Proven Excellence Among Ready to Run Sale Sires

The 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale at Karaka in November will showcase its customary quality cross-section of local and international stallions, including some of the biggest names from across Australasia – and a titan of the northern hemisphere.

Darci Brahma (NZ)

In contrast to his own $1.1 million price tag as a yearling at Karaka and subsequent five-time Group One-winning racetrack career, Darci Brahma (NZ) has been something of a steady achiever at The Oaks Stud. 

He has delivered consistent quality throughout his stud career, finishing either second or third on the New Zealand premiership six times. His 688 runners have produced 496 winners, 53 of them at stakes level including Group One winners in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong.

Classic stars such as Catalyst (NZ), Risque (NZ), Artistic (NZ), Gust Of Wind (NZ) and Kahma Lass (NZ) are notable examples, along with elite Hong Kong sprinter D B Pin (NZ).

But a new name joined that Group One-winning group just last weekend when Sierra Sue (NZ) conquered an exceptional field in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, while Spring Tide (NZ) came up just short of a massive double for Darci Brahma when he finished second – beaten by a mere head – in the Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings.

Nine progeny of Darci Brahma will be offered during the 2021 Ready to Run Sale, including:

• Lot 159, who is a half-brother to the Group Two performer Luminous (NZ) (Reliable Man).
• Lot 216, out of a full-sister to multiple Group Two winner Keyora (NZ) Bachelor Duke) and half-sister to the quality racehorse and sire Roc De Cambes (NZ) (Red Ransom).
• Lot 307, a colt out of the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) winner Smoulder (NZ) (Traditionally), who is the dam of two winners from three foals to race including stakes-placed Embers (NZ) (Darci Brahma).

Deep Field 

In the case of Newgate Farm’s blistering sire Deep Field, the record speaks for itself. He has rapidly racked up 206 winners from just 315 runners to date including 11 high-speed black-type winners. At the top of that list is Portland Sky, the winner of this year’s Group One Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield. 

Deep Field’s performance has been matched by demand in sale rings throughout Australasia, including seven price tags of over $200,000 at Karaka’s National Yearling Sales Series and Ready to Run Sales in the last three years.

A bumper crop of nine Deep Field two-year-olds will be offered in the 2021 Ready to Run Sale, including:

• Lot 50, whose dam is a half-sister to the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) winner Palentino (Teofilo).
• Lot 64, out of an unraced Fusaichi Pegasus mare, whose half-siblings include Mauritius Horse of the Year Parachute Man (High Chaparral), along with Rosa Perlato (Encosta de Lago) – the dam of Group Two winner and Group One Australian Guineas placegetter Hawkshot (Fiorente) and Listed winner Power Scheme (Fiorente).
• Lot 137, whose dam is a half-sister to Divine Secret (Thunder Gulch). Herself a placegetter in the prestigious Group One Blue Diamond (1200m), Divine Secret is the dam of Group One winner Montoya’s Secret (High Chaparral) and Group Three winner Delago’s Secret (Encosta De Lago).
• Lot 207, out of a half-sister to three-time Group One-winning Australian star Mentality (Flying Spur).

Exceed And Excel 

At stud ever since 2004, the exceptional Exceed And Excel has been a champion sire in Australia and has made his mark throughout the world with 1600 winners from 2268 runners.

He has sired no fewer than 189 individual black-type winners, 16 of them at the highest level, including champion two-year-olds Microphone, Earthquake and Overreach, champion three-year-old Guelph and superstar sprinters such as Bivouac and Karaka graduate Mr Stunning.

Demand for his progeny has never wavered, and buyers have another high-quality pair to choose from at the 2021 Ready to Run Sale, including Lot 38, who is out of a half-sister to the Group One performer Translate (Love a Dane) and Lot 289, a colt out of stakes-placed mare Sebrina.

Frankel 

One of the world’s all-time great racehorses, Frankel won all of his 14 starts – 10 of them at Group One level, and all of them with breathtaking ease.

Frankel has carried on in a similar vein at stud, siring 345 winners from 502 runners with 78 individual black-type winners including 18 at the highest level. That includes Australian impact with Group One winners Hungry Heart, Mirage Dancer and Converge.

This year has seen Frankel reach an all-time high, topping British sires’ standings with 13 stakes winners including the superstar three-year-olds Adayar, Hurricane Lane and Snow Lantern.

