Cover image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
The catalogue for the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale was released on November 25, 2024. Since then, a host of yearlings that will go through the ring at Karaka have had their pedigrees enhanced, which is important information for vendors and buyers alike.
Lot 113 - Proisir x Miss Bluebell (Savabeel), filly - on account of Highline Thoroughbreds
One of Ciaron Maher’s stable stars, Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) had a ripper of a spring campaign. The Listed Members’ H. winner snuck in a victory in the $3 million The Big Dance as this catalogue was being compiled to bring his career victories up to eight, and he stayed at the mile in his next start to win the $1 million The Gong, bumping his wins up to nine. Five of those wins came in 2024 alone, alongside second placings in the G3 Bill Ritchie S. and the $1.5 million Alan Brown S.
Career prizemoney of over $3 million is particularly impressive for a gelding with less than 20 starts, and without having run in any top flight contests. To look back, the 5-year-old gelding debuted as a 3-year-old with a five-start campaign in which he finished no further back than second. And for the discerning bidder, this lot is a half-sister to Gringotts, out of a Savabeel mare who descends from Vegas Magic (Voodoo Magic), grandam to the mighty Winx (Street Cry {Ire}).
Bred by Totara Park Stud, Gringotts was offered by Archer Park at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, where Kasa Bloodstock paid NZ$100,000 for the son of Per Incanto (USA). He resurfaced in Kilmore Farm’s draft at the NZB Ready To Run sale later in the year, where he did not make his NZ$450,000 reserve. Maher purchased him privately after the sale, in a deal rumoured to be worth $700,000, and the rest is history. Per Incanto over Savabeel has been a fruitful cross so far, producing 17 winners from 18 runners, including four stakes winners.
Lot 113 - Proisir x Miss Bluebell (filly) | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Lot 249 - Super Seth x River Flow (Written Tycoon), colt - on account of Waikato Stud
Taking her career wins to five, Acquarello (Written Tycoon) gave her sister’s second foal a timely pedigree boost in November with her first attempt at stakes level yielding victory in the G3 Canterbury Breeders’ S. The 5-year-old mare had performed at the premier level in New Zealand, but a nice bit of black-type never goes amiss.
Acquarello was an Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale offering from the draft of Sledmere Stud, on behalf of breeder Rifa Mustang, who purchased her dam River Pebbles (Al Maher) for $380,000 from Amarina Farm at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale. Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $400,000 for the daughter of Champion Sire Written Tycoon, and she was a debut winner at a 3-year-old for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young before her export to New Zealand. River Pebbles visited North Pacific late last spring.
The Champion First Season Sire in New Zealand for the 2023/24 season, Super Seth had made a fantastic start to his stud career with four stakes winners to date, three of whom are colts or geldings. His Australian-based son Linebacker (NZ) narrowly missed out on victory in the G1 Champagne S., and returned a gelding at the trials on Monday with big plans in store for his autumn campaign.
Lot 249 - Super Seth x River Flow (colt) | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Lot 351 - Proisir x Temolie (Star Witness), filly - on account of Rich Hill Stud
This lot’s half-sister Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) had already collected her first pieces of black-type in the Listed Reginald Allen H. and G3 Carbine Club S. prior to the Karaka catalogue going to print, but the Star Thoroughbreds-owned super filly took it to another level with her first crack at the highest level in mid November.
The 3-year-old daughter of Arrowfield Stud’s Castelvecchio came within 0.4l of delivering her sire his first Group 1 winner in the G1 1000 Guineas at Caulfield, only to be felled by Another Prophet (Brazen Beau). It was a huge leap from a simple Hawkesbury maiden in August, where she debuted a green fourth to Godolphin’s Visual (I Am Invincible). Aeliana has yet to make it back to the trials in 2025, but a trip back to her homeland could be on the cards, as the Carbine Club was a bonus eligible race for the inaugural NZ$3.5m New Zealand Bloodstock Kiwi that will be run in March.
Star Thoroughbreds paid NZ$180,000 for Aeliana at the 2023 edition of this sale, and Ciaron Maher and TFI forked out NZ$250,000 last year for the full sister to this filly. Temolie (Star Witness), a half-sister to three stakes winners including G1 Tattersall’s Tiara winner Invincibella (I Am Invincible), delivered another filly by Proisir this spring, which prompted Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson to feel comfortable letting this daughter go.
She is one of 50 lots catalogued in Book 1 of the sale for Proisir, who was the leading New Zealand sire at Karaka last year, with a top lot selling for NZ$1.6 million. The filly now known as Seychelles (Proisir), a full sister to Champion Middle Distance Horse Prowess (NZ), was purchased by Moody Racing and came second in her first trial last month.
Lot 351 - Proisir x Temolie (filly) | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
