The fireworks continued late on day three at Karaka when returning buyer Kevin Walls fought off the attention of an international audience to secure a Pierro colt that had plenty of admirers keen to secure him.
Consigned by Cambridge Stud as Lot 621, the colt is the second foal out of the British-bred mare Subatomic, who is a half-sister to international stakes performers Worldly, Nice Danon and Donativum.
The athletic colt strolled around the Karaka ring without a care in the world as a host of potential suitors, both present and online, vied for supremacy with Walls, operating as KPW Bloodstock, successfully out-bidding New Zealand Bloodstock Managing Director Andrew Seabrook who was acting for an international client via phone.
Walls, known to many in the bloodstock industry as Milly, had managed to return from Australia recently and was pleased to be back in New Zealand as he was active over the three days of the sale for an Australian client.
“It’s good to be back. I tried to get back over the last couple of months through MIQ, but I couldn’t get in,” he said.
“After 23 years I left Trelawney Stud and went over to Victoria to manage a place over there, but at the end of the day my friends and family are over here and I have missed fishing, so I have decided to come back.
“I have bought six nice horses for my client including a Brazen Beau filly off Brent and Cherry at Trelawney.
“I have also bought a Harry Angel colt for him, an American Pharoah colt, a Tivaci colt and the very last lot, a Deep Field colt (for $475,000).”
Like all of Walls’ purchases, the Pierro colt will do his early education in New Zealand.
“He will get broken in and carry on. When we think he is ready he will head to Australia, where I am sure Peter Moody will be up near the top of the list when it comes to selecting a trainer,” he said.
“He has a great action. I have seen him half a dozen times and he has a great attitude, moves like a cat and was my pick of the sale.”
Cambridge Stud owner Brendan Lindsay had a smile a mile wide as he congratulated Walls after the dust settled, announcing that was the highest priced yearling he has sold during his time at the stud.
“It is very exciting, the highest priced yearling I have ever sold, and I will definitely be having a red wine tonight,” he said.
“Half a million dollars is a lot of money, but I thought he would make that quite easily, but you don’t know and to get $850,000 is a big result.
“It was quite exciting to finish the sale for us and it is great for the staff to finish off all of the hard work they have put in on such a high.
“It is also extremely gratifying to see how many of the good judges were on him and when you see Tom Magnier, one of the best judges in the world, as the underbidder that says it all.”
Lindsay was thrilled with the results Cambridge Stud had achieved over the sale with thirty seven of their 41 Book 1 yearlings sold at an aggregate of just over $7 million.
“I’m extremely happy with the sale, it couldn’t be better,” he said.
“It is very difficult times for all of us in New Zealand at the moment and to have a result like this is amazing.
“I think both New Zealand Bloodstock and the local industry have done a great job.
“We have also bought some nice individuals ourselves over the last three days as we like to support the local industry as well.
“We are asking people to support us, but we are also supporting other people.
“I’m also delighted with how our resident stallion Almanzor has been received again this year.
“He has been a saviour for Cambridge Stud and I had Sir Patrick Hogan ring me the other day after Dynastic won the Karaka Million 2YO and say to me ‘we’ve got another one’.
“We’ve had Sir Tristram, we’ve had Zabeel, we’ve had Tavistock and now we have Almanzor.”
32 of the 36 Almanzor yearlings offered through the Book 1 sale sold with a top price of $675,000 fetched by Lot 333 from the Cambridge Stud draft to the bid of local Bloodstock agent Bruce Perry on Day 2.
