Vendors Primed for NZB’s National Weanling & Broodmare Sale

Of the 59 vendors preparing horses for next week’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka, the one with the strongest record to uphold is undoubtedly Curraghmore.

The Waikato-based farm, owned and operated by Gordon Cunningham, has been the leading vendor at the National Weanling Sale for the past 10 consecutive years.

Last year Curraghmore sold nine weanlings for a total of $375,500 with an average of $41,722, including a top price of $110,000 for a filly by Pierro out of Prestigious Miss (Written Tycoon).

What Choux Want (NZ) (Jimmy Choux) and Electric Aura (NZ) (Shocking) are two past Curraghmore graduates of this Sale who have performed at stakes level in Australasia in the 2015-16 season. They cost $15,000 and $5,000 respectively.

This year Curraghmore will present an increased draft of 12 weanlings, including the progeny of stakes-winning mares Sarajay (NZ) (Danasinga), Astounded (Encosta De Lago) and Lamington Vegas (NZ) (Elusive City).

Sires represented in the Curraghmore draft include Tavistock, Jimmy Choux, So You Think, Ocean Park and the newcomers Camelot and Shamexpress.

• Lot 40, by Tavistock out of Sentura (NZ) (Volksraad), is a half-brother to the stakes performers Sam Mesi – Ghost Emperor (NZ) (Savabeel) and Electric Aura.
• Lot 249, by Tavistock out of Macchiato (NZ) (Night Shift), is a half-brother to the stakes winner Harb (NZ) (Catbird).

The largest draft in the Sale belongs to Little Avondale Stud with 18 weanlings, a two-year-old, a racehorse and 17 broodmares set to go under the hammer. Many of their weanlings are by resident sires Per Incanto and Nadeem, but there are others by Pins, Showcasing, Congrats, Rip Van Winkle and Savabeel.

• The filly by Savabeel, a supplementary entry at Lot 541, is the only weanling by the champion sire to be offered at this year’s Sale.

Hawera breeder Dan Myers will present his entire 2015 crop of 17 weanlings, including the progeny of in-demand stallions I Am Invincible, Tavistock and Foxwedge.

“It was a commercial decision to send our entire foal crop to auction as weanlings,” Myers explained. “That’s as transparent as we can possibly be, and hopefully they’ll be well received. The entire draft has been x-rayed and the market will dictate the final result.

“We may be looking through rose tinted glasses, but we think there are some nice horses in our draft and people will be well satisfied. They’ve got Mt Egmont as a backdrop, so they may be a bit woolly.”

• Lot 60 is by Iffraaj out of Starbelly (NZ) (Stravinsky), who is a half-sister to the American Grade One winner Black Mamba (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe) and the champion broodmare Gussy Godiva (NZ) (Last Tycoon).
• Lot 234 is a Nadeem half-sister to this season’s dual stakes-winning three-year-old The Justice League (NZ) (I Am Invincible).

Bradbury Park will present 29 horses, a sizeable draft which encompasses a Nearco Stud unreserved deplenishing sale.

• Lot 130 is a weanling colt by Thewayyouare out of the Group 2 winner Casabella Lane (NZ) (Volksraad).
• Lot 302 is a yearling filly by Reliable Man out of the stakes-placed mare Bankside Belle (NZ) (Volksraad), making her a half-sister to this season’s stakes performer What Choux Want.

A sale rarely goes by at Karaka without a significant offering from Waikato Stud, and next week will be no exception. The powerhouse operation will present 15 weanlings and 10 broodmares.

The Waikato Stud weanlings include the final crop of the great stallion O’Reilly, plus the progeny of fellow Waikato stallions Rock ‘n’ Pop, Pins and Ocean Park.

Lot 68 is by Per Incanto out of Swan Lake (NZ) (Green Perfume), who is a half-sister to the New Zealand Derby winner and international Group One performer Hades – Helene Vitality (NZ) (Zabeel).

Buoyed by the recent stakes success of Dalghar’s first-crop daughter Astara (NZ), Brighthill Farm will present 13 weanlings at next week’s Sale including three sons or daughters of the exciting young stallion.

Their draft includes Lot 44, an Ekraar colt closely related to the star three-year-old Xtravagant (NZ) (Pentire) who won Saturday’s Group 3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes at Te Rapa.

Haunui Farm will debut the progeny of their resident stallion Ferlax as well as fellow newcomers Albrecht and Unencumbered.

One of the Ferlax colts, Lot 48, comes from the same family as the recent stakes winner All In Vogue (NZ) (Pins).

Lime Country Thoroughbred’s draft includes two weanlings by the young sire Niagara as well as five broodmares, including Giant Mystique (Giant’s Causeway), a half-sister to the Singapore star War Affair (NZ) (O’Reilly).

The National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale runs for three days starting on Monday 9 May. Selling begins at 10am each day.

The weanling session takes place on the first and second day, with the latter part of Day Two selling mixed bloodstock. The broodmare session takes place on the third day with stallion shares to conclude the Sale. Supplementary entries will be sold at the end of each relevant session.

Catalogues can be collected at Reception or can be viewed online. For further sale information or NZB news visit www.nzb.co.nz.