Photo: NZTM website
Achieving the optimum price for a yearling at the sales is all about timing, just ask Haunui Farm and Frantic Bloodstock, the vendors of the Zabeel – Destined (GB) filly the highest priced yearling filly at Karaka this year.
"It's absolutely all about timing. The filly's half sister Fix (by Iffraaj (GB) achieved Group 2 black type performance one month out from the sales and that made all the difference," according to Haunui Farm's general manager Mark Chitty.
"She was always a marketable filly but Fix's performances certainly were a bonus. Fix is a pretty tough racehorse. She started out her three-year-old campaign in August and here we are in February and she has won three group two races back to back."
Fix certainly is a pretty tough racehorse. After winning two races at two and running a creditable fifth in the group one Manawatu Sire's Produce Stakes she was put aside by her trainers Bev and Kevin Kelso, for a spell.
She returned in late August to win a three-year-old 1200 metre race at Taupo, before finishing fourth in the group three Hawkes Bay Breeders' Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) a month later. Following that in late October she ran third in the group three James and Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m) behind the unbeaten colt Sacred Falls, and Rollout The Carpet.
In early November she travelled to the South Island for the group one NZB 1000 Guineas where she finished third. She returned home to Matamata for a few days off and then in late December began her triple winning streak.
On Boxing Day she took out the group two Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic over 1600 metres and a week later up to 2000 metres scored in the group two NZB Royal Stakes. In early February she returned to the racetrack at Te Rapa and scored her third win on end in the group two Sir Tristram Fillies Classic.
That win gives her the lead in the NZB Filly of the Year Series. She has 27.5 points, eight and a half points clear of her only rival Soriano, with the group one New Zealand Oaks and the group three Lowland Stakes still to be contested.
Fix is the third foal from the Danehill (USA) mare Destined and her second stakes performer. Her first foal, Galileo's Destiny (Galileo [IRE]), is a group one place getter in South Africa, having run second in the South African Derby and third in the South African Classic. He has also won two races and been stakes placed on four other occasions.
Her second foal Delivery, a gelding by Zabeel, is a full brother to the yearling that sold so well this year. He has won four races in Australia from only five starts.
The Zabeel filly is her fourth foal, and this season she had a colt to Showcasing (GB) and is now in foal to O'Reilly.
Destined is herself a three-quarter sister to Foreteller (Dansili [GB]) a winner of seven races including the group three MRC David Jones Cup. She is a half-sister to Modern Look (Zamindar [USA]) a group two winner in France and to Arabesque (Zafonic [USA]) also a group two winner in France. She in turn is the dam of the stakes winners Showcasing (Oasis Dream[GB]) and Camacho (Danehill [USA]), making Camacho also a three-quarter relation to Destined.
Their dam is the group one winning mare Prophecy(IRE) (Warning[USA]) who in turn is out of the group three Haydock Lancashire Oaks winner Andaleeb (USA) -by Lyphard[USA]- herself a daughter of the Kentucky Oaks winner Bag of Tunes (Herbager[FR]).
Destined is unraced and was purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock from a dispersal sale or racehorses and mares at Juddmonte Farms in England.
"Paul approached us with the mare to see if we were interested, and at that stage we were a bit bereft of Danehill mares and being out of a group one winner herself we were naturally keen. She has a lovely pedigree and is turning into a top broodmare.
"She has produced some lovely foals, including the latest one by Showcasing."
That particular foal is in-bred to Prophecy, as she appears as the dam of Destined and the grand dam of Showcasing.
According to Chitty he doesn't have a problem with the in-breeding.
"In-breeding on the topline can be very successful so there is no reason why we can't breed on the bottom line. Our pedigree analysts say it will work.
"Plenty of breeders in-breed in to Northern Dancer, Danehill, Sadler's Wells and the like. All superior individuals. We are doing the same on the bottom line again with a superior individual in Prophecy."
Destined is owned in partnership by Haunui Farm and Frantic Bloodstock, which is the bloodstock portfolio of Taranaki Branch member Cathy Franich, a long time client of Haunui Farm.
"A few years ago Cathy got involved with us buying a portfolio of mares from Noel Robinson when he decided to reduce his bloodstock interests. They included Reisling and her daughter Valpolicella whom Cathy went on to race with us to win two stakes races before retiring to stud. She also shares in the ownership of the dual listed winner Misstrum along with another client of ours, Maureen Duncan, who also raced Valpolicella," concluded Chitty.
