Festivity live on Gavelhouse Plus

[Wandering Eyes]

The auction of Te Akau Racing’s Festivity (NZ), a stakes-winning daughter of I Am Invincible, is now live on Gavelhouse Plus with bidding set to close from 7pm (NZ time) on Friday.

From stakes placed Stratum mare Mabsam, Festivity won on six occasions between 1100m and 1200m including the Listed Hallmark Stud Handicap (1200m) late last year and in her last start was a narrow second to the highly regarded Babylon Berlin in the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m).

“From the moment I saw her as a yearling at Windsor Park Stud, I could see what a beautiful mare she would furnish into,” Te Akau principal David Ellis said.

“She showed a lot of ability from the moment we galloped her as a two-year-old and she won her first start as an early three-year-old.

“She has a great temperament, is a beautiful looking mare and it’s obvious that I Am Invincible is going to be a great broodmare sire so she is just the sort of mare studs in New Zealand and Australia should be breeding from.”

Festivity showed early promise as a Spring three-year-old, trialling impressively before a dominant six-length debut performance in late 2019. She went onto win a further three of her next four starts before being tested at stakes level, finishing just shy of three lengths from Group One winners Entriviere and Mascarpone.

The five-year-old mare is by Australia’s leading sire I Am Invincible, sire of 12 individual Group One winners.

Hailing from a family laden with Australian Group success, Festivity is closely related to Group Three winner and Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) runner-up Invincible Star, while her Stakes-performed dam is a half-sister to Group Three winner Viking Hero.

Dual Group One winner and top Australasian three-year-old Innocent King along with Group One winners Unearthly and her daughter Invest also feature on her page.

Bidding will close from 7pm (NZ time) on Friday 1 April. In order to bid on Gavelhouse Plus you must have prior approval. Buyers are encouraged to set up their accounts well in advance.

Festivity is located at Lena Jones and Benji King’s Foxhill Thoroughbreds in Walton, near Matamata, and is available for inspection by appointment. Contact Benji King to book: +64 27 827 7710.

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