Keenan happy with sale

Debbie and Graeme Rogerson cast admiring glances over their Fastnet Rock colt at Karaka. Photo/APN

Wanganui horse breeder Wayne Kennan was a happy man after his well-bred Thorn Park colt fetched $240,000 on day one of the Karaka Yearling Sales in Auckland on Monday.

Out of Keenan's Al Akbar mare O'Ceirins Angel, a half sister to Mr O'Ceirin, the colt was sold under the Palmerston North-based Wellfield Lodge banner to R Yui and is destined to race in Hong Kong.

Keenan sold Mr O'Ceirin for good money and he raced in top company in Australia out of Kevin Marr's stable.

"I'm rapt, $240,000 was a decent price," Kennan said yesterday.

"He's the only one I had at this year's sales, but I've got four weanlings at home, including three fillies and a Road To Rock colt that I'll probably race. The Thorn Park colt was prepared for the premier sale by Wellfiled Lodge and they did a good job."

Meanwhile, Nigel Auret, who operates Letham Stud in Wanganui with wife Adaire, is haggling with interested parties over the future of his Rip Van Winkle filly out of his Group 1 winning mare Saint Cecile.

The filly, with a reserve of $110,000, was passed in at $100,000 on Monday under the Curraghmore Stud banner.

"There's plenty of interest in her and we are in talks with people today," Auret said.

The filly could race under syndication in Australia with the Aurets retaining a share.

Monday's sale topper went to Debbie Rogerson who put $800,000 on the line to take away a Fastnet Rock-Katie Lee colt.

Husband Graeme Rogerson was involved in the bidding, but the attractive colt will be prepared from the separate barn run by Debbie, even though their horses appear at racetracks under both their names.

Katie Lee was New Zealand's champion 3-year-old of the 2009- 2010 season, winning the 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas and Eight Carat Classic in Sir Patrick Hogan's dual green colours.

Sitting next to Prime Minister John Key, staunch supporter of the sales, David Ellis, paid $370,000 for the half brother by O'Reilly to Darci Brahma.

The principal of Te Akau Stud has long been a fan of the breed. "We've bought all of Grand Echezeaux's yearlings for Te Akau. They include Darci Brahma and Burgundy. "He's a typical O'Reilly yearling, very strong. He won't be a 2-year-old, but he's the type you could see in the 2000 Guineas. The $370,000 is a lot of money for a horse, but out of that mare he's good buying."