Per Incanto Colt Tops Karaka Sale Book 2 Opener

Respected agent John Foote believes Per Incanto remains an underrated stallion who has a growing reputation as a sire of quality horses, particularly in Hong Kong, which is where the Jan. 29 top-priced lot from Book 2 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale is likely to end up.

Foote, who outbid buyers who were also angling for a horse to head to Asia, bought the colt for NZ$160,000 about two hours into the session.

"Per Incanto has done well in Asia and Hong Kong. He is an underrated stallion," Foote said.

"I think Hong Kong were the underbidders. I bought him for a Hong Kong client. He will go across to Australia and go through the system there, where he will trial. If he trials well, he will go to Hong Kong."

Offered by Little Avondale Stud, where Per Incanto stands, the colt is the second foal out of the Singapore stakes-winning mare Makkura, whose family includes three-time group 1-winning sprinter Westminster. He was cataloged as Lot 726.

"He is one of the better colts here today, so we thought we would have to pay that," the Queensland-based agent said.

"The mother could run. They took her to Singapore, and she did really well."

Little Avondale Stud's Sam Williams said the fact that Foote was the one to buy the horse backed up his own high opinion of the colt.

"(John) is a great judge, and he's been a great client of ours. He returns every year to buy from us and clearly shows faith in the product we are producing," Williams said.

"He is a good judge, and it's great that he's here and he has been a great supporter in New Zealand stock and NZB."

The yearling was bred by loyal Little Avondale client Constance Cheng. 

"It's a tricky sale. Everyone is on the better horses, and if any horses show up with X-ray blemishes, they are off it, but fortunately he was a nice, clean horse," Williams said. 

"He's a gorgeous type, and his mare raced up there in Singapore, and Nigel Blackinson has got the (2-year-old) sister and he is rapt with her. 

"Constance Cheng … was tickled pink with the result. She races a lot of horses in Singapore, and she was quite keen that if he didn't make his reserve, she was going to race him in Singapore. 

"But he was pretty much on the market all the way, so I was confident he was going to soar past his reserve." 

Per Incanto has had 15 stakes winners, headed by group 1 trio Shadows Cast, Santa Monica, and Dal Cielo while he has also had 13 individual horses who have tasted success in Hong Kong. 

"The horse had five stakes performers last week and 10 winners over an eight-day period," Williams said. 

"You can't do much more than win on the track and hope that the results follow through into the sales ring. 

"He is also going well in Hong Kong, and he's getting a lot of winners up there. I think he is running on 73% (winners to runners), and the average prize money per runner is over NZ$400,000 per horse, so they are getting a pretty good return on their investments on the Per Incantos, and they do love them up there." 

Meanwhile, there are not many agents who attend more sales around the world each year than Foote, and he maintains seeking value is one of the pillars of his business. 

Later in the session, he added Lot 770, a Proisir colt, for NZ$85,000. He could also be destined for Hong Kong.

From the Book 1 sale, Foote bought 19 yearlings to a top price of NZ$220,000 for an Iffraaj filly from the Haunui Farm draft. 

"We go to the South Island and go to all the sales and try to buy a bit of value. That is the key to it, really," he said. 

"We bought quite a few in Book 1, and I am happy with the prices. I think $220,000 was the dearest we paid, and the rest were under that.

"It is pretty good, really, considering what the average was. We were under the average, so that was good."

Mulcaster Takes Shine to Contributer Colt

Guy Mulcaster was another bloodstock agent to back his judgment on a yearling by a New Zealand-based sire, going to NZ$130,000 for a son of Mapperley Stud's Contributer. 

The colt, consigned by Landsdowne Park as Lot 775, is the fourth foal out of the winning mare Parvati who is a sister to the recent group 2 winner Yearn. 

Mulcaster is optimistic about the prospect of Godolphin's dual group 1 winner Contributer, whose eldest progeny are juveniles, making the grade as a sire. 

"We did buy a few last year. We are happy with them. They are going in the right direction," Mulcaster said. 

"I just saw the horse this morning, and I liked him, so I bought him for myself.

"We will just take him along, and we might put a few people in to him and see how he goes. 

"I liked the fact that he was out of a Savabeel mare, and Yearn is quite a good horse." 

Landsdowne Park's Dave Duley presented the six-figure yearling on behalf of Kieryn Tapper's Paramount Stud. 

"It's been an exciting day, and for Guy Mulcaster to be the buyer and choose my colt is unbelievable. I'll be following the colt's progress very closely," Tapper said. 

Mapperley Stud's Simms Davison was also pleased for Tapper. 

"Kieryn and I have been mates for years. I am really happy for him. The colt will get an opportunity, and I'm happy for the stallion, too," Davison said. 

With a smaller first day Book 2 offering of 150 lots cataloged, compared to 202 last year, the average of NZ$34,594 was down 13% on the same session last year. The median of NZ$27,500 also fell 8% with 90 horses changing hands at a clearance rate of 71%. 

Highview Stud was the leading vendor of the session, selling 11 horses for a total of NZ$477,000.

The second-leading vendor was Haunui Farm, which sold nine horses for an aggregate of NZ$398,000. 

The second day of Book 2 starts at 11 a.m. local time Jan. 30.