Adayar won the English Derby (2400m) at Epsom, while Hurricane Lane placed in that famous classic before scoring his own elite wins in the Irish Derby (2400m), St Leger (2900m) and Grand Prix de Paris (2400m). Snow Lantern beat older mares in the Group One Falmouth Stakes (1600m).

Three previous progeny of Frankel have gone through the sale ring at Karaka, fetching $1.3 million, $475,000 and $500,000 respectively.

The 2021 Ready to Run Sale features Lot 41, a half-brother to the Group Two Villiers Stakes (1600m) winner All Legal (Al Maher). The dam, Azardi (Desert Prince), is a half-sister to the superb Hong Kong miler and Ready to Run graduate Glorious Days (Hussonet), as well as two other stakes winners.

Iffraaj 

Haunui Farm fondly farewelled Iffraaj in 2019 after 11 seasons of shuttling to the southern hemisphere and leaving an indelible impact.

During his outstanding tenure at Haunui, Iffraaj has sired 342 winners from 578 runners among his southern hemisphere progeny. That includes 20 individual stakes winners. Turn Me Loose (NZ), Jon Snow (NZ) and Wyndspelle (NZ), all Group One winners over distances ranging from 1400 to 2400 metres, are now all embarking on their own stallion careers in New Zealand, while Gingernuts (NZ) triumphed at the elite level on both sides of the Tasman.

Iffraaj has sired nine stakes winners in Australia, including Jon Snow, Gingernuts, Turn Me Loose and Jungle Cat at the elite level, while there have been 20 winners in Hong Kong, 30 in Singapore and 25 (with three stakes winners) in Malaysia.

Limited chances remain for southern hemisphere buyers to access the progeny of Iffraaj, and there are six of them in the 2021 Ready to Run Sale, including:

• Lot 96, a three-quarter-brother to the brilliant Group One New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Emirates Stakes (1600m) and Futurity Stakes (1600m) winner Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj). Himself also a Ready to Run Sale graduate, Turn Me Loose has made a promising start to his stallion career at Windsor Park Stud.
• Lot 153, out of a half-sister to Group One winners Canny Lad (Bletchingly) and Canny Lass (Bletchingly).

Ocean Park (NZ)

New Zealand’s 2013 Horse of the Year Ocean Park (NZ) has followed in the Cox Plate-winning footsteps of his fellow Waikato Stud stallion Savabeel, quickly making his mark with quality progeny on both sides of the Tasman. 

Ocean Park is the sire of 194 winners from 313 runners, with 16 stakes winners.

He has had Group One performers over distances ranging from 1100 to 3200 metres. Tofane (NZ) has won the Group One All Aged Stakes (1400m), Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) and Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m), along with a placing in The Galaxy (1100m).

Kolding (NZ) has earned more than A$6 million with his victories in the George Main Stakes (1600m), All Aged Stakes (1400m) and Golden Eagle (1500m).

Ocean Billy (NZ) starred in this year’s Group One Auckland Cup (3200m) and is on the road to the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington in November.

Another six of Ocean Park’s progeny have placed at the elite level – Star of the Seas (NZ), Another Dollar (NZ) and Arrogant (NZ) in Australia, Rondinella (NZ) on both sides of the Tasman, and Marine (NZ) and Mongolianconqueror (NZ) in New Zealand.

Five sons of Ocean Park will go under the hammer in the Ready to Run Sale, including Lot 105, who is a half-brother to Paret (Harbour Watch) – runner-up in the Grade One United Nations Stakes (2200m) in the United States.

Per Incanto 

Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto is a stallion at the absolute peak of his powers. He topped last season’s sire tables in Hong Kong for winners and wins, as well as finishing at the head of the New Zealand premiership by wins.

His 401 runners to date have produced 259 winners, 20 of them at stakes level including Group One stars Shadows Cast (NZ), Santa Monica (NZ), Dal Cielo (NZ) and Bonham.

Lost and Running (NZ) could be a candidate to join that group in the near future, stringing together a series of highly impressive victories and spoken about in glowing terms by his accomplished trainer John O’Shea.

There could be no better time for buyers to get on board with Per Incanto’s progeny, and the 2021 Ready to Run Sale offers 16 opportunities, including:

• Lot 94, from the iconic Cambridge Stud family of Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight) and Diamond Lover (Sticks And Stones). This colt’s dam is a half-sister to the Group One performer Capital Diamond (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn), who is the dam of the well-performed Gift Of Power (NZ) (Power).
• Lot 202, whose granddam is a half-sister to the dam of the immortal mare Winx (Street Cry).

