Sale-Topping O'Reilly Colt On Track for Spring

Last year New Zealand Bloodstock's South Island Sale saw a new record price paid for a two-year-old in the Canterbury Agricultural Park ring and, after winning both of his trials, he is ready for the spring.

Offered by Berkley Stud, the O'Reilly colt now named Miami Provocateur became the highest priced two-year-old ever sold at the South Island Sale when knocked down to trainer John Bell for $220,000.

Pleased with the quality of his purchase, John regards Miami Provocateur as a horse with a lot of potential.

"He is a very nice horse, he's good natured and is a very athletic colt who is a great mover and has shown that he has a good amount of ability.

"He has won both of his trials in preparation for racing. We didn't go out to push him too hard but in both outings he ran very well and won them easily.

The Sale topping O'Reilly colt Miami Provocateur

"He was very green and a bit gun-shy in his debut but he is progressing nicely. We are in no hurry with the horse so we will see how he goes in the next few weeks and decide where we will send him next as we head into the spring."

Purchasing horses from the South Island Sale to race in Asia, John currently has horses in training in Hong Kong and Singapore and is looking to have a strong season with his South Island graduates Pizzazz (Bertolini x Endrita) and Boy (Istidaad x Validify).

"I saw Boy at the South Island Sale in 2008 and really liked him, he was a good type and he had the pedigree to match and I am also a big fan of his sire Istidaad.

"I have sent Boy to Singapore to Stephen Gray's stable and he has been racing nicely. We were looking at running him in the Singapore Derby but decided that it was in the horse's interests to give him a break.

"The Singapore Cup later in the year is a race we are looking to target with him, it is a handicap race so he would get a nice weight so all going to plan, that race will be his target."

The South Island Sale has a good history of producing horses that go on to perform on the international stage. Last season's stakes winners include the Group 3 Metropolitan Trophy winner Blood Brotha (Danzighill), Group 3 Canterbury Gold Cup winner Inferno (Yamanin Vital), dual stakes winner St Peters Gift (St. Petersburg) who has won the M-2 Macau Director's Cup since the catalogue went to print, and the dual stakes winning three-year-old Milo (Coats Choice).

With older graduates including the Group 1 Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilly (O'Reilly), dual HK-1 winner and Champion Hong Kong Stayer Super Kid (Gaius), Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas winner Hustler (Al Akbar) and Group 1 VRC Derby winner Second Coming (Oak Ridge), the South Island Sale has a proven track record of producing top level horses.

"The South Island Sale is a good Sale to purchase from," said John. "The horses offered in the Sale are strong, sound and hardy types and I find that when you bring them up north to a warmer climate and give them a bit of time to acclimatise and settle in, they really thrive and develop into nice horses."

The South Island Sale's supplementary entries are now online and can be viewed by clicking here.

New Zealand Bloodstock's South Island Sale of Two-Year-Olds & Mixed Bloodstock will be held at Canterbury Agricultural Park, Christchurch on August 12 from 11am. To order a catalogue please contact New Zealand Bloodstock at reception@nzb.co.nz or call 09 298 0055.

Entries for New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready-to-Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds close this Friday 12 August. To request an entry form please contact New Zealand Bloodstock.