3 minute read
Maher and Eustace snap up Showcasing colt.
Ciaron Maher and Astute Bloodstock's Louis Le Metayer paired up to buy a colt from former Hanuni Farm shuttler Showcasing's (Oasis Dream) final New Zealand-bred crop, going to NZ$500,000 for the colt from the Haunui Farm draft.
Maher's bloodstock manager Will Bourne was doing the bidding on behalf of the trainer and he must have been breathing a sigh of relief as the gavel fell in his favour with his boss having told him his job was on the line should he arrive back at work without the colt.
"Ciaron flew out this morning and he said before he left that if I didn't buy the horse I would lose my job," Bourne quipped.
"I didn't think it would go for that much, but it was Ciaron's favourite horse of the sale. He saw it on Saturday and was the one horse on the complex that he really wanted. He said the horses walk really reminded him off Jameka.
"He was just really taken with him. He has done a bit of business with Astute and Louis Le Metayer sees them very similarly to Ciaron - I saw him looking at him this morning and went over and said instead of us bidding against each other why don't we buy him together."
Showcasing, who stood at Haunui Farm for seven seasons, is the sire of 41 stakes winners headed by Group 1-winning pair Advertise and Quiet Reflection and Le Metayer could not hide his admiration for the stallion.
"To the stallions credit he has two Group 1 winners at Royal Ascot from his first two crops, his oldest are four-year-olds," said Le Metayer. "He has six per cent stakes winners to runners and his fee is up to £50,000 and he is absolutely full. He is as good as stallion as there is and this was just a fabulous horse."
Catalogued as Lot 28, the colt is out of Khales (Don Eduardo), who has already produced four winners including Singapore champion Bahana (Elusive City).
The colt's second dam is Group 2 winner Precious Glitter (Danehill), who produced the granddam of Group 1 winner Princess Jenni (High Chaparral). Further back this is the family of Group 3 winner Beauty Watch (Belong To Me) the dam of fellow Group 3 winner Top Of My List (High Chaparral).