Arc Winner Boosts NZB Ready to Run Sale Pedigree

The growing presence of leading international families at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs was highlighted last weekend with Solemia winning one of Europe’s most famous races, the Group 1 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe.

The Irish bred mare Solemia (Poliglote)  - who caused somewhat of an upset when fighting back to beat the Japanese horse Orfevre (Stay Gold) in the Arc on Sunday morning - features in the pedigree of Valachi Downs’ O’Reilly colt at Lot 106.

The colt is out of the English bred Daylami mare Fleece and his stakes winning grand-dam Gold Dodger (Slew o' Gold) is a half-sister to the Arc winner Solemia. Fleece is owned by Kevin Hickman who bred and races last season’s New Zealand Derby winner Silent Achiever (O’Reilly).

The growing presence of internationally recognised families is a prime example of the increasing quality of young horses that are being targeted at this burgeoning Sale. This development is driven by the level of international support the Sale receives thanks to its outstanding success on the world’s tracks – with nine individual Group 1 winners coming in the last five seasons alone.

Phoenix Park’s Redoute’s Choice colt at Lot 176 is another example of an international family featured, being from the South African stakes winning and Group 1 placed mare Lady's Delight (Local Talent).

The colt is a brother to the Australian Group placed Rezyana and a half-brother to the stakes placed Sunday Service (Sunday Silence), dam of the stakes winner Kneeling (Encosta de Lago).

Lady's Delight’s dam, the American bred You're My Lady (Roberto), has proven successful in Australia producing the Caulfield Cup winner Diatribe (Brief Truce) and in South Africa producing four stakes winners including her Group 2 winning daughter Lady Broadhurst (Golden Thatch).

The Exceed and Excel colt at Lot 251 also boasts an international pedigree being from the Irish bred Sadler’s Wells mare Pas De Deux, a half-sister to Group 1 Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes winner Shake the Yoke (Caerleon). The mare is the dam of one foal to race, the three-year-old Daruna (Dalakhani) who is in training with David Payne. Her Exceed and Excel colt will be offered by Lyndhurst Farm.

Mana Park will offer a Fastnet Rock colt at Lot 242 who is the first foal from the American bred mare Oraia (Stravinsky), a half-sister to another Group 1 Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes winner in Golden Opinion (Slew o' Gold).

The Arc result provided just one of a number of pedigree updates for horses catalogued in the Ready to Run Sale. To keep an eye on the steady flow of updates click here.

Next week’s Breeze Ups (Monday 15 & Tuesday 16 October) will be the first opportunity to see the two-year-olds catalogued in the 2012 Ready to Run Sale in the flesh. The Breeze Ups will be held over two days at Te Rapa Racecourse in Hamilton and will begin at 10am each day.