Little Avondale Newsletter February 2010

So the dust has settled on one of the more extraordinary National Yearling Sale Series in years. Not even the most optimistic could have predicted the results however at the end of the day we breed great racehorses - no need to be modest! Combined with other sound fundamentals, such as a pretty resilient racing industry, meant there were many happy vendors at Karaka last week. Even with a great product you still need buyers and New Zealand Bloodstock and New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing deserve a lot of credit for attracting the strongest buying bench yet to an entire Karaka Sale.

Amongst the Karaka excitement LA bred another group winner with Special Days (Keeper-Eva's Belle) winning a group three race in Hong Kong last Sunday.

Karaka Sales

Our Premier Sale average of eleven sold for $177, 270 was up from our 2009 Premier average of $143,636 for the same number sold.

The top price achieved in our Premier draft was shared at $250,000 by the Darci Brahma-Rivertaine (pictured right) and Elusive City-Shahiid (pictured below) colts. Both colts are to be trained by Bart Cummings.

LA's Select Sale average of $59, 194 for 18 sold compared nicely with our 2009 Select average of $48,454 for 11 sold.

Top price honours in our Select draft went to Justice Lowell Goddard's O'Reilly-Romantic Liaisons colt (pictured left) who sold for $155,000 to Mr C Beh of Malaysia.

Overall our gross of just over $3 million has to be a good week's work in anyone's language.

Giving us as much satisfaction as the financial returns is the repeat business we get from so many respected yearling judges. The likes of Bart Cummings, DGR Thoroughbreds, Peter Moody, Paul Moroney, Bruce Perry, Phil Cataldo and Alan Sharrock all returned again including also Mark Pilkington Bloodstock, Rob McAnulty, Roger James, IDL Racing and Peter Jolly.

The sale of the Fast N Famous-Oh Blue Angel colt for $120,000 in the Select Sale gives Little Avondale the honours of having sold the most expensive yearlings to date by Centaine, Savabeel and Fast N Famous.

Stallions

The 14 Towkay yearlings sold at Karaka...

Karaka Results All Positive

While the pre sale signs were largely positive it's doubtful even the most optimistic could have predicted the results of this year's Karaka Premier Sale. 

LA enjoyed a healthy 18 % increase in average price on last year's Premier Sale results selling 10 yearlings this week for an average price of $177,000. 

The Darci Brahma-Rivertaine and the Elusive City-Shahiid colts both realised $250,000 making them the equal highest priced lots in our draft. 

It's great to see Bart Cummings, DGR Thoroughbreds, Peter Moody and Bruce Perry once again returning to purchase from our draft this year along with IDL Racing, Rob McAnulty, Peter Jolly and Mark Pilkington, we look forward to a continuing relationship with you. 

The momentum has carried through to the first day of the Select Sale with LA selling five lots for an incredibly healthy $512,000 with the top price going to the O'Reilly-Romantic Liaisons colt at $155,000 who was sold on behalf of Justice Lowell Goddard of Wellington. After the first day at the Select session were the 2^nd leading vendor on average with a very healthy $102,500.

Highlights from our draft over the final two days of the Select Sale are a couple of cracking Towkay colts and a Don Eduardo colt who sells late on Friday afternoon.

Pedigree Updates For Karaka Colts

Pedigree Updates for Karaka Colts

A couple of wins in Hong Kong last week and recent back to back listed wins in Australia could not have come at a more opportune time for three LA colts in next month's Karaka Sales.

Rivertaine has been a great mare for us on the racetrack and in the matrons paddock Last week's Sha Tin winner High Return (by Dubai Destination) gave the mare her third individual winner in Hong Kong joining group one placed Regency Horse and five times winner O'Reilly Rally.

Consequently Rivertaine's yearlings have continued to sell well with Bart Cummings signing for her Pins filly at last year's Karaka Premier Sale at $220,000. Her 2008 Darci Brahma colt who sells as LOT 132 in the Premier Session on 1 February is one of the best yearlings she has left with the almost black colt creating a lot of comment at our recent public yearling parade.

Looking for a staying prospect at the Sales then LA's LOT 1084 in the Select Sale is a must inspect. He's a half brother by Booming's sire Don Eduardo to two stakeswinners and the dam of the dual stakeswinning colt Excuse My French who took last Saturdays listed Tasmanian Guineas. Bought out of this year's National Weanling Sale by our client Alan Jackson, the colt has been one of the big improvers physically amongst our draft over recent weeks.

The LA bred True Intelligence (Elusive City-Madonna Bay) an easy 1200m winner in Hong Kong, in a slick time of 108.23, over the weekend was a $100,000 purchase by NZB from our 2007 Karaka Premier Draft.

