Sharon Chapman
Windsor Park Stud shuttle stallion Charm Spirit will be represented by his first crop of yearlings at Karaka later this month and confidence levels are high in the stud’s camp.
This comes off the back of a strong Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where the farm sold four Charm Spirit yearlings for an average of A$216,000.
“It’s a great start,” Windsor Park Stud principal Rodney Schick said. “To be the second leading first season sire in one of the biggest Australian sales is huge, it’s pretty exciting stuff.
“He was an exceptional racehorse and has a beautiful pedigree, so it’s nice to see that he is sought after in Australia.”
The son of Invincible Spirit was a high-class miler, he won six of his nine starts on the race track, including three Group Ones, on his way to being rated the second highest three-year-old turf miler of his year.
Schick believes the Invincible Spirit link is another drawcard for Australian buyers.
“The way Invincible Spirit has had his affect in Australia with I Am Invincible we thought they would be sought after in Australia and it looks like they will be,” he said.
Windsor Park will offer 26 yearlings by Charm Spirit at Karaka, with one of the highlights being a white filly out of the Zabeel mare The Opera House.
Josh Smith
It will be the third year in a row the stud has offered a white yearling out of the mare. Each has sold well, with a High Chaparral filly selling for $450,000 in 2016 and last year’s Shamexpress colt selling for $510,000, but Schick believes the Charm Spirit filly is the pick of the bunch so far.
“She is a really attractive filly, as the other white ones have been,” Schick said. “But she is probably the strongest of them all.
“She is strong and well put together, moves beautifully and has got a great temperament. I’d be surprised if she wasn’t well sought after at Karaka.”
Meanwhile, Schick said he has received positive feedback on Windsor Park Stud’s 77-strong Karaka draft, which is represented by 17 stallions.
“It probably always makes it easier when you have a diverse bunch so that buyers are not stuck on making a decision between two horses all the time,” Schick said.
“We are represented by some really nice stallions and we are really happy with the diversity of the draft.
“We have had some great feedback from our on-farm parades. We have got a pretty even draft, so we have got a bunch of nice types that are athletic and move well.
“We have had really good feedback and hopefully that converts to some good sales at Karaka.” – NZ Racing Desk.
