Fresh from siring two stakes-winners including Group I winner Shillelagh at the Flemington Carnival, champion sire Savabeel has some outstanding prospects to be offered at the NZB Ready to Run Sale next week.
Jamie Beatson and Chanel Archer's Ohukia Lodge will offer a quality draft at Karaka, including a select group of two-year-olds from powerhouse nursery Waikato Stud.
"We're selling some beautiful two-year-olds for Waikato," Archer said. "It's a great relationship for us to have – they're lovely horses, and lovely people to work with."
Two of the Waikato Stud contingent, both Savabeel colts, recorded the fastest breeze-up times in the catalogue at 10.07 (Lot 127 colt from Maxmara) and 10.09 (Lot 180 colt from Pander).
"Jamie and Chanel from Ohukia Lodge have done an excellent job with our horses and we were rapt that two of our Savabeel colts breezed in the two overall fastest times," Waikato Stud's Mark Chittick said.
A total of six sons of Savabeel feature in Ohukia Lodge's draft, which numbers 30 overall. The other stallions represented are Proisir, Pins, Shamexpress, Ocean Park, Dawn Approach, Ocean Park, Tavistock, Sacred Falls, Smart Missile, Jakkalberry, Written Tycoon, Dundeel, Iffraaj, Rock 'N' Pop, Saperavi, So You Think and Deep Field.
"It's a lovely range of stallions in our draft this year," Archer said. "It's great to have those Savabeels in there, they're a great asset for any sale. We've got some nice Aussie stallions as well, which is great for a sale like this.
"Overall, we're really happy with our draft this year. It's a great group of horses. They all breezed up really well and have come through it in great order. We couldn't be happier."
Ohukia Lodge has only featured at the Ready to Run Sale since 2015, when offering 12 horses and fetching a total of NZ$303,000. That debut offering included Multiple stakes winner Ferrando, who was purchased for NZ$40,000.
Ohukia Lodge also offered Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Vin De Dance in their 2016 draft. The Roc de Cambes gelding sold to Phill Cataldo Bloodstock for NZ$70,000.
Ohukia Lodge continued their upward trajectory at last year's Ready to Run Sale, soaring to an aggregate of NZ$1.939 million and a fourth-place finish on the vendors' list. They averaged NZ$107,722 and had a top price of NZ$350,000 for an O'Reilly colt out of Metropolitan. – The Informant