Karaka Select Sale Receives Christmas Carnival Boost

Racing over the Christmas and New Year period has seen a number of horses provide timely pedigree updates for their Karaka Sale relatives, with the Select Sale claiming the most significant boost to its catalogue with the lion's share of updates.

New Zealand Bloodstock's second session of the National Yearling Sales Series - the Karaka Select Sale - has been enjoying a wave of success with nine Group 1 winning graduates last season alone, compared with 10 from the Premier Sale.  And with an average price of $52,346 across the three days of selling last year, this session is providing lucrative returns to Select Sale investors.

The feature Group 1 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day saw a strong performance from Booming to claim his first Group 1 race and the first for his sire Don Eduardo (Zabeel). The result provided a significant boost to the pedigree of Westbury Stud's Lot 710, a half-brother to Booming by Postponed in the Karaka Select Sale.

Don Eduardo had another winner on Ellerslie's Boxing Day card, with Dashing Donna winning the Listed Hallmark Stud Newmarket Handicap over 1200 metres. The Group 1 placed mare - now with seven wins to her credit - has a half-brother in the Select Sale at Lot 828, a colt by Perfectly Ready from the Curraghmore Stud draft.

Perfectly Ready, currently the leading first season sire in New Zealand, is represented by 59 yearlings at Karaka 2011, with Don Eduardo represented with 13 yearlings.

The winner of the Group 1 NZB 1000 Guineas King's Rose continues to control proceedings in the NZB Filly of the Year Series. She produced a tough performance in the Group 2 NZB Royal Stakes to hold out her opposition to take a further eight points in the series, extending her lead to 14.5 points. The Redoute's Choice filly has a half-brother in the Karaka Premier Sale by Red Ransom, Lot 466 from the Cambridge Stud draft.  

In the Group 2 Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic, the gutsy win by Smoulder (Traditionally) provided major pedigree updates to two lots in the Select Sale: Lot 860 from The Oaks Stud, the filly by Bachelor Duke, a half-sister to Smoulder, and Lot 902, the colt from a full-sister to Flying Firebird, the dam of Smoulder.

New Year's Day at Ellerslie provided more action with race favourite Fears Nothing bolting home to win the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile. The son of Faltaat is represented at Karaka 2011 by a half-brother by first season sire Excellent Art in the Select Sale at Lot 1009 from Pencarrow Stud.

Fears Nothing also features in the colt's pedigree at Lot 827. From the Wentwood Grange draft, the colt is by One Cool Cat from the Danehill mare Entrancement, a half-sister to the Group 2 winner.

Third in the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile was the consistent performer Mill Duckie (Magic Ring) who has won or placed in 16 of her 21 starts. Already a stakes winner and twice Group 1 placed, she has a half-brother in the Select Sale at Lot 647, the colt by Spartacus from Timberlee Thoroughbreds.

In the Group 1 Blandford Lodge Railway Stakes on New Year's Day, Tip the Wink ran a strong race to finish third, just a long neck behind race winner Miss Raggedy Ann. Waikato Stud's O'Reilly colt at Lot 671 from the Centaine mare Zydeco is a half-sister to Tip the Wink.

Trelawney Stud's entry at Lot 916 also receives an update from the Group 1 placing; the Iffraaj colt is from Hula Lei, a half-sister to Tip the Wink's dam, Kape Dancer.

The two-year-old race at Whangarei on January 5 saw a smart performance from the Falkirk youngster Purpose to win her debut after winning her only trial. She has a half-brother in the Karaka Premier Sale by the current leader on New Zealand's General Sires List, Thorn Park. The colt is from the Volksraad mare Viviane and will be offered by Windsor Park Stud at Lot 137.

So Pristine (Zabeel) was the impressive winner of the Dunstan Feeds Championship Final with a big finish to gun down her rivals in the 2200 metre event. She has a half-brother in the Karaka Select Sale, Lot 1123 by the first season sire Librettist in the Trelawney Stud draft.

Selling at the Karaka Select Sale commences on Wednesday 2 February with 627 yearlings catalogued for sale from Lot 504.

Pedigree Updates for entries in this month's National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka are updated daily. To view the pedigree updates for the Karaka Premier Sale, Karaka Select Sale and Karaka Festival Sale, please follow the links.

The New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale Series will begin with the Premier Yearling Sale on 31 January & 1 February. The Select Sale will run from 2 - 4 February with the Festival Sale on 6 & 7 February.