He’s Got Something!

Sometimes when you see the progeny of a first season sire, you just know this stallion has got something.

The first time I'd ever heard of a sire called Per Incanto (USA) was at the 2014 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in Sydney.

Little Avondale Stud had sent across four yearlings to be offered on their behalf by Sledmere Stud as a way of raising the profile of their promising first season sire to Australian buyers ahead of the 2014 NZB National Yearling Sale Series.

The move was overwhelmingly successful as the Per Incanto yearlings were the talk of the sale averaging over $60,000, a sum well above the sale average of $35,184. He was the leading first season sire by average and was second to only Not a Single Doubt on the overall sire averages.

Fast forward to 2019 and we can look back on that first glimmer of something exciting in the air for Per Incanto as a real pointer for future success.

He was the Champion New Zealand First Season Sire by winners in 2014/2015 and also overall leading sire of 2YO winners with his progeny highlighted by Dal Cielo, winner of the Group I ARC Diamond Stakes. That crop went on to further success at three making Per Incanto the leading sire of three year old winners in New Zealand for 2015/2016 ahead of Savabeel and Darci Brahma.

The first two crops sired by Per Incanto have produced 13 stakes-winners and just this season alone, he already has 10 stakes performers on the board and is second on the New Zealand General Sires List by earnings with Shadows Cast and Santa Monica claiming Group I victories this year.

Santa Monica won the Group I ARC Railway Handicap (1200m) on New Year's Day and then Shadows Cast won the Group I WRC Thorndon Mile (1600m), their success following hot on the heels of a rare stakes race trifecta for Per Incanto when Indecision, Santa Monica and Rocanto went one, two three in the Listed Hallmark Stud Handicap at Ellerslie.

From modest beginnings and a $4,000 service fee, the Champion Italian 3YO Sprinter of 2007 has certainly made his mark, upgrading his mares to produce a quality type for the sale ring that can go on and achieve Black Type performance.

Per Incanto's success has not been confined to New Zealand with his high class sprinter miler Lanciato, a prolific winner for the Mark Newnham stable in Sydney with a feature race win in the Group III Newcastle Newmarket Handicap and a brave seventh in the $3million Group I ATC Doncaster Handicap to Happy Clapper last year.

In Hong Kong, Per Incanto has sired seven winners from 10 runners, while in Singapore he has sired 12 winners from 17 runners, making him a reliable source of winners for the Asian market.

Burgeoning success as a sire has attracted the support of better quality mares and as a result Per Incanto has his best ever consignment of yearlings to be offered at Karaka this year with 18 in Book One and 21 in Book Two.

Little Avondale Stud will present eight of those Per Incanto yearlings in Book One and they are all stunning types as you can see below which is exactly what made us all sit up and take notice of this now established top class sire in the first place!

Lot 4 Filly Per Incanto (USA) x Eloa, by Volksraad (GB)