Windsor Park Stud took the honours on day two of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale when consigning a NZ$875,000 Savabeel colt.
Out of the Fastnet Rock mare Bayrock, the colt sold towards the end of the session and sparked a prolonged bidding duel between David Ellis and Randwick-based trainer John O’Shea.
Ellis had the final wink for the colt whose dam is a sister to Group 1 winning sprinter Merchant Navy, who now stands at stud at Coolmore Australia.
Ellis admitted he had been desperate to secure the colt although he was starting to fade as the price rose.
“I was hoping I would get him for $750,000 but these really top colts have a lot of good judges on them so sometimes you have to pay a bit more for them,” he said.
“If he is a really top colt, like I hope he is, then he is going to be cheap otherwise if he is no good then he’s going to be very expensive. We thought he was a magnificent individual and Jamie is so excited to have him to train.
“It’s been a very successful couple of days for Te Akau and we’re just delighted to have secured so many nice horses.
“It’s pretty exciting to have this sort of quality and I want them for both Te Akau and for New Zealand racing as I want them to stand at New Zealand studs.
“If we are going to take this wonderful industry to the next level then we need them. The only avenue we have is to buy them at the sales as if they become top performers, they are worth 10, 20, 40 million and out of our reach.”