Inglewood Stud is in the running to defend its title in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m).
Gus and Bianca Wigley’s North Canterbury nursery bred and sold last year’s winner Velocious, whose subsequent victory in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) earned her Champion Two-Year-Old honours.
Inglewood homebred Vega For Luck is now following the lead of the Stephen Marsh-trained filly with his debut success at Tauranga on Saturday rewarded with $14,375, which almost certainly guarantees a berth in January’s juvenile feature.
The stud also bred and sold the two-year-old’s promising stablemate Myakkabelle, a daughter of resident sire War Decree, who broke her maiden at the weekend off consecutive runner-up finishes.
“It was a really good day at Tauranga, that’s the aim of the game trying to breed good racehorses and they’re an exciting pair,” Gus Wigley said.
A son of Lucky Vega, the Ben and Ryan Foote-prepared Vega For Luck was purchased out of Inglewood’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $60,000 by Hong Kong’s All Ahead Bloodstock.
He is the first foal of the Darci Brahma mare Badea, a half-sister to the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) winner Lilikoi and a family that features the Group One winners Damson and Dubai Honour.
“We try and buy two or three mares a year, I’m always looking and we can go to the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale and buy an expensive one and we’re quite happy to buy online as well,” Wigley said.
“Badea was one that popped up on Gavelhouse in foal to Lucky Vega from a very good family and we bought her for $14,000, I thought she was a great buy and is a magnificent looking mare.
“He (Vega For Luck) wasn’t very big but he always looked like an early two-year-old.
“She’s turned out to be a nice purchase and we sent her over to Jacquinot in his first season and we’ve got a lovely filly.”
Badea now has a positive 16-day test to Cambridge Stud’s new stallion Chaldean.
“She’s gone to three first season sires in a row, we normally like to go to a proven stallion with our new mares so it’s nice to get a winner first-up,” Wigley said.
“She’s off to a good start and hopefully can carry on with it.”
A $55,000 Karaka yearling, Myakkabelle is out of the Irish-bred Lawman mare Myakka Park who is from a strong European family that features the multiple Group One winner and successful sire Stravinsky.
“Myakka Park was a mare we bought at the Gold Coast (for A$120,000) and has left a useful Russian Revolution filly (Impulsivity) in Australia and then we sent her to War Decree,” Wigley said.
“We thought she was a really good match physically and Myakkabelle was probably my favourite yearling by War Decree.
“She’s absolutely gorgeous, a big staying type of filly who we sold to Jim Bruford and he’s racing her with some friends.
“She’s taken a little bit of time to mature and things have started to click now.”
Myakka Park had another Russian Revolution filly last season and has a colt by Windsor Park Stud stallion Profondo.
“We really like what we’ve seen of the Profondos so we’re going back there and we’ll bring her back and probably serve her with War Decree again next year,” Wigley said.
“War Decree is going really well, he’s been really popular and he’ll serve over 100 mares.
“We’re very proud of him and we’ve put a lot of time, effort and money into trying to make a stallion and it’s pretty rewarding for us and everybody who has supported him.”