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New Zealand's sire ranks have been responsible for numerous champions throughout the years and progeny of these stallions have been the subject of increasing international demand at New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sales Series.
Photo by Bronwen Healy
Such demand is driven by the results that New Zealand horses are achieving, particularly across the Tasman, where New Zealand bred horses claimed over 30% of Australia's Group 1 wins last season with just 5.2% of the racing population.
* O'REILLY is the sire of 52 stakes winners worldwide, eight of these at Group 1 level, and include Alamosa who will have his first yearlings sell at Karaka 2012, Swick, The Jewel and Master O'Reilly.
Last season in Australia saw O'Reilly's latest star emerge with Shamrocker becoming the first filly to win the Australian Derby in 22 years and the first filly in history to win the Australian Guineas/Australian Derby double.
The 2011/12 season has seen a number of O'Reilly's progeny hint at greater things to come with Classic Jewellery winning his Hong Kong debut by four lengths and New Zealand Oaks favourite Silent Achiever take the Group 2 Championship Stakes (2100m) against the boys in an impressive display.
O'Reilly has 68 yearlings in New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sales Series, 57 in the Karaka Premier Sale.
His progeny include the half-brother to the Group 1 VRC Derby winner Amalfi (Carnegie) from the Centaine mare Rationaine, the grand-dam of current Group 1 performer Antonio Lombardo (Pins).
The O'Reilly/Centaine cross has produced 17 individual stakes winners.
He also has a brother to stakes winner Salsa, and half-brother to Group 3 winner Somepin Anypin (Pins) and stakes winner Rule of Engagement (Danasinga) from the Centaine mare Ungaro.
* STRAVINSKY has built some impressive statistics at stud to match his stellar racing career. The sire of 68 stakes winners, eight at Group 1 level, Stravinsky's progeny have a winners to runners ratio of over 70%. To boot, the son of Nureyev has a stakes winners to runners ratio in New Zealand and Australia of over 8%.
With 30 entries in the National Yearling Sales Series, 21 in the Karaka Premier Sale, Stravinsky has a very strong line-up at the Sales including a number of yearlings from Cambridge Stud's elite broodmares.
With multiple entries out of mares from the Eight Carat family, Stravinsky has two colts from Diamond Smile and Special Diamond, both daughters of the prolific mare Diamond Lover and by Zabeel.
The Stravinsky/Zabeel cross has proven successful at stud. From just 45 starters, the nick has a winners to runners ratio of 80% and has produced seven stakes winners including Pure Harmony, La Sizeranne and Baby Guinness who won the Listed Timpson Family Trust Sprint in November.
Stravinsky's other entries in the Karaka Premier Sale include the half-sister to the Group 1 winner Shower of Roses (Zabeel) from the Group 1 winning mare Marquise (Gold and Ivory), a daughter of Eight Carat (Pieces of Eight) and the half-brother to the two-year-old Group 3 winner and current Group performer Do You Think (Starcraft) from the stakes winning Danehill mare Chickens.
* PINS finished the 2010/11 season as the Champion Sire in Hong Kong and New Zealand's leading sire for stakes winners.
The sire of 43 stakes winners, Pins's stud resume includes some leading performers such as Cox Plate winner El Segundo, NZ 1000 and 2000 Guineas winner and Filly of the Year Katie Lee and his newest star, the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon.
Pins' progeny have proven popular in the Karaka sales ring with the 2011 National Yearling Sales Series seeing his progeny purchased by buyers from four countries around the world. The son of Snippets has 39 entries in the 2012 National Yearling Sales Series, 23 in the Karaka Premier Sale.
They include the colt from the dual Group 1 winning mare Glamour Puss (Tale of the Cat), a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Vision and Power (Carnegie) and the brother to the listed winner Bespoke from the Carnegie mare Velvet and Saturn, a half-sister to Melbourne Cup winner Ethereal (Rhythm) and from the family of Darci Brahma (Danehill).
* PENTIRE had two Group 1 winners in Australia last season
Rich Hill Stud's resident sire Pentire has proven himself a highly versatile stallion with his progeny winning Group 1 races from 1200 to 3200 metres. The sire of 10 Group 1 winners, the son of Be My Guest has sired two Horses of the Year in Xcellent and Mufhasa.
