17 Nov 2020A Cambridge Stud-sold son of Sacred Falls topped the opening session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale at Karaka.
Bred by The Whitby Bloodstock Trust, the Sacred Falls colt was knocked down to trainer Finbarr Leahy earlier this year for $80,000 and realised $525,000 when reoffered for sale.
Former Grand National Steeple chase-winning jockey Leahy offered the two-year-old through the draft of Sam Beatson’s Riversley Park.
“It’s unbelievable and I never thought he would get that,” Leahy said.
“I knew he was popular and the bidding was creeping up and I thought where is this going?
“It was just fantastic and it’s going to take a while to sink in, it’s life-changing.
“I had hoped he might get $300,000 as he was in and out of his box an awful lot. I knew lots of people were on him in the ring and then I just didn’t know where it was going to end.”
Leahy also had inside knowledge of the colt’s family when he bought the youngster as a yearling.
“I was lucky enough to train his full-brother Viva Chef and Gary Carvill sent him to me,” he said.
“He won a trial before he went to Hong Kong so he’s a lot of the reason I ended up buying this one. I loved Viva Chef and, to me, this horse was lengths in front of him.”
A half-brother to the Listed Castletown S. winner Stella Di Paco, the son of Sacred Falls is out of Savabeel Star and she is a half-sister to the G3 Hawke’s Bay Guineas winner Stardane.
A colt out of Savabeel Star and from the first crop of European Champion Three-year-old Almanzor will be feature in the Cambridge Stud yearling draft at Karaka next January.