Racing: Karaka kicks off with million-dollar colt

Jayven See with his Popsy colt, for which he paid $1 million yesterday. Photo / Sarah Ivey

For full-time Singapore owner Jayven See there is always one Premier yearling that's the stand-out.

He just didn't quite expect to part with seven figures to get it on the opening day of the National Yearling Sales at Karaka yesterday.

In a tense fight with Cambridge bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, who bowed out at $975,000, See nabbed Sam Kelt's Fastnet Rock colt out of his former top racemare Popsy for $1 million.

Half-brother Maciano, by Redoute's Choice, sold for a sales-topping $1.45 million at Karaka two years ago. The John Sargent-trained colt is now rated an early $10 chance with TAB bookies for the $2.2 million New Zealand Derby on March 6.

"It's a little bit more than I expected to pay," said See, a relative newcomer to the heavyweight buying bench whose previous biggest bid was A$380,000 for an Exceed and Excel colt.

"But he's a lovely horse; one of the best I've seen at the sales."

A former owner of a Singapore marine company, the self-made millionaire now focuses solely on overseeing his 40-strong international racing stable, spread through his homeland, Japan, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

The exciting Danny Williams-trained 3-year-old Commandare flies the See flag across the Tasman.

See says his latest blueblood is likely to stay in New Zealand, and he could also be looking to syndicate the horse, but yesterday he said he had not settled on a trainer.

He already has horses at Pukekohe with Don Dwyer and Matamata trainer Mark Walker.

Walker prepares his Exceed and Excel purchase, Reason and Rhyme, now a 2-year-old who finished third on debut at Otaki in his only race so far.

Esker Lodge in Cambridge, agent for Kelt's Popsy colt, has been a happy hunting ground for See.

Success stories include his 2007 Ready To Run buy Revolte (French Deputy-Grilse), who has more than tripled his relatively modest purchase price of $140,000 with wins for trainer Michael Clements in the group three Singapore Guineas and Stewards Cup.

Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse, more active at Karaka than in recent years, landed the next highest lot, Whakanui Stud's $650,000 bay filly by Pins out of Procure.

Waterhouse also paid $475,000 for a Cambridge Stud Zabeel colt from Power and Grace.

Melbourne Cup legend Bart Cummings was equally busy in the early session, his agent Duncan Ramage paying $575,000 for a Zabeel colt out of Markisa (lot 40).

It's the first yearling for the Danehill mare, but her dam Marquise is a prolific producer of winners, including group one performer Shower Of Roses, and one of the biggest headliners Karaka has seen.

In 2001, her Zabeel colt fetched $1.45 million, and she followed that with $1.05 million, $950,000, and two $800,000 lots by the same sire.

"The page speaks for itself and we rated the individual just as high," said Ramage. "We're hoping in time the money will be seem to have been well spent - we rate him a Derby Cup type of horse."

By late in yesterday's opening session Ramage had bought seven yearlings for Cummings' stable, including a Zabeel-Love Diamonds colt for $220,000.

"The good horses are selling really well," said Ramage. "The clearance rate is an issue, I believe, but the horses that the market don't like are hard to place."

Cambridge trainer Chris Wood had the honour of snaring the first yearling through the ring by freshman Darci Brahma from Kendayla Park's draft.

Wood paid $135,000, on behalf of stable clients, for a bay colt out of group-placed mare La Campanella.

"I thought I'd get in early; they might get a bit dearer as the sale goes on," said Wood. "I really like the colt. He's nicely balanced and a natural athlete, a lot like the sire himself."

BBA Ireland paid the top first-day price for Darci Brahma's first crop, $310,000 for a bay colt out of Loudenne, a half-brother to 2008 Horse of the Year Insouciant.

By three-quarters of the way through the opening day, the average price was $181,378, a dramatic jump on last year's $145,710.

"A month ago we thought that if we had the same figures as last year it would be a good result," said Petrea Vela, New Zealand Bloodstock's managing director sales and marketing.

"The median is the best indicator of the mid-market strength, so to go from $100,000 to $130,000 is really pleasing.

"If anything, we'd like to see an improvement in the clearance rate a bit, but we're really happy with the way things are going."

The second day of the premier sale begins at 11am today, with lot 431, the Redoute's Choice colt out of Grand Echezeaux a possible sales-topper.

Second acceptances for the A$3.5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill on April 3 close today at 1pm, as do nominations for the A$2.25 million The BMW on the same card.