O’Reilly colt keenly sought after

The late O’Reilly gained further posthumous honours when his son sold for a whopping $825,000 early in the Premier session. He was the subject of intense bidding before he was secured by the Australian trio of Alan Bell, the China Horse Club and Newgate Farm.

The colt is a brother to the Gr 1 Newmarket Handicap winner Shamexpress from the family of the Gr 1 Caulfield Cup winner Affinity. “Simply put he looks like a racehorse should,” Bell said. “Obviously the mare can produce a good horse and he is very much in the mould of his older brother. He is a superb mover with a great attitude.”

WS’s Savabeel also attracted international interest when Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock advisor John Ferguson went to $750,000 for his daughter out of Banchee offered by Pencarrow Stud. It is the first time that Ferguson has been to New Zealand to source local progeny and he was impressed with the filly right from his first inspection.

“She has an impeccable pedigree and is from a hot young sire so it certainly made sense to try and buy her,” he said. “We had a team look at her and they all said she was a quality individual, a very athletic type who was beautifully prepared so I’m delighted to secure her.”