Cover image courtesy of Trish Dunell
Peter Collier couldn’t be at the Karaka Yearling Sale in 2020, as he was by his mother’s side saying goodbye to her.
But he set client and good friend Sydney bloodstock agent Andrew Williams on a mission to buy the best Pins horse in the Sale, with a side order of an O’Reilly (NZ) cross if he could get it.
“We went in with a plan to buy a filly that we wanted to get black-type results with,’’ Collier told TDN AusNZ on Sunday, still coming down off the high of Pin Me Up winning the Karaka Million 3YO Classic on Saturday.
“We picked out two horses based on Pins and O’Reilly being the best broodmare sires in New Zealand, and this filly had both,’’ he said. “There were two in the Sale and we picked this filly. We went with Pin Me Up and it is a huge result.’’
Peter Collier at Arrowfield Stud | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Williams was in New Zealand for the Sale when Collier gave him the order for a Pins filly.
“Peter wanted to buy something specifically for the Karaka 3YO Millions,’’ Williams said. “Pins was one of our targets because she was bought as a racing and breeding prospect and would work so well with her Redoute’s blood in Australia, with the Snippets in there.
“The catalyst was to just try to find the best Pins. I think we had a budget of NZ$150,000 but I said, ‘Mate she is the one, irrelevant of who she’s by, I think we need to stretch on her’.’’
Andrew Williams
Collier is no doubt as good an accountant as he is a judge of bloodstock pedigrees. They bought Pin Me Up for NZ$270,000, with Collier the 100 per cent owner.
“Like anything, we had someone else who decided that they wanted her as well,’’ Collier said. “That was our last bid, NZ$270,000 was our last bid… she’s probably worth three times that amount now.’’
One for the mums
Neither Williams or Collier could be at Ellerslie for the race on Saturday due to travel restrictions but Williams’ mum was there to perform the official duties, much to Collier’s delight.
Pin Me Up's (NZ) trophy presentation | Image courtesy of Trish Dunnell, NZ Racing Desk
“Knowing Andy’s mum Maree Williams, I rang her and said by fluke of chance that this filly could win, do you think you could go to the races and represent Andy and I. She took a friend along and the rest is history,’’ he said.
“It’s a full circle. With Andy buying the horse, me being involved and Andy’s mum accepting the prize yesterday. She was excited, everybody was excited.
“It’s a full circle. With Andy buying the horse (Pin Me Up), me being involved and Andy’s mum accepting the prize yesterday. She was excited, everybody was excited.’’ - Peter Collier
“Andrew Seabrook (New Zealand Bloodstock's Managing Director) rang me just prior to the celebration and so did David Ellis from Te Akau Racing.’’
Williams said Collier had been very emotional after the Pin Me Up win.
“I think his mum was in palliative care while this Sale was on, so he was attending to her and did everything via videos and phones,’’ Williams said. “But that’s why this filly means so much to him, because of the association with his mother.’’
Next up the Oaks and Levin Classic
Pin Me Up is now entered in the G1 New Zealand Oaks and the G1 Levin Classic, over 1600 metres.
Pin Me Up (NZ) | Image courtesy of Trish Dunnell, NZ Racing Desk
“We’re just going to let the filly tell us… she’s had five runs in now,’’ Collier said. “This is really her first preparation. She was a slow maturing filly.
“Obviously we want to try to chase a bit more black type. But Jamie’s always been of the opinion that her 4-year-old year is going to be her best year.’’
Both Williams and Collier expressed disappointment in the fact they’ll lose Jamie Richards to Hong Kong in April, but Williams said he hoped the training relationship would be resparked at some point.
Jamie Richards (left)
“Of horses that I’ve bought and Jamie’s trained, we’ve had four runners for three stakes horses, including Pin Me Up, Bright Blue Sky and I Choose You,’’ Williams said. “That’s a freakish stat and I’ll be gutted to see him go to Hong Kong.
“All three of them look like they’re going to be Group-quality horses, which is cool.’’
Sales success flows
Pin Me Up, out of Brampton Loco (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) will undoubtedly make her way into Collier’s growing, and successful, broodmare band. At the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale earlier this month one of Collier’s yearlings, a colt by The Autumn Sun out of Northern Meteor mare Mount Zero sold for $550,000 to The Hermitage and Chris Waller Racing from the Arrowfield Stud draft.
Lot 290 - The Autumn Sun x Mount Zero (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“That was terrific,’’ Collier said. “That mare, Mount Zero, I’ve sold four foals in the last four years and she’s probably grossed nearly $2.5 million from those four foals. It’s just been amazing being associated with Arrowfield as well.
“Arrowfield Stud at Scone has really taken me under their wing and are putting me into good horses and good sires. They got me into the filly Yearning, so in October I won the Group 1.
“To never have been in a million-dollar race before and then to be in two in the last four months and to win both of them. It’s just unbelievable.’’
Yearning | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Collier said the G1 Thousand Guineas winner Yearning (Snitzel), trained by Team Hawkes, still has got plenty of upside as well. He has shares in a number of horses raced with Hawkes Racing and has raced with Clarry Connors at Warwick Farm since the mid-1990s.
“October was just phenomenal with Yearning winning and then to back it up with this filly yesterday in almost similar circumstances,’’ said Collier. “Yearning was 27-1 in the Thousand Guineas and this filly, I got 34-1 and to come from way back like they did.
“Yearning was last but this filly was probably fourth or fifth last, and the kid, Sam Weatherley, at 22 years of age, has got a huge future.’’
Building a band of broodmares
“Building a broodmare band…. that’s the whole aim and approach,’’ Collier said.
“You can see why the bigger players are so successful because that’s what they target. Unfortunately, you have to step up financially. We took a punt with this filly (Pin Me Up) to try and create that and it’s come off.
“You can see why the bigger players are so successful because that’s what they target. Unfortunately, you have to step up financially. We took a punt with this filly (Pin Me Up) to try and create that and it’s come off.’’ - Peter Collier
Collier said the evidence of the model being successful could be seen at the Inglis Easter Sale and the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale in May.
“You can see why horses coming off the track make such good money, because the hard work has really all been done for you,’’ he said. “It’s just the matter of selecting the right sire and everything falling in place when the foal comes out.’’
Classic a Karaka Sale target
Williams says he is gearing up for the rescheduled March New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale with a goal to target the Karaka Million 3YO Classic again in two years.
“I’ve got a group together to buy some stock out of New Zealand to probably concentrate on running in this particular race again in two years' time,’’ Williams said.
And he’ll be on the watch not just for a pedigree order, but a physical standout the likes of which Pin Me Up was.
“She’s a filly that physically, she was our number one target. We loved her profile, her action,’’ he said. “Even though she was particularly quirky at the Sale, which is a trait of the family, we loved that Pins influence and obviously Zabeel influence there and coming off Waikato Stud also means a lot.
“She’s a filly that you go to the Sale to buy and very rarely do you get to buy the one you want.’’
