De Burgh Purchases $500,000 Savabeel Colt

Media Release - Wednesday January 30

International Bloodstock Agent Hubie De Burgh kicked off the annual National Yearling Sale with a bang and he has ended his four-day visit to New Zealand on a similar note.

$500,000 Savabeel colt from CupidDe Burgh outlaid $500,000 for an I Am Invincible filly early on day one at Karaka and he matched that figure when he purchased Lot 657, a Savabeel colt out of O'Reilly mare Cupid from the Waikato Stud draft.

The colt is a three-quarter brother to Waikato Stud's $1.4 million sale-topping Savabeel/Make A Wish colt, a fact that wasn't lost on De Burgh.

"He is closely related to the $1.4million colt, who is a beautiful horse that we wanted to buy, but I didn't have that sort of cheque book," he said.

"If we were looking for a Cox Plate horse then I guess this guy (Lot 657) is what he is.

"He's a really athletic horse who is beautifully balanced and really walks – he just floats on air.

"He is by this great stallion, out of the great Savabeel/O'Reilly cross, and also has Pins in his next dam.

"When you package that up and he has also come from a great Stud who breeds so many group winners, you are reducing the level of risk."

As with the I Am Invincible filly, the colt is headed to Lindsay Park in Melbourne for Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his Shadwell Racing operation.

"We're done now, we've blown the chequebook," De Burgh said.

"We bought four for Sheikh Hamdan and tried to balance things up.

"The I Am Invincible filly should be an early two-year old with a lovely page (pedigree), where we gave what I thought was a fair price.

"I still go back and talk about the prizemoney you can win. It (the sale price) is a lot of money, so let's not be flippant about it, but if you have been lucky enough to buy a horse that can gallop then you can win that back.

"The problem is that you come here to this sale and when there is a nice horse, they don't hide. You can't just say I will wait as no-one else has seen it as they pick them out.

"It is the same in Europe and in Australia for the good horses. It is the same in property and art and in any commodity, the rules are the same."

De Burgh also purchased Lot 272, a Redoute's Choice filly from the Pencarrow Stud draft for $200,000 along with Lot 275, an Iffraaj colt for $360,000 from Haunui Farm for Sheikh Hamdan plus Lot 411, a Savabeel colt from Waikato Stud for $150,000 for another client. – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Probabeel Shows her Class
Superstar three-year-old Probabeel proved a class above her age-group rivals when she made a winning start to her summer campaign over 1400m at Awapuni on Saturday.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday November 5
Here is the full list of 145 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Melbourne Cup Winner for Extreme Choice – Rare Slice of History
This year’s $8.5million Group I VRC Melbourne Cup (3200m) produced a genuinely amazing fairytale result for the connections of five year-old Extreme Choice gelding Knight’s Choice, but part of that fairytale is his sire Extreme Choice, who has carved out something seriously special as being only the second sire in history to produce the winner of a Golden Slipper and a Melbourne Cup.
Rosemont and Partners Stakes Quinella on Cup Day
Written Tycoon posted his second new stakes-winner on Melbourne Cup Day when promising three year-old gelding Catoggio took out the Listed VRC Amanda Elliot Stakes (1400m)  for Rosemont Stud and partners, who also race the second horse Bosustow.
Savabeel Blueblood Wins G3 Desert Gold
A copybook ride by Opie Bosson paved the way for promising filly Showbeel to add a valuable black type success to her career record when she took out the first feature race at Trentham on Saturday, the Group III New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m).
Knights Choice a True Underdog Story
Punters were left stunned when the Queenslander Knight's Choice and Japanese visitor Warp Speed (JPN) emerged from the pack to fight out a dramatic finish to the $8,560,000 Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
El Vencedor wins G3 Balmerino Stakes
El Vencedor is making a habit of picking up major victories at Ellerslie, adding the Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m) to his burgeoning record at Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup Day meeting.
Coolmore Announce Euro 2025 Fees
Coolmore have announced fees for their 20 strong European sire roster with three new additions City of Troy (Justify), Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact)and Henry Longfellow (Dubawi) and a significant increase for Wootton Bassett, who is currently in Australia.
Probabeel Chasing Karaka Million History
High-class filly Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) will shoot for a slice of history at the Karaka Million twilight race meeting at Ellerslie on January 25.
Mo'Unga Looking to Bounce Back
Trainer Annabel Neasham is looking forward to stepping out Group One winner Mo’unga in the Gr.2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday, where she is expecting to see an improved run from the entire.