Filly Fireworks Resume on Day Four
31 January 2018
The appeal of young fillies offered in Book 1 at Karaka 2018 couldn’t have been better illustrated with the sale of three fillies for more than $600,000 early in the piece on Day Four.
From the draft of Cambridge Stud Lot 612 is a filly by Tavistock out of the Zabeel mare Special Diamond (NZ), herself a daughter of Group 1 winner Diamond Lover. China Horse Club’s Bloodstock and Racing Manager, Michael Wallace, was pleased to secure the filly placing the final bid at $975,000.
“Patrick is putting up his world-class pedigrees,” said Wallace. “You take these opportunities when they arise – world-class pedigrees, world-class type and from a world-class stallion.
“From a long-term perspective that’s very enticing.”
Around 10 lots earlier Landsdowne Park offered a filly by Zoustar at Lot 600. Another daughter of a Zabeel mare, Snow Blitz, she is the granddaughter of Group 1 winner Polar Success.
Attracting the interest of Netherlands-based Ger Beemsterboer, a returning buyer to Karaka, he was keen to secure the filly going to $650,000. On Tuesday he also purchased Waikato Stud’s Sacred Falls filly at Lot 426 for $210,000.
“We paid a bit more than we thought for the Sacred Falls and got this one for a bit less - you have to be lucky,” said Beemsterboer. “Both of them will be entered for the Karaka Million.”
The string of top-class fillies on Day Four began with Lot 595. A Savabeel filly from the Waikato Stud draft, she is out of the O’Reilly mare Sitting Pretty (NZ).
A lengthy bidding duel saw chief operating officer of Yulong Investments, Sam Fairgray, outlast the competition to secure the filly with a final bid of $625,000.
“She is a quality filly, Mr Zhang really liked her and we wanted to add her to our racing team” said Fairgray.
“Quality is hard to get and you have to pay the money for it. Hopefully we see the rewards on the racetrack.
“Mr Zhang loved Zabeel, and now he loves Savabeel so we came here looking to get one. It’s been great to secure a Savabeel filly from one of the best nurseries in New Zealand.”