Te Akau Shark's jaw-dropping win in last week's Group II Coupland's Bakeries Mile and Bizzwinkle's 'never say die' Group winning performance in Saturday's iconic New Zealand Cup have provided the perfect impetus for their internationally successful sire Rip Van Winkle (Galileo) heading into this week's Ready To Run Sale at Karaka on Wednesday.
Europe's
Champion Miler will be represented by a select draft of four colts and geldings
at the Ready To Run sale and his son Te Akau Shark joins a growing list of
successful sale graduates that also includes recent champions Turn Me Loose
(Iffraaj) and Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor).
Currently lying in third position on New Zealand's General Sires premiership, Rip Van Winkle has been represented by a raft of recent exciting young gallopers including Australian Group winner Kingsguard, stakes winners Seraphim and Pendleton together with stakes performers Mrs Gardenia, Sleeping Beauty and Winkler.
Sire of 24 stakes winners worldwide, Rip Van Winkle's 2YO representation at Karaka this week is sure to attract attention with Lot 45, a three-quarter blood brother to Te Akau Shark, bound to be popular.
Lot 415, another of Rip Van Winkle's 2YO's to breeze nicely, is like Te Akau Shark a chestnut son of the triple Gr.1 winner from the Group winning racemare Dancing Jess.
Completing Rip Van Winkle's Ready To Run representation are Lot 420, a close relative of Australian Gr.1 winner Silent Achiever and Lot 54, a son of dual race winning Zabeel mare Honeymoon from the family of Australian triple Gr.1 winner November Rain.