LA has a striking Elusive City colt - LOT 155 - in the upcoming Karaka Premier Sale. While on type he was always going to be in demand, the great run being enjoyed by Elusive City's colts in Hong Kong and the fact he is one of only three Elusive City colts in the Premier Sale looks certain to heighten interest even further.

In local racing news Parole (Towkay- Out on Bail) won again last week and in doing so must just about have grabbed favouritism for the toughest horse currently racing in NZ. In the space of seventeen days the five-year-old mare lined up five times for three wins, a second and a third.

LA has seven Towkay colts and two Towkay fillies at next month's Karaka Sales.

If you would like to inspect any of our draft please don't hesitate to give Sam a call on 027 853 400.

Another Pedigree Update For LA's Karaka Draft

Another Pedigree Update for LA's Karaka Draft

It was good to see so many familiar and whole bunch of new faces at our yearling parade on Sunday.

Most of the horses behaved perfectly; remembering that this was their first parade in front of a crowd of people.

While everyone sees different things in horses, the Pins/Dancing Daze filly LOT 353 (pictured left)seemed to be the most popular fancy of the onlookers. The filly is easily the best yearling group winner Dancing Daze has left and together with our partner in the horse Don Gordon, we look forward to her turning the heads of those with chequebooks when she gets up to Karaka.

Sam has always had a lot of time for the Towkay/Trigon Lass filly LOT 769 at Karaka Select and for those of you who got on Sam's tip for her half brother National Treasure in Hong Kong on Sunday night we trust you enjoyed the price. National Treasure was a horse Anzac Lodge prepared for us for the 2008 Karaka Ready to Run Sale where he was purchased by John Foote Bloodstock for $180,000.

The winners keep rolling in for Towkay. The Sue Harty Parole (Towkay-Out on Bail) took her record over the Xmas holiday period to 4 starts for 2 wins, 1 second and a third with her success at Kumara on 9 January while last week in Macau, Sparky Winner (Towkay-Mission Star) and Beautiful Glory (Towkay-D'Pix) were both winners.

LA takes seven outstanding Towkay colts to the Karaka Yearling Sales which start on 1 February.

LA was associated with two winners on the Newcastle card on Saturday in Australia. Our $300,000 2008 Sydney Easter yearling Suyuma (Savabeel-Steluta) broke his maiden impressively for Bart Cummings and Cat's Diamond (Zabeel-The World Is Mine), who we have leased out to a syndicate organised by Sportz Syndications and is trained by Kris Lees, won her second race, over 1850m.

Please feel free to ring Sam on 0274 853400 to arrange an inspection of any or all our horses going to Karaka. They will all be heading to Karaka on the evening of Sunday 24 January

Little Avondale January 2010

January 2010

2009 was full of highlights for LA. Stakeswinners throughout the year, bred, reared or sold by the farm included Roman Emperor (Group 1 AJC Derby), More Bountiful and Marquardt. Some of the listed and group placegetters in 2009 to have come off the farm include Pachanga, Blonde Bombshell, Aspinal, Special Day's, La Collina and the Classic placed Larry's Never Late and Can't Keeper Down.

Looking forward it's just under a month until our next batch of stars are auctioned at the Karaka Yearling Sales starting in Auckland on Monday 1 February.

Towkay has had nine individual winners over the last month including High Octane in the Group Three Manawatu Cup while his filly Blonde Bombshell made a great fist of her stakes debut running third in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic. 

Read on for pedigree updates of some of our Karaka yearlings and the great results for one of our clients. 

Towkay

Winners for Towkay over the last month have been...

High Octane (Towkay-Trendy and True) winner of the Group Three Manawatu Cup at 2300m.

Loose Lover (Towkay-Tycoon Lover) maiden winner over 1300m.

Cracker Tee Pee (Towkay-Imperial Inn) the LA bred was a winner over 1600m at Trentham

Blonde Bombshell (Towkay-Millie Munro) won over 1400m at Ellerslie on 9 December.

Parole (Towkay-Out on Bail) the Sue Harty bred mare won her sixth race scoring over 1200 on 28 December.

Tycoon (Towkay-Clermont Lass) the LA bred won his fourth race scoring over 1600m.

Towcutter (Towkay-Eva's Belle) his 1200m success in Victoria was his fourth career win in 16 starts.

Super Bobo (Towkay-Be Reasonable) won his second Hong Kong race taking a 1600m event.

Esteem Power (Towkay-Dolphin Miss) the J Haigh bred three-year-old won over 1400m in Singapore

The win by High Octane showcased ....