After the depression engendered by the recent Karaka sale results, it’s great to have something positive to write about. Although some vendors achieved praiseworthy and encouraging results, many local trainers weren’t buying – and who can blame them given the scenario of rising costs and declining income.
The deeds of horses like Showcause are worth extolling because they remind us that in midst of doom and gloom, there is always a reason to keep going. Twelve months or so ago, the Giant’s Causeway gelding looked like just another intermediate class stayer with a strong pedigree. There’s little doubt that even the Showcause who finished strongly to secure third place in the CJC Metropolitan and thus qualify for the New Zealand Cup was many lengths inferior to yesterday’s Group 2 winner. Maybe there’s even more improvement to come.
To return to Karaka, there was certainly good – even ridiculously good – buying for local trainers with funds to spend. Two Cloughmore clients appear to have bought very well indeed. Riccarton’s Kevin Hughes purchased the Dylan Thomas – Karliyka colt (K1 – $45,000) and the Keeper – Tithe filly (K2 – $25,000) with the aid of our advice. Donna Logan purchased the colt which I thought had the cleverest pedigree in the Select Sale: by Thorn Park out of the SW Danske filly Grace Park, he fetched a mere $7500. From the same sale Donna also added the Darci Brahma – Prefer Blondes filly to her stable – for an outlay of $2500. Another yearling which appealed strongly on paper was the Thorn Park – Maidjeu colt, purchased by Donna for $34,000 from the Festival Sale.
In order to diversify my business, I have put together a racing partnership – unsurprisingly named Cloughmore Racing Syndicate – to purchase small shares in two of the above yearlings: the Thorn Park colt and the Darci Brahma filly. Hopefully, the Lucky Unicorn – Durham Walk filly, a half-sister to impressive Ellerslie winner Durham Town will also become part of the package. The plan is to set up a Facebook page so that owners and anyone else interested can keep track of our horses’ racetrack performance.
