Photo: Glenys Randell
An outstanding few days for Sword Of State’s first-crop yearlings at Karaka culminated in a $540,000 purchase price towards the end of the Book 1 session on Tuesday afternoon.
The Group One-winning son of Snitzel took up stallion duties at Cambridge Stud in 2022 at an introductory service fee of $15,000. He had 20 first-crop yearlings sell for a total of $4.03 million, with an average price of $201,500.
Seven of his yearlings fetched $250,000 or more, headed by the $540,000 price tag for Lot 628. The colt was offered by Cambridge Stud and is out of the stakes-winning I Am Invincible mare Fuld’s Bet, whose three foals to race are all winners. They include this season’s Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) placegetter I’m All In.
The colt was bought by Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup on behalf of owner Mike Gregg’s Mulberry Racing.
“He was one of the colts that we found pretty early in the sale,” Widdup said. “We wanted to buy him. We probably didn’t think we’d have to go that high, but it was nice to secure him.
“He’s by a nice young stallion and comes off a great farm, so hopefully we can make him a racehorse.”
The colt has been paid up for the Karaka Millions series, with Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay offering to host the Sword Of State colt at their Karaka property should he make the trip back across the Tasman for the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) next January. That property was successfully used as a base this year by fellow trans-Tasman raider Konasana, who won Saturday’s Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m).
“The Karaka Millions could be an option,” Widdup said. “He does actually look like a horse who will get up and run early. He looks like a real Snitzel, speed type of horse. Let’s hope he’s got the quality as well. We had to dig deep to buy him. It was a great effort by all.”
Four of Sword Of State’s yearlings at Karaka were bought by Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis, who purchased and raced the stallion through his 11-start, six-win career. Other purchasers of his first-crop progeny included Richard and Will Freedman, Cameron Cooke Bloodstock, Go Racing, Lindsay Park, Ballymore Stables, Ciaron Maher Racing and Busuttin Young Racing.
