Turn Me Loose Filly Highlights Karaka Day 5

Paul Moroney was not afraid to back his judgment on Day 5 of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, declaring a horse by Turn Me Loose  from the potent Eight Carat family to be far and away the best filly available at Karaka this year. The filly topped the session, bringing NZ$220,000 (US$149,659).

The renowned Kiwi agent, who made the trip home late last month in readiness for the NZB auction, convinced his client Mark Wyborn "to have a good crack" at the Windsor Park Stud-offered filly who will be sent to Australia to race.

She was one of 10 yearlings to sell for NZ$100,000 ($67,972) or more during the second of three Book 2 sessions March 11 where competition from domestic buyers was not enough to achieve trade comparable to last year's sale, let alone replicate the increases which were made at the Book 1 sale.

The clearance rate for the Book 2 sale hovered at 64% last night with the aggregate at NZ$6,667,500 ($4,532,166), down 25% year on year, while the average fell 7% to NZ$38,991 ($26,522) and the median held firm year on year at NZ$30,000 ($20,409).

Moroney, who has bought 10 yearlings from Book 2 for various clients, has no doubt the daughter of Turn Me Loose would have made good money no matter what sale or session she was offered in.

"From the time I saw her here when Book 2 horses arrived on the ground it was pretty clear to me that she was the best filly I'd seen in the catalog, Books 1 and 2. She was an absolutely great-bodied filly, everything I look for in a horse," Moroney said.

"She has big ears, for a start, which I believe all good fillies have. She had bold, bright eyes, was wide between the eyes, a great jowl, and her length of rein, length of back, and length of hip all matched. She had length of forearm, deep girth, great gaskins on her, really correct and, more importantly, she really moved well.

"To me, she had a lot of Eight Carat about her, through Diamond Lover and Diamond Lover is the dam of Don Eduardo  (the filly's dam sire)."

Cataloged as Lot 954, the filly is out of Nightofpassion (Don Eduardo), an unraced half sister to dual group 1-winning mare Danzdanzdance who is also from the family of top mare Lucia Valentina, a three-time group 1 winner in Australia.

Moroney believes the filly's sire Turn Me Loose was also beginning to make his mark having produced two stakes winners and four other stakes-placed horses from two crops of racing age, and made her a priority for Wyborn.

"I just fell in love with her, I just thought she was the best filly on the complex," said Moroney who was instructed to find a filly with the attributes which could see her compete over 1,600 meters at a high level in Australia.

"Mark had spoken with me and was looking to change his strategy slightly," Moroney said.

"In recent times he has wanted to buy horses that he feels are slightly sharper and could compete at the highest level at a mile, while having sufficient pedigree to perhaps get over further.

"She certainly struck me as that type of filly, and she is from a family with two of the best fillies that have raced here and in Australia in the last few years.

"When I told him about her, I obviously convinced him, and he has had a real crack at her.

"I've been also helping out some other people over the course of the sale and I know they were also aware that she was a very nice filly, so it was no surprise to see how popular she was."

Windsor Park Stud's Rodney Schick was delighted the filly had been well sought after.

"She is a beautiful filly and Paul is one of the best judges in the game," he said.

"Mark Wyborn is a great friend of our family and I hope she goes on to do the job for him.

"She was very popular, but we weren't sure what level she would reach."

Also on Day 2 of the Book 2 sale, Alex Oliveira, acting for Paul Chow's Tartan Meadow Bloodstock, bought a colt by Proisir who could head to Hong Kong, but he won't be rushed into making any rash decisions with the NZ$150,000 ($102,042) yearling.

"I saw the colt about six weeks ago doing the rounds of the farms with Bruce Harvey," Olivera said.

"I loved his walk and have always been a fan of the Proisirs. I have had some success with a couple. He will take a bit of time but we are not in any hurry. He will be a different horse in 18 months.

"It was a tough buy as there were plenty on him, but I was of the mind that I wasn't going to stop, within reason, although I am no David Ellis. We were just very keen to get him.

"We will do all his early education here (in New Zealand) but he will probably end up in Hong Kong."

Offered by Rich Hill Stud, where Proisir stands, the Lot 894-cataloged colt is the fifth foal out of Knockout (Pins), a mare who is from the same family as Singapore stakes winners Titanium and Nandowra as well as Astimont, a group 3 winner in New Zealand prior to his export to Hong Kong where he was also successful in stakes company.

"The colt was well inspected and we had a gut feeling he would make six figures. The market is good for good colts," Rich Hill's John Thompson said.

"We have so much to look forward to next year with Proisir as he covered 150 mares two years ago of a lot better quality and will likely have 20 horses in Book 1, whereas until now he has been surviving on five or six in Book 1.

"I think he is a real asset for breeders and one of the upcoming stars of the industry."

Oliveira had been extremely active during the Book 1 sale, securing 12 yearlings for Chow, while this colt represented his second purchase in Book 2 after laying out NZ$40,000 ($27,219) for a Derryn colt (Lot 840) from the Grangewilliam Stud draft earlier in the day.

"Paul and I have been working together for about 11 years now," Oliveira said.

"Pretty much everything we buy comes back to my place for education and a trial and then they will either be sold to go up to Hong Kong or directly there for clients that we work with already.

"We have had a lot of luck with the Proisirs and I am a big fan of the stallion, so that is why we were keen on this colt.

"I think we have around 14 we have bought this week and may be looking for one more before we finish up.

"I have been really impressed at the stock on offer this year and I think the later sale date has contributed to that."

The third and final Book 2 session begins at 11 a.m. (NZ time) March 12.