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Take a look behind the scenes of a typical Cambridge Stud morning at the Karaka Yearling Sales.

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Manzor Magic continues to be a good money spinner for Peter Morley’s Belhus Racing.

We bred and sold the son of Almanzor to the Western Australian-based syndication company for $30,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Weanling Sale at Karaka.

He subsequently failed to meet his reserve when reoffered as a yearling, but any disappointment is now a distant memory.

Placed as a three-year-old in the Listed Belmont Classic, the lightly raced Manzor Magic posted his third career victory at Bunbury last time out over 1690 metres to take his earnings beyond A$72,000.

The Grant and Alan William-trained representative was ridden by Clint Johnston-Parker and was a comfortable victory, giving the runner-up 4.5kg in the process.

Manzor Magic is out of the winning Zabeel mare Sunset Magic,who is a daughter of a three-quarter sister to the dam of the six-time Group 1 winner and former Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracey.

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A sprinkling of first crop representatives of our young Snitzel stallion Sword Of State received a warm welcome at the Gold Coast.

Six youngsters by our Group 1-winning resident, who stands at $15,000 + GST, changed hands at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale for A$1,445,000 at an average of A$240,083 with a top price of A$380,000.

That was achieved by Lot 716, who was presented by Kia Ora Stud and the colt will join the leading Sydney stable of expatriate Kiwi trainer Bjorn Baker.

He is the first foal of the Maki mare Needle And Thread, winner of the G2 Royal Stakes and a sister to the stakes winner, Group 1 placegetter and sire Savile Row.

Congratulations also to Wentwood Grange on another top result, selling a Sword Of State colt, Lot 142, out of the Tavistock mare Alloro for A$340,000 to Queensland’s KPW Bloodstock.

From our own small draft, we were delighted with our handsome Sword Of State colt, Lot 769, claimed by Victorian trainer Matt Laurie for a bumper A$375,000.

He is the first foal of the Written Tycoon mare Pazienza, who was successful on two occasions including a 5.8-length two-year-old victory.

The pedigree features the G1 Underwood Stakes winner and G1 Caulfield Cup runner-up Buckaroo whose half-brother Middle Earth was also a multiple stakes winner.

Our Sword Of State colt, Lot 687, was another popular youngster and she was knocked down to New South Wales interests Noble Racing and Luke Price Racing for A$160,000.

The attractive filly is out of the More Than Ready mare More Jools whose half-brother Ninth Legion won the G2 Villiers Stakes and the family of the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Tell A Tale.

The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young trained Emphasize has rocketed into G1 New Zealand Derby contention with an emphatic victory at Sale.

The lightly tried son of our resident sire Embellish had finished a debut third on the course over 1400 metres prior to Christmas and he relished the next step up to 1717 metres, waltzing home by four lengths.

Emphasize was forced to cover plenty of extra ground in his victory romp with a performance that now has him the $8 second favourite for the Derby.

Rider Thomas Stockdale has been aboard the three-year-old in both of his outings and said the best has yet to come from the gelding, who carries the colours of OTI Racing.

“He was ever so strong and will continue to improve.”

Emphasize was caught four wide early after jumping from the outside gate before he slotted in one off close to the pace.

He pulled out early to improve three wide and strode to the front halfway down the straight to thump his older rivals.

“The tempo was okay before the leader backed off going to the 1000 metre mark and my bloke has such a big stride that I let him roll,” Sadler said.

Bred by Yarrawonga Racing, Emphasize was bought out of Castle Hill Farm’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Weanling Sale by Inglewood Stud for $5,000.

He was subsequently purchased for $75,000 by OTI, Busuttin Racing and Phill Cataldo Bloodstock at the NZB Ready to Run Sale.

Emphasize is a son of the Dane Shadow mare Dancing May, who also has a juvenile Embellish filly, and she is a sister to the G1 South Australian Derby winner Shadows In The Sun.

A change of stable paved the way for a first crop son of Embellish to credit our stallion with his first winner in Hong Kong.

Fortune Whiskey was making his third appearance for Group 1-winning horseman David Eustace when he returned to top form under rider Matthew Poon over 1200 metres at Happy Valley.

As Whiskey Lies, he completed a two-year-old hat-trick of wins at Ruakaka for trainer Kenny Rae when successful in the Winter Championship Final to fast track his sale overseas.

The now four-year-old had struggled to recapture his New Zealand form before joining Eustace’s operation but had finished an encouraging fourth placing in late December ahead of his winning run.

Fortune Whiskey was originally purchased out of Wentwood Grage’s draft for $12,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.

