A day after winning the battle for a highly rated Kingman colt with a $650,000 price tag, the Hong Kong Jockey Club and bloodstock agent Craig Rounsefell struck again at Karaka on Monday and came away with another yearling that was near the top of their wish list.
Rounsefell went to $620,000 to secure Lot 409 from the draft of Waikato Stud. The colt is by eight-time champion New Zealand sire Savabeel out of the winning O’Reilly mare Simply You. That makes him a full-brother to the dual Melbourne Group Two winner and Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) placegetter Forgot You.
He also comes from the same family as the high-class mare Espiona, whose seven wins to date include the Gr.1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) and this season’s A$2 million The Invitation (1400m). Other notable names on the pedigree page include the multiple Group One winners Glamour Puss and Vision And Power.
“We bought this Savabeel colt for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, so he’ll join our team and head to the International Sale in a couple of years’ time,” Rounsefell said.
“He was one of our main targets in this sale after inspections. Just on physical, he was top of the pops for us. In terms of pedigree, it’s a beautiful cross that’s already proven and a great family. And Waikato Stud is the best-producing farm in New Zealand, so there weren’t many negatives at all.
“I think he’s a horse that’s going to improve with time, which is what we’re looking for – those horses that continue to get better with age.”
The colt was the seventh purchase of the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for Rounsefell and the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Rounsefell was pleased to secure a son of Savabeel, who has sired 50 winners from 74 runners in Hong Kong.
“He’s had a few good horses in Hong Kong,” Rounsefell said. “We’ve got a nice one up there right now, M Unicorn, who we bought out of this sale (for $400,000 in 2020) and has won four this season. But at the end of the day, Savabeel is a champion stallion, and this horse looks spot on for what we’re looking to buy.
“He was one of our main targets. We got our colt yesterday, and we’ve had some really great-value purchases today as well that have made up our crew, but this guy was one of our main ones on the hit list.”