Multifaceted opportunity on Gavelhouse Plus

[Wandering Eyes]

Buyers have access to a high-quality and varied selection of bloodstock on Gavelhouse Plus this week, made up of an annual reduction sale by Elsdon Park and a unique dispersal of the Dewar Partnership.

“It’s a two-fold sale this year,” Elsdon Park’s general manager Kerrie Cox said. “Part of it is made up of Elsdon Park’s annual reduction of broodmares and weanlings. We have a number that we want to try to stick to with our broodmare band, and it can grow quite quickly when you’re buying mares and have racehorses retiring off the track to join the broodmare band as well.

“An annual reduction will keep our numbers as tight as possible, and at the same time it gives a great opportunity for people to buy into some of the really nice families that we’ve built up.

“The other aspect of this sale is the dispersal of the Dewar Partnership, made up of mares in foal to Ardrossan and some young progeny of that stallion. That includes two weanlings and four racehorses, including one that placed at Cambridge on Wednesday – the three-year-old filly El Amor (NZ).

“Some really nice horses are being sold in both sides of this sale, so it really just adds another layer and will hopefully attract plenty of interest from buyers.”

Elsdon Park was established in 2022 by Lib and Katrina Petagna and is developing into a major player on the New Zealand thoroughbred landscape.

The Petagnas have been four-time New Zealand Owners of the Year, and their apple green, blue and yellow colours have been carried by nine individual Group One winners across Australasia including the triple Group One-winning superstar Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel).

Making their sale-ring debut as vendors in 2023, Elsdon Park have already had yearlings sell for $725,000 and $600,000 and finished as the second-leading vendor by average in Book 1 of Karaka 2024.

The Dewar Partnership, meanwhile, was set up in 2019 by a group of shareholders in the highly talented former racehorse and young Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan. They were focussed on supporting him during his first few seasons at stud. Nine mares were bred from in that first year, and six of those are being offered as part of this dispersal.

The partnership’s plan was to race the offspring from the first season to ensure they were given every opportunity and then to sell some of the offspring from the second and third crops as yearlings.

Dewar has subsequently sold a total of eight yearlings at Karaka 2023 and 2024 for an average price of $152,500, with price tags ranging from $85,000 up to $260,000. The three yearlings sold at Karaka 2023 include the stakes winner Beau Dazzler (NZ) who ran a commendable fifth in Saturday’s Gr.1 JJ Atkins Stakes (1600m) after drawing the outside barrier and being posted wide throughout plus Te Akau Racing’s talented winner Maracatu (NZ).

With Ardrossan now firmly established as one of New Zealand’s most exciting young stallions, the goals of the partnership have been achieved and the time has come wind up the partnership as was the agreement on formation.

Ardrossan has sired 11 winners, three stakes winners and one stakes placegetter from an initial crop of just 44 foals. From a second crop of just 58 foals, he has already sired four winners from just eight runners including a stakes winner and two stakes placegetters. These include some very exciting gallopers, so his commercial future looks assured and this season he will stand at a fee of $20,000.

According to Cox, there is no shortage of drawcards in the catalogue.

“One of the highlight lots for Dewar would be the broodmare Pwerfect (Pentire), who’s the dam of Beau Dazzler,” she said. “He was a stakes winner earlier this season, then came over for the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and didn’t have much luck in that race. He’s a high-profile horse for that mare and is running in Group Ones.

“Dolce Amore (NZ) (Sebring) is another notable mare. Her progeny have sold for up to $260,000 and she leaves a beautiful type.

“In the Elsdon Park reduction sale, there’s a weanling filly by Hello Youmzain out of the Group-placed mare O’Angel (NZ) (Cape Blanco). Her first foal, a son of Shooting To Win, was sold after winning a trial. Fraser Auret trained him, and he later came back and bought the half-sister by Shalaa.

“This is a really nice filly with a Book 1 pedigree. So she could be a fantastic pinhooking opportunity, or a lovely filly to race and then put into a broodmare band later on. O’Angel is for sale herself as well.”

Cox also highlighted Lot 6, a weanling filly at by Group One New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Noverre (NZ) out of Queen Of Pop (NZ) (Pins).

“Noverre is leaving a fantastic style of horse,” she said. “We have shares in the stallion, so we have more of his progeny in the paddock.

“This filly’s dam Queen Of Pop was Group Two-placed and fourth in a Group One, and she has left the Group winner Pop Star Princess (NZ) (Makfi) and stakes-placed Queen Of Zealand (NZ) (Savabeel). So this filly’s a half-sister to two stakes performers. Her half-brother by Ardrossan sold for $440,000 at the Ready to Run Sale last year.”

Bidding on the first lot will close from 7pm (NZT) on Tuesday 25^th June.

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