Pierro 

A five-time Group One winner including Sydney’s two-year-old Triple Crown of the Golden Slipper (1200m), Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Champagne Stakes (1600m), Pierro also placed in the Cox Plate (2040m), Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and Doncaster Handicap (1600m) before embarking on a superb career at Coolmore Stud, where he commands a service fee of A$110,000.

Pierro has been represented by 270 winners from 391 runners, with 25 individual stakes winners. Triple Group One winner Arcadia Queen has been the pick of the bunch, while Shadow Hero, Pierata, Regal Power, Levendi and Pinot have also triumphed at the elite level. Karaka graduate Furore (NZ) won the Hong Kong Derby (2000m) and Group Two Jockey Club Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin.

Pierro’s two progeny in the 2021 Ready to Run Sale catalogue include Lot 195, whose dam Mary Lou (Fastnet Rock) was a multiple Group Three placegetter in New South Wales and Lot

Reliable Man 

Westbury Stud’s Reliable Man has churned out a constant supply of winners throughout the last half-decade, siring 171 winners from 326 runners among his five New Zealand crops to date.

That includes nine individual black-type winners, headed by the Group One Victoria Oaks (2500m) winner Miami Bound (NZ), this season’s Group One Perth Railway Stakes (1600m) heroine Inspirational Girl (NZ) and the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner Sentimental Miss (NZ).

Hypnos (NZ), Belle Du Nord (NZ), Sully (NZ), Aalaalune (NZ) and Battenberg (NZ) have all placed at the highest level.

Reliable Man has sired another seven stakes winners in the northern hemisphere, with Group Two winner Akribie the headline act.

Reliable Man has eight two-year-olds catalogued for the Ready to Run Sale, including:

• Lot 3, whose dam is a half-sister to the Group One winner Aloha (Encosta De Lago), who in turn is the dam of high-class sprinter Libertini (I Am Invincible).
• Lot 40, whose dam is a half-sister to the Group One Golden Slipper (1200m) winner Polar Success (Success Express).

Savabeel 

The obvious starting point for any overview of sires represented at Karaka is Waikato Stud’s mighty Savabeel.

A son of the legendary Zabeel (NZ) and grandson of Sir Tristram, Savabeel was himself a Cox Plate (2040m) champion as a three-year-old and has carried that great stallion dynasty into the next generation.

New Zealand’s leading sire in each of the last seven seasons, Savabeel has been represented by more than 760 winners including 115 at stakes level.

His 23 individual Group One winners include the current superstar mare Probabeel (NZ), high-flying Sydney four-year-old Mo’unga (NZ), last season’s New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Amarelinha (NZ) and exciting young sire prospects such as Cool Aza Beel (NZ) and Embellish (NZ).

Just last weekend, Savabeel sired three winners on a star-studded raceday at Randwick with Atishu (NZ) at Group Three level, plus Kiss The Bride (NZ) and High Supremacy (NZ).

Demand for Savabeel’s progeny has been red-hot at Karaka in recent seasons – his yearlings have fetched a Book 1 average of over $259,000 through the last four years, while his five two-year-olds sold at last year’s Ready to Run Sale amassed an average of $270,000 and a top price of $700,000.

That demand will be met with a greater supply in November, with the 2021 Ready to Run Sale catalogue featuring 11 quality sons or daughters of the champion sire.

Notable offerings include:

• Lot 107, out of an unraced full-sister to the multiple Group One winner and sire Sacred Falls (NZ) (O’Reilly). This colt is also a full-brother to the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) runner-up Milford (NZ) (Savabeel).
• Lot 108, a full-brother to the dual Group One winner Savvy Coup (NZ) (Savabeel).

• Lot 229, a colt out of Group Three winner Okahu Bay (Flying Spur), from the family of Group One winner Calveen (NZ) (Canny Lad) and Group One placegetters Kosi Bay (NZ) (Spinning World) and Striker (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy).

Sacred Falls (NZ) 

Perfect of all of his six New Zealand starts including the Group One New Zealand Guineas (1600m) and then a back-to-back winner of the world-famous Group One Doncaster (1600m) at Randwick, Sacred Falls (NZ) (O’Reilly) retired to Waikato Stud with impeccable racetrack credentials.

His untimely death in January 2020 cut his stud career cruelly short, and his progeny have since shown the scale of that loss with a series of superb performances throughout Australasia.

