Sword of State Colt Tops Record-Breaking Karaka Book 1

Sword of State (AUS) delivered the defining moment at the 100th New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) National Yearling Sale, taking center stage at Book 1 when a colt (Lot 513) by Cambridge Stud's burgeoning young sire realized NZ$1.1 million (US$658,389, NZ$1=US$0.60) Jan. 26. The sale-topper will join Ciaron Maher's powerful stable after the operation's head of bloodstock, Will Bourne, fought off strong competition to land the winning blow. The colt is out of Las Brisas, a British-bred daughter of Shamardal, who was bought by Brendan and Jo Lindsay's operation for 50,000 guineas from the Castlefarm draft at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2018. In her first year at paddocks in New Zealand, she featured among the final book of the Cambridge's late stallion Tavistock, and the resulting foal was multiple group 1 winner Ceolwulf. Bourne said, "This colt had a lot of strength. He was very much a yearling sales horse. When we looked at him from behind the saddle, there was a lot of power there. There's a few similarities (to Ceolwulf), but I feel like he's a different horse. He was very imposing. He was a proper colt, so hopefully we can get him home and turn him into something." Over the two days of Book 1 trade, the auction house reported 422 yearlings sold at a clearance rate of 81%. Book 1 reached a record average of NZ$187,257 (US$112,080), a 14% rise, while the median of NZ$140,000 (US$83,795) also set a new benchmark, and was up 27% on 12 months ago. The aggregate finished at NZ$79,022,500 (US$47,297,762), a 5% increase on last year's figure. NZB's managing director, Andrew Seabrook, said their decision to offer a more refined Book 1 offering had been richly rewarded. "I am really thrilled. The turnover has gone up NZ$3 million with 94 less horses cataloged. The sale has gone from three days to two days, so to exceed the turnover by NZ$3 million is huge. "The support we've had from Australian (buyers) in the last couple of days, and a lot of people returning that haven't been for a while to support the 100th sale, was fantastic. It's just gone so well from the race meeting on Saturday night with that wonderful atmosphere. "The crowd yesterday for the opening day on Sunday was amazing, and it's just continued today, and to have a clearance rate of 80% on sale day, that'll continue to go up, but we haven't done that for a number of years. The average being well up around NZ$185,000, it's all gone really well." The powerful buying combination of Guy Mulcaster and Chris Waller was active over the two days of Book 1 trade at Karaka, combining to purchase 10 yearlings for NZ$3,715,000. The most expensive of the cohort was a well-related Justify colt (Lot 471), whom they bought for NZ$950,000. Bred by Coolmore, the colt boasts an elite international pedigree. He is out of the Zoffany mare Heart To Heart, a juvenile winner in Ireland and a half sister to Camille Pissarro (IRE), France's champion 2-year-old of 2024. The classic-winning son of Wootton Bassett is about to embark on his first season at Coolmore Stud. The Justify youngster is the second foal out of the mare, with her first, a colt by Frankel (GB), having sold to Busuttin Racing for AU$100,000 at last year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Mulcaster said: "He's a lovely colt, a real typical get up and run sort of Justify. The dam is a half to a current stallion who was a champion 2-year-old in France. Fingers crossed, he can be another Learning To Fly or Storm Boy. We thought he was a beautiful horse and stretched a little bit, but we bought him for a lot of good clients, and fingers crossed, he turns out to be a good one for us." The colt will join the Chris Waller stable, with Mulcaster confident the Justify youngster profiles as a sharp, early type. "Justify is an international sensation, and it's only a matter of time when we get another Storm Boy or something like that," Mulcaster added. "He looked like the type to get up and run for us. He's going to be trained by a great trainer, and we're going to have a lovely group of owners."