The spring racing carnivals throughout Australasia have delivered multiple delights for the pedigrees of juveniles catalogued in NZB's upcoming Ready to run Sale of Two Year Olds .
With 445 youngsters set to walk through the sale ring on 21 and 22 November, these victories have further boosted the calibre of pedigrees on offer.
The winning factor
Kiwi breeders Christopher Grace and wife Susanna were rewarded with Group One success for the second consecutive year on Victoria Derby Day when their homebred mare Shillelagh(NZ) (Savabeel) stormed home to win by a length and a half in the Group One Empire Rose Stakes. It was a New Zealand affair with Chris Waller the trainer and James McDonald the jockey.
Shillelagh's first Group One victory came in the Cantala Stakes this time last year and Surrey Farm are set to offer her half-brother with an Ocean Park colt catalogued asLot 307. He is out of a winning Flying Spur mare who has also produced another two stakes winners inTullamore(NZ) (Savabeel) andGrazia(NZ) (Savabeel).
A week out from the Sale, Ready to Run Sale graduateTe Akau Shark(NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) scored his fifth win from six career starts with a runaway victory in the Group Two Coupland's Bakeries Mile. It was his second victory at Group level since the catalogue went to print and boosts the page ofLot 45who is a three-quarter brother to Te Akau Shark.
Dee and Gee(NZ) (Darci Brahma) earned her first stakes win with a remarkable front-running performance in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy. Her victory provided a timely update for her half-brother catalogued in the Sale asLot 28. The son of Niagara will be offered by Kaipira Lodge.
The world's top-ranked racehorseWinx(Street Cry) shattered yet another record with her stunning 29th straight win and fourth Group One Cox Plate. Also trained by kiwi expat Chris Waller, the wonder mare features among the pages of two closely related colts at the Ready to Run Sale. Te Runga Stud have prepared a son of Iffraaj atLot 176while Archer Park have a son of Pure Champion consigned asLot 143.
Godolphin's Irish-bred stayerBest Solution(Kodiac) made his Australian campaign off the back of two Group One victories in the northern hemisphere and at his first Australian appearance he took honours in the Group One Caulfield Cup under topweight. Anzac Lodge will presentLot 223, a gelding by Deep Field, who is closely related to Best Solution.
Adding further European flare, last start Group One winner in France,Call the Wind(Frankel), and recent Group One victor in Ireland,Havana Grey(Havana Gold), both have relatives by Per Incanto catalogued for the Sale in November. Woburn Farm'sLot 321is closely related to Call the Wind while Kilgravin Lodge'sLot 416is from the same family as Havana Grey.
Performing with the best
Five individual recent placings in stakes races throughout New Zealand, Australia and Macau have highlighted their half-brothers in the catalogue.
Windsor Park Stud's Charm Spirit gelding is a half-brother to Group Three winnerKingsguard(Rip Van Winkle) who was runner-up in the Group Two Shannon Stakes. Catalogued asLot 49, he is out of the stakes-winning mare Her Royal Highness.
Riversley Park have prepared a gelding by Burgundy atLot 91who is a half-brother to two stakes placegetters. One of those is Group One performerSully(NZ) (Reliable Man) who placed second in the Group Three Queen Elizabeth Stakes at her last start.
Kiltannon Stable's will consign the half-brother to Shamexpress' first stakes winner in London Express(NZ). At her first start this spring, London Express stepped out to place second in the Listed O'Learys Stakes. Her half-brother is a colt by Showcasing atLot 108.
Multiple stakes winnerKelowna Star(NZ) (Sufficient) placed second in his first start this spring, the Listed Autumn Trophy. Regal Farm have prepared his half-brother by Bullbars who is entered asLot 134.
The stakes-winning son of Snitzel,Dark Eyes, was runner-up this season in the Listed Wyong Gold Cup and Ballymore Stables have consigned his half-brother atLot 406, a colt by Rothesay.
Prominent at Group One level
Furthermore, recent Group One performers with relatives set to be offered next week include Karaka graduatesSir Nate(NZ) (Nadeem) (Lots 71and327),Danzdanzdance(Mastercraftsman) (Lot 161) andWyndspelle(NZ) (Iffraaj) (Lot 324).
Lot 258is from the same family asMendelssohn(Scat Daddy) whose 18-length victory in the Group Two UAE Derby earlier this year primed him for recent Group One placings in the Travers Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Seabrook(NZ) (Hinchinbrook) followed up her outstanding two-year-old season with a recent placing in the Group One Thousand Guineas and is closely related toLot 291.
Lot 99is from the same family as Godolphin starKementari(Lonhro) who has placed at Group One level this spring with a second in the New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes.
Click here for a full list of pedigree updates for the 2018 Ready to Run Sale.
