Three-Quarter Brother to King's Rose (NZ) at Karaka 2012

New Zealand Bloodstock's 2012 National Yearling Sales Series is set to offer buyers some of Australasia's finest yearlings, one of which will be a striking three-quarter brother to the Group 1 winner King's Rose.

His breeding paired with his looks are making this youngster one of the hot topics of Karaka 2012.

Entered at Lot 353, he is by one of the hottest sires in Australasia at present in Fastnet Rock, and is set to be offered by Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan's Cambridge Stud, the leading vendor by aggregate at the Karaka Yearling Sales for the last 30 years.

"He is an outstanding colt," commented Sir Patrick Hogan. "He is a real Fastnet Rock type. He is very athletic, is a lovely walker and he is sure to be one of the star entries at the Karaka Yearling Sales."

King's Rose wins her Australian debut in the Group 2 NZB Memsie Stakes

Owned by Dr Gene Tsoi, the four-year-old King's Rose (NZ) (Redoute's Choice x Nureyev's Girl) has been an exceptional performer. She was crowned New Zealand Bloodstock's Filly of the Year last season with victories in the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas, Group 3 Eulogy Stakes, Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes and Group 2 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic.

This season she has carried that form across the Tasman and has been one of the stand out performers at Melbourne's spring carnival.

Her win in the Group 2 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes fresh up was arguably one of her career best performances. Coming from midfield, she stalked the dual Group 1 winner Heart of Dreams (Show a Heart) from the turn and wore him down to win by a long neck, running the last 600 metres in a fast 34.30 seconds.

King's Rose stepped up to the mile in her second Australian appearance in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes and she again proved too good, beating eventual Cox Plate winner Pinker Pinker (Reset) and Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed (Southern Image).

Her performance in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) saw her wear winkers for the first time and she ran a very sharp second to fellow kiwi, the Karaka graduate (King) Mufhasa (Pentire).

Desperately unlucky in the Cox Plate, King's Rose had the box seat, one length off the leaders in transit with Luke Nolen aboard, but was boxed in at the 600 metres and was checked in an effort to find racing room.

Her final spring start saw her put in another big performance in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes, coming from back in the field and wide on the turn to be nosed out in the finish by Albert the Fat (Magic Albert).

Coolmore Stud's red hot sire Fastnet Rock

From a family that is enjoying current black-type success, King's Rose's dam Nureyev's Girl is a sister to Great Notice, the dam of New Zealand's Champion 2YO, the dual Group 1 winner Anabandana (Anabaa) who won the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes in Hawke's Bay earlier this season.

Fastnet Rock is running hot on both sides of the Tasman this season. The sire of the unbeaten Atlantic Jewel who won the Group 1 VRC 1000 Guineas and the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes in a canter, he has also seen Mosheen bolt away with the VRC Oaks, and the Karaka graduates Planet Rock and the million dollar colt Rock 'n' Pop take the NZ New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas and NZ 2000 Guineas respectively.

With 14 entries in the Karaka Premier Sale, Fastnet Rock's entries include:

• Lot 80, the colt from the Group 3 winning O'Reilly mare Betwixt and Lot 468, the colt from the Group 3 winning mare Storm Signal (Keltrice).
• Lot 491, the colt from the dual Group 1 winning mare The Jewel (O'Reilly) from the South Island's famed 'The' family. She is the dam of one foal to race, The Glitzy One (Flying Spur), who was stakes placed this season.

Catalogues for New Zealand Bloodstock's 2012 National Yearling Sales Series (from 30 January) are now available and can be viewed online at www.nzb.co.nz. To request a copy email [email protected] or call +64 9 298 0055.