Pentire sired two Group 1 winners in Australia in 2011 with his immensely talented son Rangirangdoo winning the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes and Horse of the Year and eight-time
Group 1 winner Mufhasa winning the Group 1 Toorak Handicap.A horse that looks a star in the making for his sire Pentire, He's Remarkable raced with distinction in Australia and was first past the post in the Group 1 WATC Railway Stakes. A Group 1 calibre horse, the entire will be aimed at the Group 1 Doncaster Mile this season.
With a draft of 54 yearlings in the National Yearling Sales Series, 31 in the Karaka Premier Sale,
Pentire's progeny include the three-quarter brother in blood to He's Remarkable from the dual Group 2 winning Centaine mare Arletty and siblings to G1 winners Juice (Bertolini) (Lot 100) and Ekstreme (Ekraar) (Lot 105).* ZABEEL is well represented in the Karaka Premier Sale with 32 entries.
Zabeel is the sire of 41 individual Group 1 winners and has been one of the feature draw cards of the Karaka Yearling Sales for over a decade.
Zabeel currently leads New Zealand and Australia's Broodmare Sires' Premiership and his progeny include Lot 237, the filly from the Group 1 winning mare Honor Babe (Honor Grades).
* SAVABEEL is the sire of 13 stakes winners from four racing crops. With his top progeny including Tullamore, Strike the Stars, Dowager Queen and Scarlett Lady who won the Group 1 Queensland Oaks.
Savabeel sired his second Group 1 winner this spring with his son, Karaka graduate Sangster, winning the prestigious A$1.5 million Group 1 VRC Derby. The Cox Plate winner has 54 entries in the National Yearling Sales Series, 25 in the Karaka Premier Sale.
They include the sister to this season's Group 1 VRC Derby winner Sangster and the three-quarter brother to the Group 1 Cox Plate winner Maldivian (Zabeel).
* THORN PARK had an outstanding 2010/11 season through the deeds of his star performers Jimmy Choux, The Party Stand and Veyron.
The son of Spinning World was the only stallion in Australasia last season to sire three individual Group 1 winners.
Thorn Park made history with his domestic progeny earning over $3 million last season, a New Zealand record, handing him the title of New Zealand's Champion Sire.
The record breaking stallion has 56 yearlings in the National Yearling Sales Series, 15 in the Karaka Premier Sale, which include the half-brother to the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon (Pins) and the half-sister to Group 1 winner Eileen Dubh (Storm Creek) (Lot 10) and the colt from the Group 1 winning mare Sharvasti (Montjeu) (Lot 432)
* DARCI BRAHMA is the sire of three stakes winners from his first crop which are currently three-year-olds. Headlined by Singapore superstar Super Easy, the colt has won all five of his races in Singapore including the Sgp-2 E.W. Barker Trophy.
Darci Brahma's son Darci be Good has been a standout in Australia winning the Listed Fernhill Handicap at two and the Group 3 Spring Stakes this season. He also ran second in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes at his last start and will be aimed at the Group 1 Australian Derby.
The son of Danehill has some promising horses coming through the ranks including Bonecrusher Stakes winner Artistic who is nominated for the New Zealand Oaks, and he has 65 yearlings in the National Yearling Sales Series, 39 in the Karaka Premier Sale, which include: the colt from the dual Group 1 Auckland Cup winner Prized Lady (Prized) and the half-sister to the Group 3 Doomben Roses winner Awesome Planet (Giant's Causeway), the family of unbeaten Group 1 winning filly Maybe (Galileo) and sire Shinko King (Fairy King).
Other New Zealand sires with progeny in the National Yearling Sales include Bachelor Duke (26), Captain Rio (11), Don Eduardo (25), Falkirk (15), Fast 'n' Famous (17), Iffraaj (35), Keeper (54), Lucky Unicorn (17), No Excuse Needed (20), Perfectly Ready (44), Postponed (14), Towkay (12) and the late Volksraad (18).
New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sales Series will be held at the Karaka sales complex from 30 January to 5 February.