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Kia Ora Stud yesterday also demonstrated its commitment to first season sire Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) by adding two high-priced mares in quick succession to its broodmare band to be covered by the Golden Slipper Stakes- (Gr.1, 1200m) winning stallion later this year. The Hunter Valley nursery paid $750,000 for Listed winner Moqueen (Uncle Mo), who is in foal to Exceed And Excel (Danehill), before increasing the budget to $900,000 for Gr.3 winner Moss Trip (Mossman), who is in foal to Trapeze Artist (Snitzel).
Earlier in the session, Kia Ora paid $400,000 for Lucky Can Be (Canny Lad), a half-sister to Gr.3 winner Ofcourseican (Mossman) and South African Gr.1 winner Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready). The mare, sold by Woodside Park Stud as Lot 860, is in foal to Written Tycoon (Iglesia). On day one, Kia Ora paid $1.7 million for Ektifaa (More Than Ready), a Gr.2 winner with a deep stakes-winning family, who is in foal to I Am Invincible.
The sale of Moss Trip, who was consigned by Yarraman Park Stud as Lot 926, brought to an end a great ride experienced by her Triple Crown Syndications owners.
Kia Ora Stud, in its return to the stallion ranks, will have Prague (Redoute’s Choice) joining Farnan on the roster and out-cross mares were part of the criteria of the farm’s short-list. “There's many aspects to it, and who they are in foal with is one of them. We obviously sell our yearlings, so there is a commercial aspect to it,” Wright said.
Late in the day, Kia Ora made its presence felt again but this time for a well-bred Snitzel mare, who is a sibling to Gr.1 winner Sweet Idea and Gr.2 winner Showtime, and $650,000 on Gr.3 winner Think Bleue (So You Think), who is in foal to Deep Field (Northern Meteor). Sweet Sister, who made $750,000, is already the dam of Listed-winning 2YO Supreme Idea (I Am Invincible) while she has a yearling brother to that horse and a Zoustar (Northern Meteor) weanling colt, who was withdrawn from last week’s National Sale. She is in foal to Arrowfield Stud sire Dundeel (High Chaparral).
Offered by Milburn Creek as Lot 1072 on behalf of Nick Wakim’s Hilldene Farm, Sweet Sister was bought for $550,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions National Sale. Wakim also sold another Snitzel mare, the stakes-winning Meuse, for $1.2 million at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale. She, too, is in foal to Dundeel. On selling Sweet Sister yesterday, Wakim said: “She was a little bit close to my heart, but we are just restructuring our band and taking a position in terms of how we want our broodmare band to look going forward