Tuscan Spirit Brother at NZB May Sale

Te Runga Stud will offer a full-brother to Tuscan Spirit, last season's top-rated three-year-old in Hong Kong, at the National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale next week.

Himself a National Weanling Sale graduate, Tuscan Spirit (Chianti x Fortelo by Armidale) was purchased by Hallmark Stud for $6,750 from Te Runga and successfully pin-hooked to the 2007 Festival Sale, where he was bought by Bill Stretton for $40,000.

He is now trained in Hong Kong by John Size and, after stringing together a series of four wins, including on his debut at Class 1 level, finished his classic year at the top of his age group. This season his biggest performance to date was third to fellow Karaka graduate, Beauty Flash, in the HK-1 Mercedes Benz Hong Kong Classic Mile.

�

�Te Runga Stud's full-brother to Tuscan Spirit at Lot 401

Commenting on the full-brother at Lot 401, Te Runga principal Wayne Larsen says the similarities are obvious.

"There's a striking similarity between this colt and Tuscan Spirit even down to the white star on his forehead."

"He is an obvious attraction to any Hong Kong owner as it is rare to be able to buy a full brother to any horse rated the best of his generation in Hong Kong."

Click here to see the six progeny of Te Runga sire Chianti (Danehill) that will be offered at the sale.

Also on offer, in the Broodmare session, is the dam of Tuscan Spirit, at Lot 761. Fortelo will be offered by Woodbine Farm and carries a service to young Haunui Farm sire Iffraaj (Zafonic).

Earlier this month Nacho Man (Mr Nacho x El Coriero by The Jogger) provided more evidence of the Group 1 quality that's pin-hooked through the Sale, winning the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes at Awapuni. The strongly made colt was pin-hooked by Bryan and Alison Henry of Maara Grange, who purchased him as a weanling for $15,000 to then onsell for $27,000 at the 2009 Festival Sale.

Second to Nacho Man in the Awapuni feature was Cellarmaster (Dubawi x Oenology by Sound Reason), this season's top-rated two-year-old. He's represented by a full-sister at Lot 88 on account of Westbury Stud.

Proving a keen eye for an athlete at the Weanling Sale can pay dividends, the Henrys produced two of the five leading pin-hooks at the recent National Yearling Sales Series with colts by Elusive City and Perfectly Ready stealing the show.

Their biggest result came from an Elusive City colt out of Midnight Breaker (Housebuster) bought from the Haunui Farm weanling draft for $30,000 before returning $200,000 when bought by Waikato Bloodstock.

Curraghmore Stud provided the Henrys with their other pin-hook success, a Perfectly Ready colt out of winning Green Line Express mare Deune. Purchased for $41,000 as a weanling the brown colt produced $130,000 in the sale ring - also bought by Waikato Bloodstock - with the Tankards clearly taken with both as potential athletes.

Selling on all three days will commence at 10am and will be streamed live online at http://www.nzb.co.nz/