8 Mar 2022The late Tavistock did us proud on the opening day of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale when a member of his final crop set the auction ring alight.
Our well-related colt, Lot 67, had the looks to match his impressive pedigree and Te Akau chief David Ellis stayed the distance with a final winning bid of $500,000.
“He’s a really nice colt, one of the picks of the sale and it’s a proven bloodline cross in the pedigree,” he said.
“He’s a really athletic and good moving colt that wasn’t too big. For that reason, we could see him racing as an autumn two-year-old and from a family that’s got plenty of speed.
“He’s a beautiful horse and we were stoked to be able to buy him. We had to stretch a little bit beyond budget, but nonetheless we were pleased to secure him.”
The colt is a son of the Zabeel mare Ziffel and she is a half-sister to Amelia’s Dream, who followed up a debut victory with success in the G2 Silver Slipper Stakes. She was then installed a hot favourite for the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes, only to suffer a career-ending injury.
Two of our earlier offerings by Tavistock were snapped by the Dowager Duchess of Bedford, Henrietta Russell, and multiple Group 1-winning trainer John O’Shea.
Lot 20 went to the former for $210,000 and the filly is the first foal of Timespan, who is from a well-performed European family that features the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Passage Of Time, whose son Time Test was a dual Group 2 winner and now at stud.
Lot 22 was purchased by O’Shea for $160,000 with the colt out of the winning Volksraad mare Tipilk, whose only foal to race is debut winner Emperor Of France.
She is a half-sister to the dual G2 Chairman’s Handicap winner Tremec with the third dam the great Horlicks, dam of the G1 Melbourne Cup winner Brew and the G2 Avondale Guineas winner Bubble.
We were also extremely grateful for the support of respected agent Bruce Perry, who purchased a colt and a filly by Savabeel out of our draft.
He went to $425,000 for a son, Lot 186, of the champion stallion and the first foal of the North American two-year-old winner and multiple black type placegetter Cover Charge.
Group One winner and champion sire Street Cry features in the pedigree and a family responsible for the G2 Australia Stakes winner Thronum.
Perry had earlier purchased Lot 144, the Savabeel filly for $350,000 and she is a daughter of the Fastnet Rock mare Buy Me A Rock, who was successful on three occasions.
The second dam by Sadler’s Wells, Dance On By, is a sister to the multiple Group 1 winner and Champion Sire High Chaparral.
Our daughter of Zoustar attracted the attention of the Queensland-based TFI, who outlaid $150,000 for Lot 170. The filly boasts an international pedigree as the daughter of the Zamindar mare Trade Fair and she is a three-quarter blood sister to the dual Group Three winner and sire Trade Fair.