McKeever Spots G1 Talent at NZB Ready to Run

Media Release - Sunday March 2

The feeling of seeing sale-ring purchases go on to stardom on the racetrack is nothing new for Johnny McKeever, but the respected European bloodstock agent took special satisfaction from Feroce’s triumph in the Gr.1 Howden Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Johnny McKeever purchased Feroce from the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale. Photo: supplied

Feroce was bred by Sir Peter Vela’s Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and comes from the first crop of Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth. Offered by Eion Kemp’s Kilgravin Lodge at the 2023 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, Feroce was bought for $160,000 by McKeever Bloodstock Ltd in partnership with rookie trainer Dominic Sutton.

McKeever was at Flemington on Saturday as Feroce edged out fellow New Zealand-bred Savaglee in the Australian Guineas, improving his record to three wins, three placings and more than A$1.3 million in stakes from a nine-start career.

“To be honest, it was the usual story,” McKeever said. “I came to New Zealand to see some Ready to Run Horses before heading back to Europe for the Goffs Foal Sale. I put together a list, and Dom bid on several horses. By some miracle, one of the ones on the list was Feroce and he got him. That’s racing for you, and that’s picking out horses at sales for you.

“This is just incredibly special. Dom’s father is one of my best childhood friends. Dom is just starting his training career, and in the first year of his career, he’s trained a Group One winner with a New Zealand-bred horse.

“Another special aspect of this story is that Feroce was bred by Sir Peter Vela. I’m very fond of Sir Peter. He’s been up to Newmarket a lot and we’ve got to know each other well.

“So this is very special for me for a number of reasons. It’s also very special for Waikato Stud, with their young stallion Super Seth coming through with a lovely Group One winner like that.

Advertisement

“It just gives me so much pleasure on so many levels. It’s just fantastic.”

McKeever has also formed a successful partnership with Kemp in recent years, purchasing yearlings throughout Australasia with the goal of re-offering them as two-year-old at the Ready to Run Sale.

“Eion has been very king in letting me select some yearlings, mainly in Australia and some in New Zealand, to be made into Ready to Run horses,” McKeever said. “I’ve learned a lot from Eion about the Ready to Run Sale and the concept. I’m more of a traditional yearling buyer, so it’s new to me, but he’s been great to work with.”

McKeever has decades of experience buying bloodstock around the world, and he speaks highly about the New Zealand-bred throughbred.

“I’m extremely happy with the New Zealand product,” he said. “I think it’s a different level to anything we have anywhere else in the world.” – NZ Racing Desk.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Invincible 2YO Colt wins for Bennett Racing
The $150,000 VRC Next Gen Sprinters Series Final (1200m) for two year-olds at Flemington on Saturday drew a competitive field of progressive juveniles and the colt that stood out on type in the yard was the one that got the cash with I Am Invincible colt Jimmy Recard proving too good for race favourite Bacash.
Snitzel Filly Bridal Waltz Wins A.R. Creswick Stakes
While many felt the winner of Saturday’s Listed $175,000 VRC A.R. Creswick Stakes (1200m) had raced two weeks prior in the Shop Flemington Handicap (1100m) – and they would’ve been correct – but it was not the result many punters felt it would be!
Kiwi Bred Quinella G1 Australian Guineas
Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth and trainer Dominic Sutton stood in the Group One spotlight for the first time when Feroce headed a New Zealand-bred quinella in Saturday’s A$1 million Gr.1 Howden Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.
Kiwi Bred Good Banter Finds Winning Form
Four-year-old mare Good Banter was back in the winner’s circle when narrowly prevailing in the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday for trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.
Invincible 3YO Wins G3 Winx Guineas
The $300,000 Group III Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday featured a big field of 16 up and comers and following the late scratching of favourite Mister Bianco, Angela Jones took luck out of the equation on I Am Invincible gelding The Three Hundred.
Spring Potential for Darby Racing's Raging Force
Unplaced in the Group III ATC Breeders’ Plate last spring on debut, Raging Force came out of that race with an injury that required significant time on the sidelines, but since returning to full work his progress has been swift.
Super Seth 2YO Goes Two for Two at Caulfield
An outstanding few weeks for Waikato Stud’s freshman sire Super Seth continued at Caulfield on Saturday with the unbeaten Feroce winning the A$150,000 Vale John Russell (1200m).
One to Watch – Ballarat
Synthetic track meetings at Ballarat can throw up some misleading form, but a debut winner from the Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable that started in the red and won by nine lengths is probably worth a closer look.
Buccleuch - First Stakes-Winner for Peltzer
The $175,000 Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday was won back in 2020 by Cherry Tortoni, who went to on to become a multiple Group winner of nearly $1million and the same colours were carried by this year’s winner Buccleuch.
Marble Nine Brings Up Second Stakes Winner For Aquis’ Kobayashi
The withdrawal of the top weight in Saturday’s $175,000 Listed VRC Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (1200m) at Flemington saw the field down to just six, with Marble Nine continuing his outstanding recent form to secure his first black type victory.