Bred on the same cross as G2 winners and G1 performers Altar and Rain Affair, Cambridge Stud’s Commands filly out of G1-placed Octagonal mare Octapussy attracted plenty of attention at the Karaka Premier yearling sale in New Zealand this week.
Sold as lot 160 the filly, a half-sister to G2 winner Pussy Willow, was eventually knocked down to Duncan Ramage’s DGR Thoroughbred Services for $410,000 making her the third highest-priced filly of the sale and the second most expensive Commands filly ever sold. The filly is expected to enter the stables of Bart and James Cummings, who trained Commands mare Russeting to win the G1 Winter Stakes.
Adrian Nicol and David Hayes combined to secure the only other Commands filly on offer at Karaka in lot 361 consigned by Pencarrow Stud. The attractive brown filly out of the Irish-bred Spinning World mare Annie Daly going for $260,000. With John Foote purchasing lot 293, a Commands colt out of Stakes-winning Lonhro mare Tampiko for $140,000, Commands finished the sale averaging $270,000 for his three lots sold, the second-highest average of the sale behind only Fastnet Rock.
Exceed And Excel also enjoyed a solid sale with his seven sold lots averaging $157,143 including a top price of $300,000 for lot 427, a colt out of County Mayo from the Ascot Farm draft. With Exceed And Excel speedster Amber Sky winning the HK-1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday it was no surprise to see Hong Kong based Magus Equine go to $250,000 to purchase the Lyndhurst Farm-consigned Exceed And Excel colt out of With Fervour.
Bernardini’s daughter Ruud Awakening was purchased at Karaka in 2012 by Go Racing for just $90,000 and has gone on to become a G1 winner with earnings in excess of $580,000. Bernardini’s one yearling catalogued at Karaka this year was a filly out of Too Many Diamonds. Consigned by Cambridge Stud, she was also purchased by Go Racing, the syndicate going to $220,000 to secure her.
While he was not represented in the Premier catalogue, Domesday kicked off Karaka’s Select sale in style with a colt out of Fastnet Lady going through the ring as the second lot of the sale. Bred and sold by The Oaks Stud, the colt was knocked down to Lisa Latta for $165,000.