A half-brother to a brace of winners, he is a son of the Darci Brahma mare Champagne Katie whose dam Lycra was the Group 1 winner of the Ellerslie Sires’ Produce Stakes and the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Balance Of Power showed his fighting qualities at Te Aroha where he overcame a tough run to put paid to his rivals.

The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson representative was trapped three wide from the outside gate at the 1600 metre start before he was able to settle on the leader’s quarters.

Our homebred son of Almanzor strode to the front early in the run home under jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll and held a strong gallop to the post.

The four-year-old now has two wins and four placings, including a runner-up finish in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes, from 13 appearances.

We sold Balance Of Power through our 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft to Te Akau’s David Ellis for $300,000.

He is the first foal of the Power mare Respin, successful in an edition of the Listed Inglewood Stakes, and his brother sold to Ryan & Alexiou Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock at Karaka earlier this year for $260,000.

Respin produced a filly by Almanzor in 2023 and a daughter of Satono Aladdin last season before visiting our new recruit Chaldean.

A significant jump up the handicap wasn’t enough to prevent Holymanz from retaining his title in the Coastal Classic at Geelong.

Our son of Almanzor won the 1700 metre event last year with 53kg and the Ciaron Maher-trained representative staged a repeat performance under a hefty 60kg topweight for his fifth career victory.

“He’s going very well and he’s a solid Group 3 and Listed horse, Group 2 on his best day, and it’s another great result for Cambridge Stud,” stable representative Jack Turnbull said.

“We’ll probably give him a short breather now and then look at the autumn features.”

Holymanz was given plenty of time to find his feet by visiting English rider Saffie Osborne and they lobbed along in second last spot away from the rail.

They five-year-old was on the move wide out 500 metres from home and he maintained a strong gallop to claim top honours.

“He’s an extremely uncomplicated horse. He had to carry a lot of weight, but he’s still got a great turn of foot and is very tough,” Osborne said.

While Holymanz hadn’t won since his first Coastal Classic success, he had been placed in strong company in the G2 Blamey Stakes, the G3 Eclipse Stakes and Listed Tontonan Stakes in between times.

We purchased the chestnut for A$400,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in conjunction with Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d’Etreham, Almanzor’s home in the Northern Hemisphere.

Holymanz was offered by Lime Country Thoroughbreds on behalf of breeder Jamieson Park and is out of the winning Dubawi mare Perfect Offering, a half-sister to the stakes winner and Group performer My Country.

Undaunting provided her Karaka-bound half-brother with a winning boost when she was successful at Stawell.

Our homebred daughter of Almanzor produced a determined display to score over 1600 metres in the hands of Teo Nugent for trainers Mark and Levi Kavanagh.

She is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Aleria and we will offer her colt by Per Incanto as Lot 436 during the Book 1 session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s upcoming National Yearling Sale.

The four-year-old Undaunting had been out of the frame when resuming at Geelong last month and showed expected improvement at Stawell.

“She has showed a lot of potential and second-up was much fitter and found the line well,” Levi Kavanagh said.

Undaunting was a distant fourth to the turn and unwound strongly for her second career victory from 11 appearances with a further four minor placings.

“It was a good ride by Teo and it’s great to see her back,” Kavanagh said.

“We’ll keep her at a mile for another run and then step her up.”

A half-sister to the multiple winner and Group performer War Eternal, we sold Undaunting for A$250,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

Her dam Aleria is a half-sister to G1 Queensland Derby winner Eagle Way with their mother the two-time stakes winner Impressive Eagle.

Son Of Sun crowned his rise through the staying ranks with an impressive display to claim top honours in the G3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Ellerslie.

The Cambridge Stud graduate’s victory in the 2400 metre feature was his fifth at northern headquarters and the style of his success suggested he can continue to make his mark over more ground.

Trained by Grant Cooksley and Bruce Wallace, the son of the late Tavistock settled three pairs back on the outer before improving near the turn and rounded off strongly in the hands of Matt Cartwright.

“He won well, he is a good stayer and hopefully he carries on with it,” Cooksley said.

“I think he is going to be a little bit better in six months. I know he is a five-year-old, but he is a slow-maturing horse, and he has come along very well.”

A return to Ellerslie for the G2 Auckland Cup on Champions Day in March is an obvious target for Son of Sun, but Cooksley said he hasn’t made any set plans.

“He is nominated, but we will see what happens.”

Bred by Gareth Downey and Mel Gamble's Melway Farm, Son Of Sun was bought out of our draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $65,000 by Baiquing Sun under his New Zealand Gingkosun Investment Ltd banner.