Fastnet Rock’s Karaka Again!

For the fourth year in a row champion sire Fastnet Rock has produced the sale-topper at the NZB Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka with his filly from Il Quello Veloce taking top honours on Tuesday when selling for $800,000.

A gorgeous bay bred by SF Bloodstock and foaled in Australia at Newgate Farm, she was consigned by leading New Zealand vendor Lyndhurst Farm and caught the eye of all the good judges including David Ellis of Te Akau Racing, who outbid leading Australian trainer David Hayes to secure the filly.

"I waited the whole sale for her and that’s pretty nerve wracking because if you don’t win the battle there’s nothing left to fall back on,” Ellis said.

"I’ve been buying yearlings here since 1988 and I can say I’ve never seen a better quality filly. Every buyer who was looking for a filly would have wanted to take her home and thankfully we are the ones who get to do that.”

The filly has a superb pedigree being the third foal of Group I winner Il Quello Veloce, who is a sister-in-blood to Group I VRC Darley Sprint Classic winner Terravista from the family of star producer Parfore, whose other star offspring include Group I winners Tiger Tees and Super Easy.

Fastnet Rock also had the top priced colt, his son from blue-blooded Irish import Dance on By fetching $600,000 for Waikato Stud when purchased by DGR Thoroughbred Services.

He is the third foal of a winning sister to multiple Group I winner and leading sire High Chaparral, who died prematurely last month.

"It’s not our policy to buy the top priced horses that are going through the Sale but I think you’ll pay more for the same horse at Easter,” said Duncan Ramage of DGR Thoroughbreds.

"Raised by a farm like Waikato Stud that produces Group 1 winner after Group 1 winner, out of a Sadler’s Wells mare, on a cross that produces 27% stakes winners and the mother happens to be a full-sister to a champion in High Chaparral who happens to be the sire of So You Think, who’s very fond to us. He really dictated to us that we had to buy him.”

Fastnet Rock had a memorable sale, producing the highest priced yearling at Karaka for the fourth year running and he was also the overall leading sire at the sale by average, also for the fourth consecutive year, with 13 horses selling for $4,310,000 at an average of $331,538.