Written by Jessica Owers
Each day of the sale, TDN AusNZ will find a 'value buy', where an opportunity has been spotted, even in this hot sale market.
Earlier this week, Value Buy featured lucrative yearlings by Savabeel and Ocean Park (NZ) at Karaka 2023 and, on Tuesday, as Day 3 of the sale rattled on, Lot 442, a daughter of Blue Point (Ire), caught our eye when she sold to Ballymore Stables’ Mike Moroney for NZ$100,000.
The bay filly was just the second yearling into the ring, which can be an invidious time of day, and she was well-bought by Moroney, who purchased her on behalf of the Fletcher family and New Zealand’s famous tartan silks.
Lot 442 - Blue Point (Ire) x Pure (filly) | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Lot 442 was consigned by Highden Park, whose Book 1 draft consisted of five. She was the only Blue Point among them, and one of only two youngsters by Blue Point in Book 1.
The only other, Lot 357, had sold to the NSW-based Tricolours Racing and Syndications on Monday for NZ$80,000.
“We thought she was good buying,” said Moroney, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “She looks an early comer. I bought her for the Fletcher family, so she’ll race in their famous tartan colours. We really thought she was the right type of filly for them with a good chance of making the Karaka Million down here next year.”
“She (Lot 442) looks an early comer. We really thought she was the right type of filly for them (the Fletcher family) with a good chance of making the Karaka Million down here next year.” - Mike Moroney
Lot 442 is the first foal from the Pierro mare Pure. It’s an Australian pedigree on the damside, with Pure being a half-sister to Newgate resident Flying Artie.
Flying Artie was a Champion 3-year-old during his career, a winner of the G1 Coolmore Stud S., and he was second to Extreme Choice in the G1 Blue Diamond S. Pure is also a half-sister to the Bel Esprit horse Belflyer, who was placed in the Listed Ramornie H.
The second dam on this filly’s page is Flying Ruby, a Rubiton mare who won the Listed Mistress S. and was Group-placed on three occasions.
“It’s a good family,” Moroney said. “The second dam is a stakes winner, which means the fillies can do something out of the family. That’s the sort of thing we look for when we’re looking at pedigrees, whether these fillies can be successful.”
“It’s a good family. The second dam is a stakes winner, which means the fillies can do something out of the family. That’s the sort of thing we look for when we’re looking at pedigrees, whether these fillies can be succesful.” - Mike Moroney
The first dam, Pure, is a resident at Yulong. Lot 442 was her first foal, and she had a colt by Tagaloa in October. She visited Written Tycoon thereafter.
Pure was bought by Yulong for the Written Tycoon Syndicate at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, going to the group for $350,000 during its big spend of a few years back.
At Karaka, Moroney was already well-versed with Lot 442 when the gavel fell.
Mike Moroney | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
The filly had been bought originally by his brother, bloodstock agent Paul Moroney, and Paul Moroney’s partner Catheryne Bruggeman. The pair had paid $80,000 for the filly at the 2022 Inglis Great Southern Sale from Yulong’s draft, representing a small pinhook success this week.
“I thought she might have made a little bit more than NZ$100,000 because of the pedigree,” Mike Moroney said. “But she wasn’t overly big, so the size might have put a lot of people off. It didn’t put us off because I’ve trained a lot of very good, small fillies. Knowing that bloodline, the ones we’ve seen haven’t been overly big, so we weren’t too concerned about that.”
Lot 442 is from the first Southern Hemisphere crop of Darley shuttler Blue Point. Earlier in the month, the stallion had 21 of his very first yearlings sell on the Gold Coast, and they were very well-received.
“I thought she (Lot 442) might have made a little bit more than NZ$100,000... But she wasn’t overly big, so the size might have put a lot of people off. It didn’t put us off because I’ve trained a lot of very good, small fillies.” - Mike Moroney
Rosemont, in cahoots with Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) and Annabel Neasham, went in for a colt from Bumbasina (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), a half-brother to Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}), for $900,000. Ciaron Maher bought one for $750,000, and Katsumi Yoshida bought another for $700,000.
“Blue Point was a champion racehorse,” Moroney said. “He won his Group 1s at two and then trained on as an older horse to win Group 1s. He could be a very good sire.”
Lot 442 will remain at Moroney’s Matamata base, with no plans yet to bring her to Victoria. The trainer has handled a number of horses in the past for the Fletcher family, in particular for Hugh and his wife Sian.
Blue Point (Ire) | Standing at Darley
The filly is one of eight yearlings that Moroney has signed for at Karaka this week, for a total spend so far of NZ$1,020,000.
He’s not done yet, with Book 2 still to come, but among the sires he’s gone in for are Per Incanto (USA), Tivaci (NZ), Nicconi, Pride Of Dubai and Almanzor (Fr). Time Test (GB) and U S Navy Flag (USA) are there too.
“Trade is good,” the trainer said. “The nice horses are selling well here, but no matter where you go in the world, the nice horses are hard to buy.”
