Te Akau to extend golden run with gavelhouse.com

[Wandering Eyes]

The last few days have delivered a series of unforgettable moments for Te Akau Racing, and there could be more to come for the syndication powerhouse with Star Of Justice (Justify) and Grace ‘N’ Grey (NZ) (Spirit of Boom) now available for sale on the latest 56 Lot fortnightly auction on gavelhouse.com.

Te Akau’s bumper weekend kicked off on Thursday night on Gavelhouse Plus. Group One-winning mare Maven Belle (NZ) (Burgundy) was sold for a whopping NZ$902,500, while the stakes-performed Snitzel filly Rhetorical (NZ) (Snitzel) fetched AU$202,500.

Those results were followed by a winning treble on racetracks across Australasia on Saturday afternoon, headed by an incredible 10^th Group One victory by champion sprinting mare Imperatriz (I Am Invincible).

“It’s been a fantastic few days,” Te Akau principal David Ellis said. “We were delighted with Thursday night’s results on Gavelhouse Plus. We’ve had great success selling quality mares on that platform in the past, and that continued with terrific returns for both of those sets of owners. It was great to see.

“Then we had a wonderful day on Saturday, starting off with a quinella in the two-year-old race at Riccarton. We were unlucky not to win three big races at Moonee Valley later that afternoon, but any day that you win a Group One race, you have to be very happy – let alone when it’s the 10^th Group One win in a horse’s career.

“Now we’re looking forward to selling a couple of horses on gavelhouse.com that are beautifully bred and both showed real ability on the racetrack.”

Grace ‘N’ Grey (NZ)
Photo: Supplied

Group Three winner Star Of Justice was bred by esteemed nursery Pencarrow Stud and is by the undefeated American Triple Crown winner Justify, who has become one of the hottest young stallion prospects in the thoroughbred world.

The dam of Star Of Justice is the winning Fastnet Rock mare Fair Isle (NZ), who is a daughter of the Listed winner and Group One VRC Oaks (2500m) runner-up Miss Scarlatti (NZ) (Stravinsky).

Fair Isle is the dam of four winners from four named foals, headed by Star Of Justice and her five-time-winning stablemate Stonybreck (Tavistock).

Ellis paid $190,000 to buy Star Of Justice from Pencarrow Stud’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2022. She won twice in a seven-start career, headed by the Group Three Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton in October. She also finished a close fifth behind Group One winner Crocetti (NZ) (Zacinto) in the Group Three Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie.

“Star Of Justice has a beautiful pedigree and showed her class with that Group Three win in the spring,” Ellis said. “We have a half-brother to her in the stable that I think can win black type (Stonybreck), so I believe there’s real upside in that family.”

Grace ‘N’ Grey was bred by Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Linsday in partnership with David Redvers Bloodstock. She is by Australian sire Spirit Of Boom, who has been a prolific source of winners with 398 from just 555 runners including 26 stakes winners.

Grace ‘N’ Grey is out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Gracious Grey, who won twice and is a three-quarter-sister to the Group Two winner Positive Peace (Stratum) and half-sister to another two stakes placegetters.

Both of Gracious Grey’s foals to race have been winners, with Grace ‘N’ Grey joined by the Group Three-placed Kind Words (Written Tycoon).

Cambridge Stud offered Grace ‘N’ Grey in Book 1 of Karaka 2021, where Ellis bought her for $240,000. She ran second on debut as a spring two-year-old, and her second career start produced a brilliant win on Boxing Day at Ellerslie – beating next-start Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner Dynastic (NZ) (Almanzor).

Grace ‘N’ Grey was a winner again in February of 2023 and ended her career with two wins and four placings from 10 races.

“She has a lovely line-up of stallions on her page, going back to immortal sire Northern Dancer, and hers is a truly international family,” Ellis said. “She is all class, a lovely type, and she was particularly impressive in that win at Ellerslie on Boxing Day as a two-year-old.”

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