Savabeel filly lights up Karaka

The influence of Savabeel again reached giddy heights when a daughter of the King of the Karaka ring sold as Lot 345 for a staggering $2.2 million on Monday afternoon.

The sister to the two-time Group 1 winner Orchestral was the star offering on Day 2 of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and the subject of an intense bidding battle won by the champion trainer Chris Waller and Guy Mulcaster Bloodstock.

“I looked at all the best-bred fillies here and I thought she was the best-bred physical to match the beautiful pedigree, so that was what got us fired up,” Mulcaster said. 

“Chris looked at her quite a few times and we both agreed that she was probably the pick.

“We took our clients to see her this morning and we were lucky enough they buttered up and stumped up the money.

“We’ve been beaten on a few good fillies over the past couple of years. When they’ve got a good page and the physical to match, they’re going to make their money.

“She’s a lovely Savabeel who has a bit of growing to do, but she’s got a big deep girth, so fingers crossed.”

The Haunui Farm-offered filly was bred by Barneswood Farm and also has strong ties to Waikato Stud on her dam side as a daughter of the Group-performed O’Reilly mare Symphonic.

Symphonic is a half-sister to the dam of current three-year-old star and Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Savaglee, who was bred by the Matamata farm as were fellow top-flight winning family members Atishu, Aegon and Daffodil.

“We were expecting interest, but never at that price. This is a fairytale,” said Sarah Green, who operates Barneswood her husband Chris and business partner Ger Beemsterboer. 

“We were hoping to get $1 million, it would have been our first-ever sale that high, but to go that high is unbelievable. 

“I never wanted to sell this filly, but my husband talked me into it, so he is off the hook now.”