From 143 runners, Sacred Falls has sired 71 winners including five at black-type level. The highest-profile is the classy Aegon (NZ), who followed his sire’s example in winning the Group Two Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) and Group One New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) in the spring of his three-year-old season. He later won at Group Two level in Sydney in the Hobartville Stakes (1400m).

All Saints’ Eve (NZ) and All Hallows’ Eve (NZ) have both been Group Three winners in Australia in recent times, while the X-factor sprinter Courier Wonder (NZ) is undefeated in five starts in Hong Kong including the Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1200m).

Icebath (NZ) has repeatedly been a big-race bridesmaid in Sydney, finishing second in photo finishes to the Doncaster (1600m) and Golden Eagle (1500m).

With chances now running out to secure progeny of Sacred Falls, the Ready to Run Sale catalogue features a bumper assortment of 17 of his two-year-olds, including:

• Lot 218, whose dam is a blood-sister to multiple Group One winner Savvy Coup (NZ) (Savabeel) and a three-quarter-sister to multiple Group Two winner Ocean Emperor (NZ) (Zabeel). This is also the family of the top-class Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel), as well as the recent Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and Listed Wanganui Fillies’ Stakes (1200m) winner Bellacontte (NZ) (Burgundy).
• Lot 246, a half-brother to this year’s Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) hero Kukeracha (NZ) (Night of Thunder). Another half-sibling is Cameo (Shamardal), who won the Group Three Keith Nolan Classic (1600m) and placed in the Group Two Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m).

Tavistock (NZ) 

Cambridge Stud’s classic sensation Tavistock (NZ) was sadly put down in December 2019 due to complications from an injury suffered in the paddock, but his outstanding influence will continue to be felt for years to come.

Himself a multiple Group One winner over 1400 metres, the son of Montjeu has become a remarkable source of high-class classic horses. He has sired 390 winners from 580 runners, with 31 stakes winners including six at the elite level.

Tarzino (NZ) and Johnny Get Angry (NZ) have both won the Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington, while Tavago (NZ) captured Randwick’s Australian Derby (2400m).

Toffee Tongue (NZ) won an Australasian Oaks (2000m) in Adelaide, and Werther (NZ) placed in the South Australian Derby (2500m) and Queensland Derby (2400m) before becoming a superstar in Hong Kong – winning the Hong Kong Derby (2000m) and three Group One features.

Volkstok’n’barrell (NZ) won five Group One races including the Rosehill Guineas (2000m), along with placings behind Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor) in the New Zealand Derby (2400m) and Australian Derby (2400m). Tavistock has also sired a Singapore Derby (2000m) winner in the form of Infantry (NZ).

However, Tavistock has also been represented by quality performers over shorter distances, most notably the super-talented sprinter Entriviere (NZ). The Jamie Richards-trained mare has won six of her eight starts to date, including a blockbuster performance in this month’s Group Two Sheraco Stakes (1200m) in Sydney.

Tavistock’s final crop are now yearlings, while his influence will be carried on by his son Tarzino at Westbury Stud.

The 2021 Ready to Run Sale features seven of Tavistock’s progeny, including:

• Lot 140, a colt out of the Group One-winning sprinter Guiseppina (NZ) (Johar).
• Lot 267, out of Ritzy Lady (NZ) (Zabeel), who won the Listed New Zealand St Leger (2500m) and placed in the Group Two Counties Cup (2100m). Ritzy Lady is the dam of three winners including Le Societe (Anabaa), who placed in the Group Three Cockram Stakes (1200m) and is also the dam of a black-type performer.

Other proven talent featured in this year's catalogue includes Choisir, Not a Single Doubt, Redwood, Rip Van Winkle, Sebring, Shocking, So You Think, Swiss Ace and Toronado.

View the full list of sires represented in the Ready to Run Sale catalogue here.

For the second year, buyers who are unable to physically attend the 2021 Ready to Run Sale will be able to participate via NZB’s user-friendly online bidding platform. Ensure you are registered to bid via the platform here.

New Zealand-based agents are also available to complete inspections on behalf of international buyers at the Breeze Ups, on farm parades and at the sale complex.

IMPORTANT DATES

Monday 11 & Tuesday 12 October – Breeze Ups at Te Rapa Racecourse

Wednesday 17 & Thursday 18 November - NZB’s Ready to Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds at Karaka with online bidding available.