Freshman Flair Set to Debut at National Weanling Sale

[Wandering Eyes]

A key point of interest at any weanling sale is the eagerly anticipated first progeny of the latest batch of new stallions, and New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2022 National Weanling Sale at Karaka next month is set to be no different.

The catalogue features the progeny of five first-season sires, including Super Seth, Ten Sovereigns and Wyndspelle, who all started their careers in New Zealand in the 2020 breeding season.

SUPER SETH

Super Seth is surrounded by spectacular stallion talent at his home of Waikato Stud, where he stands alongside the likes of Savabeel, Ocean Park and Tivaci. But he has well and truly earned his place on such an esteemed roster, being the first Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) winner to stand at stud in New Zealand in three decades.

Super Seth is by champion New Zealand racehorse Dundeel (NZ), who has matched his own great racetrack exploits with excellence at stud through the likes of his Group One-winning progeny Castelvecchio, Super Seth, Atyaab, Truly Great and Yourdeel (NZ). The dam of Super Seth is Salutations (Redoute’s Choice), who has also produced the multiple Group winner and Group One-placed Wild Planet (Animal Kingdom).

From 12 starts, Super Seth won five races, headed by a brilliant Caulfield Guineas triumph over top-class rival Alligator Blood (All Too Hard), who until that point had appeared unbeatable. Super Seth also won the Group Three Manfred Stakes (1200m) and HDF McNeil Stakes (1200m), and took on older horses with a gallant second placing in the Group One Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

Super Seth served an outstanding first book of 143 mares, and five weanlings from his first crop feature in the catalogue for the 2022 National Weanling Sale:

-Lot 5, whose winning dam Vitesse (NZ) (Makfi) is a half-sister to the three-time Australian Group One winner (The) Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux).
-Lot 7, a colt out of the multiple Group One-winning mare Xanadu (NZ) (Elusive City).
-Lot 59, whose dam Landslide (More Than Ready) has already produced an American stakes performer in Danyelli (Mineshaft). Landslide is also a half-sister to two stakes winners, as well as the Kentucky Derby (2000m) placegetter Nehro (Mineshaft).
-Lot 82, a filly out of Pearly Whites (Sharkbite), a two-race winner and half-sister to multiple Listed winner Travino (General Nediym). This is also the family of dual Group One-winning Australian sprinter Rubitano (Rubiton).
-Lot 99, a son of multiple Group winner Secret Allure (NZ) (Zacinto).

TEN SOVEREIGNS

Superb sprinter Ten Sovereigns made a huge impression on British racetracks as a two and three-year-old, scoring blistering victories in the Group One Middle Park Stakes (1200m) and against an elite older field in the Group One July Cup (1200m).

He is by No Nay Never, who has rapidly become an enormously influential stallion in both hemispheres with 37 stakes winners including the likes of Alcohol Free, Brooke and the Kiwi star Need I Say More. Dam Seeking Solace placed at stakes level in France and is from the family of Group One winner Shamal Wind (Dubawi).

From his single season shuttling to Valachi Downs in 2020, Ten Sovereigns sired 37 foals. All eyes will be on how they perform in the sale ring and on the racetrack, with his first-crop weanlings having already been in hot demand in the northern hemisphere, where they have sold for up to 165,000 euros.

Boosted by some quality supplementary entries from Valachi Downs’ dispersal sale, Ten Sovereigns has a bumper representation with seven weanlings set to go under the hammer at Karaka.

-Lot 10, a filly out of Amiga Mia (Conatus). That makes this filly a half-sister to three winners including Pimlico (NZ) (Proisir), who placed in the Group Two Waikato Guineas (2000m).
-Lot 1002, whose dam Twinkles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) is a half-sister to the dam of the Australian Group Two winner and Group One placegetter Vangelic (Vancouver).
-Lot 1006, a colt out of five-race winner Bronte Lass (NZ) (Stravinsky), who is also the dam of the Group Three-placed Bronte Beach (NZ) (Reliable Man).
-Lot 1007 is a colt out of Buymore (NZ) (Zabeel), who is a half-sister to the dam of Group One winner Ugo Foscolo (NZ) (Zacinto).
-Lot 1008 is out of O’Reilly mare in Charmeuse (NZ) and is a half-sister to the Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m) placegetter Arrogant (NZ) (Ocean Park).
-Lot 1015, a half-sister to Woodcote Lass (NZ) (Showcasing), who placed at stakes level and also broke a Riccarton Park track record with her time of 1:00.64 for 1100 metres in November 2019.
-Lot 1016, whose unraced dam O’Maille (NZ) (O’Reilly) is a half-sister to Group Two winner Needle And Thread (NZ) (Makfi) and Group One performer and sire Savile Row (NZ) (Makfi).

WYNDSPELLE

Grangewilliam Stud’s Wyndspelle (NZ) was a Group One performer on both sides of the Tasman who raced with distinction at the ages of two, three, four, five and six.

Himself a $75,000 purchase from Karaka 2015 by bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo, Wyndspelle was quick to make his mark as a juvenile, winning and placing in his first two starts before finishing second in the Group One Diamond Stakes (1200m) at his third start.

He scored a Group Two Waikato Guineas (2000m) victory as a three-year-old, and then he ran third in the Group One Cantala Stakes (1600m) at Flemington as a spring four-year-old.

A long line of elite placings followed in the Group One Windsor Park Plate (1600m), Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m), Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and two editions of the Thorndon Mile (1600m), but in late 2019 he finally broke through for a richly deserved win in the Group One Captain Cook Stakes (1600m). He finished his career with four wins and 17 placings from 40 starts, earning over $695,000 in stakes.

Wyndspelle is a son of the influential Iffraaj, who is also represented in New Zealand’s stallion ranks by fellow sire sons Turn Me Loose (NZ), Ribchester and Jon Snow (NZ). He is also the grandsire of Cambridge Stud’s exciting Almanzor.

Wyndspelle is the sire of Lot 110, a filly out of Surveillance (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle). Herself a placegetter on the track, Surveillance is out of the NZB Filly of the Year Sarwatch (NZ) (Jetball).

The 2022 National Weanling Sale also features first-crop weanlings by Australian-based sires Exceedance and Too Darn Hot.

Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) hero Exceedance is represented by Lot 31, out of a Pierro half-sister to the multiple Group winner Teleplay (Written Tycoon).

Dubawi’s stellar son Too Darn Hot won six of his nine starts including the Dewhurst Stakes (1400m), Prix Jean Prat (1400m) and Sussex Stakes (1600m) at Group One level. He is the sire of two weanlings in the catalogue including Lot 42 – a daughter of Grazia (NZ) (Savabeel), who is a stakes-winning full-sister to Group One winner Shillelagh (NZ) (Savabeel).

All weanlings offered through the National Weanling Sale at Karaka are eligible to be nominated for NZB’s lucrative Karaka Million Series. Graduates can compete for a share in the $1m DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka Million 2YO (1200m), followed by the $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) and $110,000 CollinsonForex Karaka Cup (2200m) for the remainder of their careers.

NZB’s 2022 National Weanling Sale will take place as a physical sale at Karaka on Friday 17 June.

Weanlings entered in the Sale will be available for inspections at the on-farm parades and on-site at Karaka Sales Centre, with NZB and NZ-based agents available to inspect on behalf of buyers.

For more information contact NZB Bloodstock Executive Kane Jones on +64 27 274 4985 or email kane.jones@nzb.co.nz or Regan Donnison on +64 21 512 466 or email regan.donnison@nzb.co.nz.

View the full article