KARAKA 2012: King excited about quality draft Mon, 30 Jan 2012

What he describes as his operation’s best ever Karaka Premier draft has Brighthill Farm principal Nick King excited as he counts down the days to the National Yearling Sale.

“It’s been a great year for growing horses, right through this summer which I know hasn’t pleased a lot of people but suits people like us just fine,” said the affable Irishman. “We have a very strong client base with some high quality mares and progeny, which I believe is reflected in the yearlings we’ll be taking to Karaka.”

Brighthill’s five-strong Premier draft comprises a colt by Zabeel, a filly and a colt by High Chaparral, a filly by Keeper and a colt by Shinko King. The Zabeel colt is from Arena Pride, a half-sister by Nassipour to the classy racemare Bazelle, who in turn is the dam of the High Chaparral colt in the Brighthill draft.

Both are owned by Lorna Moore, a New Zealander who has spent most of her life in Australia but recently returned to live permanently in her homeland. Mrs Moore has had a long association with the Bazelle family and raced the Zabeel mare from the Paul Jenkins stable during a career that produced wins in the Auckland Cup and, so appropriately, the Zabeel Classic.

“The Arena Pride colt is a lovely staying moving horse that the Karaka Premier market should be looking for,” says King. “We put through his brother at $250,000 last year and this colt is every bit as impressive.

“Lorna’s High Chaparral colt from Bazelle is a stunner. He’s one of those horses that has been like that since the day he hit the ground. He’s been raised on the farm and we’ve been excited for a long time about the horse he’s been growing into. At every stage he hasn’t let us down.”

Brighthill’s second High Chaparral yearling is a filly from Upstage, the dam of the outstanding galloper Tavistock. He of course was by Montjeu, who like High Chaparral is a son of Sadler’s Wells, making this filly a three-quarter relation.

“The success of Tavistock has been a wonderful achievement,” says King. “To see him win two Group One races and then be retired to Cambridge Stud is something to be proud of for his breeder the Duchess of Bedford, who owns this filly in partnership with Richard Craddock. She is a beautiful filly, very attractive and more of a staying type than Tavistock.

“High Chaparral’s last New Zealand crop will have obvious appeal at Karaka and here at Brighthill we feel so privileged to be offering two of them. I think it’s something to note that there are only five High Chaparrals either out of or siblings to Group One winners and both of ours are in that category.”

Shinko King, who has to be one of New Zealand’s most under-rated stallions, is rarely seen in the Premier catalogue but King says that should in no way diminish the appeal of the Cold Type colt, who is a brother to the Coolmore Classic and Queensland Oaks winner Eskimo Queen. 

“He’s a wonderful example of his sire’s best progeny, very strong and altogether a very appealing colt. Shinko King has an excellent record and he’s still doing very well in places like Hong Kong, so that market should pick up on him.”

The Keeper-Regal Flight filly is a half-sister to the smart galloper Cog Hill, a Group Two winner in New Zealand as well as at Group Three in Australia and placed in the Gr. 1 Stradbroke Handicap. “Her dam is by Straight Strike and this filly looks as though she could get up and run early.”

Brighthill Farm’s Select draft contains eight yearlings by resident stallion Perfectly Ready, New Zealand’s leading first season sire last season who has lived up to his bloodlines and performance with a large number of naturally talented gallopers from his first two crops.

“He’s one stallion whose progeny have been affected by the wet spring and summer, but despite that he’s still managed to get 10 individual winners and two stakes-placed fillies since August,” King commented.

The signs are also very positive for Brighthill Farm’s new season stallion Patapan, who is following in the footsteps of his older associate by leading the current first season sire statistics. “He’s the first freshman sire to have a stakes winner this season and even though he doesn’t have big numbers there’s a very pleasing number showing up at trials as well,” says King.

“He gets his turn in the Festival section at Karaka and has some lovely strapping colts in our draft that I’m sure will appeal to that market.”