$1.1 million Sword of State colt helps Karaka Book 1 to record heights

Ciaron Maher will train four-time Group 1 winner Ceolwulf’s half-brother by emerging sire Sword Of State after a $1.1 million bidding duel late on a New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.

The Cambridge Stud-bred and sold colt, the sole seven-figure lot at the 100th national sale, ended a buoyant second session in which the aggregate of $78,602,500 eclipsed last year’s turnover by $3 million despite a vastly smaller catalogue.

That figure was helped by increased appetite by Australian buyers as well as mainland China and Hong Kong buyers who made the most of the condensed two-day Book 1 offering.

The average of $187,595 is also a record.

One of those international buyers was mainland China’s Sanxiong Gao, the major shareholder in the sale-topping Sword Of State colt who returned after visiting New Zealand for the first time last November for the NZB Ready to Run Sale.

On that occasion, he partnered with Lindsay Park and Hong Kong-based David Hayes in purchasing a $750,000 son of Per Incanto and a Satono Aladdin colt for $675,000 in the hope of securing an owners’ permit in a Jockey Club ballot.

At Karaka on Monday, Maher’s bloodstock manager Will Bourne was accompanied by Gao during the bidding as Te Akau’s David Ellis, seated in his usual spot to the right of the auctioneer, pushed the pair above $1 million. 

Bourne knew he would have to dig deep to be able to ensure the colt would join Maher’s dual-state training operation.

“When you’re wearing the white shorts with David Ellis, it’s never a good sign, but he’s a lovely horse and (we have) great support from a new client, a first-time owner to the stable, Mr Gao. 

“We’re thrilled to have him on board.”

The fourth living foal out of Las Brisas, a Shamardal mare who was served by I Am Invincible in December, the Sword Of State colt was put on Maher’s short list soon after his bloodstock team arrived at Karaka last week.

“Ciaron’s delighted. I just got off the phone with him and he wants me to sell the last share, so I’m getting onto that now,” Bourne said.

He didn’t have to work too hard on that proposition, with Cambridge Stud’s Brendan Lindsay retaining 10 per cent and well-known New Zealand journalist Michael Guerin snapping up another 5 per cent share.

The colt’s journey from a foal to the sales was documented in a piece produced by Guerin for New Zealand’s racing broadcaster Trackside, thus the son of Sword Of State was given the nickname Micky G.

Gao also bought three other colts outright at Karaka, a son of The Autumn Sun for $525,000, a Savabeel colt for $425,000 and a bargain Home Affairs colt for $45,000.

The seven-figure sale was a momentous occasion for Lindsay and his wife Jo as the Sword Of State colt, by their resident sire whose crop two-year-olds include high-class colt Warwoven, is the first million-dollar yearling sold by Cambridge Stud under their ownership.

Lindsay, who bought Cambridge Stud in 2017 from Sir Patrick Hogan, was almost brought to tears as the result sunk in, proving that it’s not about the money.

Cambridge Stud was also crowned the leading vendor.

“It’s significant obviously for Cambridge Stud, for Jo and I, but more so for the staff,” Lindsay told The Straight. 

“They do all the hard work and they’ll be jumping around doing hoops down there (Barn I). It’s a funny old game because you hope and you dream that you get a result like that. 

“You get nervous, you get emotional and then you’ve got the next few years to look forward to seeing what happens.”

Earlier, agent Guy Mulcaster and trainer Chris Waller went to $950,000 for a colt by Coolmore’s US Triple Crown winner and former shuttler Justify from a rich European family.

“He’s a lovely colt – a real typical ‘get up and run’ sort of Justify. The dam’s a half to a current stallion and champion two-year-old in France (Camille Pissarro). Fingers crossed, he can be another Learning To Fly or Storm Boy,” Mulcaster said.

“We thought he was a beautiful horse. We stretched a little bit. We’ve bought him for a lot of good clients, and fingers crossed, it turns out to be a good one for us.”

Wattle Bloodstock’s Peter Twomey, the under bidder, was unfortunate to run into the might of Mulcaster and Waller.

Consigned by Landsdowne Park on behalf of his breeders Coolmore, Chelsaus (Ireland), Wynaus and Westerberg International, the Justify colt is the second foal out of Zoffany mare Heart To Heart.

She is a half-sister to Wootton Bassett’s champion two-year-old in France Camille Pissarro and top Britain sprinter Golden Horde.

Her first foal, a colt by Frankel, sold for $100,000 at last year’s Inglis Easter sale to Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.

Mulcaster and KPW Bloodstock’s Kevin “Millie” Walls were among the big spenders at Karaka, helping push the Australian spend above $41 million across the two days compared to the domestic spend of $26 million.

NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook cited multiple statistics pointing to the strength of the sale including turnover and Australian buyers’ spend being up $7 million year-on-year, while the clearance rate of 81 per cent was also an important metric.

“It’s just gone so well from the race meeting on Saturday night with that wonderful atmosphere, and the crowd yesterday for the opening day on Sunday was amazing, and it’s just continued today,” Seabrook said.

“To have a clearance rate of 81 per cent on sale day, which’ll continue to go up, we haven’t done that for a number of years, and the average being well up, around the $187,000 mark (is pleasing).”

Book 2 of the sale begins on Tuesday at 10am.   

Sale statistics – Book 1

Catalogued 567 (661)

Offered 521 (588)

Sold 420 (457)

Aggregate $78,602,500 ($75,322,500)

Average $187,595 ($164,819)

Median $140,000 ($110,000)

Clearance 81% (78%)

Top Lot $1.1 million ($2.4 million)