- Michelle Saba
"It's absolutely all about timing. The filly's half sister Fix (by Iffraaj (GB) achieved Group 2 black type performance one month out from the sales and that made all the difference," according to Haunui Farm's general manager Mark Chitty.
"She was always a marketable filly but Fix's performances certainly were a bonus. Fix is a pretty tough racehorse. She started out her three-year-old campaign in August and here we are in February and she has won three group two races back to back."
Fix certainly is a pretty tough racehorse. After winning two races at two and running a creditable fifth in the group one Manawatu Sire's Produce Stakes she was put aside by her trainers Bev and Kevin Kelso, for a spell.
She returned in late August to win a three-year-old 1200 metre race at Taupo, before finishing fourth in the group three Hawkes Bay Breeders' Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) a month later. Following that in late October she ran third in the group three James and Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m) behind the unbeaten colt Sacred Falls, and Rollout The Carpet.
In early November she travelled to the South Island for the group one NZB 1000 Guineas where she finished third. She returned home to Matamata for a few days off and then in late December began her triple winning streak.
On Boxing Day she took out the group two Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic over 1600 metres and a week later up to 2000 metres scored in the group two NZB Royal Stakes. In early February she returned to the racetrack at Te Rapa and scored her third win on end in the group two Sir Tristram Fillies Classic.
That win gives her the lead in the NZB Filly of the Year Series. She has 27.5 points, eight and a half points clear of her only rival Soriano, with the group one New Zealand Oaks and the group three Lowland Stakes still to be contested.
Fix is the third foal from the Danehill (USA) mare Destined and her second stakes performer. Her first foal, Galileo's Destiny (Galileo [IRE]), is a group one place getter in South Africa, having run second in the South African Derby and third in the South African Classic. He has also won two races and been stakes placed on four other occasions.
Her second foal Delivery, a gelding by Zabeel, is a full brother to the yearling that sold so well this year. He has won four races in Australia from only five starts.
The Zabeel filly is her fourth foal, and this season she had a colt to Showcasing (GB) and is now in foal to O'Reilly.
Destined is herself a three-quarter sister to Foreteller (Dansili [GB]) a winner of seven races including the group three MRC David Jones Cup. She is a half-sister to Modern Look (Zamindar [USA]) a group two winner in France and to Arabesque (Zafonic [USA]) also a group two winner in France. She in turn is the dam of the stakes winners Showcasing (Oasis Dream[GB]) and Camacho (Danehill [USA]), making Camacho also a three-quarter relation to Destined.
Their dam is the group one winning mare Prophecy(IRE) (Warning[USA]) who in turn is out of the group three Haydock Lancashire Oaks winner Andaleeb (USA) -by Lyphard[USA]- herself a daughter of the Kentucky Oaks winner Bag of Tunes (Herbager[FR]).
Destined is unraced and was purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock from a dispersal sale or racehorses and mares at Juddmonte Farms in England.
"Paul approached us with the mare to see if we were interested, and at that stage we were a bit bereft of Danehill mares and being out of a group one winner herself we were naturally keen. She has a lovely pedigree and is turning into a top broodmare.
"She has produced some lovely foals, including the latest one by Showcasing."
That particular foal is in-bred to Prophecy, as she appears as the dam of Destined and the grand dam of Showcasing.
According to Chitty he doesn't have a problem with the in-breeding.
"In-breeding on the topline can be very successful so there is no reason why we can't breed on the bottom line. Our pedigree analysts say it will work.
"Plenty of breeders in-breed in to Northern Dancer, Danehill, Sadler's Wells and the like. All superior individuals. We are doing the same on the bottom line again with a superior individual in Prophecy."
Destined is owned in partnership by Haunui Farm and Frantic Bloodstock, which is the bloodstock portfolio of Taranaki Branch member Cathy Franich, a long time client of Haunui Farm.
"A few years ago Cathy got involved with us buying a portfolio of mares from Noel Robinson when he decided to reduce his bloodstock interests. They included Reisling and her daughter Valpolicella whom Cathy went on to race with us to win two stakes races before retiring to stud. She also shares in the ownership of the dual listed winner Misstrum along with another client of ours, Maureen Duncan, who also raced Valpolicella," concluded Chitty.
- Michelle Saba
