While browsing the index of sires represented among the catalogues for Karaka 2022, some will be drawn to the proven stars, while others zero in on the exciting first-season stallions about to make their debuts. But in between those two categories lies an outstanding range of emerging sire talent, with progeny starting to make their mark on racetracks and with the promise of a whole lot more to come.
ALMANZOR
Bringing unparalleled racetrack credentials when he started shuttling to New Zealand in 2018, Almanzor is developing into an exceptional headline act on Cambridge Stud’s stallion roster.
The son of Wootton Bassett won eight of his 11 starts, headed by a Group One treble as a three-year-old in the Prix Du Jockey Club (2100m), Irish Champion Stakes (2000m) and British Champion Stakes (2000m), beating the likes of prolific Group One mares Found (Galileo) and Minding (Galileo).
Almanzor has served over 140 mares in every season shuttling to Cambridge Stud so far, and he made an immediate impact with his first yearlings at Karaka last year. He had 42 yearlings sell for $8.13 million and an average price of $193,571 – clearly the top-ranked first-season sire, and second among all sires behind the established superstar Savabeel.
At Ellerslie in January, Almanzor became only the third first-season stallion in history to sire a Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner with his highly impressive son Dynastic (NZ). The Jamie Richards-trained colt won by two and a quarter lengths in a race-record time of 1:09.60.
There are 42 yearlings by Almanzor in Book 1 of Karaka 2022, with another six in Book 2. Many stakes-winning and well-bred mares are represented, including:
- Lot 29, from Cambridge Stud’s iconic Eight Carat-Diamond Lover-Tristalove dam line.
- Lots 49 and 511, from a prolific family that has produced the likes of Valpolicella (NZ) (Red Ransom) and her four stakes-performing progeny.
- Lot 317, out of an unraced daughter of Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) winner and Group One placegetter Karuta Queen (Not A Single Doubt).
