Aga Khan Studs' sire Zarak (Fr) continued to prove popular at the sales, as Tom Goff's Blandford Bloodstock shelled out 350,000gns on behalf of Chasemore Farm for a 1/50th share (lot 63) in the rising sire star to top the Tattersalls Online January Sale on Thursday.
The son of Arc heroine Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) has gone from strength to strength with his progeny in the past few years. Among his many stakes winners are group winners Purplepay (Fr), Sirjan (Ger), Baiykara (Fr), Lavello (Ire), and Lizaid (Ger), while La Parisienne (Fr) was runner-up in the G1 Prix de Diane.
Goff said, “I'm delighted to have secured the share in Zarak on behalf of Chasemore Farm. Andrew and Jane Black have a number of mares that they would like to send to France to be covered by Zarak over the next few seasons so, after some discussion, the decision was to give it a go.
“The sire has done tremendously well so far. At 11% stakes winners to runners and 68% winners to runners to date, his statistics sit comfortably with Dubawi (Ire)'s other successful sons Night Of Thunder (Ire) and New Bay (GB) at the same stage. In addition to his stakes winners, Zarak has also sired La Parisienne (Fr), who was second in the [G1] Prix de Diane, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he sires his first Group 1 winner.
“The fact that he is managed by Georges Rimaud at Haras de Bonneval is another massive plus for me personally. We have first-hand experience of their stallion syndicates–they are absolutely blue chip and are exceptionally well managed.”
The other lot to make six figures was a breeding right in one of last year's star first-crop sires, Whitsbury Manor Stud's Havana Grey (GB) (lot 66). Heather Raw came out the winning bidder at 105,000gns. The grey already has 16% stakes performers to runners, highlighted by group winners Rumstar (GB), Eddie's Boy (GB), and Lady Hollywood (GB), as well as listed winners Shouldvebeenaring (GB) and Cuban Mistress (GB).
Other breeding rights also went under the hammer, with one in Time Test (GB) (lot 62) making 32,000gns to WebBloodstock, and Stephen Hillen secured a breeding right to Harry Angel (Ire) (lot 65) for 30,000gns.
Overall, 31 of the 67 lots sold for a gross of 656,500gns. The average was 21,177gns and the median was 2,600gns.
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