Raced Evens brings pedigree and performance to Gavelhouse auction

[Wandering Eyes]

One of the highlight lots in the latest fortnightly sale on gavelhouse.com is Raced Evens (Zoffany), who performed up to Group Three level on the racetrack and also boasts a star-studded pedigree page.

The seven-year-old is a daughter of the stakes-winning mare Luscilla (NZ) (Entrepreneur), who is a half-sister to the quality racehorse and successful sire Falkirk.

Luscilla is also a half-sister to the Group Two-winning mare Mulan Princess (NZ) (Kaapstad) – dam of Group One Australian Oaks (2400m) heroine Royal Descent (Redoute’s Choice). Mulan Princess is the granddam of another three stakes winners, including Graeme Rogerson’s highly talented three-year-old Solidify (NZ) (Redwood).

Raced Evens was trained by Waverley’s Jaimee-Lee Lupton and had 19 starts for four wins and five placings. Her victories came by a combined margin of 13 lengths, including a spectacular debut win by five and a half lengths at Wanganui in July of 2020.

She went on to make her mark at stakes level, finishing second in the Group Three Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Hawera in October of 2021, along with a fifth in the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) the same year. She was also a close second at Waverley last year behind the high-class Darci La Bella (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who has since won twice at Group Two level and is being aimed towards the Group One features during the upcoming Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival.

“She was a very, very competitive racemare,” Bevan Sweeney commented. “She was bred by the late Ray Stevens, a former councillor in Wanganui, and we gave the mare her name as a kind of tribute to him.

“She never really ran a bad race through her first few preparations, and she gave all of her owners an amazing ride. It’s a big syndicate of owners, and for many of them it was the first time they’ve owned a racehorse, so they’ve had a fantastic experience.

“She showed her quality with her placing in the Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes, and she was very good in the Opunake Cup as well in that same preparation. She also went down by a lip to Darci La Bella last year, which was another outstanding performance.

“She’s been very good to us, and now it’s time to retire her and put her up for sale as a broodmare. Her pedigree page makes her quite an exciting prospect, being closely related to the likes of Falkirk and Royal Descent, while her dam was a good-quality racehorse herself and a Listed winner.”

Raced Evens is by Zoffany, a Group One-winning son of the Danehill stallion Dansili. Europe’s leading first-season sire in 2015, Zoffany has made his mark with 57 individual stakes winners including Group One stars Mother Earth, Ventura Storm, Albigna, Prosperous Voyage and Thunder Moon.

As a broodmare sire, Zoffany has been credited with 57 winners from 112 runners to date. Tiger Tanaka (Clodovil) won the Group One Prix Marcel Boussac (1600m) at Longchamp in 2020, while Santosha (Coulsty) was a Group Three-winning two-year-old and seven others placed at stakes level.

Bidding in the 70 Lot auction ends from 7pm (NZT) on Monday 21 August.

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