High-class three-year-old Damask Rose has powered her way to the top of the markets for New Zealand’s biggest pots of gold.
The daughter of Savabeel is the $3 favourite for the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and $8 co-favourite for the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m).
The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained representative was bred by Tony Rider’s Milan Park, who are continuing to breed from her mother, the well-related Flying Spur mare Sombreuil.
Damask Rose was offered at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and was knocked down to Te Akau’s David Ellis for $200,000.
Her age group win at Ellerslie on Saturday was her second from four appearances and was also runner-up in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and third in the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m).
Milan Park sold Damask Rose’s sister earlier this year at Karaka to bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo on behalf of Australian interests for $200,000.
“Sombreuil has got a colt by Super Seth at foot, and she went back to Savabeel again,” Rider said.
His Waikato nursery has been happy to sell fillies out of Sombreuil as they retained her daughter Provence, also by Savabeel.
Trained by Stephen Marsh, she has won three times from a handful of starts and finished second in the Listed Flying Handicap (1200m) earlier this year to be a valuable future addition to the broodmare band.
“Stephen is pretty positive that Provence can pick up some more black type this season,” Rider said.
Her dam Sombreuil was a private purchase from Trelawney Stud and is out of the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) winner Te Akau Rose and the family of the Gr.1 Doncaster Handicap (1600m) winner and sire Brutal.
“Flying Spur mares go well with Savabeel and we bought her to go to him and it’s worked out very well,” Rider said.
Meanwhile, Milan Park will offer six colts during the upcoming Book 1 session of New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka.
“We’re very happy and we’ve got a few standouts and hopefully we’ll be rewarded,” Rider said.
Among their top offerings is Lot 30, a son of Farnan and the Sooboog mare Jessica Rabbit who is from the family of the late, great stallion Not A Single Doubt, multiple top-flight winner and sire King’s Legacy and Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m) winner Oohood.
“He’s a really nice sort and we’ve got a really good son of Shocking out of Pussy O’Reilly and a lovely Russian Revolution colt who is the first foal of Miss Aotearoa,” Rider said.
Lot 227 is the Shocking colt who is a half-brother to the three-time Group Three winner and Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) runner-up Positivity.
Their dam is the O’Reilly mare Pussy O’Reilly, winner of the Listed Flying Handicap (1400m) and also second in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m).
The Russian Revolution colt is Lot 110 and his dam Miss Aotearoa, by Per Incanto, won the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and is a half-sister to the Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) winner Oceanex and the Gr.3 Rouch Habit Plate (2000m) winner Amexed.
Milan Park will also offer sons of Almanzor (Lot 92), Savabeel (Lot 356) and Rebel Dane (Lot 562).