The 2023 National Online Breeding Stock Sale, which is currently in progress on Gavelhouse Plus, gives buyers rare access to a number of young mares who have just reached the end of their quality racing careers.
One of those is Cool Change (NZ) (Showcasing), who is catalogued as Lot 10. She is only four years old and finished her racing career with a record of 23 starts for five wins, seven placings and $152,095 in stakes.
She was stakes-placed as a two-year-old, finishing third in the Listed FastTrack Insurance 2YO Stakes (1100m) at Pukekohe. As a three-year-old, she ran a close seventh in both the Group Three Almanzor Trophy (1200m) and the Group Three Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
She picked up another two wins and two placings during her four-year-old season, including a smart victory in the $80,000 Royal Descent Stakes (1600m) in what proved to be the second-to-last race of her career. She then stepped up to Group One level for the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), where she reared as the gates opened and was unable to recover.
“She was a high-quality horse who I think will absolutely make a very nice young broodmare prospect,” Haunui Farm’s bloodstock and breeding manager Keith Konn said. “A young mare with credentials as good as hers is quite hard to come by.
“Her last start was in a Group One. It turned out that it was not to be in the end, things didn’t go to plan that day, but even to get to a Group One race is an achievement in itself.
“Her owners decided to pull stumps and retire her from racing after that, and she’s been with us for about two months now. She’s thrived during her time here. She’s as sound as a bell and looking fantastic.”
Eight-year-old mare Le Sablier (NZ) (Tavistock) is Lot 27. Her distinguished racing career spanned 52 races across six seasons.
She was a seven-time winner and saved some of her very best performances for her final season, finishing second in the Group Two Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m), third in the Listed Staphanos Classic (1950m), fourth in the Group Two Tauranga Stakes (1600m) and Group Three Easter Handicap (1600m), and fifth in the Group One Zabeel Classic (2050m) and Group Three Counties Cup (2100m).
The winner of over $286,000 in prize-money, Le Sablier is by Tavistock (NZ), who is already the broodmare sire of half a dozen stakes winners headed by the $8 million earner and multiple Group One winner Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars).
“She did a great job for us,” Le Sablier’s part-owner Nick Fursdon said. “It was so exciting for us to have a horse like her. Our family all got a huge amount of enjoyment out of her career, going along to watch all of her races. She had a very good career on the racetrack and produced some great performances.
“She’s retired beautifully sound. She’s happy as in her paddock at the moment, running around all over the place and acting like she still wants to be in work.
“I think she’s definitely going to make a lovely broodmare. She’s starting to put on some nice condition now, and I’m expecting her to do very well for someone.”
Stakes-winning mare Elizabeth Rose (NZ) (Contributer) is catalogued as Lot 15. The five-year-old was retired from the racetrack in April. She finished her career with a record of 20 starts for five wins and four placings, headed by a win in the Listed Spring Classic (2000m) in October – beating the subsequent Group One performer Campionessa (NZ) (Contributer).
Elizabeth Rose is a half-sister to fellow stakes performers Emerald Queen (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Red Shift (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn).
Other recently retired racemares in the catalogue include:
- Lot 2 is the six-year-old Acting Up (NZ) (Showcasing). She is a three-time winner whose dam Ray’s Girl (NZ) (Savabeel) won at Listed level. Acting Up won at New Plymouth in February of this year and had her final start in April.
- Five-year-old mare Ali Arc (NZ) (Bullbars) is catalogued as Lot 3. She is closely related to the Group One winner Volpe Veloce (Foxwedge) and herself won three races in a career that ended last month.
- Lot 7 is the five-year-old Camarosa (NZ) (Iffraaj), who was retired from racing in June. She won twice and was also beaten by less than five lengths when ninth in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m) in only the third start of her career. She is out of an unraced half-sister to the Golden Slipper winner and sire Canny Lad.
- Lot 29 is Marietta Lane (NZ) (Zed), who won six times in a career that ended in February. She was a two-time placegetter at stakes level, finishing third in the Group Three Rotorua Cup (2200m) and second in the Listed Feilding Gold Cup (2100m).
- Six-year-old mare Marmellos (NZ) (Ocean Park) is being offered as Lot 30. She was a winner at Matamata earlier in her career, and she was retired from racing this autumn. Her dam is a half-sister to Viennetta (NZ) (Pins), who won five times up to Group Two level and was Group One-placed. Viennetta is also the dam of stakes performers Golden Archer (Rock Of Gibraltar) and Neapolitan (Denman). Another half-sister, Butterscotch (NZ) (Gold Brose), won 10 races up to Group Three level.
- Lot 34 is Neon Moon (NZ) (Exosphere), who is a five-year-old half-sister to the Group One winner (She’s) Licketysplit (NZ) (Turn Me Loose). Neon Moon was retired in January after a 23-start career that produced four wins and five placings.
- Prima Donna (NZ) (Super Easy), a half-sister to the elite filly Prowess (NZ) (Proisir), is catalogued as Lot 40. The five-year-old ended her racing career with a win and three placings, most notably romping to victory by eight and a half lengths in a maiden race at Wingatui last July.
- Lot 44 is the seven-year-old mare Savanah Belle (NZ) (Per Incanto), who was retired from racing in January. She had 27 starts for five wins and six placings.
Bidding in the National Online Breeding Stock Sale is open now and will close from 7pm (NZT) on Wednesday 12th July.
