant’s Causeway) and closely related to Group One winner Vapour Trail (NZ) (Jetball).
- Lot 43 is by the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and Golden Rose (1400m) winner Ole Kirk. The dam is an unraced daughter of the champion Ethereal, from the family that has produced more than a dozen stakes performers including superb colts Darci Brahma and Burgundy.
- Lot 86 is by All Too Hard, who won four Group One races including the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and has become a leading Australian sire. The dam is the twice-winning Encosta De Lago mare Floating Heart (NZ), who is a daughter of Group Three winner Amaryllis (NZ) (Red Ransom) and closely related to the Group One-performed Wildflower (NZ) (Keeper).
- Lot 139, the colt by U S Navy Flag out of Indomitable, is a half-brother to the triple Group One winner and successful sire Turn Me Loose. Another close relative, Denby Road (NZ) (Shamexpress), won the Group Three Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) last season.
- Lot 146 is by this season’s leading first-season sire Super Seth. The colt is out of the emerging star Pencarrow broodmare Irion (NZ) (Danroad), which makes him a half-brother to exciting mares Pearl Of Alsace (NZ) (Tavistock) and Zourion (NZ) (Zoustar). Pearl Of Alsace has won six of her 11 starts including the Group Three Cuddle Stakes (1600m), and she placed in this season’s Group One Livamol Classic (2040m). Zourion won the Group Two Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old last season and placed in the Group Two Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield in the spring.
- Lot 148 is by Pierro, whose five Group One wins included Sydney’s famous two-year-old Triple Crown – the Golden Slipper (1200m), Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Champagne Stakes (1600m). He has become an outstanding sire with more than 30 stakes winners to his name. This colt is the first foal out of I Say Hello (NZ) (Iffraaj), who placed in the Group Three J H B Carr Stakes (1400m) at Randwick and is a half-sister to the dam of this season’s Group Two Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) winner Lantern Way (NZ) (Satono Aladdin).
- Lot 169 is by the exciting Cambridge Stud stallion Almanzor, who was an outstanding Group One winner in France, Ireland and the UK and already has 10 stakes winners to his name at stud. The dam is the three-race winner La Adelita (NZ) (High Chaparral), who is a half-sister to the Group One-placed Rocanto (NZ) (Per Incanto).
- One of the most exciting colts in the entire Book 1 catalogue is Lot 210. He is the only yearling being offered at Karaka this year by Kingman, who won seven of his eight starts including four Group Ones. His exceptional racetrack career has been backed up by a stellar start at stud, already boasting no fewer than nine Group One winners. This colt is out of a Camelot mare whose half-sister Many Colours (Green Desert) is the dam of three stakes winners including Group One 1000 Guineas (1600m) heroine Mother Earth (Zoffany).
- Lot 293 is by the Golden Rose winner Astern out of Papilio (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice), who won four races up to Listed level and is the dam of two winners including seven-race winner Irish Butterfly (NZ) (O’Reilly).
- The Super Seth colt catalogued as Lot 305 is out of the unraced Savabeel mare Peppino (NZ), a daughter of Group One Telegraph (1200m) heroine Guiseppina (NZ) (Johar).
- Lot 316 is by Cox Plate (2040m) hero and highly successful sire Ocean Park (NZ) out of the stakes-performed mare Podravina (NZ) (Bel Esprit). Podravina won five races and placed at Listed level, and she is a daughter of the Group Three Lowland Stakes (2100m) winner Posavina (NZ) (Tiger Hill).
- The Super Seth colt being offered as Lot 407 is out of Silver Eclipse (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who won five races including the Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m). She also placed in another two black-type sprints.
- A colt by Almanzor will go through the ring as lot 410. He is the first foal out of Siracusa (NZ) (Sebring), who won four races including the Listed Karaka Classic (1600m). She also placed in the Group Two Tauranga Stakes (1600m) and Group Two Japan Trophy (1600m). This colt’s third dam Chimeara (Danehill) is the dam of the Rosehill Guineas-winning Pencarrow graduate De Beers.
- Lot 413 comes from the first crop of yearlings by the dual Group One-winning two-year-old King’s Legacy. The dam is the winning mare Skywards (NZ) (O’Reilly), whose first foal to race is the Group Three-placed colt Kazalark (NZ) (Vadamos).
- Lot 587 is by Street Boss out of the four-time winner Arpeggio (NZ) (Tavistock), whose two foals to race have both been winners. This is the family of Valbuena (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who was passed in when offered by Pencarrow at Karaka 2011 and went on to win the Group Two Avondale Guineas (2100m).
- Lot 588 is by The Everest (1200m) winner Yes Yes Yes and is out of a stakes-performed Fastnet Rock mare who has been represented by a winner and a placegetter from two foals to race.
- Lot 612 comes from the first yearling crop by the brilliant Anders. This colt’s dam is a half-sister to the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m) winner Lilikoi (NZ) (Charm Spirit).
- Lot 644 is by Wootton Bassett, who is the sire of eight Group One winners including Cambridge Stud’s headline stallion Almanzor. The dam of this colt is Charmont (High Chaparral), who won the Group One New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m).
- The U S Navy Flag colt catalogued as Lot 671 is a half-brother to the stakes-winning mare Siracusa. Second dam Chimeara is the dam of the Rosehill Guineas-winning Pencarrow graduate De Beers.
Book 1 of Karaka 2024 runs from January 28 to 30.
