Leading nursery Waikato Stud has adopted a highly
professional approach to the Karaka May Sale by assembling its best ever
offering of weanlings in a single draft for one sale.
It's no secret that the Stud has put together one of the biggest and best bands
of broodmares ever held by a New Zealand stud farm and therefore views the
Karaka May Sale as an opportunity to treat the weanling market very seriously
with a draft that is likely to appeal to both owners and pin-hookers.
The band now numbers 220 mares and with the Stud's high fertility that results
in a lot of foals in any given season with only limited opportunities at
following sales. Hence, the weanling market is now an important marketing
window.
"We're really excited to be offering our best ever draft of weanlings at the
Karaka May Sale by some of Australasia's best stallions," said Waikato Stud
boss Mark Chittick. "I believe we have something for everybody and these
weanlings have all had an excellent start to life"
The draft comprises of 13 offerings of which seven are fillies and six are
colts. The sire most represented is Ocean Park who has six weanlings, Sacred
Falls and Rock 'n' Pop each have three while the recently deceased and twice
Centaine Award-winning sire Pins has one.
Lot 101 Sacred Falls x Breezy colt
The three by Sacred Falls which include two colts and a filly are sure to
attract plenty of attention after the Champion NZ Three-Year-Old had his first
yearlings go to Karaka in January where he easily became leading season sire
with 46 yearlings selling for an average of $114,000 with a top price of
$300,000.
First to be sold will be the bay Sacred Falls colt from the five times group
three winning Pins mare Breezy which is a half-brother to four winners from the
family of Starcraft. The other, a colt by Sacred Falls is also a bay out of the
six times listed race winning Howbaddoyouwantit mare Neversaynever. This is the
family of Super Impose.
Like the dam of the Breezy colt, the dam of the only Waikato Sacred Falls filly
on offer is by the internationally recognised Pins who is also making a big
name for himself as a broodmare sire with 28 stakes winners to his credit. This
bay filly is the first foal of the twice winning Head Spin who in turn is out
of the stakes-placed winning Tale of the Cat mare Heads or Tales. This filly is
closely related to Champion NZ Three-Year-Old filly Daffodil.
The Ocean Park offering is made up of three colts and three fillies and like
the sire all are bays. Having such a great season with his first season
three-year-olds, Ocean Park also enjoyed a successful Karaka Sale when his 33
yearlings sold for up to $280,000 and averaged in excess of $100,000.
Lot 184 - Ocean Park x Hope So
The colts include the third foal from the five times listed stakes-winning
Zenno Rob Roy mare Cong'er, herself a daughter of ARC Championship Stakes,
Gr.1, mare Conifer Bay who produced six winners. Another is from the young,
unraced O'Reilly mare We Love, a granddaughter of one of Waikato Stud's great
matriarch's in Starcent, by Centaine.
The Ocean Park fillies include a half-sister to the stakes-placed and twice
winning Pins filly Florence Jean who was second in the Gold Trail Stakes, Gr.3,
and also a half-brother to the recent and six times winning Morse Code, also by
Pins. The unraced dam Really Reputable, by O'Reilly, is a half-sister to the
Moonee Valley Victoria Handicap, Gr.3, winner Stickpin – the winner of eight
races who was also second in the listed Chester Manifold Stakes at Flemington.
Fastnet Rock sire Rock 'n' Pop has both a filly and colt on offer in the
Waikato Stud draft. The colt is out of the placed O'Reilly mare I Que who is a
half-sister to the New Zealand St Leger winner, L, Ritzy Lady while the
filly is out of a half-sister to the Queensland Oaks winner, Gr.1, Miss Keepsake,
and BOP International trophy winner, Gr.2, Villifye. This is the family of
Grosvernor and National Gallery.
The draft is completed with one filly by Pins. The daughter of Pins is the
chestnut second foal of the unraced Fast 'n' Famous mare Onesey, a half-sister
to Counties Bowl, L, winner Shandream.
Recent Stakes winners sold from Waikato Stud's weanling draft include
Mackintosh, Pump Up The Volume, Snowmeup and Snow Excuse.
Click here to view
Waikato Stud's 2018 NZB Karaka May Sale Weanling draft.