Sky On Fire adds black-type quality to gavelhouse.com sale

[Wandering Eyes]

The latest fortnightly sale on gavelhouse.com has been given a touch of star quality with the inclusion of a stakes-winning two-year-old filly from last season.

Sky On Fire (Exceed and Excel) had six starts during her juvenile campaign, headed by a win in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton last November. She also collected two seconds, a third, and a close fourth in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) at Trentham in January.

By exceptional sire Exceed and Excel out of a mare by the short-lived but enormously influential Northern Meteor, Sky On Fire caught the expert eye of Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis CNZM when she was sold as a yearling in Australia. Ellis secured her for A$400,000.

“She was such a beautiful yearling and had a very good pedigree behind her as well,” Ellis commented. “It was no surprise to me at all when she came out and won a stakes race at such an early stage of her two-year-old season. She was always very forward and showed a huge amount of ability.

“It’s just a shame that we weren’t able to keep racing her. But with the breeding season now just around the corner, this is an excellent opportunity to put her up on the market, and I’m sure she’ll make a fantastic broodmare prospect.”

Sky On Fire is one of 210 individual stakes winners by Exceed And Excel, who boasts a worldwide total of 1758 winners from 2493 runners.

He has also made a lasting impact as a sire of broodmares. His daughters have produced 1188 winners from 1969 runners, with 90 stakes winners headed by Group One winners Alizee, Ten Sovereigns, Prompt Response, Anthony Van Dyck, Astern, Magic Attitude, Laws Of Indices, Bounding, Elite Street, Crown Prosecutor, Tuvalu and Madame Pommery.

Sky On Fire is the only foal to race out of the twice-winning mare Elusive Meteor, a half-sister to Group Two performer Aristocratic Miss. The pair’s dam, Golden Pedigree (Gold Brose), was a Listed winner, placed at Group Three level and produced eight winners from nine foals to race.

Breeding propositions coming from Te Akau Racing’s stables have been well-received recently with Taviarma (Tavistock) fetching $150,000 in the last sale to Greg Tomlinson’s Nearco Stud and Image Of You (Pins) $21,000 earlier in July.

Also featuring in the current 70 Lot auction is recently retired mare Raced Evens. Group placed, she is by Zoffany and is from stakes-winner Luscilla, who is a half-sister to sire Falkirk and Mulan Princess, the dam of outstanding performer Royal Descent.

Bidding in the auction ends from 7pm (NZT) on Monday 21 August.

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